Robert Boschgmbh

Micronas Gmbh

Albert-ludwigs-universitaet Freiburg

Yama, Gary

Purkl, Fabian

Liger, Matthieu

Illing, Matthias

Fabian Purkl

Gary Yama

Ando Feyh

Gary O'Brien

Ashwin K Samarao

Ando Lars Feyh

Christoph Schelling

Rolf Scheben

Andrew Graham

Thomas Buck

Michael Stumber

Bongsang Kim

Benedikt Stein

Po-Jui Chen

Thomas Rocznik

Ricardo Ehrenpfordt

Sam Kavusi

Timo Kaufmann

Johan Vanderhaegen

Matthias Illing

Kerrin Doessel

Robert Roelver

Matthieu Liger

Patrick Ruther

Daniel Pantel

Theresa Lutz

Ahmad Mansour

Franziska Rohlfing

John Provine

Thomas Northemann

Olvier Paul

A production method for a layer structure, including providing a substrate, wherein at least a top surface of the substrate is made from a non-conductive material; depositing a catalyst structure onto the top surface of the substrate; depositing a graphene structure onto the catalyst structure; and at least partially removing the catalyst structure situated between the substrate and the graphene structure.

Production method for a layer structure and layer structure

A micromechanical sound transducer system includes a substrate that includes (a) a cavity with a cavity edge area, (b) a front side, and (c) a rear side; a piezoelectric vibrating beam that is elastically suspended on the front side and that extends across the cavity; and, for the piezoelectric vibrating beam, a respective deflection limiting device that is on a front edge area of the respective vibrating beam and that is configured to limit a deflection of the respective vibrating beam to a limiting deflection by causing the respective front edge area of the respective vibrating beam to interact with the cavity edge area or an opposing front edge area of another vibrating beam.

Micromechanical sound transducer system and corresponding manufacturing method

A device for generating thermal images includes a low resolution infrared (IR) sensor supported within a housing and having a field of view. The IR sensor is configured to generate thermal images of objects within the field of view having a first resolution. A spatial information sensor supported within the housing is configured to determine a position for each of the thermal images generated by the IR sensor. A processing unit supported within the housing is configured to receive the thermal images and to combine the thermal images based on the determined positions of the thermal images to produce a combined thermal image having a second resolution that is greater than the first resolution.

Methods to combine radiation-based temperature sensor and inertial sensor and/or camera output in a handheld/mobile device

Measures are provided, by which mechanical stresses within the diaphragm structure of a MEMS component may be intentionally dissipated, and which additionally enable the implementation of diaphragm elements having a large diaphragm area in comparison to the chip area. The diaphragm element is formed in the layer structure of the MEMS component. It spans an opening in the layer structure and is attached via a spring structure to the layer structure. The spring structure includes at least one first spring component, which is oriented essentially in parallel to the diaphragm element and is formed in a layer plane below the diaphragm element. Furthermore, the spring structure includes at least one second spring component, which is oriented essentially perpendicularly to the diaphragm element. The spring structure is designed in such a way that the area of the diaphragm element is greater than the area of the opening which it spans.

MEMS component including a diaphragm element which is attached via a spring structure to the component layer structure

A semiconductor sensor system, in particular a bolometer, includes a substrate, an electrode supported by the substrate, an absorber spaced apart from the substrate, a voltage source, and a current source. The electrode can include a mirror, or the system may include a mirror separate from the electrode. Radiation absorption efficiency of the absorber is based on a minimum gap distance between the absorber and mirror. The current source applies a DC current across the absorber structure to produce a signal indicative of radiation absorbed by the absorber structure. The voltage source powers the electrode to produce a modulated electrostatic field acting on the absorber to modulate the minimum gap distance. The electrostatic field includes a DC component to adjust the absorption efficiency, and an AC component that cyclically drives the absorber to negatively interfere with noise in the signal.

Method to modulate the sensitivity of a bolometer via negative interference

A MEMS device includes a bolometer attached to a silicon wafer by a base portion of at least one anchor structure. The base portion comprises a layer stack having a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) configuration such that the base portion acts as a resistive switch such that, when the first DC voltage is applied to the patterned conductive layer, the base portion transitions from a high resistive state to a low resistive state, and, when the second DC voltage is applied to the patterned conductive layer, the base portion transitions from a high resistive state to a low resistive state.

Resistive switching for MEMS devices

For a MEMS component, in the layer structure of which at least one sound-pressure-sensitive diaphragm element is formed, which spans an opening or cavity in the layer structure and the deflections of which are detected with the aid of at least one piezosensitive circuit element in the attachment area of the diaphragm element, design measures are provided, by which the stress distribution over the diaphragm surface may be influenced intentionally in the event of deflection of the diaphragm element. In particular, measures are provided, by which the mechanical stresses are intentionally introduced into predefined areas of the diaphragm element, to thus amplify the measuring signal. For this purpose, the diaphragm element includes at least one designated bending area, which is defined by the structuring of the diaphragm element and is more strongly deformed in the event of sound action than the adjoining diaphragm sections.

MEMS component including a sound-pressure-sensitive diaphragm element and piezosensitive signal detection

A MEMS microphone component including at least one sound-pressure-sensitive diaphragm element is formed in the layer structure of the MEMS component, which spans an opening in the layer structure. The diaphragm element is attached via at least one column element in the central area of the opening to the layer structure of the component. The deflections of the diaphragm element are detected with the aid of at least one piezosensitive circuit element, which is implemented in the layer structure of the diaphragm element and is situated in the area of the attachment of the diaphragm element to the column element.

MEMS component including a sound-pressure-sensitive diaphragm element

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device includes patterning a sacrificial layer on a substrate to define a bolometer, with trenches being formed in the sacrificial layer to define anchors for the bolometer, the trenches extending through the sacrificial layer and exposing conductive elements at the bottom of the trenches. A thin titanium nitride layer is then deposited on the sacrificial layer and within the trenches. The titanium nitride layer is configured to form a structural support for the bolometer and to provide an electrical connection to the conductive elements on the substrate.

Titanium nitride for MEMS bolometers

A semiconductor gas sensor device includes a substrate, a conductive layer supported by the substrate, a non-suitable seed layer, and a porous gas sensing layer portion. The non-suitable seed layer is formed from a first material and includes a first support portion supported by the conductive layer, a second support portion supported by the conductive layer, and a suspended seed portion extending from the first support portion to the second support portion and suspended above the conductive layer. The porous gas sensing layer portion is formed from a second material and is supported directly by the non-suitable seed layer in electrical communication with the conductive layer. The first material and the second material form a non-suitable pair of materials.

Semiconductor sensor having a suspended structure and method of forming a semiconductor sensor having a suspended structure

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming at least one sacrificial layer on a substrate during a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) process. An absorber layer is deposited on top of the at least one sacrificial layer. A portion of the at least one sacrificial layer beneath the absorber layer is removed to form a gap over which a portion of the absorber layer is suspended. The sacrificial layer can be an oxide of the CMOS process with the oxide being removed to form the gap using a selective hydrofluoric acid vapor dry etch release process. The sacrificial layer can also be a polymer layer with the polymer layer being removed to form the gap using an Oplasma etching process.

CMOS bolometer

In one embodiment, a portable temperature sensing system includes a portable housing configured to be carried by a user, a microelectrical mechanical system (MEMS) thermal sensor assembly supported by the housing and including an array of thermal sensor elements, a memory including program instructions, and a processor operably connected to the memory and to the sensor, and configured to execute the program instructions to obtain signals from each of a selected set of thermal sensor elements of the array of thermal sensor elements, determine an average sensed temperature based upon the signals, and render data associated with the determined average sensed temperature.

Portable device with temperature sensing

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 portable thermal imaging system includes a portable housing configured to be carried by a user, a bolometer sensor assembly supported by the housing and including an array of thermal sensor elements and at least one plasmonic lens, a memory including program instructions, and a processor operably connected to the memory and to the sensor, and configured to execute the program instructions to obtain signals from each of a selected set of thermal sensor elements of the array of thermal sensor elements, assign each of the obtained signals with a respective color data associated with a temperature of a sensed object, and render the color data.

MEMS infrared sensor including a plasmonic lens

In one embodiment, a MEMS sensor includes a mirror and an absorber spaced apart from the mirror, the absorber including a plurality of spaced apart conductive legs defining a tortuous path across an area directly above the mirror.

Growing community of inventors

Palo Alto, CA, United States of America

Fabian Purkl