Micromechanical sensor including a single-crystal silicon support

US6076404A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Robert Bosch GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Joerg Muchow · Reutlingen, DE
• Horst Muenzel · Reutlingen, DE
• Michael Offenberg · Lörrach, DE
• Winfried Waldvogel · Kirchentellinsfurt, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 29, 1997
• Grant date: Jun 20, 2000
• Expiry date: Jan 29, 2017

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01P2015/0828
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

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).