105 results about "Surface micromachining" patented technology

A micro-machined transducer having a structure in which an acoustic enclosure is formed on a substrate above the plane of the substrate surface is disclosed. Forming the acoustic enclosure on the substrate above the plane of the substrate surface, rather than an acoustic cavity in a surface of the substrate, provides an acoustic cavity whose size is not limited by the thickness of the substrate.

Various methods for forming surface micromachined microstructures are disclosed. One aspect relates to executing surface micromachining operation to structurally reinforce at least one structural layer in a microstructure. Another aspect relates to executing the surface micromachining operation to form a plurality of at least generally laterally extending etch release channels within a sacrificial material to facilitate the release of the corresponding microstructure.

A microelectromechanical (MEM) optical switching apparatus is disclosed that is based on an erectable mirror which is formed on a rotatable stage using surface micromachining. An electrostatic actuator is also formed on the substrate to rotate the stage and mirror with a high angular precision. The mirror can be erected manually after fabrication of the device and used to redirect an incident light beam at an arbitrary angel and to maintain this state in the absence of any applied electrical power. A 1×N optical switch can be formed using a single rotatable mirror. In some embodiments of the present invention, a plurality of rotatable mirrors can be configured so that the stages and mirrors rotate in unison when driven by a single micromotor thereby forming a 2×2 optical switch which can be used to switch a pair of incident light beams, or as a building block to form a higher-order optical switch.

A resonant microbeam pressure sensor is disclosed, comprising a microbeam suspended by a diaphragm at one or more points by suspension elements. Pressure applied to the diaphragm will cause the resonance frequency of the beam to shift. This shift is detectable and proportional to the pressure. The device is manufactured by surface micromachining.

There is disclosed a semiconductor sensor for measuring the contact shear stress distribution between the socket of an above-knee (AK) prostheses and the soft tissue of an amputee's stump. The sensor is fabricated by the micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) technology, and its main sensing part is 2-X shaped with a flange structure. The sensor is prepared by anisotropic wet etching of bulk silicon in KOH solution and a square flange above the sensing diaphragm is formed through surface micromachining of deposited SiO2 thin film. This invention has the following characteristics: piezo-resistivity of the monolithic silicon will be utilized to convert shear deformation of the sensor into an electrical signal and a micro sensor which can measure the shear force vector acting on the sensing flange.

A microscale out-of-plane thermal sensor. A resistive heater is suspended over a substrate by supports raised with respect to the substrate to provide a clearance underneath the resistive heater for fluid flow. A preferred fabrication process for the thermal sensor uses surface micromachining and a three-dimensional assembly to raise the supports and lift the resistive heater over the substrate.

An improved method for substrate micromachining. Preferred embodiments of the present invention provide improved methods for the utilization of charged particle beam masking and laser ablation. A combination of the advantages of charged particle beam mask fabrication and ultra short pulse laser ablation are used to significantly reduce substrate processing time and improve lateral resolution and aspect ratio of features machined by laser ablation to preferably smaller than the diffraction limit of the machining laser.

The invention discloses a surface micromachining method for a microelectromechanical system based on a temporary release protective layer and particularly relates to a manufacturing method of an uncooled infrared detector. The manufacturing method comprises the following steps of: sequentially depositing a metal layer, an amorphous silicon sacrificial layer, a first temporary release protective layer of polyimide on a CMOS (complentary metal-oxide-semiconductor transistor) silicon substrate; manufacturing a sensitive layer and a metal electrode layer in a cascading way, and imaging the sensitive layer, the electrode layer and a microbridge structure; and finally manufacturing a second temporary release protective layer. When the sacrificial layer is released, firstly XeF2 is adopted for releasing the amorphous silicon sacrificial layer, and then O2 plasma is utilized for removing the temporary release protective layers after the release is completed. According to the manufacturing method of the infrared detector provided by the invention, compared with the prior art, the adopted temporary release protective layers are completely removed in the later period of manufacturing, thus not causing any influence on the microbridge performance, and being beneficial to the reduction of process difficulty and improvement of the performance of the detector.

A resonant microbeam pressure sensor is disclosed, comprising a microbeam suspended in a diaphragm in at least one point by suspension elements. Pressure applied to the diaphragm will cause the resonance frequency of the beam to shift. This shift is detectable and proportional to the pressure, The device is manufactured by surface micromachining.