The Aerospace Corporation

Robert C Cole

Allyson D Yarbrough

Ruby E Robertson

Samuel S Osofsky

Gouri Radhakrishnan

James S Swenson, Jr

A method of fabricating a thin film resistor including providing a substrate, using a low-temperature pulsed-laser deposition process to deposit a titanium carbide (TiC) layer on the substrate, removing portions of the TiC layer with an etching process to leave a TiC pattern on the substrate, and depositing conductive material on opposite ends of the TiC pattern to provide a thin film resistor.

Ultra-stable refractory high-power thin film resistors for space applications

A metalization process forms metal contacts having defined profiles for contact between microelectromechanical (MEMS) devices or chemical sensors with semiconductor devices. Gold contacts may be used for connecting the MEMS devices or chemical sensors to integrated CMOS devices. Gold contacts are deposited over a photoresist via having sidewalls for forming upwardly extending flanges. The metal contacts to the underlying semiconductor device, are formed using a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) etch back process for exposing and dissolving the gold metalization layer save the metal contact under a surviving portion of the etched back PMMA layer in a dimple of the gold layer over the photoresist via. The photoresist layer serves to form deep well gold contacts having upwardly extending flanges for connection to the MEMS devices or chemical sensors and to the integrated semiconductor devices.

Method of forming patterned metalization on patterned semiconductor wafers

A wet and vapor acid etching method releases a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) structure from a substrate by dissolving a sacrificial layer disposed between the MEMS and the substrate. The sacrificial layer may be a silicon dioxide (SiO,) layer having a field portion over which the MEMS does not extend and a support portion over which the MEMS does extend. The field portion of the SiO,layer is quickly removed using conventional wet hydrofluoric (HF) etching followed by rinsing and drying and then the support portion is removed using conventional vapor HF etching from a solution greater than 45% by weight percent. The wet HF chemical etch quickly removes the large field portion of the sacrificial layer. The HF vapor etch removes the small support portion of the sacrificial layer below the MEMS to release the MEMS from the substrate without stiction thereby preventing damage to the MEMS when released.

Method of HF vapor release of microstructures

A method of manufacturing a micromachined reflector antenna onto a substrate firstly etches a reflector aperture surface defining a dish cavity in an oxide layer and secondly rotates a hinge over the reflector aperture surface with the hinge being used as the reflector central feed. The micromachined reflector can be made into an array of reflector antennas and integrated onto a single substrate with front end receiver circuits operating as a high frequency receiver on a chip reduced in size and cost and operating at hundreds of GHz.

Micromachined reflector antenna method

A micromachined reflector antenna system is integrated onto a substrate by firstly etching a reflector aperture surface defining a dish cavity in an oxide layer and secondly rotating a hinge over the reflector aperture surface with the hinge being used as the reflector central feed. The micromachined reflector antenna system can be made with an array of reflector antennas and integrated onto a single substrate with front end receiver circuits operating as a high frequency receiver on a chip with reduced size and cost and operating at hundreds of GHz.

Growing community of inventors

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, United States of America

Robert C Cole