Stop for integrated circuit diaphragm
First Claim
1. A semiconductor transducer comprising, in combination:
- a semiconductor base having first and second planar parallel faces;
a cavity formed in said base from said first face to form a deformable diaphragm unitary with said base;
a substrate having a planar surface bonded to said first face of said base;
a physical stop and locator means integral with and carried by said substrate and positioned in said cavity; and
said physical stop and locator means having a stop face substantially parallel to and positioned closely adjacent to said diaphragm to be contactable by said diaphragm upon excessive excursion to prevent rupture thereof, and having lateral sides cooperable with the side walls of said cavity for location within the cavity.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A semiconductor transducer with a diaphragm is constructed utilizing a substrate wherein a first portion of that first face is etched to a planar level to achieve a second portion as a physical stop on this substrate, the physical stop having a planar stop face, a sloping sided cavity is etched into a semiconductor wafer from a first face thereof to form a deformable diaphragm in this semiconductor wafer. The semiconductor wafer is anodically bonded to the substrate planar level, with the physical stop located in the cavity and with the stop face acting to prohibit excess movement of the diaphragm. The foregoing abstract is merely a resume of one general application, is not a complete discussion of all principles of operation or applications, and is not to be construed as a limitation on the scope of the claimed subject matter.
35 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A semiconductor transducer comprising, in combination:
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a semiconductor base having first and second planar parallel faces; a cavity formed in said base from said first face to form a deformable diaphragm unitary with said base; a substrate having a planar surface bonded to said first face of said base; a physical stop and locator means integral with and carried by said substrate and positioned in said cavity; and said physical stop and locator means having a stop face substantially parallel to and positioned closely adjacent to said diaphragm to be contactable by said diaphragm upon excessive excursion to prevent rupture thereof, and having lateral sides cooperable with the side walls of said cavity for location within the cavity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A semiconductor transducer comprising, in combination:
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a semiconductor base having first and second planar parallel faces; a cavity formed in said base from said first face to form a deformable diaphragm unitary with said base; a substrate having a planar surface bonded to said first face of said base; a physical stop integral with and carried by said substrate and positioned in said cavity; said physical stop having a stop face substantially parallel to and positioned closely adjacent to said diaphragm to be contactable by said diaphragm upon excessive excursion to prevent rupture thereof; a second substrate bonded to said second face of said base; and a second stop face on said second substrate acting to restrain excessive excursion of said diaphragm in the opposite direction. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
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15. A semiconductor transducer comprising, in combination:
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a semiconductor base having first and second planar parallel faces; a cavity formed in said base from said first face to form a deformable diaphragm unitary with said base, said cavity having sloping sides determined by a single crystalline structure of said semiconductor base; a substrate having a planar surface bonded to said first face of said base; a physical stop integral with and carried by said substrate and positioned in said cavity, said physical stop having sloping sides substantially parallel to the sloping sides of said cavity; and said physical stop having a stop face substantially parallel to and positioned closely adjacent to said diaphragm to be contactable by said diaphragm upon excessive excursion to prevent rupture thereof.
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16. A method of forming a semiconductor transducer with a diaphragm, comprising the steps of:
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providing a substrate having a first face; establishing physical stop and locator means including first etching a first portion of said first face of said substrate to a substantially planar level to achieve a second portion as a physical stop on said substrate; said physical stop having a substantially planar stop face and an enlarged base at said planar level; providing a semiconductor base having parallel first and second planar faces; etching a sloping sided cavity into said semiconductor base from said first face thereof to form a deformable diaphragm in said semiconductor base; and bonding said semiconductor base first face to said substrate planar level with said physical stop located in said cavity as means to locate said physical stop laterally in said cavity and with said stop face acting to prohibit excess movement of said diaphragm. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification