Monolithically integrated multi-sensor device on a semiconductor substrate and method therefor

• US 10,508,026 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2018
• Issued: 12/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Versana Micro Inc.
• Original Assignee: Versana Micro Inc.
• Inventors: Gogoi, Bishnu Prasanna
• Primary Examiner(s): Coleman, William
• Application Number:
  US15/893,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20180170746A1
• Time in Patent Office: 674 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/0207 Bolometers
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/0214 Biosensors; Chemical sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/0228 Inertial sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/0257 Microphones or microspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/0264 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/0278 Temperature sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2207/012 the micromechanical device and the control or processing electronics being separate parts in the same package
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2207/05 Arrays
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2207/09 Packages
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 7/02 containing distinct electrical or optical devices of particular relevance for their function, e.g. microelectro-mechanical systems [MEMS] B81B7/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14 including semiconductor components sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation radiation-sensitive components structurally associated with one or more electric light sources only H01L31/14; couplings of light guides with optoelectronic elements G02B6/42
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/02 Arrangements of circuit components or wiring on supporting structure
• CPC Class Codes: H10B 61/00 Magnetic memory devices, e.g. magnetoresistive RAM [MRAM] devices
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 19/00 Integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, comprising at least one thermoelectric or thermomagnetic element covered by groups H10N10/00 - H10N15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/302 Sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/308 Membrane type
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 59/00 Integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, comprising at least one galvanomagnetic or Hall-effect element covered by groups H10N50/00 - H10N52/00 MRAM devices H10B61/00

Abstract

A monolithically integrated multi-sensor (MIMS) is disclosed. A MIMs integrated circuit comprises a plurality of sensors. For example, the integrated circuit can comprise three or more sensors where each sensor measures a different parameter. The three or more sensors can share one or more layers to form each sensor structure. In one embodiment, the three or more sensors can comprise MEMs sensor structures. Examples of the sensors that can be formed on a MIMs integrated circuit are an inertial sensor, a pressure sensor, a tactile sensor, a humidity sensor, a temperature sensor, a microphone, a force sensor, a load sensor, a magnetic sensor, a flow sensor, a light sensor, an electric field sensor, an electrical impedance sensor, a galvanic skin response sensor, a chemical sensor, a gas sensor, a liquid sensor, a solids sensor, and a biological sensor.

Claims

1. A monolithically integrated multi-sensor (MIMs) comprising:

a first integrated circuit comprising;

a pressure sensor configured to measure a parameter; and

a first MEMs sensor configured to measure a first parameter; and

a second MEMs sensor configured to measure a second parameter wherein the the first parameter, the second parameter and the parameter measured by the microphone are different and wherein the microphone, the first MEMs sensor, and the second MEMs sensor are formed on or in a single semiconductor substrate.

2. The MIMS of claim 1 wherein at least one of the pressure sensor, the first MEMs sensor, or the second MEMs sensor is exposed to an external environment and wherein at least one of the pressure sensor, the first MEMs sensor, or the second MEMs sensor is sealed from the external environment.

3. The MIMS of claim 1 wherein at least one layer of the first integrated circuit is shared in common with the pressure sensor, the first MEMs sensor, and the second MEMs sensor and wherein at least a portion of the at least one layer is etched.

4. The MIMS of claim 1 wherein at least one layer of the first integrated circuit forms a cap on at least one of the pressure sensor, the first MEMs sensor, or the second MEMs sensor and wherein the at least one layer of the first integrated circuit forms a moving plate on at least one of the pressure sensor, the first MEMs sensor, or the second MEMs sensor.

5. The MIMS of claim 1 wherein the at least one layer of the first integrated circuit is configured to flex in at least one of the pressure sensor, the first MEMs sensor, or the second MEMs sensor and wherein the at least one layer of the first integrated circuit is configured not to flex in at least one of the pressure sensor, the first MEMs sensor, or the second MEMs sensor.

6. The MIMS of claim 1 wherein the first or the second MEMs sensors are sealed from an external environment at a different pressure.

7. The MIMS of claim 1 further including a third sensor configured to measure a third parameter wherein the first parameter, the second parameter, and the third parameter, and the parameter of the pressure sensor are different.

8. The MIMs of claim 1 wherein the first integrated circuit comprises at least two of an inertial sensor, a tactile sensor, a humidity sensor, a temperature sensor, a microphone, a force sensor, an IR sensor, a load sensor, a magnetic sensor, a flow sensor, a light sensor, an electric field sensor, an electrical impedance sensor, a galvanic skin response sensor, a chemical sensor, a gas sensor, a liquid sensor, a solids sensor, or a biological sensor.

9. The MIMS of claim 1 wherein at least one sensor of the pressure sensor, the first MEMs sensor, or the second MEMs sensor is sealed by depositing a layer using low pressure chemical vapor deposition, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition, sub atmospheric chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, atomic layer deposition, metallo organic chemical vapor deposition, molecular beam epitaxy, sputtering, evaporating, spin-coating, electro-plating, or spray coating.

10. A monolithically integrated multi-sensor (MIMs) comprising:

a first integrated circuit comprising;

a pressure sensor configured to measure an parameter; and

a first MEMs sensor configured to measure a first parameter;

a second MEMs sensor configured to measure a second parameter; and

a third MEMs sensor configured to measure a third parameter wherein the first parameter, the second parameter, the third parameter, and the parameter measured by the pressure sensor are different and wherein the pressure sensor, the first MEMs sensor, and the second MEMs sensor, and the third MEMs sensor are formed on or in a single semiconductor substrate.

11. The MIMS of claim 10 wherein at least one of the pressure sensor, the first MEMs sensor, the second MEMs sensor or the third MEMs sensor is exposed to an external environment and wherein at least one of the pressure sensor, the first MEMs sensor, the second MEMs sensor, or the third MEMs sensor is sealed from the external environment.

12. The MIMS of claim 10 wherein at least one layer of the first integrated circuit is shared in common with the pressure sensor, the first MEMs sensor, the second MEMs sensor, or the third MEMs sensor and wherein at least a portion of the at least one layer is etched.

13. The MIMS of claim 10 wherein at least one layer of the first integrated circuit forms a cap on at least one of the pressure sensor, the first MEMs sensor, the second MEMs sensor, or the third MEMs sensor and wherein the at least one layer of the first integrated circuit forms a moving plate on at least one of the pressure sensor, the first MEMs sensor, the second MEMs sensor, or the third MEMs sensor.

14. The MIMS of claim 10 wherein the at least one layer of the first integrated circuit is configured to flex in at least one of the pressure sensor, the first MEMs sensor, the second MEMs sensor, or the third MEMs sensor and wherein the at least one layer of the first integrated circuit is configured not to flex in at least one of the pressure sensor, the first MEMs sensor, the second MEMs sensor, or the third MEMs sensor.

15. The MIMS of claim 10 wherein the first, second, or third MEMs sensors are sealed from an external environment at a different pressure.

16. The MIMs of claim 10 wherein the first integrated circuit comprises at least two of an inertial sensor, the pressure sensor, a tactile sensor, a humidity sensor, a temperature sensor, a microphone, a force sensor, an IR sensor, a load sensor, a magnetic sensor, a flow sensor, a light sensor, an electric field sensor, an electrical impedance sensor, a galvanic skin response sensor, a chemical sensor, a gas sensor, a liquid sensor, a solids sensor, or a biological sensor.

17. The MIMs of claim 10 wherein the first integrated circuit comprises at least three of an inertial sensor, the pressure sensor, a tactile sensor, a humidity sensor, a temperature sensor, a microphone, a force sensor, an IR sensor, a load sensor, a magnetic sensor, a flow sensor, a light sensor, an electric field sensor, an electrical impedance sensor, a galvanic skin response sensor, a chemical sensor, a gas sensor, a liquid sensor, a solids sensor, or a biological sensor.

18. The MIMS of claim 10 wherein at least one sensor of the pressure sensor, the first MEMs sensor, the second MEMs sensor, or the third MEMs sensor is sealed by depositing a layer using low pressure chemical vapor deposition, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition, sub atmospheric chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, atomic layer deposition, metallo organic chemical vapor deposition, molecular beam epitaxy, sputtering, evaporating, spin-coating, electro-plating, or spray coating.

19. A monolithically integrated multi-sensor (MIMs) comprising:

a first integrated circuit comprising;

a pressure sensor configured to measure an parameter; and

a first MEMs sensor configured to measure a first parameter;

a second MEMs sensor configured to measure a second parameter; and

at least a third sensor configured to measure a third parameter wherein the first parameter, the second parameter, the third parameter, and the parameter measured by the pressure sensor are different and wherein the pressure sensor, the first MEMs sensor, and the second MEMs sensor, and the at least third sensor are formed on or in a single semiconductor substrate.

20. The MIMs of claim 19 wherein the first integrated circuit comprises at least three of an inertial sensor, a pressure sensor, a tactile sensor, a humidity sensor, a temperature sensor, the pressure sensor, a force sensor, an IR sensor, a load sensor, a magnetic sensor, a flow sensor, a light sensor, an electric field sensor, an electrical impedance sensor, a galvanic skin response sensor, a chemical sensor, a gas sensor, a liquid sensor, a solids sensor, or a biological sensor.