Substrate bonded MEMS sensor

• US 8,207,586 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2009
• Issued: 06/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sato, Kiyoshi, Kobayashi, Kiyoshi, Uto, Yoshitaka, Kikuiri, Katsuya, Takahashi, Kazuyoshi, Suzuki, Jun, Gochou, Hideki, Takahashi, Toru, Ohkawa, Hisanobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Eugene
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shamsuzzaman, Mohammed
• Application Number:
  US12/560,645
• Publication Number:
  US 20100072563A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• Field of Search: 257/415, 257417-419
• US Class Current: 257/415
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2207/097 Interconnects arranged on the substrate or the lid, and covered by the package seal
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 7/007 Interconnections between the MEMS and external electrical signals

Abstract

A MEMS sensor includes a first substrate; a second substrate; a movable electrode portion and a fixed electrode portion which are arranged between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein: conductive supporting portions of the movable electrode portion and the fixed electrode portion are, respectively, fixedly secured to a surface of the first substrate via a first insulating layer; a second insulating layer, a lead layer buried into the second insulating layer, and connection electrode portions that are electrically connected to the lead layer to be individually connected to the conductive supporting portions are provided on a surface of the second substrate; a metallic connection layer is formed on the surface of one of the respective conductive supporting portions; one of the respective connection electrode portions and the metallic connection layer are bonded together by eutectic bonding or diffusion bonding; and, at least each of the connection electrode portions has a thickness of about 4 μm or smaller.

Claims

1. A MEMS sensor comprising:

a first substrate;

a second substrate;

a movable electrode portion and a fixed electrode portion, which are arranged between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein;

conductive supporting portions of the movable electrode portion and the fixed electrode portion are, respectively, fixedly secured to a surface of the first substrate via a first insulating layer;

a second insulating layer, a lead layer buried into the second insulating layer, and connection electrode portions that are electrically connected to the lead layer to be individually connected to the conductive supporting portions are provided on a surface of the second substrate;

a metallic connection layer is formed on the surface of one of the respective conductive supporting portions;

one of the respective connection electrode portions and the metallic connection layer are bonded together by one of eutectic bonding or diffusion bonding;

bonded layers have a thickness of about 4 μ

m or smaller; and

a concave portion is formed on the second insulating layer so as to oppose the movable electrode portion.

2. The MEMS sensor according to claim 1, wherein a continuous or discontinuous groove is disposed in the conductive supporting portions so as to surround a bonding layer between the connection electrode portions and the metallic connection layer, the continuous or discontinuous groove is disposed on the surface where the bonding layer is disposed so as to surround the bonding layer.

3. The MEMS sensor according to claim 1, wherein:

a frame layer is formed so as to surround a movable region of the movable electrode portion, the frame layer being formed of the same material, and with the same thickness, as the movable electrode portion and the fixed electrode portion;

the first substrate and the frame layer are bonded together on the circumference of the movable region via the same insulating layer as the first insulating layer;

a sealing electrode portion formed of the same metallic material as the connection electrode portions is disposed on the surface of the second insulating layer;

a metallic sealing layer formed of the same metallic material as the metallic connection layer is disposed on the surface of the frame layer;

the sealing electrode portion and the metallic sealing layer are bonded together by eutectic bonding or diffusion bonding, whereby a sealing layer is formed so as to surround the circumference of the movable region; and

the lead layer buried into the second insulating layer is drawn out to the outside of the sealing layer, and connection pads which are electrically connected to the lead layer are provided to the second substrate.

4. The MEMS sensor according to claim 1, wherein an IC package is used in lieu of the second substrate, and the connection electrode portions are connected to electrode pads of the IC package by a connection layer which is formed in lieu of the lead layer so as to penetrate through the second insulating layer.