Micromechanical sensors and methods of manufacturing same

• US 7,190,038 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2004
• Issued: 03/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Dehe, Alfons, Fueldner, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): TSAI, H JEY
• Application Number:
  US10/866,582
• Publication Number:
  US 20040259286A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 257415-420, 367174-191
• US Class Current: 257/415
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/0257 Microphones or microspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2203/0127 Diaphragms, i.e. structures separating two media that can control the passage from one medium to another; Membranes, i.e. diaphragms with filtering function
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 3/0021 Transducers for transforming electrical into mechanical energy or vice versa dynamo-electric machines H02K99/00; electrostatic machines H02N1/00; piezoelectric devices H10N30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 19/005 using semiconductor materials
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 19/04 Microphones H04R19/01 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 31/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of transducers or diaphragms therefor manufacture of microstructural arrangements of deformable or non-deformable structures in general B81C1/00182

Abstract

A micromechanical sensor and, in particular, a silicon microphone, includes a movable membrane and a counter element in which perforation openings are formed, opposite to the movable membrane via a cavity. The perforation openings are formed by slots, the width of which maximally corresponds to double the spacing defined by the cavity between the membrane and the counter element.

Claims

1. A micromechanical sensor comprising:

a movable membrane; and

a counter element in which perforation openings are formed, opposite to the movable membrane via a cavity,

wherein the perforation openings are formed by slots, the width of which maximally corresponds to double the spacing defined by the cavity between the membrane and the counter element,

wherein the slots are arranged in rows and columns and wherein slots adjacent to each other in the rows and columns are perpendicular to each other.

2. The micromechanical sensor according to claim 1, wherein the width of the slots is maximally 2 μ

m.

3. The micromechanical sensor according to claim 1, wherein the length of the slots is at least double the width of them but less than half the dimension of the counter element.

6. The micromechanical sensor according to claim 1, wherein the area of the perforation openings basically is 10 to 50% of the entire area of the counter element.

7. The micromechanical sensor according to claim 1, wherein the micromechanical sensor is a microphone and the counter element is a counter electrode.

8. The micromechanical sensor according to claim 7, wherein the microphone is a one-chip microphone.

9. The micromechanical sensor according to claim 1, wherein the slots are rectangular slots.

4. A micromechanical sensor comprising:

a movable membrane; and

a counter element in which perforation openings are formed, opposite to the movable membrane via a cavity,

wherein the perforation openings are formed by slots, the width of which maximally corresponds to double the spacing defined by the cavity between the membrane and the counter element, wherein the slots form slot crosses.

5. The micromechanical sensor according to claim 4, wherein slot crosses are arranged in rows and the slot crosses of neighboring rows are offset to one another.

10. A micromechanical sensor comprising:

a movable membrane; and

a counter element in which perforation openings are formed, opposite to the movable membrane via a cavity,

wherein the perforation openings are formed by slots, the width of which maximally corresponds to double the spacing defined by the cavity between the membrane and the counter element,

wherein the slots are arranged in rows and wherein the slots of adjacent rows are offset with respect to each other.