Integrated inertial sensing apparatus using MEMS and quartz configured on crystallographic planes

• US 8,794,065 B1
• Filed: 02/26/2011
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Movella Incorporated (Movella Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: mCube, Inc.
• Inventors: Yang, Xiao Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): KWOK, HELEN C
• Application Number:
  US13/035,968
• Time in Patent Office: 1,256 Days
• Field of Search: 735/10, 734/93, 735/041.2, 735/041.6, 735/143.2, 735/041.4
• US Class Current: 73/493
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5628 Manufacturing; Trimming; Mounting; Housings
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5769 Manufacturing; Mounting; Housings
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5783 Mountings or housings not specific to any of the devices covered by groups G01C19/5607 - G01C19/5719
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/023 for acceleration measuring devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details

Abstract

An apparatus for inertial sensing. The apparatus includes a substrate member comprising a thickness of silicon. The apparatus also has a first surface region configured from a first crystallographic plane of the substrate and a second plane region configured from a second crystallographic plane of the substrate. The apparatus has a quartz inertial sensing device coupled to the first surface region, and one or more MEMS inertial sensing devices coupled to the second plane region.

Claims

1. An apparatus for inertial sensing, the apparatus comprising:

a substrate member comprising a thickness of material and a surface region;

a first surface region configured from a first crystallographic plane of the substrate member;

a second plane region configured from a second crystallographic plane of the substrate member, wherein the first crystallographic plane and the second crystallographic plane form an acute angle;

a quartz inertial sensing device coupled to the first surface region;

one or more MEMS inertial sensing devices coupled to the second plane region;

an enclosure housing the one or more MEMS inertial sensing devices and the quartz inertial sensing device and configured overlying a first outer region of the surface region, the enclosure housing have an upper cover region; and

one or more bonding structures, each of the bonding structures having a bonding pad within a vicinity of the upper cover region and provided within a second outer region of the surface region,

wherein the second outer region is characterized by a width of about 100 microns and less, and wherein the first outer region is characterized by a width of about 200 microns and less.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the one or more MEMS inertial sensing devices comprises at least a portion being configured in a region underlying the quartz inertial sensing device.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising one or more integrated circuit (IC) devices coupled to the second plane region.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the one or more IC devices are application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) devices.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the one or more IC devices are coupled to at least the quartz inertial sensing device.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the one or more IC devices are configured using a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate.

7. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the one or more IC devices comprises at least a portion being configured in a region underlying the quartz inertial sensing device.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second plane region comprises one or more plane regions configured from the second crystallographic plane of the substrate member.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first crystallographic plane of the substrate member and the second crystallographic plane of the substrate member are configured at an angle excluding 90 degrees.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first crystallographic plane of the substrate member and the second crystallographic plane of the substrate member form an acute angle of 54.7 degrees.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second plane region is formed via a wet etching process.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the thickness of material comprises silicon, single crystal silicon, or polysilicon.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the one or more MEMS inertial sensing devices are integrated MEMS and IC devices.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the one or more MEMS inertial sensing devices comprises one or more single or multiple axis MEMS gyroscope devices.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the one or more MEMS inertial sensing devices comprises one or more a single or multiple axis MEMS accelerometer devices.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the quartz inertial sensing device and the one or more MEMS inertial sensing devices are sealed in vacuum.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the quartz inertial sensing device is coupled to the first surface region via a quartz soldering process.

18. An apparatus for inertial sensing, the apparatus comprising:

a substrate member comprising one or more IC devices, the substrate member having a surface region and a backside region, the surface region comprising an inner region, a first outer region, and a second outer region;

a first surface region configured from a first crystallographic plane of the substrate member;

a second plane region configured from a second crystallographic plane of the substrate, wherein the first crystallographic plane of the substrate member and the second crystallographic plane of the substrate member forms an acute angle of 54.7 degrees, wherein the one or more IC devices is coupled to the second plane region;

a quartz inertial sensing device coupled to the first surface region;

one or more MEMS inertial sensing devices coupled to the second plane region, the one or more MEMS inertial sensing devices comprising at least a portion being configured in a region underlying the quartz inertial sensing device, wherein the quartz inertial sensing device and the one or more MEMS inertial sensing devices are configured overlying the inner region of the surface region;

an enclosure housing the quartz inertial sensing device and the one or more MEMS inertial sensing devices and configured overlying the first outer region of the surface region; and

one or more bonding structures provided through a thickness of the substrate member and configured overlying the second outer region, each of the bonding structures having a first bonding pad within a vicinity of the first outer region, a via structure, and a second bonding pad provided within a portion of the backside region.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the second plane region comprises one or more plane regions configured from the second crystallographic plane of the substrate member.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the one or more IC devices are application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) devices.

21. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the one or more IC devices are coupled to at least the quartz inertial sensing device.

22. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the one or more IC devices are configured using a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate.

23. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the first crystallographic plane of the substrate member and the second crystallographic plane of the substrate member are configured at an angle excluding 90 degrees.

24. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the second plane region is formed via a wet etching process.

25. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the thickness of material comprises silicon, single crystal silicon, or polysilicon.

26. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the one or more MEMS inertial sensing devices are integrated MEMS and IC devices.

27. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the one or more MEMS inertial sensing devices comprises one or more single or multiple axis MEMS gyroscope devices.

28. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the one or more MEMS inertial sensing devices comprises one or more a single or multiple axis MEMS accelerometer devices.

29. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein devices coupled to the first surface region or the second plane region are sealed in vacuum.

30. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the quartz inertial sensing device is coupled to the first surface region via a quartz soldering process.

31. An apparatus for inertial sensing, the apparatus comprising:

a semiconductor substrate comprising a surface region, the surface region comprising an inner region and a first outer region;

a first surface region configured from a first crystallographic plane of the substrate;

a second plane region configured from a second crystallographic plane of the substrate, the second plane region comprising one or more plane regions configured from the second crystallographic plane of the substrate, the second plane region being formed via a wet etching process, the second crystallographic plane of the substrate and the first crystallographic plane of the substrate providing an acute angle of 54.7 degrees;

a quartz inertial sensing device coupled to the first surface region, the quartz inertial sensing device being coupled to the first surface region via a quartz soldering process, the quartz inertial sensing device being configured overlying the inner region of the surface region;

a first single-axis MEMS gyroscope device coupled to the second plane region, the first single-axis MEMS gyroscope device comprising at least a portion being configured in a region underlying the quartz inertial sensing device, the first single-axis MEMS gyroscope device being configured overlying the inner region of the surface region;

a second single-axis MEMS gyroscope device coupled to the second plane region, the second single-axis MEMS gyroscope device comprising at least a portion being configured in a region underlying the quartz inertial sensing device, the second single-axis MEMS gyroscope device being configured overlying the inner region of the surface region;

a three-axis MEMS accelerometer device coupled to the second plane region, the three-axis MEMS accelerometer device comprising at least a portion being configured in a region underlying the quartz inertial sensing device, the three-axis MEMS accelerometer device being configured overlying the inner region of the surface region;

an ASIC device coupled to the second plane region, the ASIC device being configured using an SOI substrate, the ASIC device comprising at least a portion being configured in a region underlying the quartz inertial sensing device, the ASIC device being coupled to at least the quartz inertial sensing device, and the devices coupled to the first surface region and the second plane region are sealed in a vacuum;

an enclosure having an upper cover region, the enclosure housing the quartz inertial sensing device, the first and second single-axis MEMS gyroscope devices, and the three-axis MEMS accelerometer device, the enclosure being configured overlying the first outer region of the surface region; and

one or more bonding structures provided through a thickness of the enclosure housing and configured overlying the first outer region, each of the bonding structures having a first bonding pad within a vicinity of the first outer region, a via structure, and a second bonding pad provided within a portion of the upper cover region of the enclosure housing.