Abstract:
Methods, apparatuses and devices are described where a main wafer is irreversibly bonded to a carrier wafer and thinned to reduce a thickness of the main wafer, for example down to a thickness of 300 μm or below.
Abstract:
A method for selectively etching a substrate is provided. In one embodiment, an epilayer is grown on top of the substrate. A resistive element may be defined and etched into the epilayer. On the other side of the substrate, the substrate is selectively etched up to the resistive element, leaving a suspended resistive element.
Abstract:
Methods, apparatuses and devices are described where a main wafer is irreversibly bonded to a carrier wafer and thinned to reduce a thickness of the main wafer, for example down to a thickness of 300 μm or below.
Abstract:
Methods, apparatuses and devices are described where a main wafer is irreversibly bonded to a carrier wafer and thinned to reduce a thickness of the main wafer, for example down to a thickness of 300 μm or below.
Abstract:
A method for producing micromechanical patterns having a relief-like sidewall outline shape or an angle of inclination that is able to be set, the micromechanical patterns being etched out of a SiGe mixed semiconductor layer that is present on or deposited on a silicon semiconductor substrate, by dry chemical etching of the SiGe mixed semiconductor layer; the sidewall outline shape of the micromechanical pattern being developed by varying the germanium proportion in the SiGe mixed semiconductor layer that is to be etched; a greater germanium proportion being present in regions that are to be etched more strongly; the variation in the germanium proportion in the SiGe mixed semiconductor layer being set by a method selected from the group including depositing a SiGe mixed semiconductor layer having varying germanium content, introducing germanium into a silicon semiconductor layer or a SiGe mixed semiconductor layer, introducing silicon into a germanium layer or an SiGe mixed semiconductor layer and/or by thermal oxidation of a SiGe mixed semiconductor layer.
Abstract:
To form a single crystal silicon membrane with a suspension layer, a single crystal silicon substrate with crystal orientation is prepared. A doped layer is formed on the top surface of the single crystal silicon substrate. Multiple main etching windows are formed through the doped layer. A cavity is formed through the single crystal silicon substrate by anisotropic etching. The doped layer is above the cavity to form a suspension layer. If two electrode layers are formed on the two ends of the suspension layer, a micro-heater is constructed. The main etching windows extend in parallel to a crystal plane {111}. By both the single crystal structure and different impurity concentrations of the single crystal silicon substrate, the single crystal silicon substrate has a higher etch selectivity. When a large-area cavity is formed, the thickness of the suspension layer is still controllable.
Abstract:
Etch stabilizing ions (37) are introduced, e.g., by ion implantation (34), into a portion (36) of a substrate (20) underlying an etch window (24) in a masking layer (22) covering the substrate (20), where a trench (26) is desired to be formed. When the portion (36) of the substrate (20) containing the etch stabilizing ions (37) is etched to form the trench (26), the etch stabilizing ions (37) are progressively released at the etch interface (28′) as etching proceeds, substantially preventing gas micro-bubbles or other reaction products at the etch interface (28′) from disrupting etching. Using this method (700), products containing trenches (26) are much more easily formed and such trenches (26) have much smoother interior surface (28).
Abstract:
In a method for manufacturing a micromechanical membrane structure, a doped area is created in the front side of a silicon substrate, the depth of which doped area corresponds to the intended membrane thickness, and the lateral extent of which doped area covers at least the intended membrane surface area. In addition, in a DRIE (deep reactive ion etching) process applied to the back side of the silicon substrate, a cavity is created beneath the doped area, which DRIE process is aborted before the cavity reaches the doped area. The cavity is then deepened in a KOH etching process in which the doped substrate area functions as an etch stop, so that the doped substrate area remains as a basic membrane over the cavity.
Abstract:
A method of forming an undercut microstructure includes: forming an etch mask on a top surface of a substrate; forming, on a top surface of the etch mask, an ion implantation mask having a top surface that is smaller than the top surface of the etch mask and that does not extend beyond the top surface of the etch mask; ion implanting the substrate in the presence of the etch mask and the ion implantation mask so that a damaged region is generated at a depth below an area of the surface that is not masked by the ion implantation mask; and etching the surface of the substrate until the damaged region is removed.
Abstract:
The invention provides a method of fabricating and electromechanical device having an active element on at least one substrate, the method having the steps of: a) making a heterogeneous substrate having a first portion, an interface layer, and a second portion, the first portion including one or more buried zones sandwiched between first and second regions formed in a first monocrystalline material, the first region extending to the surface of the first portion, and the second region extending to the interface layer, at least one said buried zone being made at least in part out of a second monocrystalline material so as to make it selectively attackable relative to the first and second regions; b) making openings from the surface of the first portion and through the first region, which openings open out to at least one said buried zone; and c) etching at least part of at least one buried zone to form at least one cavity so as to define at least one active element that is at least a portion of the second region between said cavity and said interface layer; wherein the first and second portions of the substrate are constituted respectively from first and second substrates that are assembled together by bonding, at least one of them including at least one said interface layer over at least a fraction of its surface.