Investigation of Titanium Nitride as Material for Nanoelectrodes in Biosensing Applications

Biological Microelectromechanical Systems (BioMEMS) are promising devices for healthcare and biomedical applications. This research deals with the investigation of titanium nitride (TiN) as a material for nanoelectrodes for application in a BioMEMS device. The aim of the presented research is to qualify TiN as potential material to replace platinum (Pt) as electrode material in such a device. Initially some requirements for the nanoelectrodes are defined. These are: low resistivity, catalytic activity, chemical stability, smooth surface, and suitability for high-volume manufacture. The three main aspects are deposition of functional TiN films, investigation of methods for etching, and electrochemical characterization of the resulting TiN electrodes. The processed TiN films and processing methods are examined regarding the above-mentioned requirements.