Abstract:
Electrochemical fabrication methods for forming single and multilayer mesoscale and microscale structures are disclosed which include the use of diamond machining (e.g. fly cutting or turning) to planarize layers. Some embodiments focus on systems of sacrificial and structural materials which are useful in Electrochemical fabrication and which can be diamond machined with minimal tool wear (e.g. Ni—P and Cu, Au and Cu, Cu and Sn, Au and Cu, Au and Sn, and Au and Sn—Pb), where the first material or materials are the structural materials and the second is the sacrificial material). Some embodiments focus on methods for reducing tool wear when using diamond machining to planarize structures being electrochemically fabricated using difficult-to-machine materials (e.g. by depositing difficult to machine material selectively and potentially with little excess plating thickness, and/or pre-machining depositions to within a small increment of desired surface level (e.g. using lapping or a rough cutting operation) and then using diamond fly cutting to complete he process, and/or forming structures or portions of structures from thin walled regions of hard-to-machine material as opposed to wide solid regions of structural material.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to a method of fabricating a microfluidic device including at least two substrates provided with a fluid channel, comprising the steps of: a) etching at least a channel and one or more fluid ports in a first and/or a second substrate; b) depositing a first layer on a surface of the second substrate; c) partially removing the first layer in accordance with a predefined geometry; d) depositing a second layer on top of the first layer and the substrate surface; e) planarizing the second layer so as to smooth the upper surface thereof; f) aligning the first and second substrate; g) bonding the first substrate on the planarized second layer of the second substrate.
Abstract:
A method for thinning a wafer layer to a predetermined thickness comprises two phases of thinning. A first thinning phase and a second thinning phase, wherein the first thinning phase is a preparatory thinning phase and the second thinning phase is a final thinning phase, so performed that the structure comprising silicon meets as thinned the final thickness as predetermined. Such thinned layer in a wafer for instance, can be used in a sensor to be used in normal sized, micromechanical or even nano-sized devices for the device specific sensing applications in electromechanical devices.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to producing ultra flat micro surfaces suitable, for instance, for micro-mirrors. In particular, it relates to low pressure chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) of a partially cured sacrificial layer.
Abstract:
Some embodiments of the present invention provide processes and apparatus for electrochemically fabricating multilayer structures (e.g. mesoscale or microscale structures) with improved endpoint detection and parallelism maintenance for materials (e.g. layers) that are planarized during the electrochemical fabrication process. Some methods involve the use of a fixture during planarization that ensures that planarized planes of material are parallel to other deposited planes within a given tolerance. Some methods involve the use of an endpoint detection fixture that ensures precise heights of deposited materials relative to an initial surface of a substrate, relative to a first deposited layer, or relative to some other layer formed during the fabrication process. In some embodiments planarization may occur via lapping while other embodiments may use a diamond fly cutting machine.
Abstract:
A method of fabricating a device having a desired non-planar surface or profile and device produced thereby are provided. A silicon wafer is first coated with silicon nitride, patterned, and DRIE to obtain the desired etch profile. Silicon pillars between trenches are then etched using an isotropic wet etch, resulting in a curved well. The wafer is then oxidized to −2 μm to smooth the surface of the well, and to protect the well from an ensuing planarization process. The nitride is then selectively removed, and the wafer surface is planarized by removing the Si left in the field regions using either a maskless DRIE or CMP. Finally, the oxide is etched away to produce a wafer with a curved surface.
Abstract:
Deep groove structure for semiconductors comprising a semiconductor substrate, a groove or a cavity formed in said semiconductor substrate and a suspending glass membrane formed on the groove or deep cavity, prepared by a flame hydrolysis deposition process. The suspending glass membrane functions as a planarization structure and has surface at the same level of the surface of the semiconductor substrate. The present invention also discloses a method to prepare the deep groove structure.
Abstract:
The present invention concerns a transducer element (1) which comprises a substrate (5) which comprises a cavity (23) extending through the substrate (5), a backplate (3) which is arranged in the cavity (23) of the substrate (5) and a membrane (2) which is movable relative to the backplate (3). Further, the present invention concerns a method of manufacturing a transducer element (1).
Abstract:
The present invention generally relates to the formation of a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) cantilever switch in a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) back end of the line (BEOL) process. The cantilever switch is formed in electrical communication with a lower electrode in the structure. The lower electrode may be either blanket deposited and patterned or simply deposited in vias or trenches of the underlying structure. The excess material used for the lower electrode is then planarized by chemical mechanical polishing or planarization (CMP). The cantilever switch is then formed over the planarized lower electrode.
Abstract:
Some embodiments of the present invention provide processes and apparatus for electrochemically fabricating multilayer structures (e.g. mesoscale or microscale structures) with improved endpoint detection and parallelism maintenance for materials (e.g. layers) that are planarized during the electrochemical fabrication process. Some methods involve the use of a fixture during planarization that ensures that planarized planes of material are parallel to other deposited planes within a given tolerance. Some methods involve the use of an endpoint detection fixture that ensures precise heights of deposited materials relative to an initial surface of a substrate, relative to a first deposited layer, or relative to some other layer formed during the fabrication process. In some embodiments planarization may occur via lapping while other embodiments may use a diamond fly cutting machine.