Delphi Technologies, Inc.

Google Inc.

Delco Electronics Corporation

Dan W Chilcott

John Carl Christenson

James H Logsdon

Seyed R Zarabadi

Han-Sheng Lee

William J Baney

Timothy A Vas

David Kay Lambert

Abhijeet V Chavan

Hamid Reza Borzabadi

Stephen P Long

Timothy M Betzner

John Emmett Freeman

George M Queen

Richard G Forestal

Douglas Ray Sparks

Jack L Glenn

Jack D Johnson

Robert K Speck

David Boyd Rich

Qin Jiang

A microfluidic valve structure is provided. The valve structure includes a valve body having a fluid flow passage formed therein for allowing fluid to flow therethrough. A valve boss is configured to move relative to a valve seat to open and close the fluid flow passage. A plurality of flexible support arms extend between a wall of the valve body and the valve boss for supporting the valve boss relative to the valve body such that the valve boss engages and disengages the valve seat to close and open the passage.

Microfluidic valve structure

A motion sensor in the form of an angular rate sensor and a method of making a sensor are provided and includes a support substrate and a silicon sensing ring supported by the substrate and having a flexive resonance. Drive electrodes apply electrostatic force on the ring to cause the ring to resonate. Sensing electrodes sense a change in capacitance indicative of vibration modes of resonance of the ring so as to sense motion. A plurality of silicon support rings connect the substrate to the ring. The support rings are located at an angle to substantially match a modulus of elasticity of the silicon, such as about 22.5 degrees and 67.5 degrees, with respect to the crystalline orientation of the silicon.

Silicon integrated angular rate sensor

Method for manufacturing a sensor device

A technique for manufacturing a micro-electro-mechanical (MEM) device includes a number of steps. Initially, a first wafer is provided. Next, a bonding layer is formed on a first surface of the first wafer. Then, a portion of the bonding layer is removed to provide a cavity including a plurality of spaced support pedestals within the cavity. Next, a second wafer is bonded to at least a portion of the bonding layer. A portion of the second wafer provides a diaphragm over the cavity and the support pedestals support the diaphragm during processing. The second wafer is then etched to release the diaphragm from the support pedestals.

Method for manufacturing a micro-electro-mechanical device

A technique for manufacturing a micro-electro-mechanical (MEM) structure includes a number of steps. Initially, a substrate is provided. Next, a plurality of trenches are etched into the substrate with a first etch. Then, a charging layer is formed at a bottom of each of the trenches to form undercut trenches. Finally, a second etch is provided into the undercut trenches. The charging layer causes the second etch to laterally etch foots in the substrate between the undercut trenches. The footers undercut the substrate to release a portion of the substrate for providing a movable structure between the undercut trenches and above the footers.

Method for manufacturing a micro-electro-mechanical structure

In producing an integrated sensor, regions of silicon between compensating electronics and a sensor are electrically isolated, while the sensor is delineating and released. The described process can be performed at the end of a fabrication process after electronics processing (i.e., CMOS processing) and compensating electronics are formed. In an aspect, the sensor and a conductive bridge are simultaneously developed from a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate. In an aspect, the sensor is undercut from a silicon substrate utilizing a lateral etch. A cavity is concurrently defined by the same lateral etch in the silicon layer, forming the conductive bridge connecting the sensor to a logic component. An isolation trench is defined in the silicon layer between the sensor components and the logic component. A polymer masks vertical surfaces from the lateral etch, and an insulator layer and photosensitive film mask horizontal surfaces from the lateral etch.

Post-logic isolation of silicon regions for an integrated sensor

A technique for forming anti-stiction bumps on a bottom surface of a micro-electro mechanical (MEM) structure includes a number of process steps. The MEM structure is fabricated from an assembly that includes a support substrate bonded to a single-crystal semiconductor layer, via an insulator layer. A plurality of holes are formed through the single-crystal semiconductor layer to the insulator layer on an interior portion of a defined movable structure. A portion of the insulator layer underneath the holes is removed. The holes are then filled with a conformal film that extends below a lower surface of the defined movable structure to provide a plurality of anti-stiction bumps. A trench is then formed through the single-crystal semiconductor layer to the insulator layer to form the defined movable structure. Finally, a remainder of the insulator layer underneath the defined movable structure is removed to free the defined movable structure.

Method for forming anti-stiction bumps on a micro-electro mechanical structure

A linear accelerometer is provided having a support substrate, fixed electrodes having fixed capacitive plates, and a movable inertial mass having movable capacitive plates capacitively coupled to the fixed capacitive plates. Adjacent capacitive plates vary in height. The accelerometer further includes support tethers for supporting the inertial mass and allowing movement of the inertial mass upon experiencing a linear acceleration along a sensing axis. The accelerometer has inputs and an output for providing an output signal which varies as a function of the capacitive coupling and is indicative of both magnitude and direction of vertical acceleration along the sensing Z-axis. A microsensor fabrication process is also provided which employs a top side mask and etch module.

Method of making microsensor

A technique for manufacturing a micro-electro mechanical structure includes a number of steps. Initially, a cavity is formed into a first side of a handling wafer, with a sidewall of the cavity forming a first angle greater than about 54.7 degrees with respect to a first side of the handling wafer at an opening of the cavity. Then, a bulk etch is performed on the first side of the handling wafer to modify the sidewall of the cavity to a second angle greater than about 90 degrees, with respect to the first side of the handling wafer at the opening of the cavity. Next, a second side of a second wafer is bonded to the first side of the handling wafer.

Technique for manufacturing micro-electro mechanical structures

An optical sensor package with a substrate that supports a membrane carrying an optical sensor and through which radiation passes to impinge the sensor. The substrate has a first surface in which a cavity is defined, a second surface opposite the first surface, and a wall between the cavity and the second surface. The optical sensor is supported on the membrane, which is bonded to the substrate and spans the cavity in the substrate. A window is defined at the second surface of the substrate for enabling infrared radiation to pass through the wall of the substrate to the optical sensor.

Infrared sensor package

A technique for manufacturing silicon structures includes etching a cavity into a first side of an epitaxial wafer. A thickness of an epitaxial layer is selected, based on a desired depth of the etched cavity and a desired membrane thickness. The first side of the epitaxial wafer is then bonded to a first side of a handle wafer. After thinning the epitaxial wafer until only the epitaxial layer remains, desired circuitry is formed on a second side of the remaining epitaxial layer, which is opposite the first side of the epitaxial wafer.

Technique for manufacturing silicon structures

A process for making a microelectromechanical device having a moveable component defined by a gap pattern in a semiconductor layer of a silicon-on-insulator wafer involves the use of a plurality of deep reactive ion etching steps at various etch depths that are used to allow a buried oxide layer of the silicon-on-insulator wafer to be exposed in selected areas before the entire moveable component of the resulting device is freed for movement. This method allows wet release techniques to be used to remove the buried oxide layer without developing stiction problems. This is achieved by utilizing deep reactive ion etching to free the moveable component after a selected portion of the buried oxide layer has been removed by wet etching.

Method of making a SOI silicon structure

A process of forming a capacitive audio transducer, preferably having an all-silicon monolithic construction that includes capacitive plates defined by doped single-crystal silicon layers. The capacitive plates are defined by etching the single-crystal silicon layers, and the capacitive gap therebetween is accurately established by wafer bonding, yielding a transducer that can be produced by high-volume manufacturing practices.

Process of forming a capacitative audio transducer

Process of making an all-silicon microphone

An infrared sensor including an absorber for absorbing incident infrared power to produce a signal representing the temperature of a target object, a frame supporting a membrane which carries the absorber, the frame including a plurality of reflecting surfaces disposed about the circumference of an opening over which the membrane spans for reflecting incident infrared power toward the absorber. By concentrating incident infrared power through reflection, the temperature difference between the absorber and the surrounding frame is increased, thereby producing an increased electrical output from the sensor.

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Greentown, IN, United States of America

Dan W Chilcott