Method for fabricating MEMS device

• US 8,030,112 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2010
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Solid State System Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Solid State System Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Chien-Hsing, Hsieh, Tsung-Min, Liou, Jhyy-Cheng
• Primary Examiner(s): GHYKA, ALEXANDER G
• Application Number:
  US12/691,754
• Publication Number:
  US 20110183456A1
• Time in Patent Office: 620 Days
• Field of Search: 438/50, 438/51, 438/52
• US Class Current: 438/51
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2203/0315 Cavities
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2207/015 the micromechanical device and the control or processing electronics being integrated on the same substrate
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 1/00246 Monolithic integration, i.e. micromechanical structure and electronic processing unit are integrated on the same substrate
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 2201/016 Passivation
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 2203/0714 Forming the micromechanical structure with a CMOS process
• 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 method for fabricating MEMS device includes: providing a single crystal substrate, having first surface and second surface and having a MEMS region and an IC region; forming SCS mass blocks on the first surface in the MEMS region; forming a structural dielectric layer over the first surface of the substrate, wherein a dielectric member of the structural dielectric layer is filled in spaces surrounding the SCS mass blocks in the MEMS region, the IC region has a circuit structure with an interconnection structure formed in the structural dielectric layer; patterning the single crystal substrate by an etching process on the second surface to expose a portion of the dielectric member filled in the spaces surrounding the SCS mass blocks; performing isotropic etching process at least on the dielectric portion filled in the spaces surrounding the SCS mass blocks. The SCS mass blocks are exposed to release a MEMS structure.

Claims

1. A method for fabricating microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device, comprising:

providing a single crystal substrate, having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface and having a MEMS region and an integrated-circuit (IC) region;

forming a plurality of SCS (single crystal structure) mass blocks on the first surface of the substrate in the MEMS region;

forming a structural dielectric layer over the first surface of the substrate, wherein the structural dielectric layer has a dielectric member and spaces surrounding the SCS mass blocks in the MEMS region are filled with the dielectric member, wherein the IC region has a circuit structure with an interconnection structure formed in the structural dielectric layer;

patterning the single crystal substrate by an etching process on the second surface to expose a portion of the dielectric member filled in the spaces surrounding the SCS mass blocks; and

performing an isotropic etching process at least on the dielectric member filled in the spaces surrounding the SCS mass blocks, wherein the SCS mass blocks are exposed to release a MEMS structure.

2. The method for fabricating MEMS device in claim 1, wherein the step of forming the mass blocks comprises:

forming a first mask layer corresponding to the SCS mass blocks in an arbitrary shape on the first surface of the substrate, wherein the first mask layer has multiple first opening patterns at the MEMS region to expose the substrate;

etching the substrate with the first mask layer as an etching mask to form a plurality of trenches at a depth to produce the SCS mass blocks with the arbitrary shape on the substrate;

forming a dielectric spacer on a sidewall of the trenches and the first opening patterns of the first mask layer as a second mask; and

performing an isotropic etching process with the first mask and the second mask to remove a portion of the substrate, wherein at least a portion of the SCS mass blocks is suspended with respect to the substrate to form a suspension beam structure in the SCS mass blocks, wherein a portion of the SCS mass blocks remains on the substrate.

3. The method for fabricating MEMS device in claim 2, the step of forming the dielectric spacer on the sidewall of the trenches comprises:

forming a dielectric layer over the substrate in a conformal shape; and

performing an etching back process on the dielectric layer, wherein a residue portion of the dielectric layer becomes the dielectric spacer.

4. The method for fabricating MEMS device in claim 2, wherein the trenches have a geometric shape in accordance with the intended MEMS structure.

5. The method for fabricating MEMS device in claim 1, wherein the step of forming the SCS mass blocks comprises:

forming a first mask layer corresponding to the SCS mass blocks in an arbitrary shape on the first surface of the substrate, wherein the first mask layer has multiple first opening patterns at the MEMS region to expose the substrate;

etching the substrate with the first mask layer as an etching mask to form a plurality of trenches at a depth to produce the SCS mass blocks of arbitrary shape;

forming a sandwich spacer on a sidewall of the trenches as a second mask, wherein the sandwich spacer has a conductive spacer embedded in the dielectric spacer; and

performing an isotropic etching process with the first mask and the second mask to remove a portion of the substrate, wherein at least a portion of the SCS mass blocks is suspended with respect to the substrate to form a suspension beam structure in the SCS mass blocks, wherein a portion of the SCS mass blocks remains on the substrate.

6. The method for fabricating MEMS device of claim 5, wherein the step of forming the sandwich spacer comprises:

forming a dielectric over the substrate in a conformal shape;

forming a conductive layer over the substrate in a conformal shape; and

performing an etching back process on the conductive layer.

7. The method for fabricating MEMS device of claim 6, wherein after performing the etching back process, the conductive spacer remains on the sidewall of the trenches.

8. The method for fabricating MEMS device in claim 1, further comprising forming an wettable layer to cover an exposed portion of the substrate at the second surface before performing the isotropic etching process.

9. The method for fabricating MEMS device in claim 8, wherein the isotropic etching process is a wet etching process and has a wet etchant in the wet etching process, wherein the wettable layer is reactive with the wet etchant or the surface of the wettable layer is wetted by the wet etchant.

10. The method for fabricating MEMS device in claim 1, wherein the isotropic etching process comprises vapor etching.

11. The method for fabricating MEMS device in claim 1, wherein the step of patterning the single crystal substrate comprises:

forming a hard mask layer on the second surface of the substrate;

patterning the hard mask layer to have an opening to expose the substrate at the MEMS region;

forming an etching mask layer on the hard mask layer and a portion of the substrate within the opening;

performing a first anisotropic etching process on the substrate with the etching mask layer as a mask to expose a portion of the dielectric member in the structural dielectric layer;

removing the etching mask layer;

performing a second anisotropic etching process on the substrate with the hard mask layer as a mask, wherein the exposed portion of the substrate within the opening is removed by a portion to have a lower surface level.

12. The method for fabricating MEMS device in claim 1, wherein in the step of performing the isotropic etching process, all of the spaces are joined into a joined single space.

13. The method for fabricating MEMS device in claim 1, wherein in the step of patterning the single crystal substrate by the etching process on the second surface of the single crystal substrate comprising:

forming an etching mask layer on the second surface of the substrate, wherein the etching mask layer has an opening at the MEMS region to expose the second surface of the substrate; and

performing an anisotropic etching process on the substrate with the etching mask layer to expose the dielectric member filled in the spaces surrounding the SCS mass blocks.

14. The method for fabricating MEMS device in claim 1, wherein in the step of forming the structural dielectric layer, the structural dielectric layer over the first surface of the substrate comprises a mechanical strength structure layer capping over the mass blocks in the MEMS region,

wherein in the step of performing the isotropic etching process, a portion of the dielectric member filled in the spaces surrounding the SCS mass blocks and under the mechanical strength structure layer is removed,

wherein the mechanical strength structure layer and the mass blocks are exposed to release the MEMS structure, wherein the etched portions of the substrate, the portion of the dielectric member filled in the spaces surrounding the SCS mass blocks and under the mechanical strength structure layer forms a chamber.

15. The method for fabricating MEMS device in claim 14, further comprising a cover layer onto the substrate at the second surface of the single crystal substrate to cover the chamber, so as to form a hermetic chamber.

16. The method for fabricating MEMS device in claim 14, wherein the mechanical strength structure layer formed in the structural dielectric layer comprises a grid structure layer and a sidewall layer standing on the substrate.

17. The method for fabricating MEMS device in claim 14, wherein the mechanical strength structure layer formed in the structural dielectric layer comprises a plurality of conductive layers and a dielectric layer enclosed by the conductive layers.

18. The method for fabricating MEMS device in claim 1, wherein in the step of forming the structural dielectric layer, the structural dielectric layer over the first surface of the substrate comprises a diaphragm structure layer over the SCS mass blocks in the MEMS region,

wherein in the step of performing the isotropic etching process, a portion of the dielectric member filled in the spaces surrounding the SCS mass blocks and on both sides of the diaphragm structure layer is removed to release the MEMS structure,

wherein an end portion of the diaphragm remains in the structural dielectric layer and a center portion of the diaphragm is exposed,

wherein the etched portions of the substrte, the portion of the dielectric member filled in the spaces surrounding the SCS mass blocks and under the diaphragm structure layer forms a chamber.

19. The method for fabricating MEMS device in claim 18, wherein the SCS mass blocks in the chamber are connected to form a SCS plate with a plurality of vent holes, wherein the vent holes connect a space under the diaphragm and a space produced by the etched portions of the substrate.

20. The method for fabricating MEMS device in claim 18, wherein the diaphragm structure layer comprises a corrugated dielectric layer enclosed by conductive layers.

21. The method for fabricating MEMS device in claim 1, wherein forming the SCS mass blocks comprises:

forming a first mask layer corresponding to the SCS mass blocks with an arbitrary shape on the first surface of the substrate, wherein the first mask layer has multiple first opening patterns at the MEMS region to expose the substrate; and

etching the substrate with the first mask layer as an etching mask to form a plurality of trenches at a depth to produce the SCS mass blocks with the arbitrary shape.

22. The method for fabricating MEMS device in claim 21, wherein a portion of the SCS mass block is suspended with respect to the substrate to form a suspended beam structure in the step of patterning the single crystal substrate by the etching process on the second surface, wherein a portion of the mass block remains on the substrate.

23. The method for fabricating MEMS device in claim 1, wherein the step of forming the SCS mass blocks comprises:

forming a first mask layer corresponding to the SCS mass blocks with an arbitrary shape on the first surface of the substrate, wherein the first mask layer has multiple first opening patterns at the MEMS region to expose the substrate;

etching the substrate with the first mask layer as an etching mask to form a plurality of trenches at a depth to produce the SCS mass blocks with the arbitrary shape;

forming a dielectric layer on a sidewall of the trenches; and

forming a plurality of conductive spacers on the dielectric layer;

wherein the SCS mass blocks comprise the conductive spacers on the sidewall.

24. The method for fabricating MEMS device of claim 23, wherein the step of forming the conductive spacer comprises:

forming a dielectric layer over the substrate in a conformal shape;

forming a conductive layer over the substrate in a conformal shape; and

performing an etching back process on the conductive layer, wherein a residue of the conductive layer forms the conductive spacer.

25. The method for fabricating MEMS device of claim 24, wherein after performing the etching back process, the conductive spacers remain on the sidewall of the trenches.

26. The method for fabricating MEMS device in claim 23, wherein a portion of the SCS mass blocks is suspended with respect to the substrate to form a suspended beam structure at the step of performing the etching process on the second surface of the single crystal substrate, wherein a portion of the SCS mass blocks remains on the substrate.

27. The method for fabricating MEMS device in claim 1, further comprising a protection stack layer, over the structural dielectric layer and an output pad structure of the circuit structure.

28. The method for fabricating MEMS device in claim 27, further comprising performing an etching back process on the protection stack layer to expose the output pad structure of the circuit structure in the structural dielectric layer.