Substrate anchor for undercut silicon on insulator microstructures
US5476819A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 1, 1994 |
| Grant date | Dec 19, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 1, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01P2015/0828
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An accelerometer is fabricated by forming a proofmass and at least one associated hinge in a silicon substrate through a variety of a etching and bonding processes is disclosed. The processes entail ion implantation and formation of an oxide support layer below the proofmass, integrally bonding two complementary proofmass and substrate structures together, and then removing the oxide support layer to leave the proofmass supported by the hinge within the body of silicon material. The proofmass may be electrically connected to a lead extending through an etched recess in one of the substrates, and the proofmass may be electrically isolated or separated from the substrates by an oxide layer and by a change in conductivity type of the semiconductor material wherein the hinge is structurally mounted to the substrates. In a bond and etch back process, the wafer is processed, sawed in half, and then bonded together again wherein the complementary halves are joined to obtain the finished accelerometer. As part of the bond and etch-back process, an anchor for bridging the silicon substrate to an oxide support substrate includes using a selective epitaxy or non-selective epitaxy process to g…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.