critical relative indentation depth in carbon based thin films

Abstract The thin film hardness estimation by nanoindentation is influenced by substrate beyond a critical relative indentation depth (CRID). In this study we developed a methodology to identify the CRID in amorphous carbon film. Three types of amorphous carbon film deposited on silicon have been studied. The nanoindentation tests were carried out applying a 0.1–10 mN load range on a Berkovich diamond tip, leading to penetration depth-to-film thickness ratios of 8–100%. The work regained during unloading ( W e ) and the work performed during loading ( W t ) was estimated for each indentation. The trend of unload-to-load ratio ( W e / W t ) data as a function of depth has been studied. W e / W t depth profiles showed a sigmoid trend and the data were fitted by means of a Hill sigmoid equation. Using Hill sigmoid fit and a simple analytical method it is possible to estimate CRID of carbon based films

Project MInOSS: Results of Spectral Response Measurements on the Photodiodes

A study of the electro-optical characteristics of CMOS-compatible photodiodes has been performed in the frame of the MInOSS project. This work reports the responsivity measurements carried out on twelve technologically different photosensors. After a brief description of the experimental set-up and of the measurements procedure, the spectral response results are presented, compared and discussed. Finally, a summary of the main conclusions is reported

Realization of hydrogen sensor based on FET silicon technology

Thin palladium layer was used as a gate material in a MOSFET device to obtain a hydrogen gas sensor. The functional performances of the MOSFET were investigated by characterizing the channel current versus applied voltage at different gas concentration. It has been observed that Palladium deposited by a quite suitable technique such evaporation allows the realization of a device having interesting gas responsivity. This result open the way for an optimization of a microfabrication process enabling possible future mass production of an integrated H2 sensors suitable for many applications

MOS C-t characteristics and gate oxide quality versus bulk iron contamination in epitaxial wafers

Two kind of Si epitaxial wafers, p/p+ with extrinsic gettering and p/p- without extrinsic gettering were used to evaluate the impact of Fe contamination on minority carrier generation lifetime, effective surface generation velocity and gate oxide quality. Apreciable differences, as related to the Fe contamination, have been observed in the p/p-without extrinsic gettering substrates only

Gate Oxide Quality Improvement Nearby Bird`s Beak Region

To compare the use of dry (DW-) with respect to wet (conventional) LOCOS, investigation on the quality of the gate oxide grown nearby birdÕs beak region has been carried out. Results show that for DW samples a much higher QBD is obtained with respect to the conventional one. Furthermore, a dedicated test has pointed out a weak QB D dependence on the interstitial oxygen concentration of the silicon wafers

Production of ALICE microstrip detectors at ITC-irst

We report on the results from the production of 600 double-sided silicon microstrip detectors for the ALICE experiment. We present the fabrication process and some selected results from the electrical characterization of detectors and test structures. The large amount of experimental data allowed a statistically relevant analysis to be performed. The main technological aspects related to production yield optimization will also be addressed

Recent Proton and Co60 Radiation Test Data from a Newly Developed European Optocoupler Source for space Application

The permanent degradation introduced in the main electrical parameters of a new optocoupler type is described, as a function of proton fluence and Co-60 total ionizing dose. These results refer to Optoi’s devices assembled in Leadless Chip Carrier packages, coded OIER10 and developed in the framework of an ECI2 project for ESA, aimed at the ESCC component qualification

Technological and design improvements for RF MEMS shunt switsches

This paper reports on the successive improvements introduced in the shunt switches fabricated with the RF MEMS multiuser technology platform available at FBK-irst. In the course of a multiyear development several technological features and design methods have been made available to enhance the operation of capacitive switches. This work analyzes their effects by reviewing the behaviour of the FBK-irst capacitive switches at three different stages of this optimization process. Improvements have been assessed by means of DC electromechanical characterizations, which use a simple quasistatic C-V measurement to extract the switch actuation voltage and the capacitance in the on and off states (Con and Coff) and RF measurements. The addition of a floating metal layer into the process flow has allowed a great increase of the switch on state capacitances, getting Con/Coff ratios of 200, up to 50 times greater than the ones obtained for the same structures without this feature