Abstract:
The invention relates to a micromechanical resonator comprising a substrate (1) of first material (2), a resonator (3) suspended to the supporting structure (1), the resonator (3) being at least partially of the same material (2) as the supporting structure and dimensioned for resonation at a specific frequency f o , coupling means (5) for initiating, maintaining and coupling the resonation of the resonator (3) to an external circuit (6), and the resonator (3) including second material (4), the thermal properties of which being different from the first material (2). In accordance with the invention the resonator (3) includes the second material (4) located concentrated in specific places of the resonator (3).
Abstract:
An elastic wave transducer includes a substrate (101) having a lower electrode, a support member (102) formed on the substrate, and a membrane (103) that is held by the support member and has an upper electrode. The membrane has a first region (105) that is in contact with the support member, and a second region (106) that is out of contact with said support member and is deformed by receiving an elastic wave. The second region of the membrane has a region in which the bulk density of the second region becomes smaller in accordance with an increasing distance thereof from the first region of the membrane. In addition, the second region has a bulk density ratio that is larger than or equal to 0.1 and is less than or equal to 0.5.
Abstract:
A stacked die package for an electromechanical resonator system includes a chip that contains an electromechanical resonator bonded onto the control chip for the electromechanical resonator by a thermally and/or electrically conductive epoxy. In various embodiments, the electromechanical resonator can be a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) resonator or a nano-electromechanical system (NEMS) resonator. Packaging configurations that may include the chip that contains the electromechanical resonator and the control chip include chip-on-lead (COL), chip-on-paddle (COP), and chip-on-tape (COT) packages. The stacked die package provides small package footprint and/or low package thickness, as well as low thermal resistance and a robust conductive path between the chip that contains the electromechanical resonator and the control chip.
Abstract:
A micro-electromechanical structure (MEMS) usable as actuator or sensor device that is mechanically robust while it is subject to various frequencies and sudden changes in frequencies while it measures signals, and converts the mechanical signals to electrical signals for data storage and analysis that includes mechanical arms on which a resistor is etched using well-known lithographic techniques. A mechanical arm can be designed to measure a different frequency, and the mechanical arm thickness, length, and width determine the frequency to which a respective arm will resonate. An arm can be connected to operational circuitry through the etched resistor to record the mechanical vibrations of the respective mechanical arm. Multiple mechanical arms in two directions can be designed to measure frequencies in two orthogonal directions. The mechanical arms can be actuated statically or dynamically, by mechanical, acoustic, electro-magnetic, thermal, or humidity stimuli. The elasticity is obtained by creating thin slices of silicon that support IC's and by bonding them into multi-layered stacks.
Abstract:
A microelectromechanical structure having a ceramic substrate formed from low temperature co-fired ceramic sheets. A low loss photodefinable dielectric planarizing layer is formed over one surface of the ceramic substrate. This layer can be a sacrificial layer or a subsequent sacrificial layer added. A photodefined conductor is printed over the low loss dielectric planarizing layer and formed with the sacrificial layer into a structural circuit component. A switch is formed with a biasing actuator and deflectable member formed over the biasing actuator and moveable into open and closed circuit positions.
Abstract:
A micro-electromechanical structure (MEMS) usable as actuator or sensor device that is mechanically robust while it is subject to various frequencies and sudden changes in frequencies while it measures signals, and converts the mechanical signals to electrical signals for data storage and analysis that includes mechanical arms on which a resistor is etched using well-known lithographic techniques. A mechanical arm can be designed to measure a different frequency, and the mechanical arm thickness, length, and width determine the frequency to which a respective arm will resonate. An arm can be connected to operational circuitry through the etched resistor to record the mechanical vibrations of the respective mechanical arm. Multiple mechanical arms in two directions can be designed to measure frequencies in two orthogonal directions. The mechanical arms can be actuated statically or dynamically, by mechanical, acoustic, electro-magnetic, thermal, or humidity stimuli. The present invention allows obtaining miniature MEMS sensors that are robust with extremely small footprint. The robustness is obtained by adding elasticity to MEMS structures. The elasticity is obtained by creating thin slices of silicon that support IC's and by bonding them into multi-layered stacks.
Abstract:
A multi-material resonant thin film beam for a micromechanical sensor having a zero temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF) which is the resonant frequency shift with temperature change. One of the materials may be polysilicon and the other material may be silicon nitride or silicon oxide. Each material has a different thermal coefficient of expansion. The proportion of the various materials is adjusted and the specific geometries are determined so that the TCF is zero. One embodiment is a microbeam composed of two polysilicon thin films with a silicon nitride thin film inserted between the polysilicon films. The thickness of the silicon nitride film may be adjusted to trim the TCF to zero. The film of nitride instead may be placed on one side of a polysilicon film to form a beam. Dual or multiple beam resonators likewise may be made with several materials. The nitride may be placed in the shank areas which join and secure the ends of the beams. Such zero TCF beams may be incorporated in microsensor structures for measuring pressure, temperature, strain and other parameters.
Abstract:
This disclosure describes a monolithic integrated device having an architecture that allows the acoustic device to transduce either the surface acoustic waves or the bulk acoustic waves. The monolithic integrated device comprises a substrate layer (101) being the base of the device; an inter-layer dielectric (102) disposed on top of the substrate layer (101); an electronic circuitry substantially formed in the inter-layer dielectric (102) and supported by the substrate layer (101), the electronic circuitry comprises a plurality of metal layers formed by one or more spaced apart metals (204); and a piezoelectric (301) being sandwiched between a top electrode and a bottom electrode within the inter-layer dielectric. The top electrode is a metal (204) of an upper metal layer belonging to the electronic circuitry and the bottom electrode is a metal (204) of a lower metal layer belonging to the electronic circuitry. In order to transduce bulk acoustic waves, the inter-layer dielectric is formed with a top cavity (105) above the top electrode and a bottom cavity (106) below the bottom electrode.