MEMS device with stress isolation and method of fabrication
First Claim
1. A microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device comprising:
- a substrate;
a device structure suspended over a surface of said substrate, said device structure including a proof mass structure, a first beam, and a second beam, said first and second beams being oriented such that lengthwise edges of said first and second beams are beside one another; and
at least one isolation segment suspended over said surface and interposed between said first and second beams, wherein a middle portion of each of said first and second beams is laterally anchored to said at least one isolation segment, and said at least one isolation segment provides electrical isolation between said first and second beams.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A MEMS device (20) includes a proof mass structure (26) and beams (28, 30) residing in a central opening (32) of the proof mass structure (26), where the structure and the beams are suspended over a substrate (22). The beams (28, 30) are oriented such that lengthwise edges (34, 36) of the beams are beside one another. Isolation segments (38) are interposed between the beams (28, 30) such that a middle portion (40) of each of the beams is laterally anchored to adjacent isolation segments (38). The isolation segments (38) provide electrical isolation between the beams. The beams (28, 30) are anchored to the substrate (22) via compliant structures (61, 65) that isolate the beams from deformations in the underlying substrate. The compliant structures (61, 65) provide electrically conductive paths (96, 98) to the substrate (22) for the beams (28, 30) where the paths are electrically isolated from one another.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device comprising:
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a substrate; a device structure suspended over a surface of said substrate, said device structure including a proof mass structure, a first beam, and a second beam, said first and second beams being oriented such that lengthwise edges of said first and second beams are beside one another; and at least one isolation segment suspended over said surface and interposed between said first and second beams, wherein a middle portion of each of said first and second beams is laterally anchored to said at least one isolation segment, and said at least one isolation segment provides electrical isolation between said first and second beams. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device comprising:
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a substrate; a device structure suspended over a surface of said substrate, said device structure including a proof mass structure, a first beam, and a second beam, said first and second beams being oriented such that lengthwise edges of said first and second beams are beside one another; a first compliant structure interconnected between said substrate and said first beam; a second compliant structure interconnected between said substrate and said second beam; a plurality of isolation segments suspended over said surface, wherein at least one isolation segment of said plurality of isolation segments is interposed between said first and second beams such that a middle portion of each of said first and second beams is laterally anchored to said at least one isolation segment, additional isolation segments of said plurality of isolation segments provide interconnection of said first and second beams with said proof mass structure, and said plurality of isolation segments provide electrical isolation between said first beam, said second beam, and said proof mass structure. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device comprising:
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a substrate; a device structure suspended over a surface of said substrate, said device structure including a proof mass structure, a first plurality of beams, and a second plurality of beams, said beams of said first and second pluralities of beams being oriented such that lengthwise edges of said first and second pluralities of beams are beside one another, and said beams of said first plurality of beams are in an alternating arrangement with said beams of said second plurality of beams; and a plurality of isolation segments in said device structure, said isolation segments being suspended over said surface, one each of said isolation segments of said plurality of isolation segments being interposed between and laterally anchored with adjacent ones of said beams of said first and second pluralities of beams to form a rigid suspended backbone of said MEMS device, wherein a middle portion of each of said beams of said first and second pluralities of beams is laterally anchored to said isolation segments, said isolation segments are absent from distal segments of said beams of said first and second pluralities of beams such that said beams of said first and second pluralities of beams are spaced apart from one another, and said isolation segments provide electrical isolation between said beams. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification