Large-Scale Integration of Nanoelectromechanical Systems for Gas Sensing Applications

We have developed arrays of nanomechanical systems (NEMS) by large-scale integration, comprising thousands of individual nanoresonators with densities of up to 6 million NEMS per square centimeter. The individual NEMS devices are electrically coupled using a combined series-parallel configuration that is extremely robust with respect to lithographical defects and mechanical or electrostatic-discharge damage. Given the large number of connected nanoresonators, the arrays are able to handle extremely high input powers (>1 W per array, corresponding to <1 mW per nanoresonator) without excessive heating or deterioration of resonance response. We demonstrate the utility of integrated NEMS arrays as high-performance chemical vapor sensors, detecting a part-per-billion concentration of a chemical warfare simulant within only a 2 s exposure period

Optimization of the optical transmission of submicron silicon-on-insulator rib waveguides

International audienc

Influence of induced stress on enrichment kinetic during local Ge condensation of SiGe/SOI mesas

International audienc

Reactor wall plasma cleaning processes after InP etching in Cl2/CH4/Ar ICP discharge

International audienc

Back-side-on-BOX heterogeneous laser integration for fully integrated photonic circuits on silicon

We present a fabrication flow integrating lasers at the backside of silicon-on-insulator wafers. It is expected to be compatible with integration of other material-layers and reduce the variance of lasers performance. A DFB laser fabricated accordingly exhibits a total waveguide-coupled power of 60mW at 160mA/20°

Passivated TiN nanocrystals/SiN trapping layer for enhanced erasing in nonvolatile memory

International audienc

An in-depth investigation of physical mechanisms governing SANOS memories characteristics

The goal of this work is to give a clear physical comprehension of the charge loss mechanisms of SANOS (Si/Al2O3/Si3N4/SiO2/Si) memories. Retention at room and high temperature is investigated on different samples through experiments and theoretical modeling. We argue that at room temperature, the charge loss essentially results from the tunneling of the electrons trapped at the nitride interface, and the retention life time increases with the nitride thickness. On the contrary, at high temperature, the trapped charges in the nitride volume quickly redistribute, thanks to the thermal emission process, and they migrate to the nitride interface. Indeed, this result suggests that thin-nitride thicknesses in SANOS devices allow keeping a fast program/erase speed without degrading the retention at high temperature