Semiconductor physical-quantity sensor and method for manufacturing same

• US 5,824,608 A
• Filed: 06/27/1996
• Issued: 10/20/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Yukihiro, Gotoh, Yoshitaka, Fujita, Makiko
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAPMAN, MARK A
• Application Number:
  US08/671,473
• Time in Patent Office: 845 Days
• Field of Search: 438/745, 257/254, 257/415, 73/514.01
• US Class Current: 438/745
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 3/001 Structures having a reduced contact area, e.g. with bumps or with a textured surface
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/0802 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/124 by semiconductor devices comprising at least one PN junction, e.g. transistors
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 2015/0814 for translational movement of the mass, e.g. shuttle type

Abstract

A polysilicon thin film is formed on a silicon substrate by LPCVD technique. At this time, by a performing film formation at a low temperature of approximately 620° C., for example, an irregularities portion is formed on the surface thereof. A silicon oxide film that serves as a sacrificial layer is formed thereon and, on this sacrificial layer, a polysilicon thin film that serves as a movable portion forming thin film is formed. Then, the silicon oxide film beneath this polysilicon thin film is removed by wet etching to thereby form a movable portion. As a result, the movable portion of a beam structure that is composed of the thin film is disposed over the silicon substrate at a prescribed distance therefrom. Although an etchant-replacing liquid enters between the movable portion and the substrate whereby the movable portion is attracted toward the substrate, the movable portion is prevented from adhering to the substrate by means of the irregularities portion.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor physical-quantity sensor comprising a semiconductor substrate and a movable portion of a beam structure composed of a thin film, the method comprising the steps of:

forming an underlying film having an irregularities portion on a flat surface of the semiconductor substrate in a region between the semiconductor substrate and a movable portion location;

forming a sacrificial layer on the underlying film;

forming a movable portion thin film on the sacrificial layer; and

removing the sacrificial layer beneath the movable portion thin film by etching to thereby form a movable portion of the beam structure.

2. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor physical-quantity sensor as set forth in claim 1, wherein the underlying film is a polysilicon thin film.

3. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor physical-quantity sensor as set forth in claim 1, wherein the underlying film is a member forming a wiring.

4. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor physical-quantity sensor as set forth in claim 3, wherein the step of forming the movable portion thin film includes forming the movable portion thin film so that a part of the movable portion thin film contacts the underlying film.

5. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor physical-quantity sensor as set forth in claim 4, wherein the step of forming the underlying film includes depositing polycrystalline silicon on the semiconductor substrate under a condition which is selected so that irregularities are formed on the surface thereof.

6. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor physical-quantity sensor as set forth in claim 5, further comprising a step of forming a semiconductor element to detect a physical/quantity applied to the movable portion of the beam structure by converting displacement of the movable portion into electric signals.

7. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor physical-quantity sensor as set forth in claim 6, wherein the semiconductor element includes a stationary electrode disposed in a surface portion of the semiconductor substrate that is apart from the surface portion where the underlying film is disposed, the stationary electrode being composed of a diffusion layer.

8. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor physical-quantity sensor as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a step of forming a semiconductor element to detect a physical/quantity applied to the movable portion of the beam structure by converting displacement of the movable portion into electric signals.

9. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor physical-quantity sensor as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of forming the underlying film includes depositing the underlying film under a condition which is selected so that irregularities are formed on the surface thereof.

10. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor physical-quantity sensor comprising a semiconductor substrate and a movable portion of a beam structure composed of a thin film, the method comprising the steps of:

forming a sacrificial layer having a surface irregularities portion on a surface of the semiconductor substrate in a region between the semiconductor substrate and a movable portion location;

forming a movable portion thin film on the sacrificial layer; and

removing the sacrificial layer beneath the movable portion thin film by etching to thereby form a movable portion of the beam structure whose underside has an irregularities portion formed by the surface irregularities portion of the sacrificial layer.

11. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor physical-quantity sensor as set forth in claim 10, further comprising a step of forming a semiconductor element to detect a physical/quantity applied to the movable portion of the beam structure by converting displacement of the movable portion into electric signals.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of forming a sacrificial layer further comprises the step of patterning the sacrificial layer to form at least one cavity therein to cause at least one protrusion to be formed during the subsequent steps of forming a movable portion thin film and removing the sacrificial layer.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of removing the sacrificial layer causes the at least one protrusion to have an irregular surface region.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of patterning the sacrificial layer to form at least one cavity therein comprises patterning the sacrificial layer to form a plurality of cavities therein to cause a plurality of protrusions to be formed.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of removing the sacrificial layer causes the plurality of protrusions to each have an irregular surface region.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of depositing a film, on the substrate, that includes surface irregularities that oppose the irregularities portion on the underside of the movable portion.

17. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor physical-quantity sensor comprising a semiconductor substrate and a movable portion of a beam structure composed of a thin film, the method comprising the steps of:

forming an underlying film having an irregularities portion on a surface of the semiconductor substrate in a region between the semiconductor substrate and a movable portion region;

forming, on the underlying film, a sacrificial layer having a surface irregularities portion that corresponds to a part of the irregularities portion of the underlying layer;

forming a movable portion thin film on the sacrificial layer; and

removing the sacrificial layer beneath the movable portion thin film by etching to thereby form the movable portion of the beam structure, the movable portion including an irregularities portion on an underside thereof formed by the surface irregularities portion of the sacrificial layer.

18. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor physical-quantity sensor as set forth in claim 17, wherein the underlying film is a polysilicon thin film.

19. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor physical-quantity sensor as set forth in claim 17, wherein the underlying film is a member forming a wiring.

20. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor physical-quantity sensor as set forth in claim 19, wherein the step of forming the movable portion thin film includes forming the movable portion thin film so that a part of the movable portion thin film contacts the underlying film.

21. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor physical-quantity sensor as set forth in claim 20, wherein the step of forming the underlying film includes depositing polycrystalline silicon on the semiconductor substrate under a condition which is selected so that irregularities are formed on the surface thereof.

22. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor physical-quantity sensor as set forth in claim 21, further comprising a step of forming a semiconductor element to detect a physical-quantity applied to the movable portion of the beam structure by converting displacement of the movable portion into electric signals.

23. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor physical-quantity sensor as set forth in claim 17, wherein the opposing irregularities portions are different in configuration from each other or are disposed in such a manner as to be displaced from each other so that crests of one of them and troughs of the other do not coincide with each other.

24. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor physical-quantity sensor as set forth in claim 17, wherein the step of forming the underlying film includes depositing the underlying film under a condition which is selected so that irregularities are formed on the surface thereof.

25. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor physical-quantity sensor as set forth in claim 17, further comprising a step of forming a semiconductor element to detect a physical-quantity applied to the movable portion of the beam structure by converting displacement of the movable portion into electric signals.

26. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor physical-quantity sensor as set forth in claim 25, wherein the semiconductor element includes a stationary electrode disposed in a surface portion of the semiconductor substrate that is apart from the surface portion where the underlying film is disposed, the stationary electrode being composed of a diffusion layer.

27. A semiconductor physical-quantity sensor comprising:

a semiconductor substrate;

a movable portion of a beam structure that is composed of a thin film and disposed over the semiconductor substrate with a cavity interposed therebetween and is displaceable in accordance with an action of a physical quantity; and

an underlying film that has an irregularities surface and has conductivity and that is disposed on a surface of the semiconductor substrate in a region between the semiconductor substrate and the movable portion, wherein the underlying film is electrically connected to the movable portion.

28. The sensor of claim 27, further comprising at least one protrusion that extends from the movable portion, and that includes an end surface with an irregularities region that opposes the irregularities surface of the underlying film.

29. The sensor of claim 28, further comprising a plurality of protrusions that each include an end surface with an irregularities region that opposes the irregularities surface of the underlying film.

30. The sensor of claim 29, wherein the irregularities surface of the underlying film corresponds only to portions of the underlying film located directly underneath the end surfaces of the plurality of protrusions.

31. The sensor of claim 28, wherein the irregularities surface of the underlying film corresponds only to a portion of the underlying film located directly underneath the end surface of the at least one protrusion.

32. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor physical-quantity sensor on a semiconductor substrate, comprising:

depositing on the substrate a surface film that includes an irregular surface region;

depositing a sacrificial layer on the surface film;

depositing a movable sensor component film on the sacrificial layer; and

removing the sacrificial layer beneath the movable sensor component film, by etching, to form a movable sensor component over the irregular surface region of the surface film.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising the step of patterning the sacrificial film to form at least one cavity therein, after the step of depositing a sacrificial film, to cause at least one protrusion to be formed during the subsequent steps of depositing a movable sensor component film and removing the sacrificial layer.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising the step of forming an irregular surface on a bottom surface of the at least one protrusion.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the step of depositing a surface film that includes an irregular surface region comprises depositing a film that includes an irregular surface region only over a region of the substrate that will lie underneath the at least one protrusion.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein the step of patterning the sacrificial film comprises patterning the sacrificial film to form a plurality of cavities therein to cause a plurality of protrusions to be formed.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the step of depositing a film that includes an irregular surface region only over a region of the substrate that will lie underneath the movable sensor component comprises depositing a film that includes an irregular surface region only over those regions of the substrate that will lie underneath the plurality of protrusions.

38. A semiconductor physical-quantity sensor comprising:

a semiconductor substrate;

a movable portion of a beam structure that is composed of a thin film and that is disposed over the semiconductor substrate with a cavity interposed therebetween, and is displaceable in accordance with an action of a physical quantity, the movable portion having an underside with an irregularities surface that opposes the semiconductor substrate; and

an underlying film that has conductivity and that is disposed on a surface of the semiconductor substrate in a region between the semiconductor substrate and the movable portion, wherein the underlying film is electrically connected to the movable portion.

39. The sensor of claim 38, wherein the movable portion of the beam structure includes at least one protrusion including a bottom surface that comprises the underside of the movable portion having an irregularities surface.

40. The sensor of claim 38, wherein the movable portion of the beam structure includes a plurality of protrusions extending downwardly therefrom, the plurality of protrusions each including a bottom surface that comprises the underside of the movable portion having an irregularities surface.