Z-axis microelectromechanical detection structure with reduced drifts

• US 10,209,269 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2015
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics SRL (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics SRL (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Tocchio, Alessandro
• Primary Examiner(s): Caputo, Lisa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Roberts, Herbert K
• Application Number:
  US14/858,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20160169931A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/0235 Accelerometers
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/0242 Gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 7/0048 between the MEMS die and the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5712 the devices involving a micromechanical structure
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/02 by making use of inertia forces using solid seismic massesG01P15/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/125 by capacitive pick-up
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 2015/0831 the mass being of the paddle type having the pivot axis between the longitudinal ends of the mass, e.g. see-saw configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 2015/0837 the mass being suspended so as to only allow movement perpendicular to the plane of the substrate, i.e. z-axis sensor

Abstract

Described herein is a microelectromechanical detection structure, provided with: a substrate having a top surface extending in a plane; a detection-electrode arrangement; an inertial mass, suspended above the substrate and the detection-electrode arrangement; and elastic elements, coupling the inertial mass to a central anchorage element fixed with respect to the substrate, in such a way that it is free to rotate about an axis of rotation as a function of a quantity to be detected along a vertical axis, the central anchorage element being arranged at the axis of rotation. A suspension structure is coupled to the detection-electrode arrangement for supporting it, suspended above the substrate and underneath the inertial mass, and is anchored to the substrate via at least one first anchorage region; the fixed-electrode arrangement is anchored to the suspension structure via at least one second anchorage region.

Claims

1. A microelectromechanical detection structure comprising:

a substrate having a top surface extending in a plane and a central region;

a central anchorage element fixed with respect to said substrate and arranged in the central region;

a detection-electrode arrangement of fixed electrodes;

an inertial mass suspended above said substrate and at least partially facing said detection-electrode arrangement, the inertial mass capacitively coupled to said detection-electrode arrangement;

elastic elements coupling the inertial mass to the central anchorage element and configured to support said inertial mass so that the inertial mass is free to rotate about an axis of rotation as a function of a quantity to be detected along a vertical axis that is transverse to said plane, the central anchorage element being arranged at said axis of rotation;

a first anchorage element coupled to the substrate in the central region;

a suspension structure coupled to the first anchorage element and suspended over the substrate; and

a second anchorage element coupled to the suspension structure and to the detection-electrode arrangement without being directly coupled to the substrate, the second anchorage element being positioned above the detection-electrode arrangement and below the suspension structure, the second anchorage element and the suspension structure being configured to support the detection-electrode arrangement in a position that is suspended above the substrate and below the inertial mass.

2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein:

said inertial mass has an opening that defines a window, and said first anchorage element is arranged in a position corresponding to said window and laterally with respect to said central anchorage element; and

said first anchorage element extends vertically between the top surface of said substrate and said suspension structure, and said second anchorage element extends vertically between said suspension structure and a respective detection electrode of said detection-electrode arrangement of the fixed electrodes.

3. The structure according to claim 2, wherein:

said elastic elements define said axis of rotation;

a median axis of said first anchorage element is arranged at a first distance from said axis of rotation; and

a median axis of said detection electrode is arranged at a second distance from said axis of rotation, the first distance being smaller than the second distance.

4. The structure according to claim 3, wherein a ratio between said first distance and said second distance is between ⅙

and ½

.

8. The structure according to claim 1, wherein:

said detection-electrode arrangement comprises a first detection electrode and a second detection electrode that are arranged on opposite sides with respect to said axis of rotation; and

said suspension structure comprises a first suspension portion and a second suspension portion that are arranged on opposite sides, and symmetrically, with respect to said axis of rotation and are designed to support the first and second detection electrodes, respectively, suspended above said substrate and below said inertial mass.

9. The structure according to claim 1, wherein said suspension structure is anchored to said substrate via at least one pair of first anchorage elements arranged alongside said central anchorage element on opposite sides along said axis of rotation with respect to said central anchorage element.

10. The structure according to claim 1, wherein said inertial mass has internally a window that defines a first portion of the inertial mass and a second portion of the inertial mass, the first and second portions arranged on opposite sides with respect to the axis of rotation, and said detection-electrode arrangement comprises a first detection electrode and a second detection electrode that face, respectively, said first portion and said second portion of said inertial mass in such a way so as to form a first detection capacitor and a second detection capacitor, respectively.

5. A microelectromechanical detection structure comprising:

a substrate having a top surface extending in a plane and a central region;

a central anchorage element fixed with respect to said substrate and arranged in the central region;

a detection-electrode arrangement of fixed electrodes;

an inertial mass suspended above said substrate and at least partially facing said detection-electrode arrangement, the inertial mass capacitively coupled to said detection-electrode arrangement;

elastic elements coupling the inertial mass to the central anchorage element and configured to support said inertial mass so that the inertial mass is free to rotate about an axis of rotation as a function of a quantity to be detected along a vertical axis that is transverse to said plane, the central anchorage element being arranged at said axis of rotation;

a first anchorage element coupled to the substrate in the central region;

a suspension structure coupled to the first anchorage element and suspended over the substrate, wherein said suspension structure includes a plurality of arms that depart in a transverse direction from a body, the suspension structure comprising a plurality of second anchorage elements that are coupled to at least some of said arms and to the detection-electrode arrangement, the plurality of second anchorage elements being designed to support a respective detection electrode of said detection-electrode arrangement below said arms, such that the detection-electrode arrangement is suspended above the substrate and below the inertial mass.

6. The structure according to claim 5, wherein said inertial mass has portions combfingered to said arms of said suspension structure.

7. The structure according to claim 5, wherein each of said arms carries a respective second anchorage element towards the respective detection electrode of said detection-electrode arrangement.

11. A microelectromechanical sensor comprising:

a microelectromechanical detection structure including;

a substrate having a top surface and a central area;

a central anchorage element fixed to said substrate in the central area;

an inertial mass suspended above said substrate;

elastic elements coupling the inertial mass to the central anchorage element and configured to support said inertial mass so that the inertial mass is free to rotate about an axis of rotation in response to an acceleration;

detection electrodes suspended above the substrate and below the inertial mass;

a first anchor fixed to the substrate in the central area;

a suspension structure having a first portion coupled to the first anchor and a second portion suspended over the substrate; and

a second anchor coupled to the second portion of the suspension structure and to the detection electrodes without being directly coupled to the substrate, the second anchor being positioned between a detection electrode of the detection electrodes and the suspension structure in a direction that is transverse to the top surface of the substrate, the second anchor and the suspension structure being configured to support the detection electrodes in a position that is suspended between the substrate and the inertial mass; and

an electronic reading circuit electrically coupled to said microelectromechanical detection structure.

12. The sensor according to claim 11, wherein the sensor is a z-axis accelerometer designed to detect an acceleration directed along an axis that is perpendicular to the top surface of the substrate.

13. An electronic device comprising:

a microelectromechanical sensor including;

a substrate having a top surface extending in a plane;

a central anchorage element fixed to said substrate at a central region;

an inertial mass suspended above said substrate;

elastic elements coupling the inertial mass to the central anchorage element and configured to support said inertial mass so that the inertial mass is free to rotate about an axis of rotation in response to an acceleration;

fixed detection electrodes suspended above the substrate and below the inertial mass;

a first anchorage attached to the substrate at the central region of the substrate;

a suspension structure coupled to the first anchorage and suspended by the first anchorage, the suspension structure having a bottom surface facing the substrate; and

a second anchorage coupled to the suspension structure and the fixed detection electrodes without being directly coupled to the substrate, the second anchorage being positioned between a fixed detection electrode of the fixed detection electrodes and the suspension structure in a direction that is transverse to the bottom surface of the suspension structure, the second anchorage and the suspension structure being configured to support the fixed detection electrodes in a position that is suspended between the substrate and the inertial mass;

an electronic reading circuit electrically coupled to said microelectromechanical detection structure; and

a microprocessor unit electrically coupled to said electronic reading circuit.

14. The electronic device according to claim 13, wherein the electronic device is at least one of a mobile phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a portable computer, a digital audio player with voice-recording capacity, a photographic-camera, video camera, and a control device for videogames.

15. A process for manufacturing a microelectromechanical detection structure, the process comprising:

providing a substrate having a top surface extending in a plane and a central region;

forming a detection-electrode arrangement of suspended electrodes;

forming an inertial mass suspended above said substrate, the inertial mass at least partially facing said detection-electrode arrangement;

forming elastic elements coupling said inertial mass to a central anchorage element fixed in the central region of the substrate, the elastic elements supporting the inertial mass so that it is free to rotate about an axis of rotation as a function of a quantity to be detected along a vertical axis that is transverse to said plane, the central anchorage element being arranged at said axis of rotation; and

forming a suspension structure configured to support said detection-electrode arrangement suspended above said substrate and underneath said inertial mass, said suspension structure being anchored to said substrate by at least one first anchorage, and said detection-electrode arrangement being anchored to said suspension structure by at least one second anchorage that is not coupled directly to the substrate, the at least one second anchorage being above the detection-electrode arrangement and below the suspension structure.

16. The process according to claim 15, further comprising forming a through opening in the inertial mass.

17. The process according to claim 15, wherein the microelectromechanical detection structure is a z-axis accelerometer that detects an acceleration directed along the vertical axis.