Analog Devices,inc.

Vesper Technologies Inc.

Qualcomm Incorporated

Craig E Core

Robert J Littrell

John R Martin

Xin Zhang

Timothy J Brosnihan

Thomas Kieran Nunan

Jason W Weigold

Hamid Basaeri

Yu Hui

Karl Grosh

Lawrence E Felton

Ronald Gagnon

Jing Cheng Luo

Robert E Sulouff, Jr

David J Collins

Wang Kyung Sung

A robust MEMS transducer includes a kinetic energy diverter disposed within its frontside cavity. The kinetic energy diverter blunts or diverts kinetic energy in a mass of air moving through the frontside cavity, before that kinetic energy reaches a diaphragm of the MEMS transducer. The kinetic energy diverter renders the MEMS transducer more robust and resistant to damage from such a moving mass of air.

Robust MEMS microphone

An acoustic sensor has a MEMS die with MEMS structure. Among other things, the MEMS structure includes a diaphragm configured to mechanically respond to incident acoustic signals, and a temperature sensor member configured to detect temperature.

Acoustic sensor with temperature structure

A piezoelectric Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) device comprising: a physical element; and a piezoelectric sensor element, with the physical element positioned in proximity to a moving portion of the piezoelectric sensor element, and with proximity of the physical element to the moving portion reducing a probability of breakage of the piezoelectric sensor element by limiting an excursion of the piezoelectric sensor element, relative to a probability of breakage of the piezoelectric sensor element in another piezoelectric MEMS device without the physical element.

Piezoelectric micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) device with a beam strengthening physical element

A micromachined microphone is formed from a silicon or silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer. A fixed sensing electrode for the microphone is formed from a top silicon layer of the wafer. Various polysilicon microphone structures are formed above a front side of the top silicon layer by depositing at least one oxide layer, forming the structures, and then removing a portion of the oxide underlying the structures from a back side of the top silicon layer through trenches formed through the top silicon layer. The trenches allow sound waves to reach the diaphragm from the back side of the top silicon layer. In an SOI wafer, a cavity is formed through a bottom silicon layer and an intermediate oxide layer to expose the trenches for both removing the oxide and allowing the sound waves to reach the diaphragm. An inertial sensor may be formed on the same wafer, with various inertial sensor structures formed at substantially the same time and using substantially the same processes as corresponding microphone structures.

Micromachined microphone and multisensor and method for producing same

A flow sensor has an inlet chamber with a first pressure sensor and an inlet port for receiving fluid, and an outlet chamber with a second pressure sensor and an outlet port. The flow sensor also has an anemometer in fluid communication with at least one of the two chambers.

Flow sensor chip

A method for capping active areas of a semiconductor wafer uses photolithography to define areas of sealant on the cap wafer to thereby reduce the amount of space required for attaching the cap wafer to the semiconductor wafer carrying active areas to be capped. Using photolithography in this manner increases the amount of space on the semiconductor wafer that can be used to form active areas which, in turn, improves the density of active area on the semiconductor wafer. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of applying a photoimageable layer, photoimaging the photoimageable layer to define a pattern including remaining regions of the photoimageable layer and removed regions of the photoimageable layer, and using the pattern to define the sealant regions on the semiconductor wafer. The method may further include one or more steps, such as applying sealant to the sealant regions defined by the pattern, curing the sealant, removing the remaining regions after applying the sealant to the sealant regions, removing excess sealant not within the sealant regions, and using the sealant material to form at least one seal around at least one active area formed on the second semiconductor substrate.

Method of forming a cover cap for semiconductor wafer devices

A self-aligned capacitor structure and method of making it includes an insulating support substrate with the capacitor disposed on the insulating substrate with a first conducting extending across the capacitor in the first dimension. The capacitor includes a first electrode interconnected with the first conductor, a second electrode supported by the substrate and interconnected with the second conductor, and a dielectric medium between the first and second electrodes. The first and second electrodes being coterminous in both directions in the first dimension for eliminating parasitic capacitance between the first conductor and the second electrode.

Growing community of inventors

North Andover, MA, United States of America

Craig E Core