Micro-machined device structures having on and off-axis orientations
First Claim
1. A method of fabricating a micro-machined device on a substrate, the micro-machined device including at least one first component having a critical physical dimension or alignment on the substrate, and at least one non-critical second component, the method comprising the steps of:
- depositing at least one layer onto a surface of the substrate;
masking the deposited layer using a predetermined mask pattern, the mask pattern having first and second mutually orthogonal axes associated therewith, the mask pattern being configured to define respective regions on the deposited layer corresponding to the first and second components of the device, the respective region corresponding to the at least one first component having an associated critical axis oriented substantially parallel to the first or second axis associated with the mask pattern, and the respective region corresponding to the at least one second component having an associated non-critical axis oriented off the first and second axes associated with the mask pattern; and
etching the masked layer to transfer the mask pattern to the layer.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A micro-machined multi-sensor that provides 1-axis of acceleration sensing and 2-axes of angular rate sensing. A method of fabricating the micro-machined multi-sensor includes depositing a layer of sacrificial material or structural material onto the substrate surface. The deposited layer of sacrificial or structural material is then masked with a predetermined mask pattern formed using a rectilinear grid having multiple horizontal and vertical spacings. The mask pattern defines the functional components of the sensor device. In the event the multi-sensor includes at least one functional component whose alignment on the substrate is critical to the optimal performance of the sensor, the critical component is defined so that its longitudinal axis is substantially parallel to the horizontal or vertical axis of the mask. In the event the multi-sensor includes at least one functional component whose alignment on the substrate surface is not critical to optimal sensor performance, the non-critical component may be defined so that its longitudinal axis is not parallel to the horizontal and vertical axes of the mask.
-
Citations
12 Claims
-
1. A method of fabricating a micro-machined device on a substrate, the micro-machined device including at least one first component having a critical physical dimension or alignment on the substrate, and at least one non-critical second component, the method comprising the steps of:
-
depositing at least one layer onto a surface of the substrate;
masking the deposited layer using a predetermined mask pattern, the mask pattern having first and second mutually orthogonal axes associated therewith, the mask pattern being configured to define respective regions on the deposited layer corresponding to the first and second components of the device, the respective region corresponding to the at least one first component having an associated critical axis oriented substantially parallel to the first or second axis associated with the mask pattern, and the respective region corresponding to the at least one second component having an associated non-critical axis oriented off the first and second axes associated with the mask pattern; and
etching the masked layer to transfer the mask pattern to the layer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
Specification