Silicon-based sensors

Details Silicon-based sensors Silicon-based sensors

1989-02-16

1990-06-19

Woodiel, Donald O.

Measuring and testing

Volume or rate of flow

Thermal type

73756, 338 22SD, G01F 168

Patent

active

049341901

ABSTRACT:
A silicon-based sensor includes a substrate, a sensor element, and a protective diaphragm mounting and covering the sensor element. The diaphragm is a silicon layer which, in a preferred embodiment, includes an etch-stop dopant. The etch-stop layer is sealed to the substrate so that the layer covers and mounts the sensor element to the substrate. The sensor is fabricated by forming a trough area in a surface of a silicon block (e.g., a silicon chip or wafer), treating the trough area with an etch-stop dopant (e.g., boron), depositing a sensor element onto the doped trough area, sealing at least the periphery of the doped trough area to a surface of a substrate (e.g., glass) so as to encapsulate the sensor element, and then etching away undoped regions of the silicon block so that the doped trough area remains as a protective diaphragm sealed to the substrate and covering the sensor element. It is also possible to form a bonding pad on untreated (e.g., undoped) discontinuous regions of an otherwise etch-stop treated trough layer so that when etched, the bonding pad is exposed to permit interconnection with electronic circuitry, yet the etch-stop treated layer remains so as to mount the bonding pad to the substrate.

REFERENCES:
patent: 4622856 (1986-11-01), Binder et al.
patent: 4625560 (1986-12-01), Sanders
patent: 4773972 (1988-09-01), Mikkor

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