# US 2013/0153378 A1 · Horizontal coplanar switches and methods of manufacture

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- Number: US 2013/0153378 A1
- Document ID: US20130153378A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/768,235
- Filed: 2013-02-15
- Published: 2013-06-20
- Earliest claimed: 2010-07-27
- Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation
- Inventors: Felix P. ANDERSON; Thomas L. MCDEVITT; Anthony K. STAMPER
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130153378A1

## CPC

- H01H 59/00: Electrostatic relays; Electro-adhesion relays
- B81C 1/00182: {Arrangements of deformable or non-deformable structures, e.g. membrane and cavity for use in a transducer}
- G06F 30/39: Circuit design at the physical level (physical level design for reconfigurable circuits G06F30/347)
- B81B 2201/014: having a cantilever fixed on one side connected to one or more dimples
- B81B 2203/0118: Cantilevers
- B81B 2203/04: Electrodes
- B81B 2207/07: Interconnects
- B81C 2201/0107: Sacrificial metal
- H01H: ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES (contact cables H01B7/10; electrolytic self-interrupters H01G9/18; emergency protective circuit arrangements H02H; switching by electronic means without contact-making H03K17/00)
- 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)
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- B81B: MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS, e.g. MICROMECHANICAL DEVICES (piezoelectric, electrostrictive or magnetostrictive elements per se H10N30/00, H10N35/00)

## Abstract

A MEMS structure and methods of manufacture. The method includes forming a sacrificial metal layer at a same level as a wiring layer, in a first dielectric material. The method further includes forming a metal switch at a same level as another wiring layer, in a second dielectric material. The method further includes providing at least one vent to expose the sacrificial metal layer. The method further includes removing the sacrificial metal layer to form a planar cavity, suspending the metal switch. The method further includes capping the at least one vent to hermetically seal the planar cavity.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A structure, comprising:
a lower planar cavity on a same level as a copper based wiring layer;
an upper planar cavity, extending to the lower planar cavity, on a same level as another copper based wiring layer;
a metal switch suspended between the lower planar cavity and the upper planar cavity; and, one of:
a contact above the metal switch;
a contact below the metal switch; and
an actuator at a same level as the metal switch.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The structure of claim 1, wherein the metal switch comprises a Ti/TiN/Al Cu/ TiN stack.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The structure of claim 2, wherein the metal switch comprises a gold upper layer.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The structure of claim 1, wherein the lower planar cavity and the upper planar cavity are hermetically sealed.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The structure of claim 4, wherein the hermetic seal is a capping material.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The structure of claim 5, wherein the capping material is SiN.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The structure of claim 1, wherein the metal switch includes a suspended wiring.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The structure of claim 7, wherein the suspended wiring is a moving lever which makes contact with one of:
the contact above the metal switch; and
the contact below the metal switch.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The structure of claim 1, wherein the metal switch is a capacitance switch.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The structure of claim 1, wherein the metal switch is anchored at one end, and is provided between the actuator and a signal line.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The structure of claim 1, wherein the metal switch is anchored at both ends, and is provided between the actuator and a signal line.

### Claim 12

A method in a computer-aided design system for generating a functional design model of a switch, said method comprising:
generating a functional representation of a lower planar cavity on a same level as a copper based wiring layer;
generating a functional representation of an upper planar cavity, extending to the lower planar cavity, on a same level as another copper based wiring layer;
generating a functional representation of a metal switch suspended between the lower planar cavity and the upper planar cavity; and, one of:
generating a functional representation of a contact above the metal switch;
generating a functional representation of a contact below the metal switch; and
generating a functional representation of an actuator at a same level as the metal switch.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method structure of claim 12, wherein the design model comprises a netlist.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The method structure of claim 12, wherein the design model resides on storage medium as a data format used for the exchange of layout data of integrated circuits.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The method structure of claim 12, wherein the design model resides in a programmable gate array.