Step-Height Measurement of Surface Functionalized Micromachined Microcantilever Using Scanning White Light...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science and Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Microfabrication

Background:

• Micro-cantilever arrays are crucial components in micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS).
• Accurate characterization of micro-structure dimensions is essential for MEMS performance and reliability.
• Conventional characterization methods like Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) have limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel, high-resolution optical method for characterizing micro-cantilever arrays.
• To investigate the fabrication and image measurement of micro-cantilever arrays using bulk micromachining.
• To demonstrate the flexibility and reliability of the proposed measurement technique.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of micro-cantilever arrays with varying dimensions on Silicon <100> substrate using bulk micromachining.
• Surface functionalization of sputtered Gold-Coated micro-cantilevers.
• Characterization using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and Scanning White Light Interferometry (SWLI) with a LASER probe.

Main Results:

• The SWLI-based optical method provides nanometer-level precision and repeatable accuracy for micro-structure measurements.
• The proposed method demonstrates superior flexibility and reliability compared to conventional AFM and SPM techniques.
• Successful characterization of micro-structure dimensions including length, width, and step-height of micro-cantilever arrays.

Conclusions:

• The developed SWLI-based optical method is a viable and effective technique for high-resolution characterization of MEMS micro-cantilevers.
• This method offers a reliable alternative for precise dimensional metrology in microfabrication.
• The study validates the application of SWLI for advanced MEMS characterization and analysis.