US 10,591,872 B2Granted

Microfabricated atomic clocks and magnetometers utilizing side recesses

AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated

InventorsRoozbeh Parsa, Iouri N Mirgorodski, William French, Nathan Brockie, Ann Gabrys, Terry Dyer

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Abstract

An integrated microfabricated sensor includes a sensor cell having a cell body, a first window attached to a first surface, and a second window attached to a second surface, opposite to the first window. The cell body laterally surrounds a cavity, so that the first window and the second window are exposed to the cavity. The sensor cell contains a sensor fluid material in the cavity. The cell body has recesses on opposing exterior sides of the cell body; each recess extends from the first surface to the second surface. Exterior portions of the cell body wall in the recesses are recessed from singulation surfaces on the cell body exterior. The cell body is formed by etching the cavity and the recesses concurrently through a body substrate. After the windows are attached, the sensor cell is singulated from the body substrate through the recesses.

Claims23

Dependent claims

An integrated microfabricated sensor, comprising:

a sensor cell, comprising:
a cell body having:
a first surface;
a second surface parallel to the first surface, the cell body defining a cavity extending between the first surface and the second surface and having an average length in a direction parallel to the first surface;
a first recess on a first exterior side of the cell body, the first recess extending between the first surface and the second surface and having an average length in a direction parallel to the average length of the cavity, the average length of the first recess overlapping at least half of the average length of the cavity;
and
a second recess on a second exterior side of the cell body, the second recess extending between the first surface and the second surface and having an average length in a direction parallel to the average length of the cavity, the average length of the second recess overlapping at least half of the average length of the cavity;
a first window adjacent to the first surface and exposed to the cavity;
a second window adjacent to the second surface and exposed to the cavity;
and
a sensor fluid material in the cavity;
a signal emitter outside of the sensor cell and proximate to the second window;
and
a signal detector outside of the sensor cell and proximate to the first window,
wherein the first recess is a distributed first recess comprising first sub-recesses, and the second recess is a distributed second recess comprising second sub-recesses.

12 more elements

An integrated microfabricated sensor, comprising:

a sensor cell, comprising:
a cell body having:
a first surface;
a second surface parallel to the first surface, the cell body defining a cavity extending between the first surface and the second surface and having an average length in a direction parallel to the first surface;
a first recess on a first exterior side of the cell body, the first recess extending between the first surface and the second surface and having an average length in a direction parallel to the average length of the cavity, the average length of the first recess overlapping at least half of the average length of the cavity;
and
a second recess on a second exterior side of the cell body, the second recess extending between the first surface and the second surface and having an average length in a direction parallel to the average length of the cavity, the average length of the second recess overlapping at least half of the average length of the cavity;
a first window adjacent to the first surface and exposed to the cavity;
a second window adjacent to the second surface and exposed to the cavity;
and
a sensor fluid material in the cavity;
a signal emitter outside of the sensor cell and proximate to the second window;
and
a signal detector outside of the sensor cell and proximate to the first window,
wherein a first cell body wall of the cell body and a second cell body wall of the cell body have faceted profiles, the first cell body wall being a portion of the cell body located between the cavity and the first recess, the second cell body wall being a portion of the cell body located between the cavity and the second recess.

12 more elements

An integrated microfabricated sensor, comprising:

a sensor cell, comprising:
a cell body having:
a first surface;
a second surface parallel to the first surface, the cell body defining a cavity extending between the first surface and the second surface and having an average length in a direction parallel to the first surface;
a first recess on a first exterior side of the cell body, the first recess extending between the first surface and the second surface and having an average length in a direction parallel to the average length of the cavity, the average length of the first recess overlapping at least half of the average length of the cavity;
and
a second recess on a second exterior side of the cell body, the second recess extending between the first surface and the second surface and having an average length in a direction parallel to the average length of the cavity, the average length of the second recess overlapping at least half of the average length of the cavity;
a first window adjacent to the first surface and exposed to the cavity;
a second window adjacent to the second surface and exposed to the cavity;
and
a sensor fluid material in the cavity;
a signal emitter outside of the sensor cell and proximate to the second window;
and
a signal detector outside of the sensor cell and proximate to the first window,
wherein a first cell body wall of the cell body and a second cell body wall of the cell body have tapered profiles, the first cell body wall being a portion of the cell body located between the cavity and the first recess, the second cell body wall being a portion of the cell body located between the cavity and the second recess.

12 more elements

An integrated microfabricated sensor, comprising:

a sensor cell, comprising:
a cell body having:
a first surface;
a second surface parallel to the first surface, the cell body defining a cavity extending between the first surface and the second surface and having an average length in a direction parallel to the first surface;
a first recess on a first exterior side of the cell body, the first recess extending between the first surface and the second surface and having an average length in a direction parallel to the average length of the cavity, the average length of the first recess overlapping at least half of the average length of the cavity;
and
a second recess on a second exterior side of the cell body, the second recess extending between the first surface and the second surface and having an average length in a direction parallel to the average length of the cavity, the average length of the second recess overlapping at least half of the average length of the cavity;
a first window adjacent to the first surface and exposed to the cavity;
a second window adjacent to the second surface and exposed to the cavity;
and
a sensor fluid material in the cavity;
a signal emitter outside of the sensor cell and proximate to the second window;
and
a signal detector outside of the sensor cell and proximate to the first window,
wherein a first cell body wall of the cell body and a second cell body wall of the cell body have vertical profiles, the first cell body wall being a portion of the cell body located between the cavity and the first recess, the second cell body wall being a portion of the cell body located between the cavity and the second recess.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/457,608Filed 13 Mar 2017
Published: US 2018/0259600 A113 Sep 2018
Granted: 17 Mar 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

G04F 5/14
Apparatus for producing preselected time intervals for use as timing standards: using atomic clocks
H03L 7/26
Automatic control of frequency or phase; Synchronisation: using energy levels of molecules, atoms, or subatomic particles as a frequency reference
G04F
Time-interval measuring
H03L
Automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or