TiN Diffusion Barrier and Ti cap for Double Metal I.C. Interconnects

The development of a TiN diffusion barrier for a double metal technology based on the use of Low Temperature Oxide (LTO) as intermetal dielectric is described. Processing problems are reviewed and discussed. This technology is to be used for the scale down of the Irst CCD7CMOS proces

Tin Diffusion Barrier and Ti cap for Double Metal I.C. Interconnects

The development of a TiN diffusion barrier for a double metal technology based on the use of Low Temperature Oxide (LTO) as intermetal dielectric is described. Processing problems are reviewed and discussed. This technology is to be used for the scale down of the Irst CCD/CMOS proces

Development of a pH sensor with integrated reference electrode for cell culture monitoring

The possibility to monitor the acidification of cell culture medium is of great interest in several fields of application, where it can provide information on the culture status and on the cell metabolism. To realise a highly integrated system with high throughput, ISFET sensors are good candidates. In order to realise these structure, a MOS process with appropriate gate dielectric needs to be implemented. A possible technological solution with lower costs and lower technological constraints can rely on extended gate structures, where a capacitor made of the sensitive material is connected to an external high impedance readout circuitry. One drawback of electrochemical pH sensors is the need of bulky external reference electrodes, which limits the actual integration of the system. Recently, reference electrodes based on polymeric layers doped with lipophilic salts to provide electrical conductivity, have provided promising results in term of potential stability and long term viability of the device. In this paper, we present the development of a sensor system including a “all-solid state” integrated reference electrode based on a PVC solid electrolyte with different types of lipophilic salts for the integration with a sensor array. As regards the sensing element, we compare the performances of ISFETs with Si3N4 dielectric used as sensitive material and extended gate structures

Metallization on Polymer Substrates for Functional Contact Lenses.

Functional multi-purpose contact lenses have recently attracted attention as suitable means to exploit the characteristics of eyes to diagnose diseases and for drug delivery. This is made possible by developing functional contact lens with micro sensors placed on it, which can be worn on the eye surface. However there are several challenges that need to be addressed before reaching the final functional contact lens with incorporated micro devices and micro sensors for biomedical applications. One such challenge is related to the metallization on polymer substrates. In this work, we present the first results in the direction of realizing robust metal patterns on polymer substrates. The metal patterns presented here are electrodes for connecting different devices and micro antenna loops. We also compare the metallization techniques on different polymer substrates like PDMS, PET to name a few and different metals patterned like Ag, Au etc. Specific steps and solutions to issues like crack formation and adhesion of the metal on the polymer substrates are also discussed

Deposition Processing and Characterization of PVDF-TrFE Thin Films for Sensing Applications

This work presents wafer level deposition of thin polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene P(VDF-TrFE) films by spin coating and their further patterning by dry etching. Uniform and controlled thicknesses were obtained over a large area (4 inch Si wafer) by varying the concentration of solution and the spinnerpsilas speed. Absence of any standard method makes it difficult to etch the polymer films from places like pads. A new dry etch recipe, developed for this purpose was used for the selective etching of polymer films. In situ polarization of the polymer film has also been addressed

Deposition, processing and characterization of P(VDF-TrFE) thin films for sensing applications

This work presents wafer level deposition of thin polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene P(VDF-TrFE) films by spin coating and their further patterning by dry etching. Uniform and controlled thicknesses were obtained over a large area (4 inch Si wafer) by varying the concentration of solution and the spinnerpsilas speed. Absence of any standard method makes it difficult to etch the polymer films from places like pads. A new dry etch recipe, developed for this purpose was used for the selective etching of polymer films. In situ polarization of the polymer film has also been addressed

A multiparametric electrochemical microsensor for wine yeast quality assessment

This work is aimed at the realization of an integrated platform for high-throughput screening of wine yeast strains in order to improve the overall quality and productivity of wine making process. The approach is based on a multiparametric sensors integrated with a non-standard fabrication process derived from a 4µm Al-gate CMOS technology, allowing the on-line monitoring of pH, temperature and impedance of yeast cultures for the characterization of ethanol resistance of yeasts

Thin film technology in the development of IRST-CCD/CMOS VLSI fabrication process

The development of an innovative CCD/CMOS VLSI technology specially designed to produce application specific smart optical sensors, is described. Process architecture and main technological parameters are outlined and, among the vacuum - thin film related problems specifically studied for this development, the gate oxide thinning phenomenon is presented and discusse

Quartz-based multielectrode array for analytical diagnostics

----