Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.

Jun Ogihara

Hitoshi Yoshida

Yuji Suzuki

Hiroshi Kawada

Kazuhiro Nobutoki

Hiroshi Fukshima

Shigeaki Tomonari

Kiyohiko Kawano

Hiroshi Noge

Hiroshi Harada

Masanao Kamakura

Naoki Ushiyama

Naomasa Oka

Masaaki Saito

Shuichi Nagao

Takeshi Mori

Takeshi Okada

Hideki Ueda

Masahiro Yasumi

Takaaki Yoshihara

Masahiko Suzumura

Katsumi Kakimoto

Nobuyuki Ibara

Shinichi Kishimoto

Masatoshi Nomura

Atsushi Shunori

Hisanori Siroisi

Kazushi Kataoka

Hisanori Shiroishi

Sumihiro Otsuka

Noriteru Furumoto

A physical quantity sensor includes a first substrate, an electrode provided on the first substrate, a diaphragm made of semiconductor material, a second substrate fixed to the first substrate, a dielectric film provided on the diaphragm, and a wall provided between the dielectric film and the electrode. The second substrate supports the diaphragm such that the diaphragm has an opposing surface facing the electrode across a space. The dielectric film is provided on the opposing surface of the diaphragm. The dielectric film has a surface facing the electrode across the space. The wall includes a first protrusion and a second protrusion. The first protrusion protrudes toward the electrode from the surface of the dielectric film. The second protrusion protrudes toward the electrode from the first protrusion, and contacts the electrode. The second protrusion is made of material which is different from material of the dielectric film.

Physical quantity sensor having a wall including first and second protrusion arrangements

Provided is an electrochemical measurement device capable of measuring more accurately and an electrochemical measurement apparatus provided with the electrochemical measurement device. The electrochemical measurement device includes a base part, and a placement part on which an object to be measured is placed, the placement part being provided to the base part. The electrochemical measurement device also includes an electrode part provided near the placement part on the base part, a wiring part provided on a surface of the base part and electrically connected to the electrode part, and an insulator that covers the wiring part. Further, a protruding part is provided on the base part of the electrochemical measurement device so as to protrude past the insulator.

Electrochemical measurement device and electrochemical measurement apparatus provided with electrochemical measurement device

A semiconductor physical quantity sensor includes: a first base material; an electrode formed on the first base material; a diaphragm which bends in accordance with a physical quantity applied from the outside; a second base material fixed to the first base material and supporting the diaphragm such that the diaphragm is opposed to the electrode with a space (S) in between; and an insulator formed on a surface on the first base material side of the diaphragm. Moreover, a wall portion to define the space (S) is formed between the insulator and the electrode.

Semiconductor physical quantity sensor

An electrostatic capacitance sensorincludes a semiconductor substrate. A first fixing plateis joined to a one-side surfaceof the semiconductor substrate, and a second fixing plateis joined to other-side surfaceof the semiconductor substrate, whereby a space portion S is formed. Then, static electricity suppressing meansfor suppressing static electricity from being generated in the space portion S is provided in the electrostatic capacitance sensor

Electrostatic capacitance sensor

An electrostatically driven latchable actuator system has an actuator and a pair of side effectors on opposite ends of the actuator. The actuator is resiliently supported to a substrate and is movable along a linear axis between two operative positions as being electrically attracted to one of the side effectors. A latch mechanism is provided to mechanically latch the actuator at either of the operative positions. The side effectors are movably towards and away from the actuator along the linear axis between a normal position and a shifted position close to the actuator. Both of the side effectors are also resiliently supported to the substrate to be movable towards the actuator by being electrostatically attracted thereto and away from the actuator by resiliency. The moving side effector is interlocked to the latch mechanism through a mechanical link so as to unlatch the actuator in response to one of the side effectors being attracted to the actuator, and allow the actuator to move from one operative position to the other operative position to be again latched thereat.

Electrostatically driven latchable actuator system

A process for fabricating a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) composed of fixed components fixedly supported on a lower substrate and movable components movably supported on the lower substrate. The process utilizes an upper substrate separate from the lower substrate. The upper substrate is selectively etched in its top layer to form therein a plurality of posts which project commonly from a bottom layer of the upper substrate. The posts include the fixed components to be fixed to the lower substrate and the movable components which are resiliently supported only to one or more of the fixed components to be movable relative to the fixed components. The lower substrate is formed in its top surface with at least one recess. The upper substrate is then bonded to the top of the lower substrate upside down in such a manner as to place the fixed components directly on the lower substrate and to place the movable components upwardly of the recess. Finally, the bottom layer of the upper substrate is removed to release the movable components from the bottom layer for floating the movable components above the recess and allowing them to move relative to the lower substrate, while keeping the fixed components fixed to the top of the lower substrate.

Process for fabricating a micro-electro-mechanical system with movable components

A flexible area is joined at one end via a thermal insulation area to a semiconductor substrate which becomes a frame and at an opposite end to a moving element . The thermal insulation area is made of a thermal insulation material a resin such as polyimide or a fluoridated resin. The flexible area is made up of a thin portion S and a thin film M different in thermal expansion coefficient. When a diffused resistor formed on the surface of the thin portion S is heated, the flexible area is displaced because of the thermal expansion difference between the thin portion S and the thin film M, and the moving element is displayed with respect to the semiconductor substrate

Semiconductor device

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Mie, Japan

Jun Ogihara