MEMS Technology News & Events

Norcada announced today the availability of Stoichiometric Silicon Nitride Membrane Windows to the opto-mechanical research community. The stoichiometric nitride membranes are ideally suited for opto-mechanical studies due to the extremely low mechanical dissipation (high Q) and low optical absorption of the high stress stoichiometric nitride film. 

A recent study by Prof. Kimble's group at Caltech showed the stoichiometric silicon nitride membrane Norcada fabricated can achieve a Q-frequency product in excess of 1x10E13 Hz over a wide frequency range.  The same study also shows the stoichiometric nitride windows exhibit 15 times lower optical absorption in the 935nm region compared with low stress nitride windows. More detaisl can be found in a  related news release through the link below.

http://www.prleap.com/pr/154594/

Norcada launched new TEM window arrays for the TEM research community. The TA301 series TEM window arrays have nine individual membrane windows in a 3x3 array pattern on a single 200um thick silicon frame.  The silicon frame is octagon shaped and fits inside a 3mm diameter circle.  Each silicon nitride window of the 3x3 array is 100um by 100um in size, with 350um edge to edge spacing.

The TEM window arrays allow the end users to conduct multiple analysis in-situ on a single TEM window frame, reducing the sample preparation time significantly.  Initial arrays being offered have 100nm thick low stress silicon nitride membranes.  Additional TEM window arrays with 30nm and 50nm silicon nitride membranes will be available shortly.

Norcada nitride membrane windows exhibited extremely high Q-factors (1.2x10E7 at 0.3 K) according to a recently published study by a group of physicists at Yale University. The high mechanical Q-factor and low optical loss of the silicon nitride windows were key factors cited in the report for enabling potential observation of quantum fluctuations.

The study appeared in the March 6, 2008 issue of Nature (Vol 452, March 6, 2008). A similar study focusing on the mechanical and optical properties of the silicon nitride membranes was also reported by the same group which appeared in Applied Physics Letters (online version) in March 2008 (APL 92, 103125, 2008).

Norcada Inc. announces that a US patent has been issued to Norcada by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on December 25, 2007. The newly issued US patent (No. 7,312,678) has 22 claims covering the design of a latching MEMS micro relay Norcada has developed.  Norcada is currently exploring various business opportunities for its MEMS relay technology, including licensing arrangement for its patent.