Semiconductor device manufacturing: process – Making device or circuit emissive of nonelectrical signal
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-15
2001-01-30
Nelms, David (Department: 2818)
Semiconductor device manufacturing: process
Making device or circuit emissive of nonelectrical signal
C438S022000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06180428
ABSTRACT:
Solid state semiconductor light emitters are important devices in such diverse applications such as optoelectronic communication systems and high-speed printing systems. It is well-known in the proven art of silicon to provide suspension and actuation schemes, for example, comb drives using bending springs or parallel plate actuation using torsion springs. For optical beam steering applications, these silicon steering elements are typically combined with a light source in a separate package, or even with a light source ‘glued’ or bonded onto the silicon steering chip.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,536,988, 5,640,133, 5,025,346, “Fabrication of Submicron High-Aspect-Ratio GaAs Actuators” Zhang et al., Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems Vol. 2, No. 2, p. 66-73, June 1993, “Laterally Driven Polysilicon Resonant Microstructure” Tang et al., IEEE Micro Electro Mechanical Systems pp. 53-59, February 1989 (reprint), and “Electrostatic-comb Drive of Lateral Polysilicon Resonators” Tang et al., Transducers '89, Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Solid-State Sensors and Actuators and Eurosensors III, Vol. 2, pp. 328-331, June 1990 (reprint) show the state of the art of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) actuators and methods of fabricating these devices. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,747,366 and 5,719,891 show the state of the art of semiconductor light emitting assemblies.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/761,681, entitled “Raster Output Scanner with Pivotal Mirror for Process Direction Light Spot Position Control” filed on Dec. 6, 1996 and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention teaches a MEMS torsional control device.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/940,867, entitled “Highly compact Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers” filed on Sep. 30, 1997 and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention teaches the formation of highly compact and well-defined VCSELs.
All of the above references are hereby incorporated by reference.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is drawn to micromachining a semiconductor substrate to produce light sources on mechanically suspended, moveable micro-stages on a chip. Preferably the semiconductor substrate is made of III-V materials which have highly desirable optical properties for the production of the light source. The monolithic stages are to be actuated using force generators, to generate the various mechanical degrees of freedom depending on the type of stage suspension (e.g. x-motion, x/y motion, z-motion, &THgr;-motion, or possibly some combinations thereof). In one embodiment, undoped III-V materials are used as the substrate for better enabling electrical isolation for different parts of the micromachining device. In another embodiment, doped III-V materials are used for the semiconductor substrate.
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“Fabrication of Submicron High-Aspect-Ratio GaAs Actuators”, by Z. Lisa Zhang & Noel C. MacDonald, Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems, vol. 2, No. 3, Jun., 1993, pp. 66-73.
“Laterally Driven Polysilicon Resonant Microstructures”, by William C. Tang, Tu-Cuong H. Nguyen and Roger T. Howe, Proceedings IEEE Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, pp. 53-59, Feb., 1989.
“Electrostatic-comb Drive of Lateral Polysilicon Resonators”, by William C. Tang, Tu-Cuong H. Nguyen, Michael W. Judy & Roger W. Howe, Transducers '89, Proceedings of the 5thInternational Conference on Solid-State Sensors and Actuators and Eurosensors III, vol. 2, pp. 328-331, Jun., 1990.
U.S. patent application No. 08/761,681, entitled “Raster Output Scanner with Pivotal Mirror for Process Direction Light Spot Position Control” filed on Dec. 6, 1996.
U.S. patent application No. 08/940,867, entitled “Highly Compact Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers” filed Sep. 30, 1997.
Apte Raj B.
Bringans Ross D.
Connell G. A. Neville
Floyd Philip D.
Fork David K.
Henn David E.
Le Dung A
Nelms David
Xerox Corporation
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