Hybrid capacitive and piezoelectric motion sensing transducer

• US 8,991,251 B1
• Filed: 11/21/2011
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Western Digital Corporation
• Inventors: Emley, Nathan C.
• Primary Examiner(s): KWOK, HELEN C
• Application Number:
  US13/301,581
• Time in Patent Office: 1,226 Days
• Field of Search: 735/10, 735/11, 735/143.4, 735/143.2, 735/143.8, 735/140.1
• US Class Current: 73/510
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/09 by piezoelectric pick-up
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/125 by capacitive pick-up

Abstract

A motion sensing transducer includes an electrically conductive substrate having a major surface that defines a substrate plane, and a first compliant structure including a piezoelectric material and having greater compliance to inertial forces oriented out of the substrate plane than to inertial forces oriented in the substrate plane. The first compliant structure includes a piezoelectric material. The motion sensing transducer includes a second compliant structure having greater compliance to inertial forces oriented in the substrate plane than to inertial forces oriented out of the substrate plane. The second compliant structure includes a first surface that is electrically isolated from the substrate. The first surface faces a surface of the substrate. The motion sensing transducer includes a first electrically conductive lead that is electrically connected to the first surface, and a second electrically conductive lead that is electrically connected to the piezoelectric material.

Claims

1. A hybrid capacitive and piezoelectric motion sensing transducer comprising:

a bottom substrate layer;

an upper substrate layer being electrically conductive and having a major surface that defines a substrate plane;

a buried oxide layer disposed between the bottom substrate layer and the upper substrate layer;

a piezoelectric layer;

a top oxide layer disposed between the upper substrate layer and the piezoelectric layer;

a first piezoelectric accelerometer comprising a first compliant structure patterned in the piezoelectric layer and having greater compliance to inertial forces oriented out of the substrate plane than to inertial forces oriented in the substrate plane;

a first capacitive accelerometer comprising a second compliant structure patterned in the upper substrate layer and having greater compliance to inertial forces oriented in the substrate plane than to inertial forces oriented out of the substrate plane, the second compliant structure including a first surface that faces a second surface of the upper substrate layer and that is separated from the second surface by a spacing that varies with an in-plane displacement of the second compliant structure; and

a first electrically conductive lead that is electrically connected to the first surface, and a second electrically conductive lead that is electrically connected to the piezoelectric material, wherein a capacitance between the first electrically conductive lead and the second surface varies with the in-plane displacement of the second compliant structure.

2. The hybrid capacitive and piezoelectric motion sensing transducer of claim 1 wherein the upper substrate layer comprises silicon doped with a dopant that increases the electrical conductivity of the silicon.

3. The hybrid capacitive and piezoelectric motion sensing transducer of claim 1 wherein the upper substrate layer comprises silicon and includes an electrically conductive coating on the silicon.

4. The hybrid capacitive and piezoelectric motion sensing transducer of claim 1 wherein the first compliant structure is a cantilevered beam that has a cantilevered beam thickness measured perpendicular to the substrate plane that is less than a cantilevered beam width measured parallel to the substrate plane.

5. The hybrid capacitive and piezoelectric motion sensing transducer of claim 4 wherein the cantilevered beam includes a conductive electrode layer on the piezoelectric layer.

6. The hybrid capacitive and piezoelectric motion sensing transducer of claim 1 wherein the piezoelectric layer comprises AlN.

7. The hybrid capacitive and piezoelectric motion sensing transducer of claim 1 wherein the first capacitive accelerometer further comprises the first electrically conductive lead, and the first capacitive accelerometer is more sensitive to accelerations in the substrate plane, than to accelerations out of the substrate plane.

8. The hybrid capacitive and piezoelectric motion sensing transducer of claim 1 wherein the first piezoelectric accelerometer further comprises the second electrically conductive lead and the first piezoelectric accelerometer is more sensitive to accelerations out of the substrate plane, than to accelerations in the substrate plane.

9. The hybrid capacitive and piezoelectric motion sensing transducer of claim 7 further comprising a second capacitive accelerometer that is more sensitive to accelerations in the substrate plane than to accelerations out of the substrate plane, the second capacitive accelerometer being more sensitive to accelerations parallel to the first surface than to accelerations normal to the first surface, the second capacitive accelerometer including a third compliant structure patterned in the upper substrate layer and that has a third surface that faces a fourth surface of the upper substrate layer and that is separated from the fourth surface by a spacing that varies with an in-plane displacement of the third compliant structure, the second capacitive accelerometer including a third electrically conductive lead that is electrically connected to the third surface.

10. The hybrid capacitive and piezoelectric motion sensing transducer of claim 7 further comprising a second capacitive accelerometer that is more sensitive to rotational accelerations in the substrate plane than to translational accelerations in the substrate plane and translational accelerations out of the substrate plane, the second capacitive accelerometer including a third compliant structure patterned in the upper substrate layer and that has a third surface that faces a fourth surface of the upper substrate layer and that is separated from the fourth surface by a spacing that varies with an in-plane rotation of the third compliant structure, the second capacitive accelerometer including a third electrically conductive lead that is electrically connected to the third surface.

11. A disk drive comprising:

a disk drive base,

a spindle rotably attached to the disk drive base;

a disk mounted to the spindle,

a head actuator pivotably attached to the disk drive base; and

a hybrid capacitive and piezoelectric motion sensing transducer that includes

a bottom substrate layer;

an upper substrate layer being electrically conductive and having a major surface that defines a substrate plane;

a buried oxide layer disposed between the bottom substrate layer and the upper substrate layer;

a piezoelectric layer;

a top oxide layer disposed between the upper substrate layer and the piezoelectric layer;

a first piezoelectric accelerometer comprising a first compliant structure patterned in the piezoelectric layer and having greater compliance to inertial forces oriented out of the substrate plane than to inertial forces oriented in the substrate plane;

a first capacitive accelerometer comprising a second compliant structure patterned in the upper substrate layer and having greater compliance to inertial forces oriented in the substrate plane than to inertial forces oriented out of the substrate plane, the second compliant structure including a first surface that faces a second surface of the upper substrate layer and that is separated from the second surface by a spacing that varies with an in-plane displacement of the second compliant structure; and

a first electrically conductive lead that is electrically connected to the first surface, and a second electrically conductive lead that is electrically connected to the piezoelectric material, wherein a capacitance between the first electrically conductive lead and the second surface varies with the in-plane displacement of the second compliant structure.

12. The disk drive of claim 11 wherein the first compliant structure is a cantilevered beam that has a cantilevered beam thickness measured perpendicular to the substrate plane that is less than a cantilevered beam width measured parallel to the substrate plane.

13. The disk drive of claim 12 wherein the cantilevered beam includes a conductive electrode layer on the piezoelectric layer.

14. The disk drive of claim 11 wherein the first capacitive accelerometer further comprises the first electrically conductive lead, and the first capacitive accelerometer is more sensitive to accelerations in the substrate plane, than to accelerations out of the substrate plane.

15. The disk drive of claim 11 wherein the first piezoelectric accelerometer further comprises the second electrically conductive lead, and the first piezoelectric accelerometer is more sensitive to accelerations out of the substrate plane, than to accelerations in the substrate plane.

16. The disk drive of claim 14 wherein the hybrid capacitive and piezoelectric motion sensing transducer further comprises a second capacitive accelerometer that is more sensitive to rotational accelerations in the substrate plane than to translational accelerations in the substrate plane and translational accelerations out of the substrate plane, the second capacitive accelerometer including a third compliant structure patterned in the upper substrate layer and that has a third surface that faces a fourth surface of the upper substrate layer and that is separated from the fourth surface by a spacing that varies with an in-plane rotation of the third compliant structure, the second capacitive accelerometer including a third electrically conductive lead that is electrically connected to the third surface.