Microcomponent Provided with a Cavity Delimited by a Cap with Enhanced Mechanical Resistance

• US 20090194309A1
• Filed: 05/21/2007
• Published: 08/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (AES Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Commissariat A Le-Energie Atomique
• Inventors: Jacquet, Fabrice, Lagoutte, Emmanuelle, Gillot, Charlotte, Hentz, Sebastien, Pornin, Jean-Louis
• Granted Patent: US 8,183,474 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 174/50
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 3/007 For controlling stiffness, e.g. ribs
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 2203/0136 Growing or depositing of a covering layer
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 2203/0145 Hermetically sealing an opening in the lid
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 2203/0163 Reinforcing a cap, e.g. with ribs

Abstract

It consists of a microcomponent comprising a cavity (13) delimited by a cap (12) enclosing an active part (10) supported by a substrate (11) The cap (13) comprises a top wall (12a) comprising stiffening means with at least one projecting stiffening member (12b) said stiffening member (12b) being located between two recessed areas (12c) of the top wall (12a) and having one end (14) at a distance from the recessed areas (12c) without coming into contact with the substrate (11).

Claims

1. Microcomponent comprising a cavity (13) delimited by a cap (12) enclosing an active part (10) supported by a substrate (11), wherein the cap (13) comprises a top wall (12a) comprising stiffening means with at least one projecting stiffening member (12b), said stiffening member (12b) being located between two recessed areas (12c) of the top wall (12a) and having one end (14) at a distance from the recessed areas (12c) without coming into contact with the substrate (11), the projection of the stiffening member arising from the curvature of the top wall, the thickness of the top wall being substantially constant on the stiffening member.

2. Microcomponent according to claim 1, wherein projecting stiffening member (12b) is a moulding or a block.

3. Microcomponent according to claim 2, wherein the moulding or block has a rectangular, trapezoidal or rounded cross-section.

4. Microcomponent according to claim 2, wherein the top wall (12a) comprises several substantially parallel mouldings along the edge of the top wall (12a).

5. Microcomponent according to claim 2, wherein the top wall (12a) comprises two mouldings arranged crosswise.

6. Microcomponent according to claim 2, wherein the top wall (12a) comprises several honeycombed mouldings.

7. Microcomponent according to claim 2, wherein the top wall (12a) comprises a plurality of blocks arranged in a matrix.

8. Microcomponent according to claim 1, wherein the projection of the stiffening member (12b) is formed by thickening of the top wall (12a).

10. Microcomponent according to claim 1, wherein the projecting stiffening member (12b) is facing either the inside or the outside of the cavity (13).

11. Microcomponent according to claim 1 wherein the end (14) of the projecting stiffening member (12b) is free.

12. Microcomponent according to claim 1, wherein the cap (12) comprises a lining wall (16) which lines the top wall (12a), the end (14) of the projecting stiffening member (12b) being in contact with the lining wall (16).

13. Microcomponent according to claim 1, that the top wall (12a) and the lining wall (12c), if it is present, comprise at least one orifice ((26.1, 16.2), the orifice (26.2) of the top wall (12a) and the orifice (26.1) of the lining wall (16) communicating with each other.

14. Microcomponent according to claim 13, wherein that the orifice (26.2) of the outermost wall of the cap (13), between the top wall (12a) and the lining wall (16), is flanked by a plug.

15. Method for manufacturing a cavity of a microcomponent delimited by a cap (12) according to claim 1, comprising the following steps:

deposition of sacrificial material (20.1, 20.2, 20.3) on the substrate (11) and on the active part (10) of the microcomponent,

delimitation of the sacrificial material and production on the surface of at least one reverse hollow pattern (24) of that of the projecting stiffening member of the stiffening means,

deposition on the sacrificial material (20) of at least one cap layer (25) forming the cap and the top wall,

creation of at least one orifice (26) in the cap layer (25),

evacuation of the sacrificial material (20) via the orifice (26),

sealing of the orifice (26).

16. Method according to claim 15, wherein the hollow pattern (24) is produced by means of embossing in the sacrificial material (20).

17. Method according to claim 15, wherein the sacrificial material (20) is deposited in several layers (20.1, 20.2) wherein a first so-called channel layer (20.1) is used to model a sacrificial material evacuation channel, arranged on the periphery of the cavity.

18. Method according to claim 15, wherein the sacrificial material (20) is deposited in several layers (20.2, 20.3) including a main sacrificial layer (20.2) which is partially used as a mould for the cap, said main sacrificial layer (20.2) being topped by a structuring sacrificial layer (20.3) wherein the hollow pattern (24) is produced.

19. Method according to claim 18, wherein at least one lining layer (25. I) is deposited on the main sacrificial layer (20.2), before the deposition of the structuring sacrificial layer (20.3), said lining layer (25.1.) serving to produce the lining walls.

20. Method according to claim 19, wherein at least one orifice is produced in the lining layer (25.1) for the evacuation of the sacrificial material (20), said orifice (26.1) communicating with the orifice (26.2) of the cap layer (25).

21. Method according to claim 15, wherein the orifice (26) of the cap layer (25) is sealed by depositing at least one sealing layer (27) on the cap layer (25).

22. Method according to claim 21, wherein the sealing layer (27) is etched with the exception of a region above the orifice (26) to produce a plug (27.1) on top of the orifice.

9. (canceled)