Hrl Laboratories, LLC

Hughes Electronics Corporation

Hughes Aircraft Company

Other

University of California

Rosemount Aerospace Limited

The Boeing Corporation

Adele E Schmitz

Tsung-Yuan Hsu

Robert Y Loo

James H Schaffner

Julia J Brown

Ivan Milosavljevic

Michael T Antcliffe

Daniel J Hyman

Ming Hu

David T Chang

Debabani Choudhury

Gregory L Tangonan

Juan F Lam

Robert H Walden

Robert N Schwartz

Brett Warneke

Jonathan James Lynch

Lap-Wai Chow

Hui-Pin Hsu

James A Foschaar

Paul Ouyang

Lorna Hodgson

Michael Delaney

Mark Lui

Mark K Yu

Daniel Frederic Sievenpiper

Mehran Matloubian

Lawrence E Larson

Jar Jar Lee

Mehran Mehregany

Ming C Wu

Stan W Livingston

Franklin A Dolezal

Joseph F Jensen

Kursad Kiziloglu

Charles H Fields

Loi D Nguyen

Darren E Atkinson

Charles W Slayman

Robert A Metzger

Robert S Miles

Linda M Jelloian

Jae Lee

In various embodiments, a tiered gate structure transistor is provided including a source, a drain, and a gate between the source and the drain. The tiered gate structure transistor including a gate foot having a top portion and sidewalls. A gate head is attached to the top portion of the gate foot. A passivation layer extends along and directly contacts an uppermost surface of the source, and extends along and directly contacts an uppermost surface of the drain, the passivation layer surrounds the sidewalls of the gate foot such that the top portion is not covered by the passivation layer and such that the passivation layer surrounding the sidewalls supports the gate head.

Passivated tiered gate structure transistor

In one embodiment, a tiered gate device is provided including a source, a drain, and a gate foot therebetween. A gate head is attached to the gate foot. A source extension extends from on an uppermost surface of the source toward the gate foot along the substrate. In some embodiments a drain extension extends from on and uppermost surface of the drain toward the gate foot along the substrate.

Tiered gate device with source and drain extensions

In one embodiment, a tiered gate structure is provided having a substrate including a source, a drain and a gate thereon. The gate includes an elongated gate foot having a first deposition gate material extending from the substrate, the elongated gate foot having a top portion distal from the substrate. The gate head has a second deposition gate material and includes an elongated portion extending downward from the gate head to connect to the top portion of the elongated gate foot.

Tiered gate structure devices

Disclosed are methods for fabricating a micro-electro-mechanical switch. The switch has a cantilever arm disposed on a substrate that can be moved in orthogonal directions for latching and unlatching. For latching, the cantilever arm is moved back by a comb-drive actuator and then pulled down by electrodes disposed on the substrate and the cantilever arm. The comb-drive actuator switch is then released and the cantilever arm moves forward to be captured by a dove-tail structure on the substrate. When the voltage is removed, the cantilever arm is held in place by the dove-tail structure. The switch is unlatched by actuating the comb-drive actuator to move the cantilever arm away from the dove-tail structure. The cantilever arm will then pop up once it is released from the dove-tail structure.

Method of fabricating an RF MEMS switch with spring-loaded latching mechanism

Apparatus for a micro-electro-mechanical switch that provides single pole, double throw switching action. The switch has two input lines and two output lines. The switch has a seesaw cantilever arm with contacts at each end that electrically connect the input lines with the output lines. The cantilever arm is latched into position by frictional forces between structures on the cantilever arm and structures on the substrate in which the cantilever arm is disposed. The state of the switch is changed by applying an electrostatic force at one end of the cantilever arm to overcome the mechanical force holding the other end of the cantilever arm in place.

Metal contact RF MEMS single pole double throw latching switch

A method for fabricating a tiered structure includes forming a gate on a semiconductor substrate. Formation of the gate includes depositing a gate foot using a gate foot mask having an opening through it to define the gate foot over the substrate. After forming the gate foot, the gate foot mask is stripped and a passivation layer is formed over the gate foot and the substrate. A gate head mask is formed over the gate foot with the gate head mask exposing a portion of the passivation layer on a top portion of the gate foot. The portion of the passivation layer on the top portion of the gate foot is removed to expose the top portion of the gate foot. A gate head is formed on the top portion of the gate foot using the gate head mask. A lift-off process is performed, removing the gate head mask.

Passivated tiered gate structure transistor and fabrication method

In one embodiment, a tiered gate device is provided including a source, a drain, and a gate foot therebetween. A gate head is attached to the gate foot. A source extension extends from on the source toward the gate foot along the substrate. In some embodiments a drain extension extends from on the drain toward the gate foot along the substrate.

In one implementation, a method for fabricating a tiered structure is provided, which includes forming a source and a drain on a substrate with a gate formed therebetween. Formation of the gate includes depositing a gate foot using a gate foot mask having an opening through it to define the gate foot over the substrate. After forming the gate foot, the gate foot mask is stripped. A gate head mask is formed over the gate foot with the gate head mask exposing a top portion of the gate foot. A gate head is formed on the top portion of the gate foot using the gate head mask. A lift-off process is performed, removing the gate head mask.

Method for producing tiered gate structure devices

A micro-electro-mechanical switch is described. The switch comprises a substrate, with a signal transmission portion and an activation portion attached with the substrate. The activation portion includes an armature activation electrode positioned above a substrate activation electrode. The signal transmission portion includes a metal contact extending from a conducting transmission line and through a bottom insulating layer of the signal transmission portion, thereby being exposed for electrical contact. A mechanical linkage connects the activation portion with the signal transmission portion so that the activation portion and the signal transmission portion move in concert. When an activation signal is applied along the activation portion, both the activation portion and the signal transmission portion are drawn toward the substrate to a substantially closed position, where the metal contact of the signal transmission portion electrically contacts a signal transmission electrode.

Micro-electro-mechanical switch

An integrated circuit module comprising integrated coupling transmission structures protruding from the main body of the integrated circuit with extra substrate material removed around and/or under the coupling transmission structures.

Integrated MMIC modules for millimeter and submillimeter wave system applications

Apparatus for a micro-electro-mechanical switch that provides for latching switching action. The switch has a cantilever arm disposed on a substrate that can be moved in orthogonal directions for latching and unlatching. To latch the switch, the cantilever arm is moved back by a comb-drive actuator and then pulled down by electrodes disposed on the substrate and the cantilever arm. The comb-drive actuator switch is then released and the cantilever arm moves forward to be captured by a dove-tail structure on the substrate. When the voltage to the electrodes on the substrate and the cantilever arm is removed, the cantilever arm is held in place by the dove-tail structure. The switch is unlatched by actuating the comb-drive actuator to move the cantilever arm away from the dove-tail structure. The cantilever arm will then pop up once it is released from the dove-tail structure.

RF MEMS switch with spring-loaded latching mechanism

A micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) switch formed on a substrate, the switch comprising a transmission line formed on the substrate, a substrate electrostatic plate formed on the substrate, and an actuating portion. The actuating portion comprises a cantilever anchor formed on the substrate and a cantilevered actuator arm extending from the cantilever anchor. Attraction of the actuator arm toward the substrate brings an electrical contact into engagement with the portions of the transmission line separated by a gap, thus bridging the transmission line gap and closing the circuit. In order to maximize electrical isolation between the transmission line and the electrical contact in an OFF-state while maintaining a low actuation voltage, the actuator arm is bent such that the minimum separation distance between the transmission line and the electrical contact is equal to or greater than the maximum separation distance between the substrate electrostatic plate and arm electrostatic plate.

Stress bimorph MEMS switches and methods of making same

A method for making a thin film device on integrated circuits including the steps of applying a first photoresist layer to a first surface, and patterning the first photoresist layer to have at least a first opening that exposes the first surface. A film is deposited onto the first photoresist layer, wherein a portion of the deposited film is deposited onto the exposed first surface. A second photoresist layer is applied onto the deposited layer, wherein the second photoresist layer is applied to the portion of the deposited film within the first opening and covers a second portion of the deposited layer, wherein the first photoresist layer and the second photoresist layer assist in the defining of the deposited layer. The deposited layer, first photoresist layer, and second photoresist layer are selectively removed, therein exposing the first surface and the second portion of the deposited layer.

Thin film devices and method for fabricating thin film devices

A torsion spring for an electro-mechanical switch is presented. The torsion spring comprises a set of tines including at least one tine extending from the free end of the armature of a switch. A terminus portion is rotatably suspended between the tines, and includes a conducting transmission line, at least a portion of which is exposed for electrical contact. The conducting transmission line has a length selected such that the exposed portion of the transmission line forms a circuit between the input and output of the micro-electro-mechanical switch when the micro-electro-mechanical switch is urged into a closed position, with the terminus portion rotating via the tines to form a conformal connection between the exposed portion of the conducting transmission line and the input and output of the switch, thus optimizing the electrical flow therebetween. The switch is also applied to MEMS devices.

Torsion spring for electro-mechanical switches and a cantilever-type RF micro-electromechanical switch incorporating the torsion spring

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Newbury Park, CA, United States of America

Adele E Schmitz