Silicon-rich silicon nitrides as etch stops in MEMS manufacture
First Claim
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1. An unreleased MEMS device, comprising:
- a silicon nitride layer positioned between a sacrificial layer and an electrode layer, wherein the electrode layer is adapted to be movable upon removal of the sacrificial layer and the ratio of silicon to nitrogen in the silicon nitride layer is greater than 3;
4,wherein the unreleased MEMS device is an unreleased interferometric modulator and the electrode layer comprises a metal mirror.
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Abstract
The fabrication of a MEMS device such as an interferometric modulator is improved by employing an etch stop layer between a sacrificial layer and a an electrode. The etch stop may reduce undesirable over-etching of the sacrificial layer and the electrode. The etch stop layer may also serve as a barrier layer, buffer layer, and or template layer. The etch stop layer may include silicon-rich silicon nitride.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. An unreleased MEMS device, comprising:
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a silicon nitride layer positioned between a sacrificial layer and an electrode layer, wherein the electrode layer is adapted to be movable upon removal of the sacrificial layer and the ratio of silicon to nitrogen in the silicon nitride layer is greater than 3;
4,wherein the unreleased MEMS device is an unreleased interferometric modulator and the electrode layer comprises a metal mirror. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An unreleased MEMS device, comprising:
a silicon nitride layer positioned between a sacrificial layer and an electrode layer, wherein the electrode layer is adapted to be movable upon removal of the sacrificial layer, wherein; the silicon nitride layer is of a composition that is susceptible to removal by a fluorine containing gas and substantially resistant to a phosphoric acid/acetic acid/nitric acid etchant, the sacrificial layer is of a composition that is susceptible to removal by the fluorine containing gas, and the electrode layer is of a composition that is susceptible to removal by the phosphoric acid/acetic acid/nitric acid etchant. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of manufacturing a MEMS device, comprising:
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forming a sacrificial layer; forming an electrode layer, wherein the electrode layer is adapted to be movable upon removal of the sacrificial layer, wherein the MEMS device is an interferometric modulator and the electrode layer comprises a metal mirror; forming a silicon nitride layer between the sacrificial layer and the electrode layer, wherein the ratio of silicon to nitrogen in the silicon nitride layer is greater than about 3;
4;patterning the electrode layer; and removing the sacrificial layer. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A method of manufacturing a MEMS device, comprising:
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forming a sacrificial layer; forming an electrode layer, wherein the electrode layer is adapted to be movable upon removal of the sacrificial layer; forming an etch stop layer between the sacrificial layer and the electrode layer; patterning the electrode layer; and
removing the sacrificial layer and etch stop layer with a same etchant. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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Specification