A nanoporous silicon nitride membrane using a two-step lift-off pattern transfer with thermal nanoimprint lithography

Nanoimprint lithography is emerging as a viable contender for fabrication of large-scale arrays of 5–500 nm features. A fabrication process for the realization of thin nanoporous membranes using thermal nanoimprint lithography is presented. Suspended silicon nitride membranes were fabricated by low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) in conjunction with a potassium hydroxide-based bulk micromachining process. Nanoscale features were imprinted into a commercially available thermoplastic polymer resist using a prefabricated silicon mold. The pattern was reversed and transferred to a thin aluminum oxide layer by means of a novel two-stage lift-off technique. The patterned aluminum oxide was used as an etch mask in a CHF3/He-based reactive ion etch process to transfer the pattern to silicon nitride. Highly directional etch profiles with near vertical sidewalls and excellent Si3N4/Al2O3 etch selectivity were observed. One micrometer thick porous membranes with varying dimensions of 250 × 250 μm2 to 450 × 450 μm2 and a pore diameter of 400 nm have been engineered and evaluated. Results indicate that the membranes have consistent nanopore dimensions and precisely defined porosity, which makes them ideal as gas exchange interfaces in blood oxygenation systems as well as other applications such as dialysis. (Some figures may appear in colour only in the online journal)