Method and system for locally annealing a microstructure formed on a substrate and device formed thereby
First Claim
1. A system for locally annealing a predetermined microstructure formed on a substrate of a device, the system comprising:
- an annealing power supply; and
means adapted to be coupled to a microscopic part of the device for transferring power from the annealing power supply to the microscopic part in the form of an electrical signal so that microscopic part of the device converts the transferred power to a controlled amount of heat over a period of time sufficient to change material and/or microstructural properties of the predetermined microstructure without significantly affecting any other microstructure formed on the substrate.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A batch-compatible, post-fabrication annealing method and system are described that can be used to trim the resonance frequency and enhance the quality factor of mechanical microstructures, particularly micromechanical structures, such as micromechanical resonators. The technique involves running a current through a micromechanical structure, or through a nearby microstructure (e.g., a nearby resistor), thereby dissipating power and heating the structure to temperatures high enough to change its microstructure and/or its material properties, which then lead to changes in the microstructure'"'"'s resonance frequency and quality factor. For micromechanical structures, this technique is particularly useful, since it allows for convenient, simultaneous trimming of many microstructures all at once, and can be implemented via the simple application of a voltage across the anchor points of a micromechanical structure.
66 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A system for locally annealing a predetermined microstructure formed on a substrate of a device, the system comprising:
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an annealing power supply; and
means adapted to be coupled to a microscopic part of the device for transferring power from the annealing power supply to the microscopic part in the form of an electrical signal so that microscopic part of the device converts the transferred power to a controlled amount of heat over a period of time sufficient to change material and/or microstructural properties of the predetermined microstructure without significantly affecting any other microstructure formed on the substrate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A device having at least one microstructure formed on a substrate, the improvement comprising:
electrodes formed on the substrate and electrically coupled to a predetermined microstructure to receive an electrical signal which, in turn, causes an electrical current to flow through the predetermined microstructure to controllably and directly heat the predetermined microstructure over a period of time sufficient to change material and/or microstructural properties of the predetermined microstructure without substantially affecting any other microstructure formed on the substrate. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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23. A device having at least one microstructure formed on a substrate, the improvement comprising:
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a microplatform formed on and thermally isolated from the substrate;
at least one microstructure formed on the microplatform; and
a resistive heating element formed on the microplatform and adapted to receive a signal which, in turn, causes the element to indirectly heat any microstructure formed on the microplatform including the at least one microstructure over a period of time sufficient to change material and/or microstructural properties of the at least one microstructure without substantially affecting any other microstructure formed on the substrate but not on the microplatform. - View Dependent Claims (24)
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25. A device having at least one microstructure formed on a substrate, the improvement comprising:
a resistive heating element formed on the substrate immediately adjacent a predetermined microstructure and adapted to receive a signal which, in turn, causes the element to indirectly heat the predetermined microstructure over a period of time sufficient to change material and/or microstructural properties of the predetermined microstructure without substantially affecting any other microstructure on the substrate. - View Dependent Claims (26)
Specification