Denso Corporation

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Nippon Soken, Inc.

Takashi Katsumata

Hiroaki Tanaka

Minekazu Sakai

Inao Toyoda

Hirofumi Higuchi

Kentaro Mizuno

Rie Taguchi

Hisanori Yokura

Takeshi Ito

Teruhisa Akashi

Tomoya Jomori

Toshiya Ikezawa

Shota Harada

Katsuaki Goto

Masaki Takashima

Shoji Hashimoto

Tomohito Kunda

Shoji Ozoe

Mikio Sugiki

Yoshie Ohira

Kouhei Yamaguchi

Mutsuhito Ogino

Yoshiyuki Hata

Tetsuya Morishima

Yoshiaki Murakami

Takahiro Kawano

A controller applies a predetermined voltage to a fixed part detection excitation electrode to vibrate a movable part in a second direction and simultaneously applies a predetermined voltage to a fixed part drive electrode to vibrate the movable part in a first direction. The controller acquires, of the movable part, a first resonance frequency along the first direction and a second resonance frequency along the second direction. The controller controls a drive spring adjustment part to adjust a spring constant of the drive spring, such that the first resonance frequency is maintained constant, and controls a detection spring adjustment part to adjust a spring constant of the detection spring such that the second resonance frequency is maintained constant. The controller detects the angular velocity based on a result of synchronously detecting signal from the fixed part detection electrode with the first resonance frequency.

Angular velocity sensor and angular velocity sensor system

A force detection device includes: a substrate; and a force transmission block. The substrate includes: a mesa gauge arranged on a principal plane of the substrate and providing a bridge circuit; a connection region arranged on the principal plane; and a sealing portion surrounding all around the mesa gauge and connected to the force transmission block. The mesa gauge includes: a first mesa gauge extending in a first direction; and a second mesa gauge extending in a second direction and spaced apart from the first mesa gauge. The connection region electrically connects the one end of the first mesa gauge and the one end of the second mesa gauge.

Force detection device

A force detection apparatus includes a substrate and a force transmission block. The substrate includes: a high-sensitive mesa gauge that is provided on a main surface, extends in a first direction to produce a relatively large change of an electric resistance in accordance with compressive stress, and includes a top surface; a low-sensitive mesa gauge that is provided on the main surface, extends in a second direction to produce a relatively small change of an electric resistance, and includes a top surface; and a mesa lead that is provided on the main surface, extends in a third direction, and includes a top surface. The force transmission block contacts the top surface of the high-sensitive mesa gauge and the top surface of the low-sensitive mesa gauge, and is non-contact with at least a part of the top surface of the mesa lead.

Force detection apparatus having high sensor sensitivity

A force detection device includes: a substrate that includes a power supply wire, a reference wire, a first output wire, a second output wire and first to fourth mesa gauges extending along a first direction; and a force transmission block connected to the substrate. A pair of the first and second mesa gauges and a pair of the third and fourth mesa gauges are connected in parallel to each other between the power supply wire and the reference wire. The first output wire is connected between the first and second mesa gauges. The second output wire is connected between the third and fourth mesa gauges. A contact area of the force transmission block with a first pair of the first and fourth mesa gauges is different from a contact area of the force transmission block with a second pair of the second and third mesa gauges.

A dynamic quantity sensor includes a first substrate and a second substrate. The first substrate has one surface, another surface opposite to the one surface, and a depressed portion defining a thin portion. The second substrate has one surface attached to the first substrate and a recessed portion disposed corresponding to the depressed portion. At least a part of a first projection line obtained by projecting the recessed portion is disposed outside of a second projection line obtained by projecting a boundary line between side walls of the depressed portion and the thin portion. The thin portion disposed inside the periphery of the recessed portion provides a film portion which is displaceable corresponding to a physical quantity applied to the film portion, and a region sandwiched between the film portion and a portion connected to the periphery of the recessed portion provides a stress release region.

Dynamic quantity sensor

In a method for producing a semiconductor device having a through electrode structure, a masking material is formed so as to bridge over a through hole formed in a second semiconductor substrate, and a hole is formed in the masking material at a position corresponding to the through hole. A contact hole is formed in an insulating film via this hole. In such a method, even if there is a large level difference from the surface of the second semiconductor substrate to the bottom of the through hole, only the masking material bridged over the through hole is exposed by photolithography. Therefore, photolithography for a large level difference is not necessary. As a result, the hole can be formed in the masking material successfully, and the contact hole can be formed successively by an anisotropic dry etching via this hole, even in the case where etching for a large level difference is performed.

Semiconductor device producing method

An angular velocity sensor includes a vibrator located along x-y plane specified by x direction and y direction that are orthogonal to each other; a substrate that is separated away from the vibrator along z direction perpendicular to the x-y plane; an anchor device extended from the substrate to the x-y plane in which the vibrator is located; a linkage beam device that links the anchor device to the vibrator, the linkage beam being able to twist about the y direction; an excitation portion that vibrates the vibrator along the z direction; and a detection portion that detects an angular velocity based on a displacement along the x direction of the vibrator. The vibrator includes a linkage region to link with the linkage beam device, and the linkage region becomes a wave node when the vibrator vibrates along the z direction.

Angular velocity sensor

An angular velocity sensor includes a vibrator, a support substrate, an anchor section, a connection beam section, a driving section, and a detection section. The vibrator includes an inner vibrator and an outer vibrator, which vibrate in opposite circumferential directions when driven by the driving section. The connection beam section couples the vibrator to the anchor section, and is elastic in a z-direction and a circumferential direction. The connection beam section includes first connection beams, each of which is coupled to the outer vibrator at one end and is coupled to the inner vibrator at the other end, and second connection beams, each of which is coupled to a vibration node of a corresponding first connection beam at one end and is coupled to the anchor section at the other end.

In an angular velocity sensor, a vibrator is coupled with a substrate through a beam part, and is movable in a first direction and a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction. A driving part is configured to vibrate the vibrator in the first direction. A detecting part is configured to detect displacement of the vibrator in the second direction as a change in capacitance, the displacement being caused by Coriolis force generated in the vibrator due to vibration of the vibrator and an angular velocity around a third direction that is perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction. A restricting part is configured to restrict displacement of the vibrator in the second direction based on the change in capacitance. The angular velocity sensor is configured to satisfy a condition where &#x3b2; sin &#x3b8; is equal to or less than 1.

A dynamic quantity sensor includes a sensor chip, a base member, and bumps. The sensor chip includes a semiconductor substrate, a sensor part, and sensor pads electrically coupled with the sensor part. The base member includes a base substrate and base pads disposed on the base substrate. The bumps mechanically and electrically couple the sensor pads and the base pads, respectively, in a state where the sensor chip is curved with respect to the base member. The sensor pads include input pads and output pads. The first surface of the semiconductor substrate includes a first portion and a second portion. The first portion is closer to the base substrate than the second portion is. At least one of the input pads is disposed on the first portion and at least one of the output pads is disposed on the second portion.

Dynamic quantity sensor and method of manufacturing the same

A miniaturized sensor such as a micro-accelerometer includes a sensor chip having a sensor element mounted thereon, with the sensor element being oriented with its central axes passing through the corners of the sensor chip. The corners of the sensor element are thereby located substantially apart from the corners of the sensor chip, so that bending deformation which displaces corners of the sensor chip is substantially prevented from causing displacement of corners of the sensor element. Detection inaccuracy resulting from such displacement can thereby be prevented or reduced.

Sensor apparatus for detecting variations in a dynamic quantity while suppressing detection deviations that are caused by bending deformation of a sensor chip

A dynamic quantity sensor includes a base, a sensor chip made of a rectangular board having a corner portion, and a bump. The sensor chip includes a detector, and a plurality of pads. The detector has a movable part, which is displaceable when a dynamic quantity is applied thereto, and detects the dynamic quantity based on a capacitance variation in accordance with a displacement of the movable part. The bump connects the plurality of pads of the sensor chip and the base. The corner portion of the sensor chip is released from the base such that the plurality of pads of the sensor chip is arranged at a location a predetermined distance from the corner portion of the sensor chip.

An angular velocity sensor includes first and second vibrators having a movable portion with driving and detecting purpose movable electrodes and a fixed portion with first and second side driving and detecting purpose fixed electrodes. The driving voltages applied to the first side driving purpose fixed electrode in the first vibrator is a first driving voltage including direct and alternating voltages. The driving voltage applied to the second side driving purpose fixed electrode in the first vibrator is a second driving voltage including direct and alternating voltages. At least one of the direct voltages, one of the alternating voltages, or one of duty ratios of the first and second driving voltages is controlled so that the first vibrator vibrates opposite to the second vibrator.

Angular velocity sensor and method for operating the same

A semiconductor device includes gaps formed in a semiconductor substrate to provide an inner portion movable in x and y directions. Drive electrodes vibrate the inner portion in the x direction, and detection electrodes detect movement in the y direction generated when an angular velocity is applied thereto. Monitor electrodes generate monitor signals for monitoring movement of the inner portion in the x direction. Shield wires are provided between the drive and detection electrodes and the monitor electrodes to suppress capacitive coupling. Dummy electrodes adjacent to the output electrodes and capacitively coupled to the drive electrodes generate a dummy signal. Dummy signal wires are respectively connected to the dummy electrodes and to the circuit substrate. The dummy signal includes an induced component of a periodical signal and is supplied to the circuit substrate to cancel another induced component of the periodical signal in the drive and monitor signals.

Semiconductor device with shielding

In a semiconductor dynamic quantity sensor, a mass serving as a weight portion for detecting application of a dynamic quantity is divided into three masses () in series. The masses () thus divided are connected to one another by connecting beams (CB, CB, CB, CB). The masses () located at both the end portions are supported through beams (B, B, B, B) by a semiconductor substrate () so as to be allowed to be displaced in the direction orthogonal to the connection direction of the masses. The center mass () connected to the masses () through the connecting beams (CB, CB, CB, CB) is allowed to be displaced only in the connecting direction of the masses by the connecting beams (CB, CB, CB, CB).

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Kariya, Japan

Takashi Katsumata