Physical quantity sensor and electronic apparatus

• US 10,557,864 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2019
• Issued: 02/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Yoda, Mitsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhong, Xin Y
• Application Number:
  US16/420,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20190277878A1
• Time in Patent Office: 264 Days
• 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

Abstract

An acceleration sensor includes a base substrate provided with a first recess part, and a sensor part located on the first recess part and swingably supported in a depth direction of the first recess part by a support part, wherein the sensor part is sectioned into a first part and a second part by the support part, includes a movable electrode part in the first part and the second part, a through hole is provided at least at an end side in the second part larger in mass than the first part, and the base substrate includes a fixed electrode part in a position opposed to the movable electrode part in the first recessed part, and a second recess part deeper than the first recess part is provided in a position opposed to the end side of the sensor part.

Claims

1. A physical quantity sensor that is configured to detect an acceleration, the physical quantity sensor comprising:

a base substrate extending along an X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction that are perpendicular to each other, the base substrate including;

a first recess having a first bottom surface;

a second recess having a second bottom surface, the second recess being located next to the first recess in the X-axis direction;

a first fixed electrode that is provided on the first bottom surface;

a second fixed electrode that is provided on the first bottom surface, the second fixed electrode being located next to the first fixed electrode in the X-axis direction; and

a conductor that is provided on the second bottom surface; and

a sensor member extending along the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, the sensor member including;

a first part that faces the first fixed electrode via a first gap along a Z-axis direction that is perpendicular to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction;

a second part that faces the second fixed electrode via a second gap along the Z-axis direction, the second part having a larger mass than the first part; and

a swing axis that extends along the Y-axis direction, the swing axis being located between the first part and the second part, the sensor member being swingable with respect to the swing axis,

wherein each of the first and second parts has a plurality of through holes,

an edge portion of the second part overlaps with the conductor in a plan view along the Z-axis direction, the edge portion is located at an opposite side of the sensor member as the first part in the X-axis direction,

the edge portion has first, second, and third side surfaces, the first side surface extends along the Y-axis direction, the second side surface extends along the X-axis direction and is located at one side of the second part in the Y-axis direction, and the third side surface extends along the X-axis direction and is located at the other side of the second part in the Y-axis direction,

the conductor has first, second, and third ends in the plan view, the first end is located at one side of the conductor in the X-axis direction, the second end is located at one side of the conductor in the Y-axis direction, and the third end is located at the other side of the conductor in the Y-axis direction,

the first end of the conductor is located outwardly away from the first side surface of the edge portion along the X-axis direction in the plan view, the second end of the conductor is located outwardly away from the second side surface of the edge portion along the Y-axis direction in the plan view, and the third end of the conductor is located outwardly away from the third side surface of the edge portion along the Y-axis direction, and

the first bottom surface of the first recess is located upwardly away from a top surface of the conductor along the Z-axis direction in a cross-sectional view.

2. The physical quantity sensor according to claim 1,

wherein the sensor member is made of a low-resistance silicon material,

the first fixed electrode is configured to detect a first electrostatic capacitance between the first part and the first fixed electrode, and

the second fixed electrode is configured to detect a second electrostatic capacitance between the second part and the second fixed electrode.

3. The physical quantity sensor according to claim 2,

wherein the base substrate is made of an insulating material.

4. The physical quantity sensor according to claim 3,

wherein the conductor is electrically connected to the sensor member.

5. The physical quantity sensor according to claim 4,

wherein the conductor is electrically independent from the first and second fixed electrodes.

6. The physical quantity sensor according to claim 5,

wherein each of the first and second fixed electrodes has first and second edges opposite to each other along the Y-axis direction, and each of the first and second parts of the sensor member has first and second edges opposite to each other along the Y-axis direction,

the first edge of the first fixed electrode is located outwardly away from the first edge of the first part of the sensor member along the Y-axis direction in the plan view, and the second edge of the first fixed electrode is located outwardly away from the second edge of the first part of the sensor member along the Y-axis direction in the plan view, and

the first edge of the second fixed electrode is located outwardly away from the first edge of the second part of the sensor member along the Y-axis direction in the plan view, and the second edge of the second fixed electrode is located outwardly away from the second edge of the second part of the sensor member along the Y-axis direction in the plan view.

7. The physical quantity sensor according to claim 6, further comprising:

first and second supports that support the sensor member, the first and second supports extending along the Y-axis direction,

wherein the swing axis passes through the first and second supports in the plan view.

8. An electronic apparatus comprising the physical quantity sensor according to claim 1.

9. An electronic apparatus comprising the physical quantity sensor according to claim 2.

10. An electronic apparatus comprising the physical quantity sensor according to claim 3.

11. An electronic apparatus comprising the physical quantity sensor according to claim 4.

12. An electronic apparatus comprising the physical quantity sensor according to claim 5.

13. An electronic apparatus comprising the physical quantity sensor according to claim 6.

14. An electronic apparatus comprising the physical quantity sensor according to claim 7.