Semiconductor physical quantity sensor

• US 6,450,031 B1
• Filed: 07/26/2000
• Issued: 09/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Nakagawa, Youko, Sakai, Minekazu, Aoyama, Seiki, Murata, Minoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Hezron
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAINT SURIN, JACQUES M
• Application Number:
  US09/625,860
• Time in Patent Office: 783 Days
• Field of Search: 735/141.6, 735/142.4, 735/142.9, 735/143.2, 735/040.4, 735/041.5, 735/141.8, 361/280, 361/283.1, 361/283.2, 361/283.3, 257/415
• US Class Current: 73/514.16
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/0235 Accelerometers
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2203/0109 Bridges
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2203/051 Translation according to an axis parallel to the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 3/0086 Electrical characteristics, e.g. reducing driving voltage, improving resistance to peak voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/0802 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/125 by capacitive pick-up
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 2015/0814 for translational movement of the mass, e.g. shuttle type

Abstract

A semiconductor physical quantity sensor from which a stable sensor output can be obtained even when the usage environment changes. A silicon thin film is disposed on an insulating film on a supporting substrate, and a bridge structure having a weight part and moving electrodes and cantilever structures having fixed electrodes are formed as separate sections from this silicon thin film. The moving electrodes provided on the weight part and the cantilevered fixed electrodes are disposed facing each other. Slits are formed at root portions of the cantilevered fixed electrodes at the fixed ends thereof, and the width W1 of the root portions is thereby made narrower than the width W2 of the fixed electrodes proper. As a result, the transmission of warp of the supporting substrate to the cantilevered fixed electrodes is suppressed.

Claims

1. A semiconductor physical quantity sensor comprising:

a supporting substrate;

a semiconductor substrate for sensor element supported to the supporting substrate;

a bridge structure formed in the semiconductor substrate for sensor element, the bridge structure having a bridge-like weight part and a moving electrode provided on the weight part;

a cantilever structure formed in the semiconductor substrate for sensor element by being divided from the bridge structure, the cantilever structure having a cantilevered fixed electrode disposed facing the moving electrode;

wherein a width of a root portion of the cantilevered fixed electrode at a fixed end thereof is narrower than a width of the fixed electrode, and a physical quantity is detected on the basis of a displacement of the moving electrode relative to the fixed electrode caused by action of the physical quantity.

2. A semiconductor physical quantity sensor according to claim 1, wherein the cantilevered fixed electrode includes first and second fixed electrodes provided to differentially detect the displacement of the moving electrode accompanying the action of the physical quantity.

3. A semiconductor physical quantity sensor according to claim 1, wherein each of the moving electrode and the fixed electrode forms a comb shape, and the width of the root portion at the fixed end of a comb-shaped fixed electrode is narrower than the width of the comb-shaped fixed electrode.

4. A semiconductor physical quantity sensor according to claim 1, wherein when the spring coefficient of the bridge structure having the moving electrode is written Km and the spring coefficient of the cantilever structure having the fixed electrode is written Kf, then Kf≧

Km×

100.

5. A semiconductor physical quantity sensor according to claim 1, wherein a change of the relative positioning of the moving electrode and the fixed electrode is detected as a change in a capacitance between the two electrodes.

6. A semiconductor physical quantity sensor according to claim 1, wherein the width of the root portion at the fixed end of the cantilevered fixed electrode is not more than ½

of the width of the fixed electrode.

7. A semiconductor physical quantity sensor comprising:

a supporting substrate made of a semiconductor, having an opening of a predetermined shape opening at one side of the supporting substrate;

a moving electrode part supported to the supporting substrate, for displacing over the opening in correspondence with an applied physical quantity;

a first fixed electrode portion defining a first detection capacitance between itself and the moving electrode part; and

a second fixed electrode portion defining a second detection capacitance between itself and the moving electrode part, the applied physical quantity is detected on the basis of the difference between the first detection capacitance and the second detection capacitance when the moving electrode displaces in correspondence with the applied physical quantity,

wherein each of the first and second fixed electrode portions includes;

a first facing electrode and a second facing electrode disposed facing the moving electrode over the opening; and

a first interconnection part fixed to the supporting substrate and supports the first facing electrode, and a second interconnection part fixed to the supporting substrate and supports the second facing electrodes, and

each of the first and second interconnection parts of each of the first and second fixed electrode portions are electrically independent from each other and disposed facing each other on opposite sides of the opening in the supporting substrate.

8. A semiconductor physical quantity sensor according to claim 7, wherein the first and second interconnection parts all have substantially the same interconnection area.

9. A semiconductor physical quantity sensor according to claim 7, wherein:

the opening is formed in a rectangular;

the moving electrode part is disposed crossing over the opening between one pair of opposite sidewalls of the opening in the supporting substrate; and

the first and second interconnection parts are disposed on the other pair of opposite sides of the opening in the supporting substrate.

10. A semiconductor physical quantity sensor according to claim 7, wherein:

the moving electrode part comprises;

a weight part supported to the opening by its ends in a direction in which the moving electrode displaces on the supporting substrate on opposite sides of the opening; and

first and second projecting parts projecting from this weight part in mutually opposite directions orthogonal to the direction in which the moving electrode displaces,

the first projecting parts are made up of parts facing the first facing electrode in the first fixed electrode pair and parts facing the first facing electrode in the second fixed electrode, and

the second projecting parts are made up of parts facing the second facing electrode in the first fixed electrode pair and parts facing the second facing electrodes in the second fixed electrode.

11. A semiconductor physical quantity sensor comprising:

a supporting substrate made of a semiconductor, having an opening of a predetermined shape opening at one side of the substrate;

a moving electrode part supported to the supporting substrate, for displacing over the opening in correspondence with an applied physical quantity;

a fixed electrode portion fixed to an edge of the supporting substrate at the opening and disposed facing the moving electrode part, the applied physical quantity is detected on the basis of the difference between the first detection capacitance and the second detection capacitance when the moving electrode displaces in correspondence with the applied physical quantity; and

an interconnection part provided at parts of the fixed electrode part fixed to the edge of the supporting substrate at the opening constitute, the interconnection part for extracting signals to outside, the interconnection part having voids where portions of the interconnection part has been removed so that the supporting substrate is exposed are formed in parts of the interconnection parts overlapping with the supporting substrate.

12. A semiconductor physical quantity sensor according to claim 11, where in the interconnection part is formed so that the voids consist of multiple rectangular through holes passing through the interconnection parts from their surfaces to the supporting substrate and arranged to form a rahmen rigid frame structure.

13. A semiconductor physical quantity sensor comprising:

a supporting substrate made of a semiconductor, having an opening of a predetermined shape opening at one side of the substrate;

a moving electrode part supported by the supporting substrate, for displacing over the opening in correspondence with an applied physical quantity;

a fixed electrode portion fixed to an edge of the supporting substrate at the opening and disposed facing the moving electrode part, the applied physical quantity is detected on the basis of the difference between the first detection capacitance and the second detection capacitance when the moving electrode displaces in correspondence with the applied physical quantity;

a moving electrode pad formed on the supporting substrate on a first side of the opening, for connecting a wire that electrically connects the moving electrode part to an external part; and

a fixed electrode pad formed on the supporting substrate on a second side of the opening facing the first side, for connecting a wire that electrically connects the fixed electrode part to the external part.

14. A semiconductor physical quantity sensor comprising:

a supporting substrate made of a semiconductor,

a moving electrode part supported by the supporting substrate, for displacing in correspondence with an applied physical quantity; and

a fixed electrode parts fixed to the supporting substrate and disposed facing the moving electrode part, the applied physical quantity is detected on the basis of the difference between the first detection capacitance and the second detection capacitance when the moving electrode displaces in correspondence with the applied physical quantity;

a moving electrode wire electrically connecting the moving electrode to an external part; and

a fixed electrode wire electrically connecting the fixed electrode to the external part, the fixed electrode wire is apart by a distance of at least 80 μ

m from the moving electrode wires.

15. A semiconductor physical quantity sensor according to claim 14, wherein the moving electrode wire is apart by a distance of at least 100 μ

m from the fixed electrode wires.