Micromachined probe apparatus and methods for making and...

Electricity: measuring and testing – Impedance – admittance or other quantities representative of... – Lumped type parameters

Reexamination Certificate

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

C324S072000, C324S072500, C324S750010

Reexamination Certificate

active

07116115

ABSTRACT:
A micromachined probe apparatus and methods for making and using same to characterize liquid in a fluidic channel and map embedded charge in a sample on a substrate are provided. The probe apparatus includes an integrated scanning tip and a dither actuation mechanism. The actuation is achieved using a bent-beam electrothermal actuator, and the probe tip is insulated from the actuator with a wide isolation gap. The device is fabricated by a modified micro electro-discharge machining process which allows electrical isolation within the micromachined structure using an epoxy plug. The apparatus may be used to measure changes in the external surface potential of a microfluidic channel as a function of varying pH of liquid inside the channel. The apparatus also may be used to map embedded charge in a thin layer on a substrate, showing it to be suitable for monitoring microelectronics manufacturing processes.

REFERENCES:
patent: 4673231 (1987-06-01), McAnulty, Sr.
patent: 5742172 (1998-04-01), Yasutake
patent: 5789666 (1998-08-01), Bayer et al.
patent: 5963783 (1999-10-01), Lowell et al.
patent: 6139759 (2000-10-01), Doezema et al.
patent: 6198300 (2001-03-01), Doezema et al.
patent: 6586699 (2003-07-01), Gianchandani et al.
patent: 6624377 (2003-09-01), Gianchandani et al.
patent: WO 03/033993 (2003-04-01), None
Anderson, J.R., et al., Theory of the Vibrating Condenser Converter and Application to Contact Potential Measurements, Australian Journal of Applied Science, 3, 201, 1952.
Bergstrom, P.L., et al., Dielectric Membrane Technology for Conductivity and Work-Function Gas Sensors, IEEE International Conference on Sensors and Actuators (Transducers, 1995), Stockholm, Sweden, 1995, pp. 993-996.
Butt, H.J., Measuring Local Surface Charge Densities in Electrolyte Solutions with a Scanning Force Microscope, Biophysical Journal, 63(2), 1992, pp. 578-582.
Chu, L.L., et al., A Micromachined Kelvin Probe for Surface Potential Measurements in Microfluidic Channels and Solid-State Applications, IEEE International Conference on Sensors and Actuators (Transducers, 2003), Boston, USA, 2003, pp. 384-387.
Cismaru, C., et al., Relationship Between the Charging Damage of Test Structures and the Deposited Charge on Unpatterned Wafers Exposed to an Electron Cyclotron Resonance Plasma, Appl. Phys. Lett., 72(10), 1998, pp. 1143-1145.
Fang, S., et al., Thin-Oxide Damage from Gate Charging During Plasma Processing, IEEE Electron Dev. Lett., 13, 1992, p. 288.
Friedmann, J.B., et al., Plasma-Parameter Dependency of Thin-Oxide Damage from Wafer Charging During Electron-Cyclotron-Resonance Plasma Processing, IEEE Trans. Semic. Mfg., 10(1), 154, 1997.
Heinz, W.F., et al., Relative Surface Charge Density Mapping with the Atomic Force Microscope, Biophysical J., 76, 1999, pp. 528-538.
Hoff, A., et al., A Novel Approach to Monitoring of Plasma Processing Equipment and Plasma Damage Without Test Structures, IEEE/SEMI Advanced Semic. Manufacturing Conf., 185, 1997.
Hunter, Robert J., Introduction to Modern Colloid Science, Oxford Science Publications, 1993.
Ludeke, R., et al., Imaging of Oxide and Interface Charges in SiO2-Si, Microelectronic Engineering, 59, 2001, pp. 259-263.
Man, F., et al., Microfluidic Plastic Capillaries on Silicon Substrates: A New Inexpensive Technology for Bioanalysis Chips, IEEE MEMS, Nagoya, Japan, 1997, pp. 311-316.
Morita, S., et al., Defects and their Charge Imaging on Semiconductor Surfaces by Non-Contact Atomic Force Microscopy and Spectroscopy, J. Crystal Grth., 210, 2000, pp. 408-415.
Murphy, P.V., et al., Blood Compatibility of Polymer Electrets, Proc. Int. Conf. On Electrets, Charge Storage, and Transport in Dielectrics, Miami Beach, FL, Electrochemical Society, Princeton, NJ, 1973, pp. 627-649.
Nabban, W., et al., A High-Resolution Scanning Kelvin Probe Microscope for Contact Potential Measurements on the 100 nm Scale, Review of Scientific Instruments, 68(8), 1997, p. 3108.
Peterson, I.R., Kelvin Probe Liquid-Surface Potential Sensor, Review of Scientific Instruments, 70(8), Aug. 1999, pp. 3418-3424.
Que, L., et al., Bent-Beam Electro-thermal Actuators-I: Single Beam and Cascaded Devices, J. Microelectro-mech. Sys., 10(2), 2001, pp. 247-254.
Raiteri, R., et al., Measuring Electrostatic Double-Layer Forces at High Surface Potentials with the Atomic Force Microscope, Journal of Physical Chemistry, 100, 1996, pp. 16700-16705.
Surplice, N.A., et al., A Critique of the Kelvin Method of Measuring Work Functions, J. Physics E: Scientif. Instrum. 3, 477, 1970.
Takahata, K., et al., Batch Mode Micro-electro-discharge Machining, J. Microelectromech. Syst., 11(2), 2002, pp. 102-110.

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for the USA inventors and patents. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

Micromachined probe apparatus and methods for making and... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Micromachined probe apparatus and methods for making and..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Micromachined probe apparatus and methods for making and... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3654471

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.