Patent · US Active

Semiconductor component having a micromechanical microphone structure

US8698255B2 · kind B2 · utility

6Cited by

0References

6Claims

0Family size

Assignee

Robert Bosch GmbH · DE

Inventors

Frank Reichenbach · Wannweil, DE
Arnim Hoechst · Lörrach, DE
Thomas Buck · Tamm, DE

Key dates

Filing date	Apr 6, 2010
Grant date	Apr 15, 2014
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Apr 6, 2030

Classification

Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
CPC primaryH04R19/016
WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A simple and cost-effective form of implementing a semiconductor component having a micromechanical microphone structure, including an acoustically active diaphragm as a deflectable electrode of a microphone capacitor, a stationary, acoustically permeable counterelement as a counter electrode of the microphone capacitor, and means for applying a charging voltage between the deflectable electrode and the counter electrode of the microphone capacitor. In order to not impair the functionality of this semiconductor component, even during overload situations in which contact occurs between the diaphragm and the counter electrode, the deflectable electrode and the counter electrode of the microphone capacitor are counter-doped, at least in places, so that they form a diode in the event of contact. In addition, the polarity of the charging voltage between the deflectable electrode and the counter electrode is such that the diode is switched in the blocking direction.

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