Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Electrostatic capacitors – Variable
Patent
1989-01-30
1991-02-26
Griffin, Donald A.
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Electrostatic capacitors
Variable
156628, 156629, 357 26, 2041293, H01G 700, G25F 312, B44C 122, H01L 2984
Patent
active
049966278
ABSTRACT:
A miniature transducer having an ultrathin tensioned silicon diaphragm so as to be responsive to extremely small changes in pressure. A silicon wafer is masked to define diaphragm areas, and etched to form a setback or capacitor gap a predefined depth. The mask is removed, and the entire silicon wafer is etched a second time to achieve the desired diaphragm thickness. The first and second etches are carried out independently, and thus the capacitor gap and diaphragm thickness can be independently formed. Mask and metallizing steps are carried out on glass wafers, and sandwiched around the processed semiconductor wafer, whereupon a large number of the miniature transducers are fabricated simultaneously. Unique patterning, etching and metallizing steps carried out on the sandwich structure allow a number of quadrature unit cells to be formed, thereby maximizing the area of the semiconductor and glass structures. By proper selection of materials, the diaphragm is tensioned during the fabrication of the transducer structures.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3096262 (1963-07-01), Shockley
patent: 3232114 (1966-02-01), Ferran
patent: 3397278 (1968-08-01), Pomerantz
patent: 3557621 (1971-01-01), Ferran
patent: 3588632 (1971-06-01), Nakata
patent: 3713922 (1973-01-01), Lepselter et al.
patent: 3738881 (1973-06-01), Erdman
patent: 3748571 (1973-07-01), Kurtz
patent: 3757414 (1973-09-01), Keller
patent: 3758830 (1973-09-01), Jackson
patent: 3793885 (1974-02-01), Frick
patent: 3800264 (1974-03-01), Kurtz et al.
patent: 3893228 (1975-07-01), George et al.
patent: 3938175 (1976-02-01), Jaffe et al.
patent: 3941629 (1976-03-01), Jaffe
patent: 3951707 (1976-04-01), Kurtz et al.
patent: 4023562 (1977-05-01), Hynecek et al.
patent: 4040118 (1977-08-01), Johnston
patent: 4071838 (1978-01-01), Block
patent: 4072057 (1978-02-01), Yasuhara et al.
patent: 4079508 (1978-03-01), Nunn
patent: 4113551 (1978-09-01), Bassous et al.
patent: 4121334 (1978-10-01), Wallis
patent: 4127840 (1978-11-01), House
patent: 4158311 (1979-06-01), Yasuhara et al.
patent: 4172005 (1979-10-01), Muraoka et al.
patent: 4184189 (1980-01-01), Davis et al.
patent: 4188258 (1980-02-01), Mounteer et al.
patent: 4204185 (1980-05-01), Kurtz et al.
patent: 4212191 (1980-07-01), Ethridge
patent: 4236137 (1980-11-01), Kurtz et al.
patent: 4256532 (1981-03-01), Magdo et al.
patent: 4257274 (1981-03-01), Shimada et al.
patent: 4261086 (1981-04-01), Giachino et al.
patent: 4275406 (1981-06-01), Muller et al.
patent: 4314226 (1982-02-01), Oguro et al.
patent: 4332000 (1982-05-01), Petersen
patent: 4364276 (1982-12-01), Shimazoe et al.
patent: 4384899 (1983-05-01), Myers
patent: 4390925 (1983-06-01), Freud
patent: 4415948 (1983-11-01), Grantham et al.
patent: 4424713 (1984-01-01), Kroninger, Jr. et al.
patent: 4443293 (1984-04-01), Mallon et al.
patent: 4445383 (1984-05-01), Binder et al.
patent: 4495820 (1985-01-01), Shimada et al.
patent: 4503709 (1985-03-01), Ruhle
patent: 4525766 (1985-06-01), Petersen
patent: 4530029 (1985-07-01), Beristain
patent: 4542435 (1985-09-01), Freud et al.
patent: 4556629 (1985-12-01), Poulin et al.
patent: 4571661 (1986-02-01), Hoshino
patent: 4578735 (1986-03-01), Knecht et al.
patent: 4581676 (1986-04-01), Baxter et al.
patent: 4584885 (1986-04-01), Cadwell
patent: 4586109 (1986-04-01), Peters et al.
patent: 4589952 (1986-05-01), Behringer et al.
patent: 4597003 (1986-06-01), Aine et al.
patent: 4600934 (1986-07-01), Aine et al.
patent: 4609966 (1986-09-01), Kuisma
patent: 4612599 (1986-09-01), Ziegler
patent: 4617606 (1986-10-01), Shak et al.
patent: 4628403 (1986-12-01), Kuisma
patent: 4638552 (1987-01-01), Shimbo et al.
patent: 4664762 (1987-05-01), Hirata
patent: 4671846 (1987-06-01), Shimbo et al.
patent: 4671846 (1987-06-01), Shimbo et al.
patent: 4730496 (1988-03-01), Knecht et al.
patent: 4745521 (1988-05-01), Filho
patent: 4783237 (1988-11-01), Aine et al.
patent: 4784721 (1988-11-01), Holmen et al.
patent: 4905575 (1990-03-01), Knecht et al.
I.B.M. Technical Disclosure Bulletin Dec. 1967, vol. 10, No. 7, pp. 941.
A MOS Switched-Capacitor Interface for Capacitive Pressure Sensors, Y. E. Park, Yong Eue, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Michigan, Aug. 1983.
A MOS Switched-Capacitor Readout Amplifier for Capacitive Pressure Sensors, Y. E. Park and K. D. Wise, IEEE, 1983.
A High-Performance Silicon Tactile Imager Based On A Capacitive Cell, Kukjin Chun and Kensall D. Wise, IEEE, 1985.
Properties of Electromechanical Device Utilizing Thin Silicon Diaphragms, S. Pennington, I. Dillinger and H. Guckel, University of Wisconsin-Madison (undated).
Chemical Milling, the Technology of Cutting Materials by Etching, William T. Harris, 1976.
A Batch-Fabricated Silicon Accelerometer, by Lynn Michelle Roylance and James B. Angell, IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, vol. Ed-26, No. 12, Dec. 1979.
The Design of an Integrated Circuit Capacitive Pressure Transducer, Thomas M. Grill, Case Western Reserve University, May, 1978.
A Minimum Step Fabrication Process for the All-Silicon Channeling Mask, Atkinson et al., J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B5 (1), Jan./Feb. 1987.
Anamalous Diffusion of Phosphorous into Silicon, Yagi et al., Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, vol. 9, No. 3, Mar. 1970.
A Study of Strain in Ion Implanted Silicon, Sasaki et al., Semiconductor Processing (undated).
X-Ray Measurement of Lattice Strain Induced by Impurity Diffusion, Noboru Sato, Journal of the Physical Society of Japan, vol. 38, No. 1, Jan. 1975.
Sub-Miniature Pressure and Acceleration Transducers, Neubert et al., Control, Jul. 1961.
Solid-State Pressure Sensors, Perrino, Sensors, Jul., 1986.
Solid-State Capacitive Pressure Transducers, Sensors and Actuators, 10 (1986), pp. 303-320.
Diaphram Thickness Control in Silicon Pressure Sensor Using an Anodic Oxidation Etch-Stop, Hirata et al., J. ElectroChem. Soc.: Solid-State Science and Technology, vol. 134, No. 8, pp. 2037-2041, Aug. 1987.
Bonding Techiques for Solid State Pressure Sensors, Thomas A. Knecht (Undated).
Thin Film Technology, Berry et al., D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., 1968.
Instrument Transducer, Hermann K. P. Neubert, pp. 286-290, 1963.
Integration Brings a Generation of Low-Cost Transducers, Electronics, Dec. 4, 1972, Arthur R. Zias and William F. J. Hare.
Structural Isolation of a Constrained Diaphragm, Instruments and Control Systems, Apr. 1972.
Solid-State Digital Pressure Transducer, IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, vol. Ed-16, No. 10, Oct. 1969, Arthur R. Zias et al.
Miniature Pressure Transducers with a Silicon Diaphragm, Phillips Tech., Rev. 33, pp. 14-20, 1973, No. 1.
An IC Piezoresistive Pressure Sensor for Biomedical Instrumentation, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, vol. BME-20, No. 2, Mar. 1973.
Block Barry
Cadwell Robert M.
Mapes Kenneth W.
Nystrom Norman L.
Zias Arthur R.
Dresser Industries Inc.
Griffin Donald A.
LandOfFree
High sensitivity miniature pressure transducer does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with High sensitivity miniature pressure transducer, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and High sensitivity miniature pressure transducer will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-297619