SYNTHETIC DIAMOND MICROMECHANICAL MEMBRANES, CANTILEVER BEAMS, AND BRIDGES

A novel process to selectively deposit polycrystalline diamond on a silicon surface was developed, establishing the capability to fabricate polycrystalline diamond microstructures using anisotropic etching of silicon. Micro-mechanical beams, cantilevers, and optically transparent membranes/windows of polycrystalline synthetic diamond were fabricated on single-crystal silicon <100> wafers. These diamond films were deposited by high-pressure microwave plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition from a gas mixture of methane and hydrogen. The Young's modulus of polycrystalline diamond thin film was estimated using the elastic deformation cantilever beam formulation. The fabrication procedure, optical and scanning electron microscopy views of various designs, and the evaluation of the elastic properties are reported. © 1990, The Electrochemical Society, Inc. All rights reserved.