A micromechanical device that includes a carrier substrate; a sensor device that is situated on the carrier substrate and spaced apart from a surface section of the carrier substrate with the aid of spring elements in such a way that the sensor device is oscillatable relative to the surface section; and at least one stopper element, situated on the sensor device and/or on the surface section of the carrier substrate, which limits a deflection of the sensor device in the direction of the surface section.

A pressure sensor comprises a polysilicon sensing membrane. The pressure sensor further includes one or more polysilicon electrodes disposed over a silicon substrate. The sensor also includes one or more polysilicon routing layers that electrically connects electrodes of the one or more polysilicon electrodes to one another, wherein the polysilicon sensing membrane deforms responsive to a stimuli and changes a capacitance between the polysilicon sensing membrane and the one or more polysilicon electrodes. The sensor also includes one or more vacuum cavities positioned between the polysilicon sensing membrane and the one or more polysilicon electrodes.

A method includes depositing a passivation layer on a substrate; depositing and patterning a first polysilicon layer on the passivation layer; depositing and patterning a first oxide layer on the first polysilicon layer forming a patterned first oxide layer; depositing and patterning a second polysilicon layer on the patterned first oxide layer. A portion of the second polysilicon layer directly contacts a portion of the first polysilicon layer. A portion of the patterned second polysilicon layer corresponds to a bottom electrode. A second oxide layer is deposited on the patterned second polysilicon layer and on an exposed portion of the patterned first oxide layer. A portion of the second oxide layer corresponding to a sensing cavity is etched, exposing the bottom electrode. Another substrate is bonded to the second oxide layer enclosing the sensing cavity. A top electrode is disposed within the another substrate and positioned over the bottom electrode.

MEMS based sensors, particularly capacitive sensors, potentially can address critical considerations for users including accuracy, repeatability, long-term stability, ease of calibration, resistance to chemical and physical contaminants, size, packaging, and cost effectiveness. Accordingly, it would be beneficial to exploit MEMS processes that allow for manufacturability and integration of resonator elements into cavities within the MEMS sensor that are at low pressure allowing high quality factor resonators and absolute pressure sensors to be implemented. Embodiments of the invention provide capacitive sensors and MEMS elements that can be implemented directly above silicon CMOS electronics.

A pressure sensor includes a base, a membrane disposed at a distance from the base, a first fixed electrode provided on the base so as to be opposite to the membrane and including a dielectric layer, and a second fixed electrode provided on the base so as to be opposite to the membrane. When pressure that acts on the membrane increases to cause the membrane to sag toward the base, the membrane comes in contact with the dielectric layer of the first fixed electrode before a distance between the membrane and the second fixed electrode becomes constant.

In an embodiment, a semiconductor package includes a support and a stack of two or more semiconductor dies, the stack including an upper die and further including a lower die attached to the support by adhesive on a backside of the lower die, wherein the adhesive covers only part of the backside of the lower die, and wherein the adhesive has a plurality of non-contiguous regions on the backside of the lower die.

A pressure sensor device includes an electrically insulative substrate, a base electrode layer, spacer portions, a guard electrode layer, and a membrane plate. A sensing electrode portion and monitoring electrode portions are located on the membrane plate and face the substrate. In a case where the monitoring electrodes are mounted on a circuit board, the monitoring electrodes detect at least one of stress or strain occurring in or on the spacer portions.

A micromechanical component for a pressure and inertial sensor device. The component includes a substrate having an upper substrate surface; a diaphragm having an inner diaphragm side oriented towards the upper substrate surface and an outer diaphragm side pointing away from the upper substrate surface, the inner diaphragm side bordering on an inner volume, in which a reference pressure is enclosed, and the diaphragm being able to be warped using a pressure difference between a pressure prevailing on its outer diaphragm side and the reference pressure; and a seismic mass situated in the inner volume, a sensor electrode, which projects out on the inner diaphragm side and extends into the inner volume, being displaceable with respect to the substrate due to a warping of the diaphragm. A pressure and inertial sensor device, and a method of manufacturing a micromechanical component for a pressure and inertial sensor device, are also described.

The present disclosure is directed to a method for manufacturing a micro-electro-mechanical device. The method includes the steps of forming, on a substrate, a first protection layer of crystallized aluminum oxide, impermeable to HF; forming, on the first protection layer, a sacrificial layer of silicon oxide removable with HF; forming, on the sacrificial layer, a second protection layer of crystallized aluminum oxide; exposing a sacrificial portion of the sacrificial layer; forming, on the sacrificial portion, a first membrane layer of a porous material, permeable to HF; forming a cavity by removing the sacrificial portion through the first membrane layer; and sealing pores of the first membrane layer by forming a second membrane layer on the first membrane layer.

Pressure sensors having ring-tensioned membranes are disclosed. A tensioning ring is bonded to a membrane in a manner that results in the tensioning ring applying a tensile force to the membrane, flattening the membrane and reducing or eliminating defects that may have occurred during production. The membrane is bonded to the sensor housing at a point outside the tensioning ring, preventing the process of bonding the membrane to the housing from introducing defects into the tensioned portion of the membrane. A dielectric may be introduced into the gap between the membrane and the counter electrode in a capacitive pressure sensor, resulting in an improved dynamic range.