Capacitive acceleration detector having reduced mass portion

• US 5,228,341 A
• Filed: 10/12/1990
• Issued: 07/20/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Engineering Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.), Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Engineering Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.), Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Yokota, Yoshihiro, Matsumoto, Masahiro, Miki, Masayuki, Shimada, Satoshi, Naito, Shotaro, Suzuki, Seiko, Tsuchitani, Shigeki
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAPMAN JR, JOHN E
• Application Number:
  US07/596,367
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: 73/517 R, 73/517 B, 73/516 R, 73/514, 73/651, 361/280, 361/283, 357/26
• US Class Current: 73/514.36
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/2417 by varying separation
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/0802 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/125 by capacitive pick-up
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 2015/0828 the mass being of the paddle type being suspended at one of its longitudinal ends
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 5/16 using variation of distance between electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3065 Plasma etching; Reactive-ion etching

Abstract

Disclosed is an acceleration detector which has an electrically conductive mass portion formed at a free end of a cantilever, and fixed electrodes arranged opposite to the mass portion through a gap so that the value of acceleration is detected on the basis of the change of capacitance between the mass portion and the fixed electrodes, and in which at least one space is formed in the inside of the mass portion to lighten the weight of the mass portion to thereby widen the range of measurement.

Claims

1. An acceleration detector comprising:

(a) a pair of substrates respectively having electrically insulating surfaces disposed opposite to each other;

(b) fixed electrodes respectively provided on said electrically insulating surfaces of said pair of substrates;

(c) a cantilever having a fixed end supported between said pair of substrates, and a free end which is freely swingable in an area between said pair of substrates; and

(d) an electrically conductive mass substance formed at said free end of said cantilever so as to be freely swingable in between said fixed electrodes and containing at least two spaces in its inside, in which said spaces inside of said mass substance respectively communicate by way of openings formed in surfaces of said mass substance which are opposite to said fixed electrodes, the diameter of said openings being smaller than the dimension of said spaces in a direction parallel to said surfaces.

2. An acceleration detector according to claim 1, in which said mass substance is formed of silicon, and in which the surfaces of said mass substance except said small openings are formed of a low-etching-rate impurity layer.

3. An acceleration detector according to claim 1 in which said mass substance is formed of silicon, and in which the surfaces of said mass substance except said small openings are successively covered with an electrically insulating layer and an electrically conductive layer, said electrically conductive layer being connected to said silicon.

4. An acceleration detector comprising:

first and second fixed electrodes disposed in spaced relation to each other; and

a third movable electrode having a mass portion interposed between and spaced from said first and second fixed electrodes by predetermined gaps and a fixed cantilever portion supporting said mass portion for free movement toward and away from said first and second fixed electrodes in response to an acceleration force;

wherein said mass portion of said third movable electrode is provided with a plurality of internal empty cavities which each communicate with a surface of the mass portion by way of a hole which is smaller than the size of the cavity.

5. An acceleration detector according to claim 4, wherein said mass portion of said third movable electrode is made of a conductive material.

6. An acceleration detector according to claim 4, wherein said mass portion of said third movable electrode comprises a substrate having a plurality of empty cavities in respective surfaces thereof which face said first and second fixed electrodes and conductive layers which overlay said surfaces and cover said cavities.

7. An acceleration detector according to claim 4, wherein said holes which communicate with said cavities are formed in said layers.

8. An acceleration detector according to claim 6, further including an insulating mask layer interposed between said conductive layer and a surface of said substrate.

9. An acceleration detector according to claim 8, wherein said holes which communicate with said cavities pass through said conductive layers and insulating mask layers.

10. An acceleration detector according to claim 4, wherein the shape of said third movable electrode is symmetrical with respect to a center axis passing through said cantilever portion so as to respond substantially only to acceleration components which are perpendicular to said center axis.