International Business Machines Corporation

Nils D Hoivik

Christopher Vincent Jahnes

John Michael Cotte

Minhua Lu

Hongqing Zhang

Robert L Wisnieff

Ryan Joesph Linderman

A MEMS device comprises an electro mechanical element in a sealed chamber containing a gas comprising a reactive gas selected to react with any contaminants that may be present or formed on the operating surfaces of the device in a manner to maximize the electrical conductivity of the surfaces during operation of the device. The MEMS device may comprise a MEMS switch having electrical contacts as the operating surfaces. The reactive gas may comprise hydrogen or an azane, optionally mixed with an inert gas, or any combination of the gases. The corresponding process provides a means to substantially reduce or eliminate contaminants present or formed on the operating surfaces of MEMS devices in a manner to maximize the electrical conductivity of the surfaces during operation of the devices.

Use of a reactive, or reducing gas as a method to increase contact lifetime in micro contact MEMS switch devices

Use of a reactive, or reducing gas as a method to increase contact lifetime in micro contact mems switch devices

Disclosed are a method and a system for processing a semiconductor structure of the type including a substrate, a dielectric layer, and a TaN&#x2014;Ta liner on the dielectric layer. The method comprises the step of using XeF2 to remove at least a portion of the TaN&#x2014;Ta liner completely to the dielectric layer. In the preferred embodiments, the present invention uses XeF2 selective gas phase etching as alternatives to Ta&#x2014;TaN Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP) as a basic 'liner removal process' and as a 'selective cap plating base removal process.' In this first use, XeF2 is used to remove the metal liner, TaN&#x2014;Ta, after copper CMP. In the second use, the XeF2 etch is used to selectively remove a plating base (TaN&#x2014;Ta) that was used to form a metal cap layer over the copper conductor.

Ta&#x2014;TaN selective removal process for integrated device fabrication

The beam bending of a MEMS device is minimized by reducing interfacial strength between a sacrificial layer and a MEMS structure.

Method of minimizing beam bending of MEMS device by reducing the interfacial bonding strength between sacrificial layer and MEMS structure

Integrated circuit-chip hot spot temperatures are reduced by providing localized regions of higher thermal conductivity in the conductive material interface at pre-designed locations by controlling how particles in the thermal paste stack- or pile-up during the pressing or squeezing of excess material from the interface. Nested channels are used to efficiently decrease the thermal resistance in the interface, by both allowing for the thermally conductive material with a higher particle volumetric fill to be used and by creating localized regions of densely packed particles between two surfaces.

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Billingstad, Norway

Nils D Hoivik