Method for manufacturing a semiconductor material integrated microactuator, in particular for a hard disc mobile read/write head, and a microactuator obtained thereby

• US 6,458,616 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2001
• Issued: 10/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics SRL (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics SRL (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Ferrari, Paolo, Vigna, Benedetto
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Malsawma, Lex H.
• Application Number:
  US09/768,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20010009776A1
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• Field of Search: 438/50, 438/52, 438/341, 438/357, 360/75, 310/309, 310/312, 310/313.B
• US Class Current: 438/50
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 1/006 of the gap-closing type H02N1/004 takes precedence

Abstract

The integrated microactuator has a stator and a rotor having a circular extension with radial arms which support electrodes extending in a substantially circumferential direction and interleaved with one another. For the manufacture, first a sacrificial region is formed on a silicon substrate; an epitaxial layer is then grown; the circuitry electronic components and the biasing conductive regions are formed; subsequently a. portion of substrate beneath the sacrificial region is removed, forming an aperture extending through the entire substrate; the epitaxial layer is excavated to define and separate from one another the rotor and the stator, and finally the sacrificial region is removed to release the mobile structures from the remainder of the chip.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing an integrated microactuator, the method comprising:

growing an epitaxial layer on a substrate to form a semiconductor material wafer;

removing selective portions of the epitaxial layer to define a rotor element and a stator element facing and capacitively coupled to the rotor element;

removing a portion of the substrate below the rotor element and a suspended mass connected to the rotor element to form an aperture in the substrate; and

before the step of growing an epitaxial layer, the step of forming a sacrificial region on the substrate at the rotor element and the suspended mass, and wherein the step of removing a portion of the substrate also comprises the step of removing the sacrificial region to form an air gap.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the removing a portion of the substrate is performed by back-etching.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the substrate and the epitaxial layer have a first conductivity type, and further comprising, before the step of growing an epitaxial layer, the steps of forming, in the substrate, buried contact regions with a second conductivity type and, on the buried contact regions, electrically insulating material regions delimiting between one another selective contact portions of the buried contact regions;

and, after the step of growing an epitaxial layer, the step of forming a well with the second conductivity type, at the stator and rotor elements, and sinker contact regions extending laterally to the well from a surface of the epitaxial layer, as far as buried contact regions, thereby forming sinker contact regions.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising, before the step of removing selective portions of the epitaxial layer, the step of forming electronic components in the epitaxial layer.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of removing selective portions of the epitaxial layer comprises the step of forming a trench extending throughout the depth of the epitaxial layer, and forming a suspended mass, said suspended mass having a substantially circular shape and supporting mobile arms which extend radially and have first extensions extending in a substantially transverse direction on both sides of the mobile arms, and being interleaved with corresponding second extensions extending in said substantially transverse direction from corresponding fixed arms extending radially and integrally with corresponding fixed regions supported by the substrate.

6. A method for manufacturing an integrated microactuator, the method comprising:

forming, in a substrate of a first conductivity type, buried contact regions with a second conductivity type and, on the buried contact regions, electrically insulating material regions delimiting between one another selective contact portions of the buried contact regions;

growing an epitaxial layer having the first conductivity type on the substrate to form a semiconductor material wafer;

removing selective portions of the epitaxial layer to define a rotor element and a stator element facing and capacitively coupled to the rotor element;

forming a well with the second conductivity type, at the stator and rotor elements, and sinker contact regions extending laterally to the well from a surface of the epitaxial layer, as far as buried contact regions, thereby forming sinker contact regions; and

removing a portion of the substrate below the rotor element to form an aperture in the substrate.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the removing a portion of the substrate is performed by back-etching.

8. A method according to claim 6, further comprising, before the step of removing selective portions of the epitaxial layer, the step of forming electronic components in the epitaxial layer.

9. A method according to claim 6, wherein the step of removing selective portions of the epitaxial layer comprises the step of forming a trench extending throughout the depth of the epitaxial layer, and forming a suspended mass, said suspended mass having a substantially circular shape and supporting mobile arms which extend radially and have first extensions extending in a substantially transverse direction on both sides of the mobile arms, and being interleaved with corresponding second extensions extending in said substantially transverse direction from corresponding fixed arms extending radially and integrally with corresponding fixed regions supported by the substrate.

10. A method for manufacturing an integrated microactuator, the method comprising:

growing an epitaxial layer on a substrate to form a semiconductor material wafer;

removing selective portions of the epitaxial layer to define a rotor element and a stator element facing and capacitively coupled to the rotor element; and

removing a portion of the substrate below the rotor element to form an aperture in the substrate, wherein the step of removing selective portions of the epitaxial layer comprises the step of forming a trench extending throughout the depth of the epitaxial layer, and forming a suspended mass, said suspended mass having a substantially circular shape and supporting mobile arms which extend radially and have first extensions extending in a substantially transverse direction on both sides of the mobile arms, and being interleaved with corresponding second extensions extending in said substantially transverse direction from corresponding fixed arms extending radially and integrally with corresponding fixed regions supported by the substrate.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the removing a portion of the substrate is performed by back-etching.

12. A method according to claim 10, further comprising, before the step of removing selective portions of the epitaxial layer, the step of forming electronic components in the epitaxial layer.