Patent · US Expired

Process for manufacturing mirror devices using semiconductor technology

US6429033B1 · kind B1 · utility

27Cited by
2References
11Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 24, 2001
Grant dateAug 6, 2002
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 24, 2021

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02B26/0841
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A method for fabricating a mirror array from a silicon on insulator substrate structure. The method includes providing a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate structure, which may have a material thickness of greater than 10 microns overlying an insulating layer. The SOI material thickness is of a single crystal silicon bearing material. The method also patterns the material thickness using a deep reactive ion etching process to pattern a mirror device structure by forming a trench region that extends from a surface of the material thickness to the insulator structure; and patterns the thickness of material to form a recessed region coupled to the trench region to define a torsion bar structure. The recessed region extends from the surface of the material thickness and is less than about 80% of the mirror device thickness. The method forms an opening on a back side of the SOI substrate structure to the insulator structure. The method removes the insulator material to release the mirror device structure and the torsion bar structure.

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