Release height adjustment of stressy metal devices by annealing before and after release
US6973722B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 17, 2003 |
| Grant date | Dec 13, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 4, 2024 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T29/49222
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Spring structures are subjected to pre-release and post-release annealing to tune their tip height to match a specified target. Post-release annealing increases tip height, and pre-release annealing decreases tip height. The amount of tuning is related to the annealing temperature and/or time. Annealing schedules are determined for a pre-fabricated cache of unreleased spring structures such that finished spring structures having a variety of target heights can be economically produced by releasing/annealing the cache according to associated annealing schedules. Selective annealing is performed using lasers and heat absorbing/reflecting materials. Localized annealing is used to generate various spring structure shapes. Both stress-engineered and strain-engineered spring structures are tuned by annealing.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.