Electrical conditioning of MEMS device and insulating layer thereof

#Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) include micro mechanical elements, actuators, and electronics. Micromechanical elements may be created using deposition, etching, and or other micromachining processes that etch away parts of substrates and/or deposited material layers or that add layers to form electrical and electromechanical devices. One type of MEMS device is called an interferometric modulator. As used herein, the term interferometric modulator or interferometric light modulator refers to a device that selectively absorbs and/or reflects light using the principles of optical interference. In certain embodiments, an interferometric modulator may comprise a pair of conductive plates, one or both of which may be transparent and/or reflective in whole or part and capable of relative motion upon application of an appropriate electrical signal. In a particular embodiment, one plate may comprise a stationary layer deposited on a substrate and the other plate may comprise a metallic membrane separated from the stationary layer by an air gap. As described herein in more detail, the position of one plate in relation to another can change the optical interference of light incident on the interferometric modulator. Such devices have a wide range of applications, and it would be beneficial in the art to utilize and/or modify the characteristics of these types of devices so that their features can be exploited in improving existing products and creating new products that have not yet been developed.

#In one embodiment, a method of making a MEMS device is provided, the method including forming a first electrode layer, forming a dielectric layer over the first electrode layer, depositing a layer of sacrificial material over the dielectric layer, where the layer of sacrificial material is conductive, and where the layer of sacrificial material is in electrical communication with the dielectric layer, and applying a voltage to said layer of sacrificial material.

#In another embodiment, a method of testing a partially fabricated MEMS device is provided, including applying a voltage between a conductive sacrificial layer and a first electrode layer, where a dielectric layer is located between said sacrificial layer and said first electrode layer, and measuring the resistance across at least the conductive sacrificial layer, the first electrode layer, and any intervening layers.

#FIG. 1 is an isometric view depicting a portion of one embodiment of an interferometric modulator display in which a movable reflective layer of a first interferometric modulator is in a relaxed position and a movable reflective layer of a second interferometric modulator is in an actuated position.

#FIG. 2 is a system block diagram illustrating one embodiment of an electronic device incorporating a 3×3 interferometric modulator display.

#FIG. 3 is a diagram of movable mirror position versus applied voltage for one exemplary embodiment of an interferometric modulator of FIG. 1.

#The following detailed description is directed to certain specific embodiments of the invention. However, the invention can be embodied in a multitude of different ways. In this description, reference is made to the drawings wherein like parts are designated with like numerals throughout. As will be apparent from the following description, the embodiments may be implemented in any device that is configured to display an image, whether in motion (e.g., video) or stationary (e.g., still image), and whether textual or pictorial. More particularly, it is contemplated that the embodiments may be implemented in or associated with a variety of electronic devices such as, but not limited to, mobile telephones, wireless devices, personal data assistants (PDAs), hand-held or portable computers, GPS receivers/navigators, cameras, MP3 players, camcorders, game consoles, wrist watches, clocks, calculators, television monitors, flat panel displays, computer monitors, auto displays (e.g., odometer display, etc.), cockpit controls and/or displays, display of camera views (e.g., display of a rear view camera in a vehicle), electronic photographs, electronic billboards or signs, projectors, architectural structures, packaging, and aesthetic structures (e.g., display of images on a piece of jewelry). MEMS devices of similar structure to those described herein can also be used in non-display applications such as in electronic switching devices.

#Insulating layers used in MEMS devices such as interferometric modulators are prone to charge accumulation, which may result in a shift in operating voltage and have unexpected effects on performance, particularly soon after fabrication of the MEMS device. Sustained application of voltage across the insulating layer conditions the insulating layer, stabilizing and/or saturating the insulating layer with charge, resulting in more consistent and predictable performance, especially across an array of MEMS devices. While such voltage may be applied by driving the fabricated MEMS device to an actuated state and maintaining a certain voltage for a period of time, methods are described herein to apply the desired voltage via a conductive sacrificial layer when the MEMS device is partially fabricated. The conductive sacrificial layer advantageously makes contact with the dielectric layer, or other underlying layers, even near support structures such as support post, where an actuated reflective layer would not, and certain sacrificial materials are particularly conductive. In addition, because the conductive sacrificial material may comprise a contiguous layer which extends throughout the MEMS array, the application of such voltage is simplified.

#One interferometric modulator display embodiment comprising an interferometric MEMS display element is illustrated in FIG. 1. In these devices, the pixels are in either a bright or dark state. In the bright (“on” or “open”) state, the display element reflects a large portion of incident visible light to a user. When in the dark (“off” or “closed”) state, the display element reflects little incident visible light to the user. Depending on the embodiment, the light reflectance properties of the “on” and “off” states may be reversed. MEMS pixels can be configured to reflect predominantly at selected colors, allowing for a color display in addition to black and white.