An object is to provide a semiconductor device of which a manufacturing process is not complicated and by which cost can be suppressed, by forming a thin film transistor using an oxide semiconductor film typified by zinc oxide, and a manufacturing method thereof. For the semiconductor device, a gate electrode is formed over a substrate; a gate insulating film is formed covering the gate electrode; an oxide semiconductor film is formed over the gate insulating film; and a first conductive film and a second conductive film are formed over the oxide semiconductor film. The oxide semiconductor film has at least a crystallized region in a channel region.

Semiconductor device, and manufacturing method thereof

Polymers in sensor applications

This review gives a brief overview of microvalves, and focuses on the actuation mechanisms and their applications. One of the stumbling blocks for successful miniaturization and commercialization of fully integrated microfluidic systems was the development of reliable microvalves. Applications of the microvalves include flow regulation, on/off switching and sealing of liquids, gases or vacuums. Microvalves have been developed in the form of active or passive microvalves employing mechanical, non-mechanical and external systems. Even though great progress has been made during the last 20 years, there is plenty of room for further improving the performance of existing microvalves.

http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0960-1317/16/5/R01/pdf

A review of microvalves

This review comprises a detailed survey of ongoing methodologies for soft actuators, highlighting approaches suitable for nanometer- to centimeter-scale robotic applications. Soft robots present a special design challenge in that their actuation and sensing mechanisms are often highly integrated with the robot body and overall functionality. When less than a centimeter, they belong to an even more special subcategory of robots or devices, in that they often lack on-board power, sensing, computation, and control. Soft, active materials are particularly well suited for this task, with a wide range of stimulants and a number of impressive examples, demonstrating large deformations, high motion complexities, and varied multifunctionality. Recent research includes both the development of new materials and composites, as well as novel implementations leveraging the unique properties of soft materials.

Soft Actuators for Small-Scale Robotics.

Process gas discharged from a bypass pipe to a gas exhaust system can be prevented from diffusing back to the inside of a process chamber without having to install a dedicated vacuum pump at the downstream side of the bypass pipe. The substrate processing apparatus includes a process chamber accommodating a substrate, a gas supply system supplying process gas from a process gas source to the process chamber for processing the substrate, a gas exhaust system configured to exhaust the process chamber, two or more vacuum pumps installed in series at the gas exhaust system, and a bypass pipe connected between the gas supply system and the gas exhaust system. The most upstream one of the vacuum pumps is a mechanical booster pump, and the bypass pipe is connected between the mechanical booster pump and the rest vacuum pumps located at a downstream side of the mechanical booster pump.

Substrate Processing Apparatus

A method for forming a micro cavity is disclosed. In the method for forming the cavity, a first layer is formed on a silicon layer and a trench is formed in the silicon layer by selectively etching the silicon layer. A second and a third layers are formed on the trench and on the silicon layer. Etching holes are formed through the third layer by partially etching the third layer. A cavity is formed between the silicon layer and the third layer after the second layer is removed through the etching holes. Therefore, the cavity having a large size can be easily formed and sealed in the silicon layer by utilizing the volume expansion of the silicon or the poly silicon layer. Also, a vacuum micro cavity can be formed according as a low vacuum CVD oxide layer or a nitride layer formed on the etching holes which are partially opened after the thermal oxidation process by controlling the size of the etching holes concerning the other portion of the poly silicon layer.

Method for forming micro cavity

In silicon surface micromachining, anhydrous HF GPE process was verified as a very effective method for the dry release of microstructures. The developed gas-phase etching (GPE) process with anhydrous hydrogen fluoride (HF) gas and alcoholic vapor such as methanol, isopropyl alcohol (IPA) was characterized and its selective etching properties were discussed. The structural layers are P-doped multi-stacked polysilicon and silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates and sacrificial layers are tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), low-temperature oxide (LTO), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) oxide, phosphosilicate glass (PSG) and thermal oxides on silicon nitride or polysilicon substrates. We successfully fabricated and characterized micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) devices with no virtually process-induced stiction and no residues. The characteristics of the MEMS devices for microsensor and microactuator, microfluidic elements and optical MEMS application were evaluated by experiment.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0960-1317/12/3/316/pdf

Fabrication of MEMS devices by using anhydrous HF gas-phase etching with alcoholic vapor

Glucose sensor using a microfabricated electrode and electropolymerized bilayer films.

The present invention is disclosed a microchannel array structure embedded in a silicon substrate and a fabrication method thereof. The microchannel array structure of the present invention is formed deep inside the substrate and has high-density microscopic micro-channels. Besides, going through surface micromachining, physical and chemical properties of the silicon substrate are hardly influenced by the fabrication procedures. With microchannels buried in the substrate, the top of a microchannel array structure becomes flat, minimizing the effect of step height. That way, additional devices such as passive components, micro sensors, micro actuators and electronic devices can be easily integrated onto the microchannel array structure. The microchannel array structure of the present invention can be employed as a basic fluidic platform for miniaturizing and improving perfomances of electronic device coolers as well as such fluidic micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) devices as biochips, microfluidic components and chemical analyzers, lab-on-a-chips, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplifiers, micro reactors and drug delivery systems.

Method of fabricating microchannel array structure embedded in silicon substrate

A micro gas sensor is disclosed including a substrate; an open cavity formed in the substrate; an electrode pad separation groove formed on the substrate; a first and a second electrode pads formed over the substrate and electrically insulated from each other by the electrode pad separation groove; a micro heater connected to the first electrode pad and configured of a bridge structure suspended over the open cavity; a first sensing electrode extending from the first electrode pad and suspended over the open cavity; a second sensing electrode extending from the first electrode pad and suspended over the open cavity; and a gas sensing film electrically coupled to the micro heater and filling a gap between the first and the second sensing electrodes.

Chi Hoon Jun

Papers

Method for forming micro cavity

Fabrication of MEMS devices by using anhydrous HF gas-phase etching with alcoholic vapor

Glucose sensor using a microfabricated electrode and electropolymerized bilayer films.

Method of fabricating microchannel array structure embedded in silicon substrate

Micro gas sensor and manufacturing method thereof