Method of fabricating suspended single crystal silicon micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) devices
AssigneeRockwell Science Center, Inc.
InventorsJun J. Yao, Sangtae Park
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Abstract
A method of fabricating MEMS devices having a master/slave structure in which the motion of a signal device is slaved to a control device through the fabrication of a mechanical coupler. The preferred fabrication uses a backside dry etch to release the suspended MEMS devices and mechanical coupler.
Claims21
A method of fabricating suspended sin-gle crystal silicon micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) devices, comprising:
- providing a Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) wafer comprising a silicon substrate, a silicon dioxide layer on said substrate, a deposition layer on said silicon dioxide layer and a top silicon layer on said deposition layer,
- patterning said top silicon layer to form a contact that is anchored to said substrate;
- patterning said deposition layer to form a structure on said SOI wafer that, when suspended, forms a signal device with said contact;
- and
- dry etching the backside of said substrate through at least said substrate to release said structure formed in said deposition layer so that it is suspended above a cavity formed in the substrate.
A method of fabricating suspended single crystal silicon micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) devices, comprising:
- providing a Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) wafer structure comprising a silicon substrate, a silicon dioxide layer and a top silicon layer;
- patterning the top silicon layer to form a control device that is anchored to said substrate;
- forming a signal device that is anchored to said substrate;
- forming a mechanical coupler on said substrate between said control and signal devices;
- and
- releasing portions of the control and signal devices and all of said mechanical coupler so that said control and signal devices are anchored to and suspended above the substrate, the motion of said signal device being slaved to the motion of the control device by the mechanical coupler.
A method of fabricating suspended single crystal silicon micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) devices, comprising:
- providing a Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) wafer comprising a silicon substrate, a buried oxide layer and a top silicon layer;
- patterning the top silicon layer to form control and signal devices having suspended structure and fixed structure that are anchored to said substrate and a mechanical coupler that rigidly connects their suspended structures;
- etching the buried oxide layer to physically isolate the control and signal devices' suspended structure from their fixed structure;
- and
- dry etching the backside of the substrate to release the control and signal devices' suspended structure and all of said mechanical coupler so that said control and signal devices are anchored to and suspended above the substrate, the motion of said signal device being slaved tc the motion of the control device by the mechanical coupler.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.