Silicon Cantilever Beams Fabricated by Electrochemically Controlled Etching for Sensor Applications

An electrochemically controlled etching of silicon and an integrated circuit technology are used to fabricate 10 μm thick cantilever beams containing integrated devices. Such structures are fabricated by two different methods, each of which is analyzed and the advantages and problems inherent in them stated. The influence of several parameters on the etch rate of silicon and on the quality of the beam surface is examined. Finally, an example of the application of such silicon microstructures to sensors is presented: a vacuum sensor, a novel type of thermal vacuum gauge, based on an integrated silicon thermopile.