Method of fabricating micromachined structures and devices formed therefrom
AssigneeCarnegie Mellon University
InventorsGary K. Fedder, Xu Zhu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for fabricating a micromachined structure. The method includes forming a circuitry layer having an upper etch-resistant layer on an upper surface of a substrate, directionally etching a portion of the circuitry layer exposed by the upper etch-resistant layer, and directionally etching a portion the substrate exposed by the upper etch-resistant layer with a deep reactive ion etch.
Claims17
A method for fabricating a micromachined structure, comprising:
- forming a circuitry layer having an upper etch-resistant layer on an upper surface of a substrate;
- directionally etching a portion of the circuitry layer exposed by the upper etch-resistant layer to define first and second circuit microstructures;
- directionally etching a portion the substrate exposed by the upper etch-resistant layer with a deep reactive ion etch;
- and
- isotropically etching the substrate for a controlled period of time to completely remove substrate material from under the first circuit microstructure such that the substrate material under the second circuit microstructure is electrically isolated from any other substrate material.
A method for fabricating a micromachined structure, comprising:
- forming a circuitry layer having an upper etch-resistant layer on an upper surface of a substrate;
- directionally etching a portion of the circuitry layer exposed by the upper etch-resistant layer;
- directionally etching a portion of the substrate exposed by the upper etch-resistant layer from the upper surface of the substrate to a point in the substrate;
- and
- back etching the substrate from a lower surface of the substrate to the point.
A method for fabricating a micromachined structure, comprising:
- forming a circuitry layer having an upper etch-resistant layer on an upper surface of a substrate;
- directionally etching a portion of the circuitry layer exposed by the upper etch-resistant layer;
- and
- directionally etching a portion of the substrate exposed by the upper etch-resistant layer from the upper surface of the substrate to an insulating layer in the substrate.
A method for fabricating a micromachined structure, comprising:
- forming a CMOS circuitry layer on an upper surface of a substrate, the CMOS circuitry layer having a dielectric layer and an upper metallization layer;
- and
- directionally etching a portion of the dielectric layer from an upper surface of the CMOS circuitry layer to a polysilicon region layer of the CMOS circuitry layer with a deep reactive ion etch.
A method of fabricating a microelectromechanical device, comprising:
- forming a micromachined structure layer on an upper surface of a substrate, wherein the micromachined structure layer includes an upper etch-resistant layer;
- and
- etching a portion of the substrate exposed by the upper etch-resistant layer with a tapered etch.
A method for fabricating a micromachined structure, comprising:
- forming a circuitry layer having an upper etch-resistant layer on an upper surface of a substrate;
- directionally etching a protion of the circuitry layer exposed by the upper etch-resistant layer to define first and second circuit microstructures;
- directionally etching a portion the substance exposed by the upper etch-resistant layer from the upper surface of the of the substrate to a lower surface of the substrate with a deep reactive ion etch;
- and
- isotropically etchig the substrate for a controlled period of time to completely remove substrate material from under the first circuit microstructure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.