SCREAM I: A single mask, single-crystal silicon, reactive ion etching process for microelectromechanical structures

A single-crystal silicon, high aspect ratio, low-temperature process sequence for the fabrication of suspended microelectromechanical structures (MEMS) using a single lithography step and reactive ion etching (RIE) is presented. The process is called SCREAM I (single-crystal reactive etching and metallization). SCREAM I is a bulk micromachining process that uses RIE of a silicon substrate to fabricate suspended movable single-crystal silicon (SCS) beam structures. Beam elements with aspect ratios of 10 to 1 and widths ranging from 0.5 to 4.0 μm have been fabricated. All process steps are low temperature (