Microdynamic release structure

• US 5,072,288 A
• Filed: 02/21/1989
• Issued: 12/10/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cornell Research Foundation Incorporated (Cornell University)
• Original Assignee: Cornell Research Foundation Incorporated (Cornell University)
• Inventors: Chen, Liang-Yuh, MacDonald, Noel C., Zhang, Zuoying L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hille, Rolf
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, MINH LOAN
• Application Number:
  US07/313,206
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: 310/309, 310/311, 310/328, 310/329, 310/330, 310/332, 310/331, 357/26, 357/27, 357/69, 357/65, 357/68, 357/55, 357/70, 357/52, 350/269, 350/360
• US Class Current: 257/420
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 15/00 Nanotechnology for interacting, sensing or actuating, e.g. quantum dots as markers in protein assays or molecular motors
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 1/0094 Switches making use of nanoelectromechanical systems [NEMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 1/008 Laterally driven motors, e.g. of the comb-drive type

Abstract

A selective chemical vapor deposition (CVD) tungsten process is used to fabricate three-dimensional tungsten cantilever beams on a substrate. Two beams form micromechanical tweezers that move in three dimensions by the application of potential differences between the beams, and between the beams and the silicon substrate. A high deposition rate selective tungsten CVD process is used to fabricate beams of greater than 3 micrometers thickness in patterned, CVD silicon dioxide trenches ion-implanted with silicon. Tweezers 200 micrometers in length with a cross section of 2.7 by 2.5 micrometers will close upon application of a voltage of less than 150 volts.

Claims

1. A microdynamic structure, comprising:

a substrate having a top surface;

insulator means on said substrate, said insulator means forming a beam support means;

an elongated metal cantilever beam mounted on said insulator beam support means and having a length extending over and spaced above said substrate top surface;

electrode means adjacent said beam; and

means supplying electrical potential between said beam and said electrode means, said potential producing deflection of said beam along the length thereof and in a direction parallel to said substrate top surface.

2. The structure of claim 1, wherein said beam is tungsten.

3. The structure of claim 1, wherein said beam has a cross sectional dimension on the order of 2.5×

2.5 micrometers.

4. The structure of claim 1, wherein said beam is a three-dimensional tungsten beam having a length on the order of 200 micrometers.

5. The structure of claim 1, wherein said means supplying electric potential includes means supplying voltages of opposite polarity to said beam and to said electrode means to produce an electrostatic deflection force on said beam.

6. The structure of claim 5, wherein said electrode is a second cantilever beam adjacent to said metal cantilever beam.

7. A microdynamic tweezer structure, comprising:

a substrate having a top surface,

a layer of insulating material on said substrate;

a cavity formed in said layer of insulating material, said cavity including at least one side wall; and

first and second elongated cantilever beams, each beam having a near end embedded in said insulating material at said cavity side wall and having a free end extending into said cavity, the free ends of said beams being spaced from the walls of said cavity for free motion with respect to each other at least in a horizontal plane which includes both of said beams and with respect to said substrate in a direction perpendicular to said horizontal plane.

8. The structure of claim 7, wherein each of said beams has a cross section on the order of 2.5×

2.5 micrometers.

9. The structure of claim 7, wherein each of said beams is tungsten.

10. The structure of claim 7, wherein each said beam is a three-dimensional tungsten beam having a length on the order of 200 micrometers.

11. The structure of claim 10, wherein said substrate is silicon and said layer of insulating material is silicon dioxide.

12. This structure of claim 11, further including a thin layer of silicon nitride between said substrate and said insulating layer.

13. The structure of claim 11, further including a thin film of CVD silicon dioxide coating said beams.

14. The structure of claim 11, further including means for supplying electrical potentials to said beams to produce electrostatic deflection thereof.

15. The structure of claim 14, wherein said means for supplying electrical potentials includes means for connecting said potentials between said beams.

16. The structure of claim 14, wherein said means for supplying electrical potentials includes means for connecting said potentials between at least one of said beams and said substrate.

17. The structure of claim 14, wherein each of said beams has a cross-section on the order of 2.5×

2.5 micrometers.

18. The structure of claim 14, wherein said means for supplying electrical potentials to said beams includes conductor means formed in said layer of insulation.

19. A three-dimensional microdynamic structure comprising:

a semiconductor substrate having a surface defining an X-Y plane;

an insulator layer on said substrate;

a metal line formed in said insulator layer and spaced from said substrate surface, said metal line having a terminal end portion;

cavity means in said insulator layer, said cavity means being located at said terminal end portion of said metal line to release said terminal end portion from said insulator layer to allow motion thereof in an X-Y plane parallel to said substrate surface and in a Z direction perpendicular to said substrate;

electrode means adjacent said metal line; and

circuit means connected to said metal line for applying an electrostatic potential between said terminal end portion and said electrode means to produce motion of said terminal end portion in said X-Y plane and in said Z direction, selectively, with respect to said substrate.

20. The structure of claim 19, wherein said metal line is a tungsten interconnect line embedded in said insulator layer.

21. The structure of claim 19, wherein said electrode means comprises a second terminal end portion for said metal line, said terminal end portions being generally parallel to each other and having distal ends closely spaced, said cavity means being located to release said terminal end portions from said insulator layer.

22. The structure of claim 21, wherein said circuit means is connected to apply electrostatic potentials to said terminal end portions to produce motion thereof.

23. The structure of claim 21, wherein said circuit means is connected to apply electrostatic potentials between said terminal end portions to cause distal ends thereof to move toward or away from each other.