Resonant hollow beam and method
First Claim
Patent Images
1. In the manufacture of small resonant sensor elements, the method of manufacturing resonant hollow microstructural beam sensors comprising:
- (a) etching a trough in the front face surface of a first substrate;
(b) etching a complementary-image trough in the front face surface of a second substrate;
(c) doping the trough areas of said first and second substrates to a predetermined etch-stop depth;
(d) aligning the first and second substrates in precise registration with their respective front face surfaces joined;
(e) bonding said joined front face substrate surfaces together; and
(f) etching sufficient undoped substrate away from the doped substrate region to relieve the doped portion from the remaining substrate material, and leave a relieved, hollow microstructural cantilever beam.
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Abstract
A microminiature resonant hollow beam sensor is manufactured by micromachining and microfabrication techniques. Specifically, a sensor is formed by etching troughs in a pair of silicon substrates, joining the substrates face-to-face, and etching away unwanted material to free the resonant hollow beam sensors.
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Citations
54 Claims
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1. In the manufacture of small resonant sensor elements, the method of manufacturing resonant hollow microstructural beam sensors comprising:
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(a) etching a trough in the front face surface of a first substrate; (b) etching a complementary-image trough in the front face surface of a second substrate; (c) doping the trough areas of said first and second substrates to a predetermined etch-stop depth; (d) aligning the first and second substrates in precise registration with their respective front face surfaces joined; (e) bonding said joined front face substrate surfaces together; and (f) etching sufficient undoped substrate away from the doped substrate region to relieve the doped portion from the remaining substrate material, and leave a relieved, hollow microstructural cantilever beam. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A resonant hollow microstructural cantilever beam sensor element formed by the process of:
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(a) etching a trough in the front face surface of a first substrate; (b) etching a complementary-image trough in the front face surface of a second substrate; (c) doping the trough areas of said first and second substrates to a predetermined etch-stop depth; (d) aligning the first and second substrates in precise registration with their respective front face surfaces joined; (e) bonding said joined front face substrate surfaces together; and (f) etching the undoped substrate from the doped substrate region to relieve the beam from the remaining substrate material. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A microstructural resonant hollow beam sensor comprising a closed cantilevered hollow cavity beam element having top, bottom, closed end and at least two side walls joined from at least two substrate pieces and a base structure to which said resonant hollow cavity beam element is attached, said base structure including a sealed, fluid-communicating passageway between said resonant hollow beam element cavity and an outside surface of said base structure, and in which said resonant hollow cavity beam element is less than 10-1 meters wide, less than 6×
- 10-1 meters long, less than 4×
10-3 meters thick, and the beam wall thicknesses are less than 2×
10-4 meters thick. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 50, 51)
- 10-1 meters long, less than 4×
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29. In the manufacture of small resonant sensor elements, the method of manufacturing resonant hollow microstructural beam sensors comprising:
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(a) etching a trough in the front face surface of a first substrate; (b) etching a complementary-image trough in the front face surface of a second substrate; (c) depositing a conformal metallization layer over the respective substrate front face surface areas of the first and second substrates, including the trough surfaces; (d) removing from the front face surface of each of the substrates a window area in the metallization layer adjacent each side of said trough; (e) aligning the first and second substrates in precise registration with their respective metallized front face surfaces; (f) bonding said metallized substrate surfaces together; and (g) etching sufficient unmetallized substrate surface areas from the metallized substrate region to relieve the metallized portion from the remaining substrate material, and leave a relieved, hollow microstructural cantilever beam. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. A resonant hollow microstructural cantilever beam sensor element formed by the process of:
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(a) etching a trough in the front face surface of a first substrate; (b) etching a complementary trough in the front face of a second substrate; (c) depositing a conformal metallization layer over the substrate front face surface area, including the trough surfaces; (d) removing from the front face surface of each of the substrates a window area in the metallization layer adjacent each side of said trough; (e) aligning the first and second substrates in precise registration with their respective front face surfaces thereof joined; (f) bonding said metallized substrate surfaces together; and (g) etching sufficient unmetallized substrate surface areas from the metallized substrate region to relieve the metallized portion from the remaining substrate material, and leave a relieved, hollow microstructural cantilever beam. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
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52. A resonant hollow microstructural beam sensor element formed by the process of:
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(a) etching a trough in the front face surface of a first substrate; (b) etching a complementary-image trough in the front face surface of a second substrate; (c) depositing a conformal organic polymer layer over the substrate front surface area, including the trough surfaces; (d) removing from the front face surface of each of the substrates a window area in the polymer layer adjacent each side of said trough; (e) aligning the first and second substrates in precise registration with their respective front face surfaces joined; (f) bonding said organic polymer substrate surfaces together; and (g) etching sufficient substrate surface areas from the substrate region to relieve the organic polymer portion from the remaining substrate material, and leave a relieved, hollow microstructural cantilever beam. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54)
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Specification