Method of providing a hydrophobic layer and condenser microphone having such a layer
First Claim
1. A condenser microphone comprising a diaphragm and a back-plate, wherein an inner surface of said diaphragm forms a capacitor in combination with an inner surface of said back-plate, said back-plate and/or said diaphragm is/are provided with a number of openings, and said inner surface of the back-plate and said inner surface of the diaphragm being provided with a hydrophobic layer, and wherein the static distance between said diaphragm and said back-plate is smaller than 10 μ
- m.
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Abstract
A method of providing at least part of a diaphragm and at least a part of a back-plate of a condenser microphone with a hydrophobic layer so as to avoid stiction between said diaphragm and said back-plate. The layer is deposited via a number small of openings in the back-plate, the diaphragm and/or between the diaphragm and the back-plate. Provides a homogeneous and structured hydrophobic layer, even to small internal cavities of the microstructure. The layer may be deposited by a liquid phase or a vapor phase deposition method. The method may be applied naturally in continuation of the normal manufacturing process.
Further, a MEMS condenser microphone is provided having such a hydrophobic layer. The static distance between the diaphragm and the back-plate of the microphone is smaller than 10 μm.
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Citations
73 Claims
- 1. A condenser microphone comprising a diaphragm and a back-plate, wherein an inner surface of said diaphragm forms a capacitor in combination with an inner surface of said back-plate, said back-plate and/or said diaphragm is/are provided with a number of openings, and said inner surface of the back-plate and said inner surface of the diaphragm being provided with a hydrophobic layer, and wherein the static distance between said diaphragm and said back-plate is smaller than 10 μ
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20. A condenser microphone comprising a diaphragm and a back-plate, wherein an inner surface of said diaphragm forms a capacitor in combination with an inner surface of said back-plate, said back-plate and/or said diaphragm is/are provided with a number of openings, and said inner surface of the back-plate and/or said inner surface of the diaphragm being provided with a hydrophobic layer having a contact angle for water being larger than 90°
- , and wherein the static distance between said diaphragm and said back-plate is smaller than 10 μ
m. - View Dependent Claims (72)
- , and wherein the static distance between said diaphragm and said back-plate is smaller than 10 μ
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21. A condenser microphone comprising:
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a diaphragm;
a back-plate, wherein an inner surface of said diaphragm forms a capacitor in combination with an inner surface of said back-plate, said back-plate and/or said diaphragm being provided with a number of openings, wherein the static distance between said diaphragm and said back-plate is smaller than 10 μ
m; and
a hydrophobic layer, provided on said inner surface of the back-plate and/or on said inner surface of the diaphragm. - View Dependent Claims (73)
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22. A microelectromechanical microphone, comprising:
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a diaphragm and a back-plate with an air gap therebetween, the diaphragm and a back-plate including respective inner surfaces forming a capacitor, the respective inner surfaces being made of a hydrophobic or hydrophilic materials;
a number of openings leading to the air gap; and
a hydrophobic molecular monolayer coating on the inner surface of the diaphragm or the back-plate, wherein molecules of the molecular monolayer are cross-linked and multi-bounded to the inner surface of the diaphragm or the back-plate. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 43, 44, 45)
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41. A microelectromechanical microphone, comprising:
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a diaphragm having an inner surface;
a back-plate having an inner surface that, together with the inner surface of the diaphragm, forms a capacitor, wherein the static distance between the back-plate and the diaphragm does not exceed 10 μ
m; and
a hydrophobic layer on the inner surface of the diaphragm and the inner surface of the back-plate, the hydrophobic layer being deposited through a number of openings provided in at least one of (i) the back-plate, (ii) the diaphragm, or (ii) gaps at a periphery of the back-plate and the diaphragm. - View Dependent Claims (42, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
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52. A microelectromechanical microphone, comprising:
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a diaphragm and a back-plate defining an air gap between respective inner surfaces thereof, the respective inner surfaces forming a capacitor, the static distance between the diaphragm and the back-plate not exceeding 10 μ
m;
a number of openings leading to the air gap; and
a hydrophobic layer deposited through the number of openings into the air gap to form a structured monolayer on at least one of the inner surface of the diaphragm or the inner surface of the back-plate. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67)
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68. A condenser microphone comprising a diaphragm and a back-plate, wherein an inner surface of said diaphragm forms a capacitor in combination with an inner surface of said back-plate, a number of openings being provided in at least one of (i) said back-plate, (ii) said diaphragm, or (ii) gaps at a periphery of said back-plate and said diaphragm, and said inner surface of the back-plate and/or said inner surface of the diaphragm being provided with a hydrophobic layer having a contact angle for water being larger than 90°
- , and wherein the static distance between said diaphragm and said back-plate is smaller than 10 μ
m.
- , and wherein the static distance between said diaphragm and said back-plate is smaller than 10 μ
Specification