Method for manufacturing a thin-layer component, in particular a thin-layer, high-pressure sensor, and thin-layer component

• US 20050275502A1
• Filed: 06/07/2005
• Published: 12/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Andre Kretschmann, Harald Wanka, Herbert Goebel, Horst Muenzel, Joachim Gluck, Ralf Henn
• Original Assignee: Andre Kretschmann, Harald Wanka, Herbert Goebel, Horst Muenzel, Joachim Gluck, Ralf Henn
• Inventors: Muenzel, Horst, Kretschmann, Andre, Wanka, Harald, Henn, Ralf, Gluck, Joachim, Goebel, Herbert
• Application Number:
  US11/147,496
• Publication Number:
  US 20050275502A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 338/42
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 9/0054 integral with a semiconducting diaphragm

Abstract

Proposed is a method for manufacturing a thin-layer component, in particular a thin-layer, high-pressure sensor, as well as a thin-layer component, where a resistive layer for forming measuring elements, in particular strain gauges, is deposited on an electrically non-conductive surface of a diaphragm layer, a contact-layer system for electrically contacting the measuring elements being deposited on the measuring elements in such a manner, that regions of the measuring elements are situated between each region of the contact-layer system and the diaphragm layer. This is used to provide, in particular, a high-pressure sensor, in which the capacitances of the contacts of the contact-layer system are designed to be symmetric.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a thin-layer component, comprising:

depositing a resistive layer for forming a measuring element on an electrically non-conductive surface of a diaphragm layer; and

depositing a contact-layer system for electrically contacting the measuring element on the measuring element in such manner that one of no steps and steps that are small in comparison with a thickness of the contact-layer system are covered.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the thin-layer component includes a thin-layer, high-pressure sensor, and the measuring element includes a strain gauge.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the contact-layer system is deposited on the measuring element in such a manner that a region of the measuring element is situated between each region of the contact-layer system and the diaphragm layer.

4. The method as recited in claim 3 wherein:

the contact-layer system is deposited through an opening of a shadow mask in accordance with one of a sputtering operation and a vapor-deposition operation, and

a position of the opening is selected such that deposition exclusively occurs on the resistive layer.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein:

the resistive layer is initially deposited over an entire surface, and the resistive layer is patterned one of photolithographically and in accordance with a laser operation, so that a lateral expansion of one of the patterned resistive layer and the measuring element is greater, at all locations, than that of the opening in the shadow mask subsequently used for depositing the contact-layer system.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein:

the resistive layer is initially deposited over an entire surface,

the contact-layer system is deposited onto the resistive layer,

a set-up is provided with a passivation layer over the entire surface, and

a patterning of the resistive layer and the passivation layer is subsequently accomplished using only one etching mask.

7. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein:

the etching mask is produced by depositing, exposing, and developing a photoresist layer on the passivation layer.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein:

a material of the passivation layer includes photosensitive BCB so that the passivation layer is simultaneously exposed and developed with the photoresist layer.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the resistive layer includes one of nickel-chromium and nickel-chromium-silicon.

10. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein:

the resistive layer includes one of nickel-chromium and nickel-chromium-silicon, and

a layer of BCB material is used as a passivation layer that is simultaneously used as an etching mask, without additionally depositing a photoresist layer.