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US 5,596,219 AGranted
Thermal sensor/actuator in semiconductor material
AssigneeSiemens Aktiengesellschaft
InventorChristofer Hierold
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Semiconductor component with monolithically integrated electronic circuits and monolithically integrated sensor/acutator, whereby the sensor/actuator is manufactured with methods of surface micromachining in a sensor layer (3) of polysilicon that is structured, for example, with sensor webs (6), and these sensor webs (6) are thermally insulated from a silicon substrate (1) by a cavity (4) that is produced in a sacrificial layer (2) and is closed gas-tight toward the outside with a closure layer (5).
Claims12
A thermal sensor/actuator, comprising:
- a semiconductor material;
- a structured layer that forms a sensor/actuator on a surface of the semiconductor material;
- a dielectric layer in the semiconductor material that is separate from the structured layer;
- a cavity located in a recess of the dielectric layer that thermally insulates the structured layer from remaining semiconductor material;
- and
- a closure layer that seals said cavity from the external environment.
3 more elements
A thermal sensor/actuator, comprising:
- a semiconductor material;
- a structured layer that forms a sensor/actuator on a surface of the semiconductor material;
- a dielectric layer in the semiconductor material that is separate from the structured layer;
- a cavity located in a recess of the dielectric layer that thermally insulates the structured layer from remaining semiconductor material;
- a closure layer that seals said cavity from the external environment;
- the structured layer having electrical conductors;
- an electrically conductive doped region at a side of the cavity lying opposite the closure layer;
- the doped region electrically conductively connected to a contact;
- the structured layer and the closure layer elastically structured over the cavity such that a change occurs in the electrical capacitance between the structured layer and the doped region in response to change in the external pressure.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.