Patent · US Expired

Method for reducing leaching in metal-coated MEMS

US6616853B1 · kind B1 · utility

3Cited by
0References
34Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 5, 2001
Grant dateSep 9, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 30, 2021

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02B6/3518
  • WIPO fieldMicro-structural and nano-technology
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

A method is provided for preventing dopant leaching from a doped structural film during fabrication of a microelectromechanical system. A microstructure that includes the doped structural film, sacrificial material, and metallic material is produced with a combination of deposition, patterning, and etching techniques. The sacrificial material is dissolved with a release solution that has a substance destructive to the sacrificial material. This substance also acts as an electrolyte, forming a galvanic cell with the doped structural film and metallic material acting as electrodes. The effects of the galvanic cell are suppressed by including a nonionic detergent mixed in the release solution.

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