Micromechanical sensor including a single-crystal silicon support
First Claim
1. A micromechanical sensor, comprising:
- a support of silicon substrate having an epitaxial layer of polycrystalline silicon applied thereon, a part of the epitaxial layer being laid bare by an etching process to form at least one micromechanical deflection part, the at least micromechanical deflection part connected, at least one side, to the silicon substrate via a support region made of single-crystal silicon, the at least one micromechanical deflection part being deflected out of an initial position upon application of a force to the micromechanical sensor, the micromechanical sensor further comprising an evaluation circuit for evaluating the deflection of the micromechanical deflection part, wherein the micromechanical deflection part includes a plate supported at its corners, and wherein the micromechanical sensor is a capacitive acceleration sensor with lateral sensitivity.
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Abstract
A micromechanical sensor includes a support of silicon substrate having an epitaxial layer of silicon applied on the silicon substrate. A part of the epitaxial layer is laid bare to form at least one micromechanical deflection part by an etching process. The bared deflection part is made of polycrystalline silicon which has grown in polycrystalline form during the epitaxial process over a silicon-oxide layer which has been removed by etching. In the support region and/or at the connection to the silicon substrate, the exposed deflection part passes into single crystal silicon. By large layer thicknesses, a large working capacity of the sensor is possible. The sensor structure provides enhanced mechanical stability, processability, and possibilities of shaping, and it can be integrated, in particular, in a bipolar process or mixed process (bipolar-CMOS, bipolar-CMOS-DMOS).
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. A micromechanical sensor, comprising:
a support of silicon substrate having an epitaxial layer of polycrystalline silicon applied thereon, a part of the epitaxial layer being laid bare by an etching process to form at least one micromechanical deflection part, the at least micromechanical deflection part connected, at least one side, to the silicon substrate via a support region made of single-crystal silicon, the at least one micromechanical deflection part being deflected out of an initial position upon application of a force to the micromechanical sensor, the micromechanical sensor further comprising an evaluation circuit for evaluating the deflection of the micromechanical deflection part, wherein the micromechanical deflection part includes a plate supported at its corners, and wherein the micromechanical sensor is a capacitive acceleration sensor with lateral sensitivity.
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2. A micromechanical sensor, comprising:
a support of silicon substrate having an epitaxial layer of polycrystalline silicon applied thereon, a part of the epitaxial layer being laid bare by an etching process to form at least one micromechanical deflection part, the at least micromechanical deflection part connected, at least one side, to the silicon substrate via a support region made of single-crystal silicon, the at least one micromechanical deflection part being deflected out of an initial position upon application of a force to the micromechanical sensor, the micromechanical sensor further comprising an evaluation circuit for evaluating the deflection of the micromechanical deflection part, wherein the micromechanical deflection part includes a plate supported at its corners, and wherein the micromechanical sensor is a capacitive acceleration sensor with sensitivity in a direction of detection.
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3. A micromechanical sensor comprising:
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a single-crystalline silicon substrate having a substrate surface; and a sensor element arranged on the substrate surface and including at least one polycrystalline silicon deflection part and silicon support regions, the at least one deflection part being deflectable from an initial position upon an application of a force to the sensor element, the at least one deflection part being connected to the silicon substrate via the support regions, wherein the at least one polycrystalline silicon deflection part is converted into at least one single-crystalline silicon deflection part at the support regions. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification