Monolithic MEMS device having a balanced cantilever plate
US7193492B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 29, 2004 |
| Grant date | Mar 20, 2007 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 23, 2024 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01H59/0009
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A MEMS device fabricated from a single multi-layered wafer, which alleviates the alignment problem associated with a two-piece prior-art design. In one embodiment, the MEMS device has a stationary part and a movable part rotatably coupled to the stationary part. The stationary part has an electrode and a first conducting structure electrically isolated from the electrode. The movable part has a rotatable plate and a second conducting structure located on the plate and electrically connected to the plate. The mass and location of the second conducting structure are selected such as to compensate for the plate's imbalance with respect to the rotation axis. In addition, at the rest position, the first and second conducting structures form, around the electrode, a substantially continuous barrier adapted to provide electrical shielding for the electrode. The movable part is adapted to rotate with respect to the stationary part in response to a voltage applied between the second conducting structure and the electrode such that the movable part cannot come into physical contact with the electrode during the rotation, which alleviates the snap-down problem inherent to many prior-art devic…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.