Silicon nitride is a biocompatible material that is currently used as an interfacial surface between cells and large-scale integration devices incorporating ion-sensitive field-effect transistor technology. Here, we investigated whether a poly-L-lysine coated silicon nitride surface is suitable for the culture of PC12 cells, which are widely used as a model for neural differentiation, and we ch...

A nitride spacer with an underlying deposited tetraethoxysilane oxide, that behaves as a convenient etch stop layer, is a popular choice for sidewall spacer in modern complementary metal–oxide– semiconductor process flows. In this work we have investigated the effect of the silicon nitride spacer process on the boron profile in silicon and the related dose loss of B from the Si into the silicon...

Thick silicon nitride blocks embedded in silicon wafers were recently proposed as a substrate for RF devices. In this paper we show that deep trenches filled with silicon nitride—having thin slices of monocrystalline silicon in between—already result in a significantly improved RF behavior. Measurement results are presented on RF coplanar waveguides using solid silicon nitride blocks and silico...

The gas-phase reaction between the silicon nitride radical (SiN) and the prototypical olefin--ethylene--is investigated experimentally and theoretically for the first time. Silicon nitride (SiN) and the cyano radical (CN) are isoelectronic; however, their chemical reactivities and structures are drastically different from each other. Through the use of the cross molecular beam technique, we wer...

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were deposited on various substrates namely untreated silicon and quartz, Fe-deposited silicon and quartz, HF-treated silicon, silicon nitride-deposited silicon, copper foil, and stainless steel mesh using thermal chemical vapor deposition technique. The optimum parameters for the growth and the microstructure of the synthesized CNTs on these substrates are described. Th...

To extend the scaling limit of thermal SiO2 in the ultrathin regime when the direct tunneling current becomes significant, members of this author’s research team at Yale University, in collaboration with the Jet Process Corporation, embarked on a program to explore the potential of silicon nitride as an alternative gate dielectric. In this paper, highquality silicon nitride (or oxynitride) film...

The stoichiometry and hydrogen content of hot-wire (HW)-grown silicon nitride was examined as a function of SiH yNH 4 3 flow ratio. The effect of post-deposition hydrogenation treatment on overall film hydrogen content was determined. The hydrogen release properties in Si-rich and N-rich nitride layers were characterized by annealing treatments. Defect hydrogenation was studied using Fourier tr...

In this proposal we seek to establish a porous silicon based etching process in the WTC microfabrication laboratory. The new process will allow us to etch high aspect ratio holes through a wafer. Holes like these are important for decreasing the dead volume of connections between micro and macro systems and for increasing the complexity of micro-fluidic systems. At the present time, the minimum...

The microstructure and interfacial fracture energy of silicon nitride/boron nitride fibrous monoliths, GBN, were determined as a function of starting silicon nitride composition and temperature using the method described by Charalambides. The glassy phase created by the sintering aids added to the silicon nitride cells was shown to migrate into the boron nitride cell boundaries during hot-press...

Silicon nitride photonics is on the rise owing to the broadband nature of the material, allowing applications of biophotonics, tele/datacom, optical signal processing and sensing, from visible, through near to mid-infrared wavelengths. In this paper, a review of the state of the art of silicon nitride strip waveguide platforms is provided, alongside the experimental results on the development o...