Omron Corporation

Stmicroelectronics S.r.l.

Yasuhiro Horimoto

Takashi Kasai

Toshiyuki Takahashi

Tadashi Inoue

Yusuke Nakagawa

Sebastiano Conti

Yuki Uchida

Sayaka Naito

Takahiro Masuda

Daisuke Kuzuyama

Masaki Munechika

Shuichi Wakabayashi

Daisuke Morihara

Fumihito Kato

Ayumu Murakami

Masayuki Inuga

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 microphone has a MEMS acoustic transducer having a frame-shaped support, and a membrane including a diaphragm as a movable electrode, covering an opening in the support, an integrated circuit that amplifies the output from the MEMS acoustic transducer, and a housing that houses the MEMS acoustic transducer and the integrated circuit. The housing includes a sound port bearing partition with a sound port formed therein. The MEMS acoustic transducer is secured in the housing with the membrane thereof facing the inner surface of the sound port bearing partition to form a closed space inward of the sound port bearing partition of the housing between the membrane and the sound port bearing partition. The closed space communicates with the outside via the sound port.

Microphone

An electrostatic micro relay has a substrate, a signal line arranged on the substrate and having an input point configured to receive a signal and a plurality of signal channels configured to distribute the signal, the plurality of signal channels being each formed with a fixed contact, a plurality of movable contacts, each provided with respect to each of the fixed contacts and arranged so as to be opposed to a corresponding fixed contact across a space, a plurality of movable electrodes, each connected to each of the plurality of movable contacts and configured to make the connected movable contact brought into contact with and separated from the corresponding fixed contact, a cap, formed with a space configured to house the plurality of movable electrodes, and bonded with the substrate, and a signal input portion.

Electrostatic micro relay and manufacturing method for the same

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

An acoustic sensor includes: a semiconductor substrate; a vibrating membrane, formed above the semiconductor substrate, which includes a vibrating electrode; and a fixed membrane, formed on an upper surface of the semiconductor substrate, which includes a fixed electrode, the acoustic sensor detecting an acoustic wave according to a change in capacitance between the vibrating electrode and the fixed electrode. The fixed membrane has a plurality of sound hole portions formed therein in order to allow the acoustic wave to reach the vibrating membrane from outside, and the fixed electrode is formed so that a boundary of an edge portion of the fixed electrode does not intersect the sound hole portions.

Acoustic transducer, and microphone using the acoustic transducer

A method for manufacturing a vibration sensor including forming a sacrifice layer at one part of a front surface of a semiconductor substrate of monocrystalline silicon with a material isotropically etched by an etchant for etching the semiconductor substrate, forming a thin film protective film with a material having resistance to the etchant on the sacrifice layer and the front surface of the semiconductor substrate at a periphery of the sacrifice layer, forming a thin film of monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon, or amorphous silicon on an upper side of the sacrifice layer, opening a backside etching window in a back surface protective film having resistance to the etchant for etching the semiconductor substrate formed on a back surface of the semiconductor substrate, forming a through-hole in the semiconductor substrate by etching the semiconductor substrate anisotropically by using crystal-oriented etching by applying the etchant from the back surface window, then etching the sacrifice layer isotropically by the etchant after the etchant reaches the front surface of the semiconductor substrate, and then etching the semiconductor substrate anisotropically by using crystal-oriented etching from a front side by the etchant spread to a space formed after the sacrifice layer is removed, and forming a holder for supporting the thin film on an upper surface of the semiconductor substrate by removing the thin film protective film partially.

Vibration sensor and method for manufacturing the vibration sensor

A microphone manufacturing method that includes forming an etching protective film on a surface of a semiconductor substrate, opening an etching window through the etching protective film, and forming a sacrifice layer in the etching window and also on an upper face of the etching protective film. The method includes forming a vibration film above said sacrifice layer and starting an etching process of said sacrifice layer through a preformed port at a location wherein said sacrifice layer is sandwiched by said vibration film and the etching protective film and located apart from the etching window. The etching process uses an etchant to which the etching protective film is resistant, to open the etching window. The method includes crystal anisotropically etching said semiconductor substrate through the port and the etching window by using an etchant to which the etching protective film is resistant so that a cavity is formed.

Growing community of inventors

Kyoto, Japan

Yasuhiro Horimoto