National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC

Kalin Baca

Christian Lew Arrington

Amber Lynn Dagel

Andrew E Hollowell

Patrick Sean Finnegan

Jamin Ryan Pillars

Travis Ryan Young

Jonathan Joseph Coleman

Carlos R Perez

Christopher St John

A method is provided for making gratings of gold or other metal in silicon substrates. The disclosed method may achieve high aspect ratios. According to the disclosed method, a silicon wafer is through-etched. A seed layer of metal is vapor-deposited on one side of the wafer, and a layer of metal is electrodeposited on the seed layer. The electrodeposited metal plugs the trenches and provides a conductive surface for subsequent electrodeposition. The trenches are then filled by electrodeposition from within the trenches, so that the walls of the metal grating grow on the metal plugs.

High aspect ratio gratings fabricated by electrodeposition

A method is provided for subtractively processing a layer of etchable material formed over an electrically conductive surface region of a workpiece. The workpiece is immersed in a liquid solution, generally but not exclusively a conductive solution, that comprises an etchant for the etchable material, so that etching of the etchable material is initiated. An electric circuit is connected to include a control electrode, a reference electrode, and the electrically conductive surface region of the workpiece. The electric circuit is used to monitor the development process dynamically at each of a plurality of intervals during the etching. The etching is terminated when the electrochemical signal satisfies a criterion indicating that the etching is complete.

Enhanced microfabrication using electrochemical techniques

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Albuquerque, NM, United States of America

Kalin Baca