Curved cantilever design to reduce stress in mems actuator
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorTing-Jung Chen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure relates to an integrated chip structure. The integrated chip structure includes a MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) actuator. The MEMS actuator has an anchor. A proof mass continuously wraps around the anchor in a closed loop. One or more curved cantilevers are coupled between the proof mass and a frame. The frame wraps around the proof mass. The one or more curved cantilevers include curved outer surfaces arranged directly between a sidewall of the frame and a sidewall of the proof mass, as viewed in a top-view.
Claims20
An integrated chip structure, comprising:
- a MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) actuator, comprising:
- an anchor;
- a proof mass that continuously wraps around the anchor in a closed loop;
- one or more curved cantilevers coupled between the proof mass and a frame, the frame wrapping around the proof mass;
- and
- wherein the one or more curved cantilevers comprise curved outer surfaces arranged directly between a sidewall of the frame and a sidewall of the proof mass, as viewed in a top-view.
An integrated chip structure, comprising:
- a proof mass;
- one or more curved cantilevers coupled between the proof mass and a frame, the frame wrapping around the proof mass;
- wherein the one or more curved cantilevers comprise curved outer surfaces arranged between the frame and the proof mass, as viewed in a top-view;
- and
- wherein the frame, the one or more curved cantilevers, and the proof mass comprise a same material that continuously extends from within the frame, to within the one or more curved cantilevers, and to within the proof mass.
A method of forming an integrated chip structure, comprising:
- providing a substrate;
- patterning the substrate to remove a first region of the substrate laterally between a proof mass region and a cantilever region;
- patterning the substrate to remove a second region of the substrate laterally between the cantilever region and a frame region;
- and
- wherein removing the first region and the second region forms one or more curved cantilevers separated from a proof mass and a frame by non-zero spaces.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.