Omron Corporation

Tadashi Inoue

Takashi Kasai

Yasuhiro Horimoto

Toshiyuki Takahashi

Yusuke Nakagawa

Yuki Uchida

Ayumu Murakami

A MEMS structure that includes: a substrate having an opening; a diaphragm arranged opposite the opening in the substrate; a plurality of anchors securing the diaphragm to the substrate or to another component; and a fixed membrane surrounding the diaphragm over a slit. The outline of the diaphragm protrudes toward the anchors and includes a predetermined intersecting structure that when viewed from the normal to the diaphragm, the diaphragm protrudes toward the anchors in at least one location on the diaphragm between two intersection points of the outline of the diaphragm and the outline of the opening in the substrate. The intersecting structure is configured such that the distance between the two intersection points is greater than the width of the diaphragm at a location closest to an anchor.

MEMS structure, capacitive sensor, piezoelectric sensor, acoustic sensor having mems structure

A transducer includes: a substrate having a hole; a backplate facing an opening of the hole; and a diaphragm facing the backplate with an air gap therebetween. The backplate includes a backplate body, a backplate support secured to the substrate, and through-holes perforating the backplate body; the backplate body includes a center region and three or more peripheral regions partially or completely surrounding the center region; the through-holes defines a percentage open area in each of the center region and the three or more peripheral regions, and the percentage open areas are mutually different; the percentage open area in the center region is larger than the percentage open area in each of the three or more peripheral regions; and the percentage open area in the outermost peripheral region of the backplate body is smaller than the percentage open area in the peripheral region near the center region.

Transducer

A capacitance type transducer has a substrate with an opening on a surface thereof, a back plate arranged to oppose the opening of the substrate, and a vibrating electrode film arranged to oppose the back plate across a gap between the vibrating electrode film and the back plate. The capacitance type transducer converts a displacement of the vibrating electrode film into a change in capacitance between the vibrating electrode film and the back plate. The capacitance type transducer has a pressure releasing flow channel which is an air flow channel formed by a gap between a part of the vibrating electrode film and a protruding portion integrally provided on the back plate.

Capacitance type transducer and acoustic sensor

A chamber that penetrates vertically is formed in a silicon substrate. A diaphragm is arranged on the upper surface of the silicon substrate so as to cover the upper opening of the chamber. Leg pieces are provided in corner portions of the diaphragm, within the diaphragm. The diaphragm and the leg pieces are separated by slits, and the leg pieces extend in the diagonal directions of the diaphragm. The leg pieces are connected to the diaphragm at the ends on the outer peripheral side of the diaphragm, and the ends on the central side of the diaphragm are supported by anchors provided on the upper surface of the silicon substrate. A back plate is provided above the silicon substrate so as to cover the diaphragm, and a fixed electrode plate is provided on the lower surface of the back plate so as to oppose the diaphragm.

Capacitive sensor, acoustic sensor and microphone

A diaphragm is arranged on the upper surface of a silicon substrate so as to cover a chamber in the silicon substrate. Multiple anchors are provided on the upper surface of the silicon substrate, and the lower surfaces of corner portions of the diaphragm are supported by the anchors. Also, a fixed electrode plate is provided above the diaphragm with an air gap therebetween. In a view from a direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the silicon substrate, the entire length of the outer edge of the diaphragm located between adjacent anchors is located outward of a line segment that circumscribes the edges of the adjacent anchors on the side distant from the center of the diaphragm. Also, one or two or more through-holes are formed in the diaphragm in the vicinity of the anchors.

An acoustic transducer has a substrate having an opening in an upper surface thereof, a vibration electrode plate disposed above the substrate, and having an outer edge thereof facing the upper surface of the substrate with a gap therebetween, a fixed electrode plate facing the vibration electrode plate, and a plurality of projections protruding on a lower surface of the outer edge of the vibration electrode plate. The vibration electrode plate covers an upper side of the opening. The plurality of projections are disposed so as to not be positioned along a straight line or a curved line parallel to an edge of the opening in at least a part of one or at least two arrays formed on the lower surface of the outer edge.

Acoustic transducer

An acoustic transducer has a substrate having a cavity that is open at a top of the substrate, a vibration electrode film provided above the substrate so as to cover the cavity, and a fixed electrode film provided a distance above the vibration electrode film. A gap is formed between an upper surface of the substrate and a lower surface of the vibration electrode film around the cavity. In the gap across which the upper surface of the substrate and the lower surface of the vibration electrode film face each other, a narrow portion of the gap that is narrower than another portion of the gap is disposed. The narrow portion of the gap extends linearly.

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device is provided, the method comprising: fabricating a semiconductor element on a semiconductor substrate; joining a surface of the semiconductor substrate to a support member, the surface being on a side where the semiconductor element is fabricated; and polishing a surface on an opposite side of the surface of the semiconductor substrate where the semiconductor element is fabricated and reducing a thickness of the semiconductor substrate, in a state where the semiconductor substrate and the support member are joined.

Method for manufacturing semiconductor device and method for manufacturing microphone

Provided is a microphone capable of reducing a plane area seen from above, and further increasing a capacity of a back chamber of an acoustic sensor. An interposeris mounted on a top surface of a circuit board, and an acoustic sensoris mounted on the top surface thereof. A signal processing circuitis accommodated in a spaceprovided in the interposer, and mounted on the circuit board. The acoustic sensoris connected to the circuit boardthrough a wiring structure provided in the interposer. The acoustic sensor, the interposerand the like are covered by a coverput on the top surface of the circuit board. In the cover, a sound introduction holeis opened in a position opposed to the front chamber of the acoustic sensor. The interposeris formed with a ventilation notchfor acoustically communicating a space below a diaphragmof the acoustic sensorwith a space inside the coverand outside the interposer

Growing community of inventors

Shiga, Japan

Tadashi Inoue