PolysiliconMicroelectromechanicalsystems(MEMS)arethesubjectofintensiveresearches.SurfacechemistryandtopographyofaMEMSteststructurefabricatedatSandiaNationalLaboratory,USA,werestudiedbymeansofscanningelectronmicroscopy(SEM),X-rayphotoelectronspectroscopy(XPS)andatomicforcemicroscopy(AFM).XPSC()andSi2,spectrafromthepolysilieoncomponents,siliconnitridesubstrateandareferencesiliconwaferwerecompared.Theresultsconfirmthepresenceofaself-assembledmonolayer(SAM)ontheMEMSsurface.Anisland-likemorphologywasfoundonbothpolysiliconandsiliconnitridesurfacesoftheMEMS.Theislandstaketheformofcaps,beingupto0.5μmindiameterand20nminheight.Itisconcludedthattheco-existenceofcolumnargrowthandequiaxedgrowthduringthelowpressurechemicalvapordeposition(LPCVD)oftheselayersleadstotheobservedmorphologyandtheislandsarecapstothecolumnarstructures.
