Transducer structure and method for MEMS devices

• US 9,377,487 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2013
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: mCube, Inc.
• Original Assignee: mCube, Inc.
• Inventors: Koury, Daniel N. Jr., Sridharamurthy, Sudheer
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Thiem
• Application Number:
  US13/922,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20150241479A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: 29/254.1, 29/253.5, 295/93, 295/94, 295/95, 361/280, 361/287, 361/763, 361/769, 361/787, 361/807, 381/174, 381/176
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2203/0163 Spring holders
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2203/0307 Anchors
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 3/0072 For controlling internal stress or strain in moving or flexible elements, e.g. stress compensating layers
• 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 15/125 by capacitive pick-up
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 2015/0857 using a particular shape of the suspension spring
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 3/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture or maintenance of measuring instruments , e.g. of probe tips
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49007 Indicating transducer

Abstract

An improved MEMS transducer apparatus and method is provided. The apparatus has a movable base structure including an outer surface region and at least one portion removed to form at least one inner surface region. At least one intermediate anchor structure is disposed within the inner surface region. The apparatus includes an intermediate spring structure operably coupled to the central anchor structure, and at least one portion of the inner surface region. A capacitor element is disposed within the inner surface region.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating a transducer apparatus, the method comprising:

providing a substrate member having a surface region;

forming a movable base structure having an outer surface region overlying the surface region;

removing at least one portion from the movable base structure to form at least one cavity disposed substantially within the movable base structure, the at least one cavity having a cavity inner surface region;

forming at least one anchor structure spatially disposed within the at least one cavity, the anchor structure being coupled to at least a portion of the substrate;

forming at least one spring structure coupled to at least one portion of the cavity inner surface region, the spring structure being coupled to the anchor structure; and

forming at least one capacitor element spatially disposed within a vicinity of a corresponding cavity.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the number of the central spring structures is proportional to the number of the capacitor elements.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the configuration of the central spring structure is defined by the configuration of the capacitor element.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the movable base structure comprises a material chosen from silicon, a polymer, a dielectric, or a metal.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the anchor structure comprises a material chosen from silicon, a polymer, a dielectric, or a metal.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the spring structure comprise comprises a material chosen from silicon, a polymer, a dielectric, or a metal.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the movable base structure is rectangular.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the spring structure is spatially oriented to be substantially 45 degrees or substantially (pi/4) radians to the edges of the rectangular movable base structure.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the spring structure is spatially oriented to be substantially 45 degrees or substantially (pi/4) radians to the edges of a die.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the movable base structure comprises a material chosen from silicon, a polymer, a dielectric, or a metal.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the anchor structure(s) comprises a material chosen from silicon, a polymer, a dielectric, or a metal.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the spring structure(s) comprises a silicon material, a polymer, a dielectric, or metal material.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein each spring structure comprises at least one segment having a segment length.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the apparatus is operably coupled to a MEMS device or an electronic device.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the method is configured to fabricate an apparatus tolerant of external deformations.

16. A method of fabricating a transducer apparatus, the method comprising:

providing a substrate member having a surface region;

forming a rectangular movable base structure having an outer surface region overlying the surface region, the rectangular movable base structure having four cavities disposed symmetrically substantially within the rectangular movable base structure, the four intermediate cavities being spatially oriented to be substantially 45 degrees or substantially (pi/4) radians to the edges of a die, each of the cavities having a cavity inner surface region;

forming four anchor structures spatially disposed within the four cavities, each of the four anchor structures being disposed within separate cavities, each of the anchor structures being coupled to at least one portion of the cavity inner surface region of the cavity in which each is disposed;

forming four spring structures, spatially disposed within the four cavities, each of the spring structures being disposed within separate cavities, each of the spring structures being coupled to at least one of the cavity inner surface region of the cavity in which each is disposed, each of the spring structures being coupled to the anchor structure in the same cavity, the spring structures being spatially oriented to be substantially 45 degrees or substantially (pi/4) radians to the edges of a die; and

forming at least one capacitor element spatially disposed within each of the cavities.