Robert Boschgmbh

Graham, Andrew

Chen, Po-jui

Yama, Gary

O'brien, Gary

Waffenschmidt, Sybille

Lammel, Gerhard

Feyh, Ando

Liger, Matthieu

Andrew Graham

Gary O'Brien

Gary Yama

Ando Feyh

Ashwin K Samarao

Fabian Purkl

Bongsang Kim

Ralf Maier

Ando Lars Feyh

Michael Baus

Mariusz Koc

Po-Jui Chen

Gerhard Lammel

Bernhard Gehl

Matthieu Liger

Steffen Zunft

Bonsang Kim

Sibylle Waffenschmidt

Sybille Waffenschmidt

A micromechanical device having a substrate wafer, a functional layer situated above it which has a mobile micromechanical structure, and a cap situated on top thereof, having a first cavity, which is formed at least by the substrate wafer and the cap and which includes the micromechanical structure. The micromechanical device has a fixed part and a mobile part, which are movably connected to each other with at least one spring element, and the first cavity is situated in the mobile part. Also described is a method for producing the micromechanical device.

Micromechanical device having a decoupled micromechanical structure

In one embodiment, a sensor includes a rigid wafer outer body. A first cavity is located within the rigid wafer outer body, and a first vibration isolating spring is supported by the rigid wafer outer body and extends into the first cavity. A second vibration isolating spring is supported by the rigid wafer outer body and extends into the first cavity, and a first sensor packaging is supported by the first vibration isolating spring and the second vibration isolating spring within the first cavity.

Robust inertial sensors

A sensor device package includes a pressure sensor and a humidity sensor mounted on the same substrate and in the same housing with light protection for the pressure sensor a media opening for gas exchange for the humidity sensor. Light protection and rapid response times are provided through strategic positioning of the media opening, strategic arrangement of the pressure sensor, humidity sensor, and the media opening, and/or the use of opaque materials.

Combined pressure and humidity sensor

In one embodiment, a MEMS sensor includes a first fixed electrode in a first layer, a cavity defined above the first fixed electrode, a membrane extending over the cavity, a first movable electrode defined in the membrane and located substantially directly above the first fixed electrode, and a second movable electrode defined at least partially within the membrane and located at least partially directly above the cavity.

MEMS pressure sensor with multiple membrane electrodes

A device with an out-of-plane electrode includes a device layer positioned above a handle layer, a first electrode defined within the device layer, a cap layer having a first cap layer portion spaced apart from an upper surface of the device layer by a gap, and having an etch stop perimeter defining portion defining a lateral edge of the gap, and an out-of-plane electrode defined within the first cap layer portion by a spacer.

Epi-poly etch stop for out of plane spacer defined electrode

A trenched base capacitive humidity sensor includes a plurality of trenches formed in a conductive layer, such as polysilicon or metal, on a substrate. The trenches are arranged parallel to the each other and partition the conductive layer into a plurality of trenched silicon electrodes. At least two trenched silicon electrodes are configured to form a capacitive humidity sensor. The trenches that define the trenched silicon electrodes can be filled partially (e.g., sidewall coverage) or completely with polyimide (Pl) or silicon nitride (SiN). A polyimide layer may also be provided on the conductive layer over the trenches and trenched electrodes. The trenches and the trenched silicon electrodes may have different widths to enable different sensor characteristics in the same structure.

Trench based capacitive humidity sensor

A system and method for forming a sensor device with a buried first electrode includes providing a first silicon portion with an electrode layer and a second silicon portion with a device layer. The first silicon portion and the second silicon portion are adjoined along a common oxide layer formed on the electrode layer of the first silicon portion and the device layer of the second silicon portion. The resulting multi-silicon stack includes a buried lower electrode that is further defined by a buried oxide layer, a highly-doped ion implanted region, or a combination thereof. The multi-silicon stack has a plurality of silicon layers and silicon dioxide layers with electrically isolated regions in each layer allowing for both the lower electrode and an upper electrode. The multi-silicon stack further includes a spacer that enables the lower electrode to be accessible from a topside of the sensor device.

System and method for forming a buried lower electrode in conjunction with an encapsulated MEMS device

A semiconductor device includes a substrate, an insulating film provided on a surface of the substrate, and a sensing film formed of a conductive material deposited on top of the insulating film. The sensing film defines at least one conductive path between a first position and a second position on the insulating film. A first circuit connection is electrically connected to the sensing film at the first position on the insulating layer, and a second circuit connection is electrically connected to the sensing film at the second position. A control circuit is operatively connected to the first circuit connection and the second circuit connection for measuring an electrical resistance of the sensing film. The sensing film has a thickness that enables a resistivity of the sensing film to be altered predictably in a manner that is dependent on ambient moisture content.

Resistive MEMS humidity sensor

A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device includes a high density getter. The high density getter includes a silicon surface area formed by porosification or by the formation of trenches within a sealed cavity of the device. The silicon surface area includes a deposition of titanium or other gettering material to reduce the amount of gas present in the sealed chamber such that a low pressure chamber is formed. The high density getter is used in bolometers and gyroscopes but is not limited to those devices.

MEMS device having a getter

A resistive temperature sensor (thermistor) for a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device provides local temperatures of MEMS sensors and other MEMS devices for temperature compensation. Local accurate temperatures of the sensors and other devices provide for temperature compensation of such sensors or devices. By incorporating the thermistor structure into a MEMS device, an accurate temperature is sensed and measured adjacent to or within the structural layers of the device. In one embodiment, the thermistor is located within a few micrometers of the primary device.

Sensor with an embedded thermistor for precise local temperature measurement

In one embodiment, a method of forming an out-of-plane electrode includes forming an oxide layer above an upper surface of a device layer, etching an etch stop perimeter defining trench extending through the oxide layer, forming a first cap layer portion on an upper surface of the oxide layer and within the etch stop perimeter defining trench, etching a first electrode perimeter defining trench extending through the first cap layer portion and stopping at the oxide layer, depositing a first material portion within the first electrode perimeter defining trench, depositing a second cap layer portion above the deposited first material portion, and vapor releasing a portion of the oxide layer with the etch stop portion providing a lateral etch stop.

A device with multiple encapsulated functional layers, includes a substrate, a first functional layer positioned above a top surface of the substrate, the functional layer including a first device portion, a first encapsulating layer encapsulating the first functional layer, a second functional layer positioned above the first encapsulating layer, the second functional layer including a second device portion, and a second encapsulating layer encapsulating the second functional layer.

Substrate with multiple encapsulated devices

In one embodiment, a method of forming a MEMS device includes providing a silicon wafer with a base layer and an intermediate layer above an upper surface of the base layer. A first electrode is defined in the intermediate layer and an oxide portion is provided above an upper surface of the intermediate layer. A cap layer is provided on an upper surface of the oxide portion and a second electrode is defined in the cap layer. The method further includes etching the oxide portion to form a cavity such that when the second electrode and the cavity are projected onto the intermediate layer, the projected second electrode encompasses the projected cavity.

Capacitive pressure sensor and method

A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) microphone has a substrate including a backside trench, and a flexible membrane deposited on the substrate extending over the backside trench. The flexible membrane includes a first electrode. A silicon spacer layer is deposited on a perimeter portion of the flexible membrane. The spacer layer defines an acoustic chamber above the membrane and the backside trench. A silicon rich silicon nitride (SiN) backplate layer is deposited on top of the silicon spacer layer extending over the acoustic chamber. The backplate defines a plurality of opening into the acoustic chamber and includes a metallization that serves as a second electrode.

MEMS acoustic transducer with silicon nitride backplate and silicon sacrificial layer

In one embodiment, a method of forming an out-of-plane electrode includes providing an oxide layer above an upper surface of a device layer, providing a first cap layer portion above an upper surface of the oxide layer, etching a first electrode perimeter defining trench extending through the first cap layer portion and stopping at the oxide layer, depositing a first material portion within the first electrode perimeter defining trench, depositing a second cap layer portion above the first material portion, vapor releasing a portion of the oxide layer, depositing a third cap layer portion above the second cap layer portion, etching a second electrode perimeter defining trench extending through the second cap layer portion and the third cap layer portion, and depositing a second material portion within the second electrode perimeter defining trench, such that a spacer including the first material portion and the second material portion define out-of-plane electrode.

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Redwood City, CA, United States of America

Andrew Graham