The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 01, 2003
Filed:
Sep. 21, 2000
Raj K. Gupta, San Francisco, CA (US);
Coventor, Inc., Cary, NC (US);
Abstract
Accurate characterization of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) geometry is critical for device design and simulation, for material property extraction, and for post-fabrication trimming. According to the present embodiment, a method for characterizing parameters describing MEMS structures resulting from the fabrication process or process variations is presented. According to the prefered embodiment, experimentally obtained natural frequencies are compared with numerical simulations to identify unknown values of structural parameters or parameter variations. Further, the prefered embodiment teaches how electrostatically-driven laterally resonant comb-drive MEMS test structures with prescribed changes in spring width are used to characterize systematic variations in process offsets and sidewall angles. The disclosed technique is both in-situ and non-destructive.