Denso Corporation

Nippondenso Co., Ltd.

Nippon Soken, Inc.

Minoru Murata

Minekazu Sakai

Kenichi Ao

Yukihiro Takeuchi

Tsuyoshi Fukada

Seiichiro Ishio

Inao Toyoda

Seiki Aoyama

Hiroshi Muto

Yasutoshi Suzuki

Kazuhiko Kano

Makoto Asai

Seiji Fujino

Kenichi Yokoyama

Masakazu Kanosue

Hiroshige Sugito

Makiko Sugiura

Takahiko Yoshida

Toshimasa Yamamoto

Toshio Yamamoto

Takeshi Ito

Hirofumi Higuchi

Shinji Yoshihara

Hisanori Yokura

Yoshinori Ohtsuka

Yoshimi Yoshino

Hirofumi Uenoyama

Kazushi Asami

Hiroki Noguchi

Toshiya Ikezawa

Eishi Kawasaki

Takaaki Kawai

Norio Kitao

Tomohito Kunda

Masakazu Terada

Shoji Ozoe

Koji Hattori

Yasuki Shimoyama

Yoshiyuki Kato

Kouhei Yamaguchi

Masakazu Yatou

Tetsuro Yano

Kazuyuki Kakuta

Youko Nakagawa

Seiichiro Ishiou

A semiconductor device includes: a first substrate having connectors at a first surface; a second substrate bonded with the first substrate having through-holes in a stacking direction of the first and second substrates for respectively exposing the connectors; through-electrodes respectively arranged at through-holes and electrically connected with the connectors; and a protective film for integrally covering the through-electrodes. Frame-shaped slits are formed to respectively surround the through-holes when viewed in a normal direction with respect to the first surface of the first substrate. The protective film is separated by the slit into a region inside the slit and a region outside the slit.

Semiconductor device capable of suppressing cracks of through-hole protective film and short circuit of adjacent through-electrodes

A semiconductor device includes: a first substrate with one side on which a sensing unit for a physical quantity is arranged and multiple diffusion wiring layers electrically connected to the sensing unit are arranged by impurity diffusion; and a second substrate having one side which is bonded to the one side of the first substrate. An air tight chamber is provided between the first substrate and the second substrate. The sensing unit is sealed in the air tight chamber. The first substrate includes an outer edge portion as a portion of the one side of the first substrate surrounding multiple diffusion wiring layers, and multiple diffusion wiring layers are arranged in an inner edge portion. The outer edge portion has an impurity concentration which is constant in a circumferential direction along an edge of the first substrate.

Physical quantity sensing semiconductor device and method for manufacturing the same

A liquid property sensor for detecting property of liquid includes a semiconductor board, a first electrode and a second electrode, and a protection film. The first and second electrodes are disposed on the semiconductor board to be spaced from each other at a predetermined distance. The protection film has resistance relative to the liquid, and is exposed to the liquid. The first and second electrodes detect a capacitance therebetween as the property of the liquid in accordance with a relative permittivity of the liquid. A capacitance-voltage conversion circuit of the semiconductor board converts the capacitance into a voltage value.

Liquid property sensor

A semiconductor physical quantity sensor includes: a substrate; a semiconductor layer supported on the substrate; a trench disposed in the semiconductor layer; and a movable portion disposed in the semiconductor layer and separated from the substrate by the trench. The movable portion includes a plurality of through-holes, each of which penetrates the semiconductor layer in a thickness direction. The movable portion is capable of displacing on the basis of a physical quantity applied to the movable portion so that the physical quantity is detected by a displacement of the movable portion. The movable portion has a junction disposed among the through-holes. The junction has a trifurcate shape.

Physical quantity sensor having multiple through holes

An angular rate sensor includes: a support substrate; a semiconductor layer; and a movable portion. The movable portion includes a driving vibration portion and a detecting vibration portion. The driving vibration portion is capable of vibrating in a first direction. The detecting vibration portion is capable of vibrating in a second direction. The driving vibration portion includes through holes, and the detecting vibration portion includes thorough holes. Each through hole of the driving vibration portion has an elongated shape extending in the first direction. Each through hole of the detecting vibration portion has an elongated shape extending in the second direction.

Physical quantity sensor having movable portion

A physical quantity (e.g., acceleration) sensing unit is provided. In this unit, a capacitive sensor has first and second fixed electrodes and a physical-quantity-sensitive movable electrode disposed between the first and second fixed electrodes. An adjusting circuit first adjusts a first bias voltage applied between the first fixed electrode and the movable electrode and a second voltage applied between the movable electrode and the second fixed electrode so that the movable electrode is brought into contact with either the first or second fixed electrode. The adjusting circuit then adjusts the first and second bias voltages to return the movable electrode to its original position. A detecting circuit detects an output on a capacitance relationship among the first and second fixed electrodes and the movable electrode. The output is subjected to determination of whether or not the output is out of order, when tested.

Method and unit for sensing physical quantity using capacitive sensor

A semiconductor dynamic sensor has a displacement portion, which is composed of a movable electrode and first and second fixed electrodes, formed in a semiconductor substrate. The movable electrode is displaced in response to applied acceleration, so that capacitance between the movable electrode and each of the first and second fixed electrodes changes. Therefore, the applied acceleration can be detected based on the capacitance change. A plurality of rectangular-shaped suction portions is provided at four corners on the surface of the semiconductor substrate. By sucking the suction portions using a collet check, the semiconductor dynamic sensor such can be transported without damaging the displacement portion.

Semiconductor dynamic sensor, and methods of transport and collet suction for the same

A semiconductor dynamic quantity sensor has a support substrate with a rectangular opening portion, and a movable electrode and fixed electrodes are respectively supported by the support substrate through supporting portions to face the opening portion. The supporting portions supporting the movable electrode are arranged in a direction approximately the same as that in which the supporting portions supporting the fixed electrodes are arranged.

Semiconductor dynamic quantity sensor with movable electrode and fixed electrode supported by support substrate

A capacitive acceleration sensor includes a supporting substrate, a movable member, and two fixed members. The movable member moves in response to a force that acts on the movable member. Each fixed member is stationary under the force. Two capacitances are formed between the movable member and the fixed members. One of the capacitances increases while the other decreases when the movable member moves in response to the force. The force includes a substantially constant force and a variable force when an acceleration is measured using the sensor. The variable force is proportional to the acceleration. The acceleration is measured on the basis of the difference between the capacitances. The capacitances are different from each other when the force that acts on the movable member is zero to reduce the difference between the capacitances that corresponds to the substantially constant force.

Capacitive acceleration sensor

A semiconductor acceleration sensor, which prevents an adhesion of a movable electrode to a first or second fixed electrode due to an electrostatic attracting force generated therebetween. The sensor has a weight portion and movable electrodes formed on both sides of which, and first and second fixed electrodes each engaging with the each of the movable electrodes. Each of the first and second fixed electrodes is disposed in parallel with each of the movable electrodes so that side faces thereof determine a detection interval and non-detection interval larger than the detection interval with side faces of adjoining two of the movable electrodes. Protrusions are formed on both of the side faces of each of the first and second fixed electrodes. These protrusions prevent the movable electrodes from adhering to the first or second fixed electrode in both of the detection interval and non-detection interval.

Semiconductor physical quantity sensor

A semiconductor physical quantity sensor from which a stable sensor output can be obtained even when the usage environment changes. A silicon thin film is disposed on an insulating film on a supporting substrate, and a bridge structure having a weight part and moving electrodes and cantilever structures having fixed electrodes are formed as separate sections from this silicon thin film. The moving electrodes provided on the weight part and the cantilevered fixed electrodes are disposed facing each other. Slits are formed at root portions of the cantilevered fixed electrodes at the fixed ends thereof, and the width W of the root portions is thereby made narrower than the width W of the fixed electrodes proper. As a result, the transmission of warp of the supporting substrate to the cantilevered fixed electrodes is suppressed.

A semiconductor sensor chip is provided with a weight portion supported in a frame via beams whereby acceleration up to substantially &plusmn;1 G can be detected by utilizing piezoresistance effect of resistor elements formed on the beams. The semiconductor sensor chip is supported by a seat having a thermal expansion coefficient equivalent to that of the semiconductor sensor chip via the frame. The frame and the seat are adhered to each other by a flexible adhesive agent mixed with a plurality of resin beads functioning as spacers and under an adhesion state, air damping of the weight portion is carried out by setting a dimension of an air gap between the weight portion and the seat to a range of 7 through 15 &mgr;m.

Semiconductor acceleration sensor

A semiconductor physical quantity sensor has a beam connecting a movable portion and a support substrate for displacing the movable portion in a displacement direction. The beam has a rectangular frame shape with a hollow portion and is surrounded by a groove. The groove has opposing intervals at both sides of the beam in the displacement direction, and the opposing intervals are equal to an interval of the hollow portion in the displacement direction. Accordingly, etching rates at the groove and the hollow portion become approximately equal to each other, reducing processing variation of the beam.

Semiconductor physical quantity sensor including frame-shaped beam surrounded by groove

A semiconductor dynamic quantity sensor includes a semiconductor support substrate having a specific resistance equal to or less than 3&OHgr; cm. An insulation film is provided on the support substrate and a semiconductor layer is provided on the support substrate with the insulation film interposed therebetween. The semiconductor layer has a specific resistance equal to or less than 3&OHgr; cm. A movable electrode is provided in the semiconductor layer to be displaced according to a dynamic quantity acting thereto. A fixed electrode is fixedly provided in the semiconductor layer to make a specific gap with the movable electrode and to from a capacitor with the movable electrode. The capacitor has a capacity that changes in response to displacement of the movable electrode to detect the dynamic quantity.

Method for manufacturing semiconductor dynamic quantity sensor

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Kariya, Japan

Minoru Murata