Method of manufacturing single-wafer tunneling sensor
US5665253A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 31, 1995 |
| Grant date | Sep 9, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 31, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01P2015/0828
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A tunneling tip sensor and a method of photolithographically fabricating a unitary structure sensor on a semiconductor substrate are disclosed. A cantilever electrode is formed on the substrate with one end suspended above the substrate at a distance from a tunneling electrode so that a tunneling current flows through the cantilever and tunneling electrodes in response to an applied bias voltage. The cantilever and tunneling electrodes form a circuit that produces an output signal. A force applied to the sensor urges the cantilever electrode to deflect relative to the tunneling electrode to modulate the output signal. In the preferred embodiment, the output signal is a control voltage that is applied between the cantilever electrode and a control electrode to maintain a constant tunneling current. In an alternative embodiment, a lateral control electrode is fabricated to produce a lateral motion of the cantilever electrode such that the sensor detects a rotation. In another embodiment, x, y and z-axis sensors are fabricated on a substrate to provide a planar three-axis sensor.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.