MEMS nanopositioner and method of fabrication
AssigneeBoard of Regents, The University of Texas System
InventorsSeyed Omid Reza Moheimani, Afshin Alipour, Mustafa Bulut Coskun
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Abstract
A microelectromechanical (MEMS) device is provided. The MEMS device comprises a substrate and a movable structure flexurally connected to the substrate, capable of moving in relation to the substrate, wherein the movable structure further comprising two or more segments having at least one mechanical connection between said segments to provide structural integrity of the moving structure; and wherein the at least one mechanical connection electrically isolates at least two segments.
Claims17
A method for fabricating a MEMS nanopositioner, comprising:
- forming a highly doped SOI wafer with a device layer, a buried oxide (BOX) layer beneath the device layer, and a handle layer beneath the BOX layer;
- forming an actuation segment in the device layer, wherein the actuation segment comprises a number of electrostatic actuators interposed with a number of actuator fixtures;
- forming a tip segment including an STM tip in the device layer;
- and
- forming an oxide bridge in the device layer, wherein the oxide bridge mechanically connects the actuation segment to the tip segment and provides electrical isolation between the actuation segment and the tip segment, and wherein the tip segment, the actuation segment and the oxide bridge share the device layer of the SOI wafer.
A method for fabricating a MEMS nanopositioner, comprising:
- forming a highly doped SOI wafer with a device layer, a buried oxide (BOX) layer beneath the device layer, and a handle layer beneath the BOX layer;
- forming an actuation segment in the device layer, wherein the actuation segment comprises a number of electrostatic actuators interposed with a number of actuator fixtures;
- forming a tip segment including an STM tip in the device layer;
- forming first and second electrodes on the MEMS nanopositioner, wherein the STM tip is electrically connected to the first electrode and the electrostatic actuators are electrically connected to the second electrode;
- and
- forming an oxide bridge in the device layer, wherein the oxide bridge mechanically connects the actuation segment to the tip segment and provides electrical isolation between the actuation segment and the tip segment, and wherein the tip segment, the actuation segment and the oxide bridge share the device layer of the SOI wafer.
A method for fabricating a MEMS nanopositioner, comprising:
- forming a highly doped SOI wafer with a device layer, a buried oxide (BOX) layer beneath the device layer, and a handle layer beneath the BOX layer;
- forming an actuation segment in the device layer, wherein the actuation segment comprises a number of electrostatic actuators interposed with a number of actuator fixtures;
- forming a tip segment including an STM tip in the device layer;
- forming first and second electrodes on the MEMS nanopositioner, wherein the STM tip is electrically connected to the first electrode the electrostatic actuators are electrically connected to the second electrode;
- forming an oxide bridge in the device layer, wherein the oxide bridge mechanically connects the actuation segment to the tip segment and provides electrical isolation between the actuation segment and the tip segment, and wherein the tip segment, the actuation segment and the oxide bridge share the device layer of the SOI wafer;
- patterning and etching the handle layer back to the BOX layer underneath the MEMS nanopositioner;
- and
- etching the BOX layer underneath a movable portion of the MEMS nanopositioner.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.