Novel Methods of Preparing Nanodevices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016304341-A1
Application number	US-201514604896-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 26, 2015
Priority date	Jan 24, 2014
Publication date	Oct 20, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present invention relates to novel nano- and micro-electromechanical devices and novel methods of preparing them. In one aspect, the invention includes methods of preparing a nanodevice. In certain embodiments, the methods comprise coating a polymer layer with a first at least one thin solid material layer using atomic layer deposition (ALD), thus forming an ALD-generated layer. In other embodiments, the methods comprise patterning the first at least one thin solid material layer to form a nanodevice. In yet other embodiments, the methods comprise releasing the nanodevice from the polymer layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of generating a nanodevice, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) coating at least a portion of a solid supporting material layer with a first at least one thin solid material layer using atomic layer deposition (ALD), thus forming an ALD-generated thin solid material layer; (b) patterning the first at least one thin solid material layer, thus forming a nanodevice; (c) optionally performing the steps of:
(i) adding at least one additional solid supporting material layer to form at least one second-level solid supporting material layer;
(ii) optionally patterning the at least one additional solid supporting material layer to create vias, trenches or other three-dimensional templates;
(iii) coating the at least one additional patterned solid supporting material layer using ALD, thus forming at least one additional ALD-generated layer of thin solid material; and,
(iv) patterning the at least one additional thin solid material layer to form the nanodevice; and,
(d) releasing at least a portion of the nanodevice from the one or more solid supporting material layers.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one selected from the group consisting of the solid supporting material layer and the additional solid supporting material layer(s) comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of a polyimide, a polymethyldisiloxane, a polystyrene, an epoxy, a polypropylene, a poly(methylmethacrylate), a polyethylene, and a poly(vinyl chloride).

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one selected from the group consisting of the first solid supporting material layer and additional solid supporting material layer(s) is independently patterned.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one selected from the group consisting of the first and the additional ALD-generated layer(s) comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of a metal, a metal oxide, a semimetal, a semiconductor, and a metal nitride.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one selected from the group consisting of the first and additional ALD-generated layer(s) comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of Ag, Al, Al 2 O 3 , Au, Co, Cu, Fe, GaN, Ge, GeO 2 , HfO 2 , indium tin oxide, Ir, Mo, Ni, Pd, Pt, Rh, Ru, RuO 2 , Si, SiC, SiGe, SiO 2 , SnO 2 , Ta, Ti, TiN, TiO 2 , V 2 O 5 , VO x , W, ZnO, and ZrO 2 .

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the solid supporting material layers is deposited by at least one method selected from the group consisting of evaporation, electroplating, plasma enhanced chemical vapor evaporation, reactive ion beam deposition, and atomic layer deposition.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one selected from the group consisting of the first and additional ALD-generated layer(s) comprises a dielectric layer and/or a metal layer.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one selected from the group consisting of the first and additional ALD-generated layer(s) has a thickness ranging from about 0.1 nm to about 300 nm.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one selected from the group consisting of the first and additional ALD-generated layer(s) comprises at least two layers, each layer independently comprising Ru, W, Pt, Al 2 O 3 , SiO 2 , ZnO, or TiO 2 .

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein step (d) comprises at least partial removal of at least one solid supporting material layer by wet or dry etching.

11 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising at least one of the following steps:
(a) depositing and patterning an electrically conducting layer on a substrate; (b) coating the electrically conducting layer with a polymer layer; (c) patterning the polymer layer; and, (d) optionally depositing an additional material layer on the patterned polymer layer, wherein the additional material layer is not generated using ALD, and patterning the additional material layer.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the substrate comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of Si, SiO 2 , glass, Si 3 N 4 , sapphire, GaAs, SiC, and a solid organic material.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the electrically conducting layer comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of Ag, Al, Au, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pt, Si, Ti, Ta, W, and an alloy containing one or more of these metals.

14 . A nanodevice prepared according to the method of claim 1 .

15 . The nanodevice of claim 14 , which is a bolometer, a transducer, a temperature sensor, a thermistor, a microbolometer, a microphone, a speaker, an ultrasonic transducer, a resistor, an inductor, a spiral inductor, a flagellum, a flagellum motor, a freestanding nanodevice, a freestanding microdevice, a Bragg reflector, a Bragg filter, an antenna, a terahertz detector, an electromagnetic transformer, or an electrical system.

16 . The nanodevice of claim 14 , which is a radiation absorbing device or bolometer support structure.

17 . The nanodevice of claim 16 , wherein the support structure comprising ALD-generated layers is connected to a non-ALD-generated transducing layer.

18 . The nanodevice of claim 16 , wherein the radiation absorbing device is connected to the non-ALD-generated transducer layer and connected to the support structure and an underlying read-out integrated circuit to form an entire bolometer device.

19 . The nanodevice of claim 14 , having a heat capacity less than about 200 pJ/K.

20 . A nanodevice selected from the group consisting of:
(a) a nanodevice comprising at least two ALD-generated material layers and at least one electrically conducting solid material layer, wherein at least one of the ALD-generated material layers independently comprises an insulating material layer, and the remaining layer(s) of ALD-generated material independently comprises an electrically conducting ALD-generated material layer, wherein the at least one ALD-generated insulating material layer is located between the electrically conducting solid material layer and the electrically conducting ALD-generated material layer, wherein electrical connection takes place through the at least one ALD-generated insulating layer, between the electrically conducting solid material layer and the electrically conducting ALD-generated material layers, allowing for electron transport between the electrically conducting layers of the nanodevice; and, (b) a nanodevice comprising at least two ALD-generated electrically conducting layers and at least one ALD-generated insulating material layer, wherein the at least one insulating material layer is located between the at least two ALD-generated electrically conducting layers, wherein electrical connection takes place between the conducting layers through the at least one insulating material layer, allowing electron transport between the at least two ALD-generated electrically conducting layers.

Assignees

• Univ Colorado Regents
• Drs Rsta Inc (Drs Technologies)

Inventors

• Bright Victor M
• George Steven
• Brown Joseph J
• Eigenfeld Nathan T
• Gray Jason M
• Skidmore George Dee

Classifications

• C23C16/0245

  by etching with a plasma · CPC title

• B05D7/24

  for applying particular liquids or other fluent materials · CPC title

• B82B3/008 Primary

  Processes for improving the physical properties of a device · CPC title

• C23C16/14

  Deposition of only one other metal element · CPC title

• C23C16/45555

  applied in non-semiconductor technology · CPC title