Micromachined structures made by combined wet and dry etching

• US 20060060564A1
• Filed: 11/16/2005
• Published: 03/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Shipley Company, LLC (Dow, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Shipley Company, LLC (Dow, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rasnake, Jasean, Steinberg, Dan A.
• Application Number:
  US11/273,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20060060564A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 216/41
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2203/0315 Cavities
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2203/033 Trenches
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 1/00103 Structures having a predefined profile, e.g. sloped or rounded grooves
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 2201/0132 Dry etching, i.e. plasma etching, barrel etching, reactive ion etching [RIE], sputter etching or ion milling
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 2201/0133 Wet etching
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3692 with surface micromachining involving etching, e.g. wet or dry etching steps surface micromachining involving subtractive techniques B81C1/00055
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4204 the coupling comprising intermediate optical elements, e.g. lenses, holograms encapsulated active devices H01S5/02208, H01L33/52
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24355 Continuous and nonuniform or irregular surface on layer or component [e.g., roofing, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249978 Voids specified as micro

Abstract

A micromachined structure, comprising: a substrate; a first wet etched pit disposed in the substrate; a second wet etched pit disposed in the substrate, the second pit extending into the substrate a greater depth than the first pit; and a dry pit disposed between, and adjacent to, the first and second pits. Also disclosed is a micromachined substrate comprising: a wet etched pit; and a dry-etched hole disposed in the wet etched pit, wherein the dry hole extends through the substrate.

Claims

1-14. -14. (canceled)

15. A method for micromachining a substrate, comprising:

providing a hard mask on a selected portion of the substrate to provide a region of the substrate without a hard mask;

removing a portion of the substrate adjacent the region without the hard mask using one or more of ultrasonic drilling, laser etching, sawing and electrochemical etching to provide a micromachined feature in the substrate; and

wet etching the substrate to provide a wet etched feature adjacent to the micromachined feature.

16. The method according to claim 15, comprising providing a fugitive material in the micromachined feature prior to wet etching the substrate.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the fugitive material comprises one or more of a polymer, wax, and photoresist.