Sensor and its manufacturing method

• US 9,921,238 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2015
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ikehashi, Tamio
• Primary Examiner(s): Caputo, Lisa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cotey, Philip
• Application Number:
  US14/836,558
• Publication Number:
  US 20160187370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 937 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/0235 Accelerometers
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/0264 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2203/0136 Comb structures
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 3/0086 Electrical characteristics, e.g. reducing driving voltage, improving resistance to peak voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 1/00166 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 19/0618 Overload protection
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 19/146 using flexible element between the transducer and the support
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 9/0048 Details about the mounting of the diaphragm to its support or about the diaphragm edges, e.g. notches, round shapes for stress relief
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 9/0073 using a semiconductive diaphragm
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/125 by capacitive pick-up
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/18 in two or more dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 2015/084 the mass being suspended at more than one of its sides, e.g. membrane-type suspension, so as to permit multi-axis movement of the mass
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 2015/0865 using integrated signal processing circuitry

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a sensor is disclosed. The sensor includes a substrate, a first fixed electrode arranged on the substrate, a movable electrode arranged above the first fixed electrode and being movable non-parallely, a second fixed electrode arranged above the movable electrode. The sensor further includes a detector to detect a difference between a first capacitance between the first fixed electrode and the movable electrode and a second capacitance between the movable electrode and the second fixed electrode.

Claims

1. A sensor comprising:

a substrate comprising a surface;

a first fixed electrode arranged on the surface of the substrate;

a movable electrode arranged above the first fixed electrode and being movable in a direction not parallel to the surface of the substrate;

a second fixed electrode arranged above the movable electrode; and

a detector which detects a difference between a first capacitance between the first fixed electrode and the movable electrode and a second capacitance between the movable electrode and the second fixed electrode;

wherein the first fixed electrode, the movable electrode and the second fixed electrode are provided along a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate.

2. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the second fixed electrode contains a through hole.

3. The sensor according to claim 2, further containing a first film provided on the second fixed electrode.

4. The sensor according to claim 3, wherein the first film faces the through hole of the second fixed electrode.

5. The sensor according to claim 3, further comprising a layer arranged above the second fixed electrode and containing a through hole, wherein the first film is provided on the layer, and the first film and the layer are provided along the direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate.

6. The sensor according to claim 5, wherein the first film faces the through hole of the layer.

7. The sensor according to claim 2, further comprising a second film provided on the first film, wherein the second film has lower gas permeability than the first film.

8. The sensor according to claim 7, wherein the second film includes a silicon nitride film.

9. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein a cavity is present between the first fixed electrode and the substrate.

10. The sensor according to claim 9, wherein the first fixed electrode contains a through hole connecting to the cavity.

11. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the first fixed electrode, the movable electrode and the second fixed electrode are comb-shaped.

12. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the movable electrode is movable in an upper or a lower direction in accordance with change of an inertial force in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate.

13. The sensor according to claim 12, further comprising an additional electrode movable in accordance with the change of the inertial force in a direction parallel to the surface of the substrate.

14. The sensor according to claim 12, further comprising a first additional electrode movable in accordance with the change of the inertial force in a first direction parallel to the surface of the substrate, and a second additional electrode movable in accordance with the change of the inertial force in a second direction parallel to the surface of the substrate and orthogonal to the first direction.

15. The sensor according to claim 13, wherein the additional electrode and the movable electrode are arranged in a same layer.

16. The sensor according to claim 1, further comprising a cap layer connected to an upper surface of the movable electrode, the cap layer and the substrate constituting a cavity in which the first fixed electrode, the movable electrode and the second fixed electrode are contained.

17. The sensor according to claim 16, wherein the cap layer is deformed in accordance with change in pressure of outside air, and the movable electrode is movable in an upper or a lower direction in accordance with the deformation of the cap layer.

18. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the movable electrode is movable in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate, and the first and second fixed electrodes are arrange to face the movable electrode.