Patent · US Expired

Method of fabricating a micromechanical sensor

US5616514A · kind A · utility

64Cited by
10References
16Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 6, 1995
Grant dateApr 1, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 6, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01P2015/0828
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A micromechanical sensor includes a support of silicon substrate having an epitaxial layer of silicon applied on the silicon substrate. A part of the epitaxial layer is laid bare to form at least one micromechanical deflection part by an etching process. The bared deflection part is made of polycrystalline silicon which has grown in polycrystalline form during the epitaxial process over a silicon-oxide layer which has been removed by etching. In the support region and/or at the connection to the silicon substrate, the exposed deflection part passes into single crystal silicon. By large layer thicknesses, a large working capacity of the sensor is possible. The sensor structure provides enhanced mechanical stability, processability, and possibilities of shaping, and it can be integrated, in particular, in a bipolar process or mixed process (bipolar-CMOS, bipolar-CMOS-DMOS).

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.