Qualcomm Mems Technologies, Inc.

Sriram Akella

Evgeni Petrovich Gousev

Kasra Khazeni

Lior Kogut

David Leslie Heald

Bangalore Ramaswamiengar Natarajan

Qi Luo

Rihui He

Methods, devices, and systems provide MEMS devices exhibiting at least one of reduced stiction, reduced hydrophilicity, or reduced variability of certain electrical characteristics using MEMS devices treated with water vapor. The treatment is believed to form one or more passivated surfaces on the interior and/or exterior of the MEMS devices. Relatively gentle temperature and pressure conditions ensure modification of surface chemistry without excessive water absorption after removal of sacrificial material to release the MEMS devices.

Electromechanical device treatment with water vapor

Methods of making MEMS devices including interferometric modulators involve depositing various layers, including stationary layers, movable layers and sacrificial layers, on a substrate. Voids are formed in one or more of the various layers so as to form a non-planar surface on the movable and/or the stationary layers. The voids are formed to extend through less than the entire thickness of the layer where they are being formed. Other layers may be formed over the formed voids. Removal of the sacrificial layer from between the resulting non-planar movable and/or stationary layers results in a released MEMS device having reduced contact area between the movable and stationary layers when the MEMS device is actuated. The reduced contact area results in lower adhesion forces and reduced stiction during actuation of the MEMS device. These methods may be used to manufacture released and unreleased interferometric modulators.

Non-planar surface structures and process for microelectromechanical systems

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Sriram Akella