Fabrication of Silicon-on-Nothing Structure by Substrate Engineering Using the Empty-Space-in-Silicon Formation Technique

Abstract

A practical method for the fabrication of a silicon on nothing (SON) structure with the desired size and shape has been developed by using the empty-space-in-silicon (ESS) formation technique. It was found that the SON structure could be precisely controlled by the initial shape and layout of the trenches. The size of ESS is determined by the size of the initial trench. The desired shapes of ESS, such as spherical, pipe-shaped and plate-shaped, can be fabricated by changing the arrangement of the initial trenches. The fabricated SON region over ESS has excellent crystallinity adoptable for ultra-large-scale integrated circuit (ULSI) applications. The SON structure would be a promising substrate structure for various manufacturing technologies, such as the micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS), photonic crystals and waveguides.