Resiliently packaged MEMs device and method for making same
First Claim
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1. A micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS) device comprising:
- a) a component layer having a frame and at least one component movably connected to the frame;
b) an actuator layer having at least one conductive path and at least one actuator for moving the component;
c) at least one spacer to separate the component layer and the actuator layer by a vertical gap spacing, the spacer optionally being separate from or part of the component layer and/or the actuator layer; and
d) at least one resilient member coupled to the component layer and the actuator layer, wherein the component layer, spacer and actuator layer are held in laterally-aligned and vertically spaced relation by resilient force from the resilient member.
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Abstract
In accordance with the invention, a MEMs device comprises a component layer, an actuator layer and an intervening spacer. The component layer, the spacer and the actuator layer are assembled at ambient temperature and held together in lateral alignment by resilient spring members. The spacer provides the walls of a cavity between a component and an actuator to permit movement of the component. The walls are advantageously conductive and cover the bulk of the peripheral boundary of the cavity to provide electrostatic isolation and aerodynamic isolation.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. A micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS) device comprising:
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a) a component layer having a frame and at least one component movably connected to the frame;
b) an actuator layer having at least one conductive path and at least one actuator for moving the component;
c) at least one spacer to separate the component layer and the actuator layer by a vertical gap spacing, the spacer optionally being separate from or part of the component layer and/or the actuator layer; and
d) at least one resilient member coupled to the component layer and the actuator layer, wherein the component layer, spacer and actuator layer are held in laterally-aligned and vertically spaced relation by resilient force from the resilient member. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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16. The MEMs device of 15 wherein the spacer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of Si, Mo, W, Zr, Hf, Ta, Ti, Fe—
- Ni alloys or Fe—
Co—
Ni alloys.
- Ni alloys or Fe—
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28. A method of assembling a MEMS device at ambient temperature comprising the steps of:
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a) providing a component layer comprising a frame and at least one movable component movably coupled to the frame;
b) providing an actuation layer which contains at least one actuator for moving the movable component;
c) disposing a spacer between the component layer and the actuator layer so as to provide a predetermined vertical spacing gap between them, the spacer optionally being separate from or part of the mirror layer and/or the actuator layer; and
d) coupling at least one resilient member to the component layer and the actuator layer to hold the component layer, the spacer and the actuator layer together by resilient force. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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Specification