Silicon carbide as a new MEMS technology

Silicon carbide (SiC) is a material with very attractive properties for microsystems applications. Its mechanical strength, high thermal conductivity, ability to operate at high temperatures and extreme chemical inertness in several liquid electrolytes, make SiC an attractive candidate for MEMS applications, both as structural material and as coating layer. The recently reported progress in material growth and processing techniques has strengthened the potential of this material for MEMS, especially for applications requiring operation at high temperature or in severe environments. Examples of SiC microsensors and microstructures are given and interesting development in both material characteristics and micromachining processes are discussed. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.