Patent ID: 7029830
Filing Date: 2006-04-18
Classification: G03F

Abstract:
1. A process for the fabrication of an energy passing aperture structure comprising: forming a treated silicon wafer by coating a silicon wafer with a silicon etch stop selected from the group consisting of silicon oxide or silicon nitride; patterning a through-hole alignment pattern of said wafer using lithographic techniques to form a photoresist; transferring said photoresist pattern through said etch stop to silicon using an etch method selected from the group consisting of hydrofluoric acid etching or reactive ion etching; etching said silicon to form open through-holes from front to back of said wafer using potassium hydroxide silicon etchant; stripping said photoresist using means consisting of a solvent or ion asher; strip said etch stop using an etch method selected from the group consisting of hydrofluoric acid etching or reactive ion etching; said treated silicon wafer having an above side and a below side; doping said above side and said below side of said wafer to produce a 5 micrometer layer of silicon doped with boron to about 7×10 patterning the below side of said wafer with a window pattern using lithographic techniques to form a photoresist; reactive ion etching said below side through said 5 micrometer layer of silicon doped with boron to about 7×10 stripping said photoresist on said below side using means selected from the group consisting of a solvent or ion asher; patterning said above side of said wafer with an aperture pattern using lithographic techniques to form a photoresist; reactive ion etching said above side through said 5 micrometer layer of silicon doped with boron to about 7×10 stripping said photoresist on said above side using means selected from the group consisting of a solvent or ion asher; etching said silicon wafer to form open through-holes from front to back of said wafer using a silicon etchant selected from the group consisting of potassium hyrdoxide and ethylene diamine/pyrocatechol/water blend that is compatible with boron diffused silicon which boron diffused silicon serves as an etch stop, and continuing said etching process until crystalline membranes are formed.