Electrically conductive and mechanically elastic titanium nitride ceramic microsprings.

The structural and functional characterizations of titanium nitride (TiN) advanced ceramic microsprings (CMSs), with a coil diameter of several micrometers and synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) were investigated by microscopy techniques. The CMSs were sufficiently mechanically elastic for extension to more than 1.3 times their original size, and they spontaneously contracted to their original state on releasing the tension. To explore their application to a microdevice, a method of manufacturing TiN-CMS microcircuit elements was developed. The I-V plots of the elements indicated that the CMSs were as conductive as metals.