Micro and Nano Engineering (MNE 2026) is one of the most important international conferences that unites engineers and scientists to explore recent advancements and emerging trends in the creation, production, functionality, and utilisation of micro and nanostructures and devices.
The Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology team would like to welcome you to our booth 21 to discuss your current projects and workflows. If you'd like to arrange a meeting with us at the event, please complete the form below.
Additionally, during the conference, our expert, Dr Magdalena Ulmeanu, will be presenting a Poster on the subject below.
For further information, visit the MNE 2026 website.
Location
Interlaken, Switzerland
Date
21-24 September 2026
Booth
21
Business
Plasma Technology
Poster's title: Cryogenic Deep Silicon Etch with Exceptional Smooth Sidewall Characteristics
Date: Tuesday 22nd of September at 4 pm (S05A-T1-11)
The poster presentation at MNE 2026 demonstrates an optimised cryogenic deep reactive ion etching (Cryo-DRIE) process to fabricate silicon trenches with vertical profile and sidewall smoothness. Using an Oxford Instruments PlasmaPro 100 Cobra system, a 159 μm etch depth was achieved with an etch rate of 3.5 μm/min, a selectivity of 65:1 to SiO₂ and cross-wafer uniformity of ±1%. SEM characterisation revealed near-vertical sidewalls (89.6°), while EDX analysis verified the formation of a SiOxFy passivation layer. AFM measurements showed a mean sidewall roughness (Sa) of 5.5 ± 1 nm. These results demonstrate the capability of Cryo-DRIE to produce deep silicon structures with near-optical-grade sidewall quality.
Dr Magdalena Ulmeanu is an Applications Engineer at Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology. Her work covers the field of plasma etching processes with a focus on Cryogenic Silicon Etching and Mixed Gas Silicon Etching.
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