Ford Motor Company Limited

Visteon Global Technolgoies, Inc.

John Carlson Ames

Paul E Stevenson

Paul Thomas Carson

John Ralph Lindsey

Judd Steven Carper

Karl Allen Dierenbach

Fred John Trusell

William John Boardman

John Crumlin

An inspection method for evaluating the hermeticity of integrated circuits and micro-electromechanical devices having a cavity. The method includes submerging one or more of the devices in a liquid, under pressure, for a given time period in order to allow the liquid to seep into any cavities that have leak paths. After the pressure soak, the devices are transferred to another liquid and observed under a microscope for signs of the liquid in any of the devices cavities, thereby determining if hermeticity is present.

Micro-electromechanical device inspection

A protective coating is utilized to protect the silicon during a wet chemical etch step in the process of making a micromachine, thereby preventing the formation of etched holes or pits in the micromachine. In another embodiment, silicon sacrificial pedestals are used to eliminate or greatly reduces the electrical potential difference between metal on the glass substrate and the silicon, thereby eliminating arcing and the resulting damage to silicon and metal. These pedestals may be removed after the anodic bond.

Silicon micromachine with sacrificial pedestal

A method for differentially etching an N-sided polygon aperture through a first major surface of a &lt;100&gt; silicon wafer along the &lt;111&gt; planes begins with depositing a mask and defining therein a first intermediate polygon aperture having at least 4N+2 sides, where N is a positive integer. At least one side is generally parallel to the &lt;110&gt; plane, and the intersection of a second side and a third side of the first intermediate polygon is located generally along a major crystal axis perpendicular to the &lt;110&gt; plane. The included angle between the second and third sides expands during anisotropic etching to form one of the N sides of the polygon located along the major axis perpendicular to the &lt;110&gt; plane.

Intermediate workpiece employing a mask for etching an aperture aligned

Self compensating process for aligning an aperture with crystal planes

Growing community of inventors

Colorado Springs, CO, United States of America

John Carlson Ames