Semiconductor device manufacturing: process – Electron emitter manufacture
Reexamination Certificate
2005-06-10
2008-05-06
Nguyen, Tuan H. (Department: 2813)
Semiconductor device manufacturing: process
Electron emitter manufacture
C438S734000
Reexamination Certificate
active
07368305
ABSTRACT:
A method of fabricating high aspect ratio micromechanical tips is provided. The method includes, but is not limited to, forming an etchant protective island on a surface of a silicon substrate with the silicon substrate exposed around the island; isotropically etching the silicon substrate by reactive ion etching around the protective island to partially undercut the silicon substrate beneath the protective island; anisotropically etching, by deep reactive ion etching, the silicon surrounding the island to a desired depth to define a tip shaft of the desired height supported at a base by the substrate; removing the protective island from the tip; and sharpening the top of the tip shaft to an apex. Using the method, micromechanical tips having heights greater than at least 30 μm have been obtained while maintaining the vertical sidewall necessary for both AFM and scanning near-field microwave microscopy (SNMM) profiling applications.
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van der Weide Daniel W.
Wang Yaqiang
Foley & Lardner LLP
Nguyen Tuan H.
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
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