Freescale Semiconductor,inc.

Nxp Usa, Inc.

Everspin Technologies, Inc.

Tokyo Electron Limited

Commissariat a L'energie Atomique Et Aux Energies Alternatives

Motorola Corporation

Commissariar Á L'energie Atomique At Aux Energies Alternatives (Cea)

Commissariat À L'énergie Atomique Et Aux Énergies Alternatives

Lianjun Liu

Paige M Holm

Phillip G Mather

Melvy Freeland Miller, Iii

Lisa H Karlin

Sergio P Pacheco

Chad S Dawson

David Joseph Monk

Qiang Li

Jon Michael Slaughter

Andrew C McNeil

Jonathan K Abrokwah

Patrice Rey

Emmanuel Defay

Ruben B Montez

Woo Tae Park

Dubravka Bilic

Francois Perruchot

Wayne L Johnson

Jinbang Tang

Olin L Hartin

Philip H Bowles

Philippe Lance

Alex P Pamatat

Paul M Winebarger

Qing Zhang

Colin Bryant Stevens

Philip Mather

Babak A Taheri

Stephen Ryan Hooper

Bishnu Prasanna Gogoi

Bernhard Grote

Amitava Bose

Robert F Steimle

Li Li

Andrej Mitrovic

Daniel N Koury, Jr

Shun-Meen Kuo

Jenn-Hwa Huang

Douglas G Mitchell

Alan J Magnus

Raymond Mervin Roop

Hemant D Desai

Margaret Leslie Kniffin

Peng Shao

Marcus R Ray

Lei L Mercado

Ricardo A Uscola

Philippe Bernard Roland Lance

François Perruchot

Heinz Loreck

Mamur Chowdhury

David W Kierst

Wei Liu

Marie E Borucki

Wie Liu

James S Bates

A device includes a substrate, a first electrode formed on the substrate and a structural layer formed on the substrate. The structural layer includes a movable mass and a fixed portion, the movable mass being suspended above the substrate and the first electrode being interposed between the substrate and the movable mass. A second electrode is spaced apart from an upper surface of the movable mass by a gap and an anchor couples the second electrode to the fixed portion of the structural layer. A method entails integrating formation of the second electrode into a wafer process flow in which the first electrode and the structural layer are formed.

Sensor device and method of fabrication

A wafer includes a process control monitor (PCM) structure formed on a substrate. The PCM structure includes detection and reference structures. The detection structure includes a first electrically conductive line arrangement formed in a first structural layer on the substrate and a first protection layer surrounding the first electrically conductive line arrangement. The reference structure includes a second electrically conductive line arrangement formed in the first structural layer on the substrate, a second protection layer surrounding the second electrically conductive line arrangement, an insulator material formed overlying the second electrically conductive line arrangement and the second protection layer, and a second structural layer overlying the insulator material. The insulator material does not overlie the detection structure. Methodology entails measuring a capacitance between the detection structure and the substrate, measuring another capacitance between the reference structure and substrate, and comparing the two capacitances to determine whether defects exist.

Structure and methodology for detecting defects during MEMS device production

In some embodiments a method of manufacturing a sensor system can comprise forming a first structure having a substrate layer and a first sensor that is positioned on a first side of the substrate layer, bonding a cap structure over the first sensor on the first side of the substrate layer, and depositing a first dielectric layer over the cap structure. After bonding the cap structure and depositing the first dielectric layer, a second sensor is fabricated on the first dielectric layer. The second sensor includes material that would be adversely affected at a temperature that is used to bond the cap structure to the first side of the substrate layer.

Integrating diverse sensors in a single semiconductor device

A through substrate via (TSV) and method of forming the same are provided. The method of making the TSV may include etching a via opening into the backside of semiconductor substrate, the via opening exposing a surface of a metal landing structure. A conductive layer is deposited over the backside of semiconductor substrate, sidewalls of the via opening, and exposed surface of the metal landing structure. The conductive layer is coated with a polymer material, filling the via opening. The polymer material is developed to remove the polymer material from the backside of semiconductor substrate, leaving the via opening filled with undeveloped polymer material. A planar backside surface of semiconductor substrate is formed by removing the conductive layer.

Through substrate via (TSV) and method therefor

A pressure sensor includes a diaphragm suspended across a cavity in a substrate. A first group of piezoresistors is provided in the diaphragm proximate a first outer edge of the diaphragm, the piezoresistors of the first group being coupled to one another to form a first Wheatstone bridge. A second group of piezoresistors is provided in the diaphragm proximate a second outer edge of the diaphragm, the piezoresistors of the second group being coupled to one another to form a second Wheatstone bridge. The first and second Wheatstone bridges exhibit mirror symmetry relative to one another. Output signals from each of the first and second Wheatstone bridges are processed at respective first and second differential amplifiers. The output signals from each of the first and second differential amplifiers are processed at a third differential amplifier to produce a pressure output signal with enhanced sensitivity and reduced impact from process variation.

Pressure sensor having a multiple wheatstone bridge configuration of sense elements

A sensor includes groups of sense elements coupled to one another to form multiple Wheatstone bridges, each being configured to produce an output voltage across first and second output nodes. A signal interface circuit for the sensor includes switched capacitor structures, one each of the switched capacitor structures being associated with one each of the Wheatstone bridges. Each switched capacitor structure includes a capacitor having first and second terminals, a first switch for selectively interconnecting the first node of an associated Wheatstone bridge with the first terminal of the capacitor, and a second switch for selectively interconnecting the second node of the associated Wheatstone bridge with the second terminal of the capacitor. A switch state element toggles the first and second switches between a charge state and a readout state to provide a readout voltage that is equivalent to a summation of the voltage outputs of the Wheatstone bridges.

Signal interface circuit and pressure sensor system including same

A magnetic field sensor for sensing an external magnetic field along a sensing direction oriented perpendicular to a plane of the magnetic field sensor comprises a sensor bridge. The sensor bridge has a first sensor leg that includes a first magnetoresistive sense element and a second sensor leg that includes a second magnetoresistive sense element. The first and second sense elements include respective first and second pinned layers having corresponding first and second reference magnetizations within the plane and oriented in the same direction. The first and second sense elements further include respective first and second sense layers, each having an indeterminate magnetization state. A permanent magnet layer is proximate the magnetoresistive sense elements. In the absence of an external magnetic field, the permanent magnet layer magnetically biases the indeterminate magnetization state of each sense layer to produce a sense magnetization of the first and second sense layers.

Magnetic field sensor with permanent magnet biasing

A method for selective etching using a dry film photoresist includes forming an opening through a substrate from a first surface to expose a stop layer at a second surface of the substrate. A material layer is formed over an inner surface of the opening and over the stop layer. The dry film photoresist is applied over the first surface of the substrate and over the opening. A second photoresist is applied on the dry film photoresist. First and second aligned holes are formed in the second photoresist and the dry film photoresist, respectively. The holes are approximately centered over the opening and are smaller in diameter than the opening so that a composite structure of the dry film photoresist and the second photoresist overhangs edges of the opening. The material layer is removed from the stop layer by etching via the first and second holes.

Method for selective etching using dry film photoresist

A sensor for sensing an external magnetic field along a sensing direction comprises a sensor bridge. The sensor bridge has a first sensor leg that includes a first magnetoresistive sense element and a second sensor leg that includes a second magnetoresistive sense element. The first and second sense elements have respective first and second pinned layers having the same reference magnetization. The first and second sense elements have respective first and second sense layers, each self-biased to have a first sense magnetization. A permanent magnet layer is proximate the second sense element. In the absence of an external magnetic field, the permanent magnet layer magnetically biases the first sense magnetization of the second sense layer produce a second sense magnetization of the second sense layer that differs from the first sense magnetization, and the first sense layer of the first sense element retains the first sense magnetization.

Magnetic field sensor with multiple axis sense capability

Methods for fabricating crack resistant Microelectromechanical (MEMS) devices are provided, as are MEMS devices produced pursuant to such methods. In one embodiment, the method includes forming a sacrificial body over a substrate, producing a multi-layer membrane structure on the substrate, and removing at least a portion of the sacrificial body to form an inner cavity within the multi-layer membrane structure. The multi-layer membrane structure is produced by first forming a base membrane layer over and around the sacrificial body such that the base membrane layer has a non-planar upper surface. A predetermined thickness of the base membrane layer is then removed to impart the base membrane layer with a planar upper surface. A cap membrane layer is formed over the planar upper surface of the base membrane layer. The cap membrane layer is composed of a material having a substantially parallel grain orientation.

Microelectromechanical system devices having crack resistant membrane structures and methods for the fabrication thereof

A magnetic field sensor comprises a sensor bridge having multiple sensor legs. Each sensor leg includes magnetoresistive sense elements located in a plane of the magnetic field sensor. Each sense element comprises a pinned layer and a sense layer. The pinned layer has a reference magnetization oriented parallel to the plane and the sense layer has a sense magnetization oriented out-of-plane. A permanent magnet layer may be spaced apart from the sense elements which magnetically biases the sense magnetization of the sense layer into an out-of-plane direction that is non-perpendicular to the plane of the sensor. The sense magnetization is orientable from the out-of-plane direction toward the plane of the sensor in response to an external magnetic field. The permanent magnet layer enables detection of the external magnetic field in a sensing direction that is also perpendicular to the plane of the magnetic field sensor.

A sensor package includes a magnetic field sensor and a corruption detection and reset subsystem. The magnetic field sensor has a magnetic sense element and a ferromagnetic structure characterized by a baseline magnetic state. The subsystem includes a detector element, a processor, and current carrying structure positioned in proximity to the ferromagnetic structure. Methodology performed by the subsystem entails detecting at the detector element an altered magnetic state of the ferromagnetic structure, where the altered magnetic state differs from the baseline magnetic state. Methodology further entails determining, at the processor, when a reset action is needed in response to the altered magnetic state and applying a reset magnetic field to the ferromagnetic structure to reset the ferromagnetic structure from the altered magnetic state to the baseline magnetic state.

Corruption detection and smart reset of ferromagnetic structures in magnetic field sensors

Growing community of inventors

Chandler, AZ, United States of America

Lianjun Liu