Integrated circuit with unified input device, microprocessor and display systems

• US 7,061,062 B2
• Filed: 07/01/1999
• Issued: 06/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Flannery, Michael R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson, Jerome
• Assistant Examiner(s): DIAZ, JOSE R
• Application Number:
  US09/346,283
• Publication Number:
  US 20020113284A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,539 Days
• Field of Search: 257/414, 257/425, 257/419, 257/443, 257/444, 257/470, 257/461, 257/430, 257/417, 257/467, 257/415, 345 84- 85, 345/98, 345/104, 345/108, 345204-207, 361/681, 361/686, 361717-718
• US Class Current: 257/415
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/822 the substrate being a semiconductor, using silicon technology H01L21/8258 takes precedence

Abstract

An integrated circuit having at least one micromechanical element thereon is described comprising a support substrate, a sensor element electrically connected to a logic circuit, and the logic circuit electrically connected to a semiconductor visual display element. The integrated circuit may be manufactured by a process which comprises providing a support substrate, forming at least two elements selected from a first group consisting of a micromechanical sensor element, a logic circuit and a semiconductor visual display element on said support, and manufacturing at third element on said support substrate, said third element selected from a second group consisting of a micromechanical sensor element, logic circuit and a semiconductor display element, which was not selected from the first group. In one embodiment of the process of manufacture, all three of at least three elements are constructed on the support itself, preferably by a microlithographic process.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit with a micromechanical element comprising:

a semiconductor substrate;

a micromechanical sensor element formed on the semiconductor substrate and comprising a microengineered movable element;

a logic circuit formed on the semiconductor substrate; and

a semiconductor visual display element formed on the semiconductor substrate;

wherein the sensor element is electrically connected to the logic circuit, and the logic circuit is electrically connected to the semiconductor visual display element.

2. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein said semiconductor display element comprises an array of light-emitting pn junctions.

3. The integrated circuit of claim 2 wherein said light-emitting pn junctions comprise GaAs light-emitting pn junctions.

4. The integrated circuit of claim 3 wherein said visual display element comprises an array of semiconductor pixels having pitch dimensions of less than 20 micrometers.

5. The integrated circuit of claim 2 wherein said visual display element comprises an array of semiconductor pixels having pitch dimensions of less than 20 micrometers.

6. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein said visual display element comprises an array of semiconductor pixels having pitch dimensions of less than 20 micrometers.

7. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein said sensor element is selected from the group consisting of strain gauges, thermal gauges, radiation gauges, and chemically responsive gauges.

8. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein the visual display element provides a visual indication of a condition sensed by the sensor element.

9. The integrated circuit of claim 8 wherein the visual indication comprises an alphanumeric character.

10. The integrated circuit of claim 8 wherein the visual indication comprises multiple colors.

11. An integrated circuit with a micromechanical element comprising:

a semiconductor substrate;

a moveable micromechanical sensor element formed on the semiconductor substrate;

a logic circuit formed on the semiconductor substrate; and

a semiconductor light emitting visual display element formed on the semiconductor substrate;

wherein the moveable micromechanical sensor element is electrically connected to the logic circuit, and the logic circuit is electrically connected to the semiconductor light emitting visual display element.

12. An integrated circuit provided on a semiconductor substrate with a unified input element and display element, the integrated circuit comprising:

a moveable microengineered input element formed on the substrate;

a logic circuit configured on the substrate and electrically connected to the input element; and

an output element, the logic circuit being electrically connected to the output element;

wherein the output element is a semiconductor visual display element formed on the substrate.

13. The integrated circuit of claim 12, wherein the input element is selected from a group consisting of an inertial sensor and an accelerometer.

14. The integrated circuit of claim 12, wherein the input element is selected from a group consisting of a strain gauge, a thermal gauge, a radiation gauge, and a chemically responsive gauge.

15. The integrated circuit of claim 12, wherein the input element is a micromechanical sensor element.

16. The integrated circuit of claim 15, wherein the micromechanical sensor element is configured to generate an electrical signal in response to an environmental or conditional change.

17. The integrated circuit of claim 16, wherein the output element is an array comprising pixels of less than 25 micrometers.

18. The integrated circuit of claim 16, wherein the output element is an array comprising pixels configured to display alphanumeric characters.

19. The integrated circuit of claim 18 wherein the input element is a first input element, the integrated circuit further comprising:

a second input element.

20. An integrated circuit provided on a semiconductor substrate with a unified input element and display element, the integrated circuit comprising:

a moveable microengineered input element formed on the substrate that senses a condition;

a logic circuit configured on the substrate and electrically connected to the input element; and

a visual display element supported by the substrate and coupled to the logic circuit that provides a visual image;

wherein the visual image is a visual representation of the sensed condition.

21. An integrated circuit provided on a semiconductor substrate with a unified input element and display element, the integrated circuit comprising:

a moveable microengineered input element formed on the substrate that senses a condition, wherein the input element is a strain gauge;

a logic circuit configured on the substrate and electrically connected to the input element; and

a visual display element having multiple light-emitting pn junctions supported by the substrate and coupled to the logic circuit, wherein the visual display element provides a visual image comprising a visual representation of the sensed condition.