Capacitance type dynamic quantity sensor device

• US 6,876,093 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2004
• Issued: 04/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Ohta, Tameharu, Goto, Keisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelms, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, LONG K
• Application Number:
  US10/893,880
• Publication Number:
  US 20050051910A1
• Time in Patent Office: 259 Days
• Field of Search: 257/415, 257/417, 257/418, 257/692, 257/698, 257/724, 257/780, 257/798, 438/48, 438/50, 438/51, 438/52, 438/53, 438/700, 438/701, 438/706, 438/719, 438/723, 735/141.6, 735/143.2, 735/143.3, 735/143.4
• US Class Current: 257/798
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5719 using planar vibrating masses driven in a translation vibration along an axis
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/023 for acceleration measuring devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/0802 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/125 by capacitive pick-up
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/18 in two or more dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 2015/0814 for translational movement of the mass, e.g. shuttle type

Abstract

A capacitance type dynamic quantity sensor device includes a sensor chip having movable electrodes and sensor-chip side fixed electrodes disposed to confront the movable electrodes in a substrate surface horizontal direction X and a circuit chip disposed to confront the sensor chip. The movable electrodes are joined to the substrate through spring portions having degrees of freedom in the substrate surface horizontal direction X and the substrate surface vertical direction Z, so that the movable electrodes are displaceable in both the directions X and Z. A circuit-chip side fixed electrode is equipped at the site corresponding to the movable electrodes. The sensor chip and the circuit chip are electrically connected to each other through bump electrodes.

Claims

1. A capacitance type dynamic quantity sensor device comprising:

a sensor chip having movable electrodes which can be displaced in predetermined directions in accordance with an applied dynamic quantity, and sensor-chip side fixed electrodes disposed so as to confront the movable electrodes in a horizontal direction to a surface of a substrate of the sensor chip, wherein the movable electrodes and the sensor-chip side electrodes are disposed on one surface side of the substrate; and

a circuit chip for processing an output signal from the sensor chip, wherein the movable electrodes are joined to the substrate through spring portions having degrees of freedom in both a horizontal direction to a surface of the substrate and a vertical direction to the surface of the substrate, wherein the movable electrodes are displaceable in the horizontal direction to the surface of the substrate and the vertical direction to the surface of the substrate which correspond to the predetermined direction, wherein one surface of the substrate of the sensor chip and the circuit chip are disposed to confront each other, wherein a circuit-chip side fixed electrode is equipped at a site corresponding to the movable electrodes on a confronting surface of the circuit chip to the substrate, wherein the sensor chip and the circuit chip are electrically connected to each other through bump electrodes, and wherein the dynamic quantity is detected on the basis of a capacitance variation between the movable electrodes and the sensor-chip side fixed electrode and a capacitance variation between the movable electrodes and the circuit-chip side fixed electrode caused by application of the dynamic quantity.

2. The capacitance type dynamic quantity sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the movable electrodes are disposed in a comb-shaped arrangement, and the sensor-chip side fixed electrodes are also disposed in a comb-shaped arrangement so that the comb-shaped movable electrodes are inserted in gaps between the respective comb-shaped sensor-chip side fixed electrodes, and the circuit-chip side fixed electrode has a comb-shape corresponding to the comb-shaped arrangement of the movable electrodes.

3. The capacitance type dynamic quantity sensor device according to claim 1, further comprising a support layer for supporting the sensor chip and the circuit chip in a parallel configuration, wherein the support layer is at least as thick as the bump electrodes.

4. The capacitance type dynamic quantity sensor device according to claim 3, wherein the support layer is formed from same material as the bump electrodes.

5. The capacitance type dynamic quantity sensor device according to claim 3, wherein the support layer is disposed at least at an opposite side to the bump electrodes in the sensor chip.

6. The capacitance type dynamic quantity sensor device according to claim 5, wherein the support layer surrounds a peripheral edge portion in the sensor chip.