BPN305: Post-processing heat treatment of thin film Aluminum Nitride

Piezoelectric aluminum nitride (AlN) is a promising material for sensor and wireless communication technology. Some industry applications today include acoustic wave sensors, chemical sensors, and high frequency devices. It is a high thermal conductive material with high acoustic velocity and is not only resistant to humidity and high temperatures but also to wafer processing gases and plasma erosion, making it suitable to use as a thin film. Proper management of stress in the film is necessary to prolong the life of the microstructures and keep the devices fabricated from these microstructures working properly.

Project end date: 01/07/06