Method of manufacturing an electronic device and electronic device

• US 20060141786A1
• Filed: 02/10/2004
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Makinwa, Kofi Afolabi Anthony, Boezen, Hendrik, French, Patrick James, Den Hartog, Sander Gijsbert
• Application Number:
  US10/545,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20060141786A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/689
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/0235 Accelerometers
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2203/033 Trenches
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 1/00484 Processes for releasing structures not provided for in group B81C1/00476
• 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 2203/0735 Post-CMOS, i.e. forming the micromechanical structure after the CMOS circuit
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/0802 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/125 by capacitive pick-up

Abstract

A method of manufacturing an electronic device, particularly an acceleration sensor, comprising providing a wafer (10) having first and second semiconductor layers (12, 16) with a buried oxide layer (14) therebetween and forming a semiconductor device (such as a detection circuit) on one side of the wafer (10) in the first semiconductor layer (16) and a micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) device on the opposite side of the wafer (10) in the second semi-conductor layer (12).

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing an electronic device, comprising:

providing a wafer (10) with a first and an opposed second side, having first and second semiconductor layers (12, 16) with at least a layer of insulating material (14) therebetween, at which first side a semiconductor circuit is provided comprising semiconductor elements that are defined in the first semiconductor layer;

forming a micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) device comprising a movable electrode and a reference electrode in said wafer by etching trenches according to a desired pattern extending substantially perpendicularly to a plane in the wafer, and releasing the movable electrode in that the trenches extend to the layer of insulating material that is selectively removed,

characterized in that said MEMS device is formed in said second semiconductor layer (12) in that the trenches are etched from the second side of the wafer down to the layer of insulating material.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the circuit comprises electrically conducting contacts that extend through the insulating layer (14), therewith enabling coupling of the reference electrode to the circuit, and the wafer is provided at its second side with a package layer, thereby encapsulating the MEMS device.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of etching a cavity in the second semiconductor layer, which cavity is located at the area of the movable electrode.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the selective removal includes the step (104) of selective underetching, in which the layer is exposed to an etchant, that is provided from the second side of the wafer through the trenches.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the semiconductor circuit including the contacts is provided by a sequence of steps prior to the provision of the trenches.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrodes are covered by an electrically conductive material.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein furthermore a ring-shaped structure is etched during the etching of the trenches, said structure being defined around said MEMS device, being connected to contacts through the insulating layer and being able to act as a shield.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wafer is subdivided into a plurality of individual devices after the provision of the package layer.

9. An electronic device, comprising a substrate (10) with a first and an opposed second side, having first and second semiconductor layers (12, 16) with at least a layer of insulating material (14) therebetween, at which first side a semiconductor circuit is present comprising semiconductor elements that are defined in the first semiconductor layer, and further comprising a micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) device, said MEMS device having a reference electrode and a movable electrode, said MEMS device being electrically coupled to said semiconductor circuit, said insulating layer being removed locally so as to allow the movable electrode to be movable,

characterized in that the MEMS device is defined in the second semiconductor layer.

10. An electronic device as claimed in claim 9, wherein

electrically conducting contacts are present which extend through the insulating layer so as to couple the MEMS device to the semiconductor circuit, and

a package layer is present at the second side of the substrate, thereby encapsulating the MEMS device.

11. A device as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that, on perpendicular projection of the semiconductor circuit onto the second semiconductor layer, there is a substantial overlap with the MEMS device.

12. A device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the movable electrode has a length in a direction perpendicular to the substrate plane that is shorter than the thickness of the second semiconductor layer.

13. A device as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that said MEMS device is designed to act as a sensor and is able to provide an output electrical signal, said semiconductor circuit comprising circuit means for detection of said output electrical signal.

14. A device as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that the semiconductor circuit further comprises means for driving the MEMS device.

15. A device as claimed in claim 14, characterized in that the means for driving comprise DMOS transistors and the means for detection comprise CMOS transistors.

16. A device as claimed in any one of the claim 9, which is further provided with a ring-shaped structure that is present around said MEMS device, said structure being connected to contacts through the insulating layer and being able to act as a shield.