DIELECTRIC SPACER FOR DISPLAY DEVICES

• US 20120242638A1
• Filed: 03/24/2011
• Published: 09/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm MEMS Technologies Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhong, Fan, Tao, Yi
• Application Number:
  US13/071,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20120242638A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/211
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/001 based on interference in an adjustable optical cavity interference filters G02B5/28; devices or arrangements using multiple reflections in spectrometry or monochromators G01J3/26
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4913 Assembling to base an electrical component, e.g., capacitor, etc.

Abstract

This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for forming spacers on a substrate and building an electromechanical device over the spacers and the substrate. In one aspect, a raised anchor area is formed over the spacer by adding layers that result in a high point above the substrate. The high point can protect the movable sections of the MEMS device from contact with a backplate.

Claims

1. An electromechanical device package, comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of anchor regions disposed on the substrate, wherein the anchor regions include raised spacers;

a plurality of electromechanical devices formed on the substrate, wherein the electromechanical devices are formed over the raised spacers and anchored to the substrate at the anchor regions; and

a backplate sealed to the substrate to form a package, wherein the highest points of the electromechanical devices above the substrate are above the raised spacers.

2. The electromechanical device package of claim 1, wherein the electromechanical devices are interferometric modulators.

3. The electromechanical device package of claim 2, wherein the interferometric modulators have movable mirrors anchored at the anchor regions.

4. The electromechanical device package of claim 1, wherein the spacers are formed over a black mask layer in the anchor region.

5. The electromechanical device package of claim 4, wherein the black mask layer is electrically conductive.

6. The electromechanical device package of claim 1, wherein the raised spacers are dielectric spacers.

7. The electromechanical device package of claim 6, wherein the raised spacers have a height of about 7,500 Å

and a diameter of about 1.5 μ

m.

8. The electromechanical device package of claim 1, wherein the substrate is a transparent substrate.

9. The electromechanical device package of claim 1, wherein the backplate is hermetically sealed to the substrate.

10. The electromechanical device package of claim 1, further comprising:

a display;

a processor that is configured to communicate with the display, the processor being configured to process image data; and

a memory device that is configured to communicate with the processor.

11. The electromechanical device package of claim 10, further comprising:

a driver circuit configured to send at least one signal to the display.

12. The electromechanical device package of claim 11, further comprising:

a controller configured to send at least a portion of the image data to the driver circuit.

13. The electromechanical device package of claim 10, further comprising:

an image source module configured to send the image data to the processor.

14. The electromechanical device package of claim 13, wherein the image source module includes at least one of a receiver, transceiver, and transmitter.

15. The electromechanical device package of claim 10, further comprising:

an input device configured to receive input data and to communicate the input data to the processor.

16. An electromechanical device, comprising:

a substrate;

an anchor region formed on the substrate;

means for spacing the anchoring means from the substrate; and

a movable layer formed over the spacing means and anchored to the anchor region.

17. The electromechanical device of claim 16, wherein the means for spacing are formed over a black mask layer in the anchor region.

18. The electromechanical device package of claim 17, wherein the black mask layer is electrically conductive.

19. The electromechanical device of claim 16, wherein the means for spacing includes raised dielectric structures.

20. The electromechanical device of claim 16, wherein a high point above the substrate is formed above the means for spacing.

21. A method of fabricating an electromechanical system device, comprising:

providing a substrate;

forming an anchor region on the substrate;

forming a spacer on the anchor region; and

forming an electromechanical device anchored to the spacer in the anchor region, wherein the electromechanical device is formed after forming the spacer.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the spacer is a dielectric spacer.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the anchor region includes a black mask layer.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the electromechanical system device is an interferometric modulator device.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the substrate is a transparent substrate.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein a highest point of the electromechanical device relative to the substrate is located above the spacer.