Microelectromechanical switch
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorsTsen-Hwang Lin, Yu-Pei Chen, Darius L. Crenshaw
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A microelectromechanical switch includes a substrate, an insulator layer disposed outwardly from the substrate, and an electrode disposed outwardly from the insulator layer. The switch also includes a dielectric layer disposed outwardly from the insulator layer and the electrode, the dielectric layer having a dielectric constant of greater than or equal to twenty. The switch also includes a membrane layer disposed outwardly from the dielectric layer, the membrane layer overlying a support layer, the support layer operable to space the membrane layer outwardly from the dielectric layer.
Claims20
A microelectromechanical switch comprising:
- a substrate;
- an insulator layer disposed outwardly from the substrate;
- an electrode disposed outwardly from the insulator layer;
- a dielectric layer disposed outwardly from the insulator layer and the electrode, the dielectric layer having a dielectric constant of greater than or equal to twenty;
- and
- a membrane layer disposed outwardly from the dielectric layer, the membrane layer overlying a support layer, the support layer operable to space the membrane layer outwardly from the dielectric layer.
A method of forming a microelectromechanical switch comprising:
- forming a substrate;
- forming an insulator layer outwardly from the substrate;
- forming an electrode outwardly from the insulator layer;
- forming a dielectric layer outwardly from the electrode, the dielectric layer having a dielectric constant of greater than or equal to twenty;
- and
- forming a membrane layer outwardly and spaced apart from the dielectric layer, the membrane layer being spaced apart from the dielectric layer by a support layer.
A method comprising:
- forming a substrate;
- forming an insulator layer outwardly from the substrate;
- forming a conductive layer outwardly from the insulator layer;
- etching the conductive layer to form an electrode;
- forming a dielectric layer outwardly from the insulator layer and electrode, the dielectric layer having a dielectric constant of greater than or equal to twenty;
- etching the dielectric layer to form an insulative region around the electrode;
- forming a support layer outwardly from the etched dielectric layer and the insulator layer;
- forming a conductive layer outwardly from the support layer;
- etching the membrane layer to form vias contacting the support layer;
- and
- etching the support layer through the vias to form a space between the membrane layer and the dielectric layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.