A sensor apparatus includes a base, a tap, a channel, and a gate. The tap is adjacent the base and electrically coupled to the base. The channel is between the tap and the base. The gate is adjacent the channel and electrically coupled to the channel. The gate is separated from the channel by a gap. At least a portion of a charge flow in the channel is substantially parallel or antiparallel to an electric field between the gate and the channel. A triode capacitor system includes a channel region, a gate region, and a processor. The gate region is separated from the channel region by a gap. The processor is coupled to a base contact, a tap contact, and a gate contact and configured to measure a distance of the gap based on a potential difference between the base contact and the tap contact.

A modification to rough polysilicon using ion implantation and silicide is provided herein. A method can comprise depositing a hard mask on a single crystal silicon, patterning the hard mask, and depositing metal on the single crystal silicon. The method also can comprise forming silicide based on causing the metal to react with exposed silicon of the single crystal silicon. Further, the method can comprise removing unreacted metal and stripping the hard mask from the single crystal silicon. Another method comprises forming a MEMS layer, wherein the forming comprises fusion bonding a handle layer with a device layer. The method also can comprise implanting rough polysilicon on the device layer. Implanting the rough polysilicon can comprise performing ion implantation of the rough polysilicon. Further, the method can comprise performing high temperature annealing. The high temperature can comprise a temperature in a range between around 700 and 1100 degrees Celsius.

According to one embodiment, a MEMS element includes a base body, a supporter, a film part, a first electrode, a second electrode, and an insulating member. The supporter is fixed to the base body. The film part is separated from the base body in a first direction and supported by the supporter. The first electrode is fixed to the base body and provided between the base body and the film part. The second electrode is fixed to the film part and provided between the first electrode and the film part. The insulating member includes a first insulating region and a second insulating region. The first insulating region is provided between the first electrode and the second electrode. A first gap is provided between the first insulating region and the second electrode. The second insulating region does not overlap the first electrode in the first direction.

A vibration-driven energy harvesting element is formed by processing a substrate having a first Si layer and a second Si layer with an insulating layer in between. The vibration-driven energy harvesting element includes: a fixed electrode formed in the first Si layer; and a movable electrode formed in the second Si layer, opposed to the fixed electrode with a gap space formed in the insulating layer in between, and movable relative to the fixed electrode.

Devices and methods of operating partitioned actuator plates to obtain a desirable shape of a movable component of a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) device. The subject matter described herein can in some embodiments include a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) device including a plurality of actuation electrodes attached to a first surface, where each of the one or more actuation electrode being independently controllable, and a movable component spaced apart from the first surface and movable with respect to the first surface. Where the movable component further includes one or more movable actuation electrodes spaced apart from the plurality of fixed actuation electrodes.

An optical device that may include an enclosure that comprises a first element, a second element; wherein the first element and the second element are at least partially transparent; a movable element that is configured to move within an internal space defined by the enclosure; and wherein the enclosure is sealed and is configured to maintain a pressure difference between a pressure level that exists within the internal space and an ambient pressure level.

A device comprising a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) substrate with protrusions of different heights that has been integrated with a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) substrate is presented herein. The MEMS substrate comprises defined protrusions of respective distinct heights from a surface of the MEMS substrate, and the MEMS substrate is bonded to the CMOS substrate. In an aspect, the defined protrusions can be formed from the MEMS substrate. In another aspect, the defined protrusions can be deposited on, or attached to, the MEMS substrate. In yet another aspect, the MEMS substrate comprises monocrystalline silicon and/or polysilicon. In yet even another aspect, the defined protrusions comprise respective electrodes of sensors of the device.

A force feedback actuator includes a pair of electrodes and a dielectric member. The pair of electrodes are spaced apart from one another to form a gap. The dielectric member is disposed at least partially within the gap. The dielectric member includes a first portion having a first permittivity and a second portion having a second permittivity that is different from the first permittivity. The dielectric member and the pair of electrodes are configured for movement relative to each other.

According to one embodiment, a MEMS element includes a base body, a supporter, a film part, a first electrode, a second electrode, and an insulating member. The supporter is fixed to the base body. The film part is separated from the base body in a first direction and supported by the supporter. The first electrode is fixed to the base body and provided between the base body and the film part. The second electrode is fixed to the film part and provided between the first electrode and the film part. The insulating member includes a first insulating region and a second insulating region. The first insulating region is provided between the first electrode and the second electrode. A first gap is provided between the first insulating region and the second electrode. The second insulating region does not overlap the first electrode in the first direction.

Disclosed herein is a novel a tunable Micro-Electro-Mechanical (MEMS) Etalon system including: a functional layer patterned to define a suspension structure for suspending a first mirror being an aperture mirror of the Etalon, an aperture mirror coupled to the suspension structure, and a back layer including a second mirror, being a back mirror of the Etalon. The functional layer may be located above the back layer and the back layer may include spacer structures protruding therefrom towards the aperture mirror to define a minimal gap between the aperture mirror and the back mirror and prevent collision between them. The aspect ratio between the width of the etalon/mirrors may be high (e.g. at least 500), and the minimal gap/distance between the mirrors may be small in the order of tens of nanometers (nm). Accordingly, in some implementations the parallelism between the aperture mirror and the back mirror is adjustable to avoid chromatic artifacts associated with spatial variations in the spectral transmission profile across the etalon.