UC Berkeley installs sp3 CVD diamond reactor for MEMS development

May 21, 2012 – Marketwire — sp3 Diamond Technologies Inc., diamond products and deposition equipment and services supplier, shipped its Model 655D series hot-filament chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond reactor system to the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) Marvell Nanofabrication Laboratory.

UC Berkeley will use the Model 655D system to fabricate diamond micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) structures for the development of micro mechanical resonators for radio frequency (RF) filters, as well as to other uses for thin film diamond. Hot-filament CVD diamond deposition provides cost-effective, high-quality, low-stress thin films suitable for MEMS devices, said Dr. Bill Flounders, executive director of the Berkeley Marvell Nanofabrication Laboratory.

Also read: DARPA funds GaN-on-diamond device development at Raytheon

The Model 655D at UC Berkeley can perform diamond deposition onto multiple 6” silicon wafers, growing polycrystalline diamond films from 100nm to 50µm thick at deposition rates up to 1.1µm/hour that exhibit high thermal diffusivity and greater thermal conductivity than other material choices. It can fabricate smooth and rough textured films for low friction, abrasive, MEMS, and electronic applications, and support boron doping to produce conductive films. The integrated (up to 58 discrete steps), recipe-driven process controller provides precise and repeatable diamond deposition.

The filament assembly generates uniform energy distribution, operating at filament temperatures up to 2550°C and power levels up to 20W/cm². The deposition process is controlled by thermal management of both filament and substrate temperatures, in conjunction with closed-loop pressure and gas flow control. The gas distribution assembly allows control of the gas flow patterns in and around both the filament assembly and the substrates. Adequate space is provided in the deposition chamber to avoid undesirable gas recombination at the chamber walls. The deposition area is 350 x 375mm.

sp3 will exhibit at MEPTEC’s 10th Annual MEMS Technology Symposium at the Holiday Inn in San Jose, CA, May 23, 2012  and the MEMS Business Forum 2012 on May 24, 2012 at the Biltmore Hotel and Suites in Santa Clara, CA.

sp3 Diamond Technologies provides CVD hot filament diamond deposition reactors and diamond-based solutions for electronics thermal management and enhanced cutting surfaces. sp3 Diamond Technologies is a subsidiary of sp3 Inc., which provides products and services relating to thin film and freestanding diamond deposition and other diamond materials. sp3 Diamond Technologies provides diamond products for advanced thermal applications, diamond coating and material services, hot filament CVD reactors, and deposition consulting services. For more information about the company, visit http://www.sp3diamondtech.com.

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