Aluminum Nitride piezo-MEMS on polyimide flexible substrates

In this work the micro-fabrication of flexible MicroElectroMechanical transducers based on the piezoelectric effect is reported. We developed the technological protocol to realize a piezoelectric transducer composed by a Molybdenum (Mo) top electrode, the Aluminum Nitride active layer and a Mo bottom electrode on a polymeric tape. The process starts from the DC sputtering deposition of the Molybdenum layer at room temperature on Kapton HN. The Molybdenum is chosen not only for its electrical properties but also because it enhances the crystal orientation of AlN. The next step is the deposition of AlN that occurs at high temperature, around 250 degrees C. Temperature and physical sputtering enhanced by applying a DC bias on the substrates are two important parameters to improve the crystal orientation of the film. These extreme growth conditions guarantee a very good crystal structure without damaging the Kapton substrate. Then a final Mo layer is sputtered at room temperature. SU8-25 thick photo resist is used to define the top electrode and the AlN layer, and in a second mask step the Mo bottom electrode. The developer, the PG remover and SU8 negative resist itself have shown a chemical compatibility with Kapton HN. We measured the piezoelectric response on a capacitor test structure: through the Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer we applied controlled forces, and at the same time, by an LCR meter we performed measurements of the capacitance. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.