An Application of Diazonium-Induced Anchoring Process in the Fabrication of Micro-Electromechanical Systems

In situ generation of diazonium cations and their subsequent reduction and grafting is a versatile technique to modify a variety of substrates. In the absence of a conducting substrate, the grafting of aminophenylene layer can be achieved with assistance of a reducing agent (diazonium-induced anchoring process-DIAP). Here, a systematic investigation of the possible effect of the type substrate on the thickness of aminophenyl layer is carried out using Fe powder reducing agent. The study is carried out on three different substrates: p-doped Si, TiN, and Cu films and concludes that the film-growth mechanism is independent of the type of substrate. This work is particularly important for many industrial applications, which require unifying a single film deposition process for multiple structural materials. The first results obtained with mechanical Si test structures clearly show that surface amination at room temperature, in open air, and aqueous medium using DIAP can be easily integrated into the fabrication of microelectromechanical systems and, therefore, can potentially replace the currently industrialized organic-based silanization process.