Microelectromechanical system megasonic transducer

• US 8,957,564 B1
• Filed: 06/29/2011
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silicon Light Machines Corporation (SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Silicon Light Machines Corporation (SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Payne, Alexander, Hunter, James, Hiroe, Toshio, Harold, Zarem
• Primary Examiner(s): DOUGHERTY, THOMAS M
• Application Number:
  US13/172,514
• Time in Patent Office: 1,329 Days
• Field of Search: 310/309, 134 1- 13
• US Class Current: 310/309
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0292 Electrostatic transducers, e.g. electret-type
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/12 by sonic or ultrasonic vibrations washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware using sonic or ultrasonic waves A47L15/13; of natural teeth, of prostheses using ultrasonic techniques similar to those used for natural teeth A61C17/20; application of ultrasonic vibrations to chemical, physical or physico-chemical processes in general B01J19/10

Abstract

Megasonic cleaning systems and methods of fabricating and using the same are provided. In one embodiment, the system comprises a plurality of Micro-Electromechanical System (MEMS) transducers, each transducer including a movable membrane with a membrane electrode coupled to a first potential disposed above and spaced apart from an upper surface of a die including a cavity electrode coupled to a second potential, the membrane including multiple layers including a polysilicon layer between a top silicon nitride layer and a bottom silicon nitride layer, and the membrane electrode includes the polysilicon layer; a chuck on which a target workpiece is positioned; and a fluid to couple sonic energy from the plurality of MEMS transducers to the target workpiece. Other embodiments are also provided.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of Micro-Electromechanical System (MEMS) transducers, each transducer including a movable membrane with a membrane electrode coupled to a first potential disposed above and spaced apart from an upper surface of a die including a cavity electrode coupled to a second potential, the membrane including multiple layers including a polysilicon layer between a top silicon nitride layer and a bottom silicon nitride layer, and the membrane electrode includes the polysilicon layer;

a chuck on which a target workpiece is positioned; and

a fluid to couple sonic energy from the plurality of MEMS transducers to the target workpiece.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a driver adapted to apply a drive voltage with a variable phase delay in the drive voltage applied to a first number of the plurality of MEMS transducers from that supplied to a second number of MEMS transducers to focus sonic energy emitted from the plurality of MEMS transducers.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the die is attached to a surface of a printed circuit board and the plurality of MEMS transducers are electrically coupled to a driver attached to the circuit board, and further comprising a mechanical backing plate attached to a back surface of the circuit board opposite the surface to which the die is attached.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the driver is attached to the back surface of the circuit board and enclosed by the mechanical backing plate.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the membrane electrodes are coupled to the first potential through an interconnect grid on the upper surface of the die, and wherein the cavity electrodes are coupled to the second potential through electrical connections to pads on a backside of the die.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the interconnect grid on the upper surface of the die is separated from the cavity electrodes in the die by an oxide layer at least 1 μ

m thick to reduce coupling capacitance there between.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the interconnect grid covers less than 25% of the upper surface of the die.

8. The system of claim 3, further comprising a reservoir containing the fluid in which the die and the target workpiece is exposed, and further comprising a mechanism to provide relative motion between the target workpiece and the plurality of MEMS transducers on the die.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a nozzle to direct the fluid to the target workpiece, and wherein the sonic energy is coupled to the fluid in the nozzle.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the movable membrane comprises a substantially circular surface, and wherein a diameter of the circular surface is selected to provide the MEMS transducers with a megasonic resonant frequency of from about 3 to about 10 megahertz (MHz).

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the circular surface has a diameter of from about 3 to about 100 micrometers (μ

m).

12. A system comprising:

a plurality of Micro-Electromechanical System (MEMS) transducers, each transducer including a movable membrane with a membrane electrode coupled to a first potential disposed above and spaced apart from an upper surface of a die including a cavity electrode coupled to a second potential, the membrane including multiple layers including a polysilicon layer between a top silicon nitride layer and a bottom silicon nitride layer, and the membrane electrode includes the polysilicon layer;

an interconnect grid on the upper surface of the die through which the membrane electrodes are coupled to the first potential;

a circuit board including a surface to which the die is attached;

a driver attached to the circuit board and electrically coupled to the plurality of MEMS transducers to apply a drive voltage between the membrane electrodes and cavity electrodes to operate the plurality of MEMS transducers at a megasonic resonant frequency; and

a chuck on which a target workpiece is positioned.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the driver is adapted to apply a drive voltage with a variable phase delay in the drive voltage applied to a first number of the plurality of MEMS transducers from that supplied to a second number of MEMS transducers to sweep sonic energy emitted from the plurality of MEMS transducers over a surface of the target workpiece.