MEMS DEVICE WITH IMPACTING STRUCTURE FOR ENHANCED RESISTANCE TO STICTION
First Claim
1. A microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device comprising:
- a substrate;
a movable element suspended above said substrate and adapted for motion relative to said substrate; and
a secondary structure coupled to said movable element and suspended above said substrate, said secondary structure being adapted to impact said movable element in response to said motion of said movable element.
31 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device (20) includes a substrate (24) and a movable element (22) adapted for motion relative to the substrate (24). A secondary structure (58) extends from the movable element (22). The secondary structure (58) includes a secondary mass (70) and a spring (68) interconnected between the movable element (22) and the mass (70). The spring (68) is sufficiently stiff to prevent movement of the mass (70) when the movable element (22) is subjected to force within a sensing range of the device (20). However, the spring (68) deflects when the device (20) is subjected to mechanical shock (86), and the spring (68) rebounds thus causing the mass (70) to impact the movable element (22) in a direction that would be likely to dislodge a potentially stuck movable element (22).
34 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device comprising:
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a substrate; a movable element suspended above said substrate and adapted for motion relative to said substrate; and a secondary structure coupled to said movable element and suspended above said substrate, said secondary structure being adapted to impact said movable element in response to said motion of said movable element. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device comprising:
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a substrate; a movable element suspended above said substrate and adapted for motion relative to said substrate; and a secondary structure coupled to said movable element and suspended above said substrate, said secondary structure including a secondary mass and at least one spring element interconnected between said movable element and said secondary mass, said at least one spring element exhibits a stiffness, and said stiffness of said at least one spring element enables said secondary mass to impact said movable element when said movable element is subjected to a first force that is greater than a first acceleration sensing range of said MEMS device, and said stiffness of said at least one spring element substantially prevents movement of said secondary mass into contact with said movable element when said movable element is subjected to a second force within said first acceleration sensing range of said MEMS device, wherein said movable element moves relative to said substrate in response to said first and second forces. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device comprising:
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a substrate; a movable element suspended above said substrate and adapted for motion relative to said substrate, said movable element including an aperture extending through a thickness of said movable element; and a secondary structure coupled to said movable element and residing in said aperture, said secondary structure including a secondary mass and at least one spring element interconnected between said movable element and said secondary mass, said secondary mass being adapted to impact said movable element when said movable element is subjected to a force that is greater than a first acceleration sensing range of said MEMS device. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification