Manufacturing method for a rotation sensor device and rotation sensor device

• US 8,573,054 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2009
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Classen, Johannes
• Primary Examiner(s): Macchiarolo, Peter
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shah, Samir M
• Application Number:
  US12/553,090
• Publication Number:
  US 20100058863A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,525 Days
• Field of Search: 735/041.2, 734/93, 735/040.2, 298/29
• US Class Current: 73/504.12
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5712 the devices involving a micromechanical structure
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 25/00 Manufacturing, calibrating, cleaning, or repairing instruments or devices referred to in the other groups of this subclass testing, calibrating or compensating compasses G01C17/38
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49124 On flat or curved insulated base, e.g., printed circuit, etc.

Abstract

A device and manufacturing method for a rotation sensor device includes a holding device, an oscillating mass, and a spring, via which the oscillating mass is connected to the holding device. The spring is designed so that the oscillating mass can be set into an oscillating movement around an oscillation axis with respect to the holding device with the aid of a drive. The steps include: producing a layer sequence having a first layer made of semiconductor material and/or metal and a second layer made of semiconductor material and/or a metal, a boundary surface of the first layer, at least partially being covered by an insulating layer; structuring the spring out of the first layer; and structuring at least one oscillating mass subunit of the oscillating mass, which can be set into the oscillating movement around the oscillation axis with the aid of the drive, out of the second layer.

Claims

1. A manufacturing method for a rotation sensor device having a holding device, an oscillating mass, and at least one spring, via which the oscillating mass is connected to the holding device, the at least one spring being designed in such a way that the oscillating mass can be set into an oscillating movement around an oscillation axis with respect to the holding device with the aid of a drive, comprising the following steps:

producing a layer sequence having a first layer made of a semiconductor material and/or a metal and a second layer made of a semiconductor material and/or a metal, a boundary surface of the first layer, which faces toward the second layer, being at least partially covered by an insulating layer;

structuring the at least one spring out of the first layer; and

structuring at least one oscillating mass subunit of the oscillating mass, which can be set into the oscillating movement around the oscillation axis with the aid of the drive, out of the second layer;

wherein the first layer having a first layer thickness and the second layer having a second layer thickness, which is unequal to the first layer thickness, are formed;

wherein the first layer and the second layer are formed in such a way that the second layer thickness is greater than the first layer thickness by a factor of at least 5; and

wherein at least one electrode is fixedly connected to the oscillating mass and is structured out of the second layer.

2. The manufacturing method as recited in claim 1, comprising:

fixedly connecting at least one first electrode to the holding device;

fixedly connecting at least one second electrode to the oscillating mass; and

forming the drive, which is designed as an electrostatic drive, so that a voltage can be applied between the at least one first electrode and the at least one second electrode, and the oscillating mass can be set into the oscillating movement around the oscillation axis by the voltage applied between the at least one first electrode and the at least one second electrode.

3. The manufacturing method as recited in claim 2, wherein at least one electrode subunit of the second electrode is structured out of the second layer, at least one through opening is formed above at least one subarea of the first layer in the insulating layer and the at least one through opening is filled using the material of the second layer, and a further electrode subunit of the second electrode is structured out of the at least one subarea of the first layer.

4. The manufacturing method as recited in claim 1, wherein a further one-piece oscillating mass subunit of the oscillating mass is structured out of the first layer.

5. The manufacturing method as recited in claim 4, wherein at least one counterelectrode is structured out of the second layer, which is opposite to an oscillating mass partial surface structured out of the boundary surface of the first layer facing toward the second layer, and a sensor unit is formed, which is designed for the purpose of ascertaining a capacitance formed by the at least one counterelectrode and the at least one oscillating mass partial surface.

6. The manufacturing method as recited in claim 1, comprising:

forming a first insulation layer on a substrate;

forming a conductive layer on the first insulation layer;

forming a second insulation layer on the conductive layer;

forming the layer sequence on the second insulation layer; and

structuring at least one conductor and/or at least one counterelectrode out of the conductive layer.

7. The manufacturing method as recited in claim 6, wherein the insulating layer, the first insulation layer, and the second insulation layer are formed from an insulating material, and the first layer completely covers the first insulation layer and/or the second insulation layer during etching of the insulating layer.

8. A rotation sensor device, comprising:

a holding device;

an oscillating mass; and

at least one spring, via which the oscillating mass is connected to the holding device, the at least one spring being designed in such a way that the oscillating mass can be set into an oscillating movement around an oscillation axis with respect to the holding device with the aid of a drive and is structured out of a first layer of semiconductor material and/or a metal;

wherein the at least one spring has a first height along the oscillation axis and at least one oscillating mass subunit of the oscillating mass, which can be set into the oscillating movement around the oscillation axis with the aid of the drive and is structured out of a second layer of semiconductor material and/or a metal, has a second height unequal to the first height;

wherein a boundary surface of the first layer, which faces toward the second layer is at least partially covered by an insulating layer;

wherein the first layer having a first layer thickness and the second layer having a second layer thickness, which is unequal to the first layer thickness, are formed;

wherein the first layer and the second layer are formed in such a way that the second layer thickness is greater than the first layer thickness by a factor of at least 5; and

wherein at least one electrode is fixedly connected to the oscillating mass and is structured out of the second layer.

9. The rotation sensor device as recited in claim 8, wherein the second height is greater than the first height.

10. The rotation sensor device as recited in claim 9, wherein the oscillating mass subunit of the oscillating mass is part of an electrode fixedly connected to the oscillating mass.

11. The rotation sensor device as recited in claim 8, wherein the at least one spring, via which the oscillating mass is connected to the holding device, is a bar spring.

12. The rotation sensor device as recited in claim 8, wherein the oscillating mass is additionally rotatable by a Coriolis force around a rotational axis, which is oriented nonparallel to the oscillation axis.