Nitride-rich silicon-nitride (SiNx) is being explored for its potential as a suitable optical material for use in microsystems operating in the near-UV spectral range. Although silicon-rich SiNx is widely accepted as a CMOS-compatible dielectric and micromechanical material, its optical absorption limits application to the visible to near-IR spectral range. However, this work shows that a balance can be achieved between a sufficiently high index of refraction (n> 2) and an acceptable optical loss (k<10−3) in nitride-rich SiNx of appropriate composition (x∼1.45). Bragg reflectors with a design wavelength at λo= 330 nm are used for validation. PECVD is used for sample preparation and experiments confirm that the spectral range available for use of SiNx-based optical microsystems extends to wavelengths as low as 300 nm.@en

Fabry–Perot interferometers (FPIs), comprising foundry-compatible dielectric thin films on sapphire wafer substrates, were investigated for possible use in chemical sensing. Specifically, structures comprising two vertically stacked distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs), with the lower DBR between a sapphire substrate and a silicon-oxide (SiO2) resonator layer and the other DBR on top of this resonator layer, were investigated for operation in the near-ultraviolet (near-UV) range. The DBRs are composed of a stack of nitride-rich silicon-nitride (SiNx) layers for the higher index and SiO2 layers for the lower index. An exemplary application would be formaldehyde detection at sub-ppm concentrations in air, using UV absorption spectroscopy in the 300–360 nm band, while providing spectral selectivity against the main interfering gases, notably NO2 and O3. Although SiNx thin films are conventionally used only for visible and near-infrared optical wavelengths (above 450 nm) because of high absorbance at lower wavelengths, this work shows that nitride-rich SiNx is suitable for near-UV wavelengths. The interplay between spectral absorbance, transmittance and reflectance in a FPI is presented in a comparative study between one FPI design using stoichiometric material (Si3N4) and two designs based on N-rich compositions, SiN1.39 and SiN1.49. Spectral measurements confirm that if the design accounts for phase penetration depth, sufficient performance can be achieved with the SiN1.49-based FPI design for gas absorption spectroscopy in near-UV, with peak transmission at 330 nm of 64%, a free spectral range (FSR) of 20 nm and a full-width half-magnitude spectral resolution (FWHM) of 2 nm.@en

Impedance spectroscopy in the frequency range 100 Hz to 10 kHz has been applied to the Inter-Digitated Electrode (IDE) structure that is conventionally operated as a resistive sensor for the measurement of Particulate Matter (PM). The measurement of both the in-phase (resistive) and out-of-phase (capacitive) components of the impedance over this frequency range provides more data on PM as compared to DC resistance measurement only. Experimental validation confirms a more gradual change in capacitance with soot buildup as compared to the sudden reduction of resistance with dendrite formation. The effect of an additional vertical electric field for an increased capacitive sensitivity due to stimulated soot buildup has been experimentally investigated using the electrically conductive flow housing of the IDE structure as an additional suspended electrode.@en

Exhaust gas measurement in the harsh environment of the tailpipe by optical techniques is a highly robust technique, provided that optical access is maintained in the presence of soot. The design, fabrication, and testing of membranes in SiC-on-Si with integrated heaters to serve as a regenerable MEMS optical window into the tailpipe are presented. Membranes at slightly elevated temperatures are demonstrated to keep the surface transparent by thermophoresis, while surface regeneration is achieved at pulsed high temperatures, which allows long-term optical measurement in the exhaust.

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Exhaust gas measurement in the harsh environment of the tailpipe of a combustion engine by optical techniques is a highly robust technique, provided that optical access is maintained in the presence of particulate matter (PM). The considerations are presented for the systematic design of membranes with integrated heaters in SiC-on-Si technology for generating a well-defined lateral temperature profile with peak temperatures above 600 °C. Periodically raising the temperature of the membranes to such a level is demonstrated to keep the surface transparent by oxidation of soot deposits. This paper is about continuous heating of the membrane to a temperature slightly higher than that of the exhaust gas. At such temperatures thermophoretic repulsion of PM allows allows long-term optical measurement in the exhaust without the thermo-mechanical loading by repetitive thermal cycling.@en

Ensuring optical transparency over a wide spectral range of a window with a view into the tailpipe of the combustion engine, while it is exposed to the harsh environment of sootcontaining exhaust gas, is an essential pre-requisite for introducing optical techniques for long-term monitoring of automotive emissions. Therefore, a regenerable window composed of an optically transparent polysilicon-carbide membrane with a diameter ranging from 100 µm up to 2000 µm has been fabricated in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology. In the first operating mode, window transparency is periodically restored by pulsed heating of the membrane using an integrated resistor for heating to temperatures that result in oxidation of deposited soot (600–700 °C). In the second mode, the membrane is kept transparent by repelling soot particles using thermophoresis. The same integrated resistor is used to yield a temperature gradient by continuous moderate-temperature heating. Realized devices have been subjected to laboratory soot exposure experiments. Membrane temperatures exceeding 500 °C have been achieved without damage to the membrane. Moreover, heating of membranes to ΔT = 40 °C above gas temperature provides sufficient thermophoretic repulsion to prevent particle deposition and maintain transparency at high soot exposure, while non-heated identical membranes on the same die and at the same exposure are heavily contaminated.

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