I have been exploring the efficacy of different methods for removing the native oxide from the surface of the sacrificial silicon layer prior to liftoff etch with XeF2.  As a reminder, with liftoff of SiN membranes, one can simply dip…

Kelly & I deposited 100 & 300 nm thick SiO2 films on bare wafers with the P5000 PE-CVD tool at RIT last week.  The wafers were then annealed according to JP’s recipe overnight to stabilize the TEOS layer film stress. …

We were targeting a TEOS layer of 300 nm for the SiO2 membrane. The wafers were patterned with ø3 µm pores using S1813 resist (~1.5 µm thick). The target etch time in the Drytek RIE is 4 min 10 s…

I am planning to write  a proposal to the NIST Measurement Science and Engineering (MSE) Research Grant Program. Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO) is here. The proposal is due in the beginning of June.  From talking with a friend at RIT would…

Kelly & I finally succeeded in getting a measurement of the SU-8 scaffold change in size upon liftoff.  Kelly, lifted off a sample (~0.5 x 2 cm) using the XeF2 dry etch and transferred the sample to a glass slide…

SU-8 3010 has been used to create a scaffold in the fabrication of the liftoff membranes. The supplier of the negative resist, MicroChem, rates it for a 13 moth shelf life. We were having difficulty achieving good liftoff with membranes…

I tested all the microbeads that the Gaborski and Lapizco-Encinas labs own.  The results are summarized below.  The sizes ranged from 50 nm to 2 µm.  I mixed them to concentrations of 0.2 g/L for all bead less than 1…

Blanca, Tom, Aytug and I are working on a proposal to NSF that will be submitted Oct.29th to the Chem. & Bio. Separations Program of the CBET division. This is a joint 3-year project between Blanca’s and Tom’s labs.  Basically,…