# US 10,370,242 B2 · Microelectromechanical device, a microelectromechanical system, and a method of manufacturing a microelectromechanical device

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- Number: US 10,370,242 B2
- Document ID: US10370242B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/662,389
- Filed: 2017-07-28
- Published: 2018-02-01
- Granted: 2019-08-06
- Earliest claimed: 2016-07-29
- Assignees: Infineon Technologies AG
- Applicants: Infineon Technologies AG
- Inventors: Alfons Dehe; Matthias Friedrich Herrmann; Johannes Manz
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10370242B2

## CPC

- B81B 7/0061: {suitable for fluid transfer from the MEMS out of the package or vice versa, e.g. transfer of liquid, gas, sound}
- B81B 3/0021: {Transducers for transforming electrical into mechanical energy or vice versa (dynamo-electric machines H02K99/00; electrostatic machines H02N1/00; piezoelectric devices H10N30/00)}
- B81C 1/00158: {Diaphragms, membranes (manufacture process for semi-permeable inorganic membranes B01D67/0039)}
- B81C 1/00166: {Electrodes}
- B81B 2201/0257: Microphones or microspeakers
- B81B 2201/033: Comb drives
- B81B 2203/0127: Diaphragms, i.e. structures separating two media that can control the passage from one medium to another; Membranes, i.e. diaphragms with filtering function
- B81B 2203/04: Electrodes
- B81B: MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS, e.g. MICROMECHANICAL DEVICES (piezoelectric, electrostrictive or magnetostrictive elements per se H10N30/00, H10N35/00)
- B81C: PROCESSES OR APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS (making microcapsules or microballoons B01J13/02; processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of piezoelectric, electrostrictive or magnetostrictive elements per se H10N30/01)

## Abstract

A microelectromechanical device, a microelectromechanical system, and a method of manufacturing a microelectromechanical device, wherein the microelectromechanical device may include: a substrate; a diaphragm mounted to the substrate; a first electrode mounted to the diaphragm; a second electrode mounted to the substrate; wherein the first electrode is laterally adjacent to the second electrode; and wherein the diaphragm is arranged over a gap between the first electrode and the second electrode.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A microelectromechanical device comprising:
a substrate;
a diaphragm mounted to the substrate;
a first electrode mounted to the diaphragm, the first electrode comprising a plurality of first fingers having a cross-sectional height greater than a cross-sectional width both taken perpendicular to a longest dimension of a first finger of the plurality of first fingers;
a second electrode mounted to the substrate, the second electrode comprising a plurality of second fingers having a cross-sectional height greater than a cross-sectional width both taken perpendicular to a longest dimension of a second finger of the plurality of second fingers;
wherein the first electrode is laterally adjacent to the second electrode and the plurality of first fingers and the plurality of second fingers are interdigitated; and
wherein the diaphragm is arranged over a gap between the first electrode and the second electrode.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The microelectromechanical device of claim 1, further comprising:
a third electrode mounted to either side of the diaphragm or the substrate,
wherein the third electrode is laterally adjacent to the first electrode or the second electrode.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The microelectromechanical device of claim 2,
wherein the gap between the first electrode and the second electrode is less than a distance from the first electrode to the third electrode and a distance from the second electrode to the third electrode.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The microelectromechanical device of claim 1,
wherein the first electrode is arranged a first distance from the diaphragm and the second electrode is arranged a second distance from the diaphragm, and wherein the first distance is different from the second distance.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The microelectromechanical device of claim 1,
wherein each finger of the plurality of first fingers and each finger of the plurality of second fingers are equidistant to each other.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The microelectromechanical device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first fingers and the plurality of second fingers comprise:
adjacent fingers having a first distance between each other and further adjacent fingers having a second distance between each other;
wherein the first distance is different than the second distance.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The microelectromechanical device of claim 1,
wherein each finger of the plurality of first fingers is arranged off-centered between two fingers of the plurality of second fingers.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The microelectromechanical device of claim 1,
wherein the plurality of first fingers and the plurality of second fingers comprise:
at least one pair of first fingers of the plurality of first fingers adjacent to each other and
at least one pair of second fingers of the plurality of second fingers adjacent to each other.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The microelectromechanical device of claim 1,
wherein each finger of the plurality of first fingers and each finger of the plurality of second fingers are parallel with each other.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The microelectromechanical device of claim 1,
wherein each finger of the plurality of first fingers and each finger of the plurality of second fingers is arranged radially with respect to a common vertical axis.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The microelectromechanical device of claim 1,
wherein the plurality of first fingers and the plurality of second fingers are interdigitated in a concentric shell profile with respect to a common vertical axis.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The microelectromechanical device of claim 1,
wherein the first electrode is integral with the diaphragm.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The microelectromechanical device of claim 1,
wherein the first electrode further comprises at least one via coupling the first electrode to the diaphragm.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The microelectromechanical device of claim 1,
wherein the second electrode further comprises a structure coupling the second electrode to the substrate, wherein the structure is pre-stressed to displace the second electrode in a vertical direction.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The microelectromechanical device of claim 1,
wherein the second electrode further comprises a spring coupling the second electrode to the substrate to further displace the second electrode in a vertical direction.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

A microelectromechanical system comprising:
the microelectromechanical device of claim 1 and
a circuit electrically coupled to the first electrode and the second electrode, the circuit configured to detect a movement of the first electrode and the second electrode relative to each other and to output a signal representing the movement.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The microelectromechanical system of claim 16,
wherein the circuit is further configured to provide a potential to at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode.

### Claim 18

A microelectromechanical device comprising:
a substrate;
a diaphragm mounted to the substrate;
a first electrode mounted to the diaphragm, the first electrode comprising a plurality of first fingers;
a second electrode mounted to the substrate, the second electrode comprising a plurality of second fingers;
wherein the first electrode is laterally adjacent to the second electrode and the plurality of first fingers and the plurality of second fingers are interdigitated;
wherein the plurality of first fingers and the plurality of second fingers comprise:
adjacent fingers having a first distance between each other and further adjacent fingers having a second distance between each other;
wherein the first distance is different than the second distance;
and
wherein the diaphragm is arranged over a gap between the first electrode and the second electrode.

### Claim 19

A microelectromechanical device comprising:
a substrate;
a diaphragm mounted to the substrate;
a first electrode mounted to the diaphragm, the first electrode comprising a plurality of first fingers;
a second electrode mounted to the substrate, the second electrode comprising a plurality of second fingers;
wherein the first electrode is laterally adjacent to the second electrode and the plurality of first fingers and the plurality of second fingers are interdigitated;
wherein each finger of the plurality of first fingers and each finger of the plurality of second fingers is arranged radially with respect to a common vertical axis; and
wherein the diaphragm is arranged over a gap between the first electrode and the second electrode.