MEMS teeter-totter apparatus with curved beam and method of manufacture
First Claim
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1. A teeter-totter apparatus, comprising:
- at least one curved beam which pivots on a pivot point coupled to a surface of a substrate, and which is coupled to at least one moveable plate of a capacitor;
a proof mass coupled to one end of the curved beam;
at least one stationary structure coupled to the substrate which defines at least one stationary plate of the capacitor, wherein the moveable plate and the stationary plate are oriented perpendicular to a plane defined by the substrate surface.
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Abstract
A teeter-totter apparatus uses a curved beam to generate a differential output which may be indicative of an acceleration applied to the apparatus. The curved-beam teeter-totter apparatus can be combined with an x-axis and y-axis accelerometer, to produce a tri-axis accelerometer which is sensitive to an acceleration applied in any direction. Damping plates may be added to the accelerometers to reduce unwanted motion.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A teeter-totter apparatus, comprising:
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at least one curved beam which pivots on a pivot point coupled to a surface of a substrate, and which is coupled to at least one moveable plate of a capacitor; a proof mass coupled to one end of the curved beam; at least one stationary structure coupled to the substrate which defines at least one stationary plate of the capacitor, wherein the moveable plate and the stationary plate are oriented perpendicular to a plane defined by the substrate surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 20)
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15. A method for fabricating an apparatus on a substrate, comprising:
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forming at least one curved beam which rotates about an axis substantially parallel to a substrate surface; forming at least one moveable plate of a capacitor on the curved beam; forming at least one stationary structure coupled to the substrate which defines at least one stationary plate of the capacitor, wherein the moveable plate and the stationary plate are oriented substantially perpendicularly to a plane defined by the substrate surface; forming a proof mass on at least one end of the curved beam; and forming electrical connections to the stationary plate and the moveable plate, which generate a signal indicative of an acceleration in a direction substantially perpendicular to the substrate surface, by detecting a rotation of the curved beam. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification