Acoustic transducer

• US 9,843,868 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2016
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation, STMicroelectronics SRL (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation, STMicroelectronics SRL (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Kasai, Takashi, Sato, Shobu, Uchida, Yuki, Padovani, Igino, David, Filippo, Conti, Sebastiano
• Primary Examiner(s): KAUFMAN, JOSHUA A
• Application Number:
  US15/017,514
• Publication Number:
  US 20160157023A1
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 381162, 381369, 381174, 381176, 381191, 381182, 381184, 381186, 181157, 181163, 181164, 181165, 181173, 73718, 73724
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 3/0021 Transducers for transforming electrical into mechanical energy or vice versa dynamo-electric machines H02K99/00; electrostatic machines H02N1/00; piezoelectric devices H10N30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/023 Screens for loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/086 Protective screens, e.g. all weather or wind screens
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 19/005 using semiconductor materials
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 19/016 for microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 19/04 Microphones H04R19/01 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/003 Mems transducers or their use
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 31/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of transducers or diaphragms therefor manufacture of microstructural arrangements of deformable or non-deformable structures in general B81C1/00182

Abstract

Provided is an acoustic transducer including: a semiconductor substrate; a vibrating membrane provided above the semiconductor substrate, including a vibrating electrode; and a fixed membrane provided above the semiconductor substrate, including a fixed electrode, the acoustic transducer detecting a sound wave according to changes in capacitances between the vibrating electrode and the fixed electrode, converting the sound wave into electrical signals, and outputting the electrical signals. At least one of the vibrating electrode and the fixed electrode is divided into a plurality of divided electrodes, and the plurality of divided electrodes outputting the electrical signals.

Claims

1. An acoustic transducer, comprising:

a substrate;

a chamber in the substrate;

a first flexible electrode suspended above the chamber, the first electrode including;

a first rectangular portion having a first area;

a second rectangular portion having a second area, the second area being smaller than the first area, the second rectangular portion extending from a first side of the first rectangular portion and the second rectangular portion being separated from the first rectangular portion by a first thin opening;

a plurality of anchors that couple the first flexible electrode to the substrate; and

a fixed membrane coupled to the substrate, the fixed membrane overlying the first flexible electrode, the fixed membrane including;

a first fixed electrode positioned over the first rectangular portion, having a third area; and

a second fixed electrode that is electrically isolated from the first fixed electrode and is positioned over the second rectangular portion, the second fixed electrode having a fourth area that is smaller than the third area.

2. The acoustic transducer of claim 1 wherein the first flexible electrode is a vibrating electrode.

3. The acoustic transducer of claim 1 wherein the first rectangular portion includes a plurality of extensions extending from corners of the first rectangular portion.

4. The acoustic transducer of claim 3 wherein each extension is coupled to one anchor of the plurality of anchors at an outermost end of the extension.

5. The acoustic transducer of claim 1 wherein the second rectangular portion includes a first anchor region and a second anchor region positioned at opposite ends of the second rectangular portion, the first and second anchor regions coupled to one of the plurality of anchors.

6. The acoustic transducer of claim 1 wherein the first rectangular portion includes a plurality of first anchor regions and the second rectangular portion includes second anchor regions, each second anchor region being greater in area than one of the first anchor regions, each anchor region being coupled to one of the plurality of anchors.

7. The acoustic transducer of claim 1 wherein the first rectangular portion includes a plurality of first anchor regions, the second rectangular portion includes a second anchor region, and a third shared anchor region is coupled to the first rectangular portion and the second rectangular portion, each anchor region being coupled to one of the plurality of anchors.

8. The acoustic transducer of claim 1 wherein the first electrode includes a third rectangular portion having a third area, the third area being smaller than the first area, the third rectangular portion extending from a second side of the first rectangular portion and the third rectangular portion being separated from the first rectangular portion by a second thin opening.

9. The acoustic transducer of claim 8 wherein the third rectangular portion is completely separated from the first rectangular portion by the second thin opening.

10. The acoustic transducer of claim 9 wherein the second rectangular portion is completely separated from the first rectangular portion by the first thin opening.

11. The acoustic transducer of claim 10 wherein the first flexible electrode is a vibrating electrode, the first rectangular portion having a first group of the plurality of anchors positioned at corner regions, the second rectangular portion having a second group of the plurality of anchors positioned at ends of the second rectangular portion, the third rectangular portion having a third group of the plurality of anchors positioned at ends of the third rectangular portion.

12. The acoustic transducer of claim 1 wherein:

the substrate has a first contact pad and a second contact pad;

the first rectangular portion has a first connection to electrically couple the first rectangular portion to the first contact pad of the substrate; and

the second rectangular portion having a second connection to electrically couple the second rectangular portion to the second contact pad of the substrate.

13. An acoustic transducer, comprising:

a substrate;

a chamber in the substrate;

a first flexible electrode suspended above the chamber, the first electrode including;

a first rectangular portion having a first area;

a second rectangular portion having a second area, the second area being smaller than the first area, the second rectangular portion extending from a first side of the first rectangular portion and the second rectangular portion being separated from the first rectangular portion by a first thin opening;

a plurality of anchors that couple the first electrode to the substrate, wherein the first thin opening only partially separates the first rectangular portion from the second rectangular portion, the first thin opening having curved ends, a first curved end being positioned adjacent to a first one of the plurality of anchors and a second curved end being positioned adjacent to a second one of the plurality of anchors; and

a fixed membrane coupled to the substrate, overlying to the first electrode, the fixed membrane including;

a first fixed electrode positioned over the first rectangular portion, the first fixed electrode having a third area; and

a second fixed electrode positioned over the second rectangular portion, the second fixed electrode having a fourth area that is smaller than the third area.

14. The acoustic transducer of claim 13 wherein the first rectangular portion includes a first length and a first width and the second rectangular portion includes a second length and a second width, the first width being greater than the second width.

15. An acoustic transducer, comprising:

a substrate;

a chamber in the substrate;

a first membrane suspended above the chamber, the first membrane including;

a first fixed electrode positioned at a first region having a first area;

a second fixed electrode positioned at a second region having a second area, the second area being smaller than the first area, the second region extending from a first side of the first region and the second region being separated from the first region;

an electrically insulating member positioned between the first and second fixed electrodes to physically separate and electrically isolate the first and second fixed electrodes from each other; and

a second membrane that is flexible and is above the chamber, the second membrane including a third flexible electrode, the third flexible electrode including;

a first portion having a first area; and

a second portion having a second area, the second area being smaller than the first area, the second portion extending from a first side of the first portion and the second portion being separated from the first portion.

16. The acoustic transducer of claim 15 wherein the first and second portions are polygons, the first polygon portion includes a first length and a first width and the second polygon portion includes a second length and a second width, the first width being greater than the second width.

17. The acoustic transducer of claim 15 wherein the second portion is separated from the first portion by a first thin opening.

18. The acoustic transducer of claim 15 wherein:

the substrate has a first contact pad and a second contact pad;

the first portion has a first connection to electrically couple the first portion to the first contact pad of the substrate; and

the second portion having a second connection to electrically couple the second portion to the second contact pad of the substrate.