A MEMS device, includes: a substrate; at least two driving units, located on the substrate; at least two movable structures, respectively connected to the at least two driving units; and at least two internal mass structures, or at least one internal mass structure and at least two external mass structures, the internal mass structure being connected between the two movable structures, wherein the external mass structures are connected to and located outside the two movable structures. In response to a movement of the MEMS device, the internal mass structure rotates, and the external mass structures move in opposite directions. There is no flexible element directly connecting the mass structures, so as to reduce a coupling effect between the mass structures.

Capped microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices are described. In at least some situations, the MEMS device includes one or more masses which move. The cap may include a stopper which damps motion of the one or more movable masses. In at least some situations, the stopper damps motion of one of the masses but not another mass.

An improved microelectromechanical system (MEMS) pressure sensing device has an extended shallow polygon cavity on a top side of a silicon supporting substrate. A buried silicon dioxide layer is formed between the top side of the supporting substrate and a bottom side of a device layer. Piezoresistors and bond pads are formed and located on a top side of the device layer and produce measureable voltage changes responsive to a fluid pressure applied to the device layer. The purpose of the extend shallow polygon cavity is to improve the sensitivity or increase the span while keep a low pressure nonlinearity during shrinking the die size of the MEMS pressure sensing device die with corner metal bond pads having a keep-out distance to prevent a wire bonder from breaking the thin diaphragm.

The invention relates to an acceleration sensor (100) having a sensor material (120) which is mounted by means of spring elements (130) so as to be movable along a movement axis (x) over a substrate (110), first trim electrodes (140) which are connected to the sensor material (120), and second trim electrodes (150) which are connected to the substrate (110) and are associated with the first trim electrodes (140). When the sensor material is deflected along the movement axis, a spring force acting on the sensor material (120) is generated by the spring elements (130), and when the sensor material (120) is deflected, an electrostatic force acting on the sensor material (120), which counteracts the spring force, is generated by application of an electrical trim voltage between the first trim electrodes (140) and the second trim elements (150).

Apparatuses, systems, and methods associated with placement of magnets within a microelectromechanical system device are disclosed herein. In embodiments, a method of affixing at least one magnet in a microelectromechanical system, may include affixing an electromagnetic actuator to a base structure of the microelectromechanical system, the affixing including affixing the electromagnetic actuator within a recess formed in the base structure. The method may further include placing a magnet within the recess, wherein the recess includes at least a portion of a spring, the spring affixed to the base structure and extending into the recess, the placing including placing the magnet on a side of the electromagnetic actuator, between the spring and the side of the electromagnetic actuator, the spring pressing the magnet against the side of the electromagnetic actuator and maintaining a position of the magnet in response to the placing the magnet within the recess.

In one aspect, the disclosure is directed to a MEMS device. The MEMS device includes a silicon-based movable MEMS sensor element. The MEMS device also includes a plurality of wells formed into at least one surface of the movable MEMS sensor element. Each well is filled with at least one metal so as to increase the effective mass of the movable MEMS sensor element. The metal may be tungsten or tantalum, or an alloy with tungsten or tantalum.

A MEMS sensor includes a substrate and a MEMS layer. A plurality of anchoring points within the MEMS layer suspend a suspended spring-mass system that includes active micromechanical components that respond to a force of interest such as linear acceleration, angular velocity, pressure, or magnetic field. Springs and rigid masses couple the active components to the anchoring points, such that displacements of the anchoring points do not substantially cause the active components within the MEMS layer to move out-of-plane.

A capacitive accelerometer comprises: a substantially planar proof mass mounted to a fixed substrate by flexible support legs so as to be linearly moveable in an in-plane sensing direction. The proof mass comprises first and second sets of moveable capacitive electrode fingers. First and second sets of fixed capacitive electrode fingers interdigitates with the first and second sets of moveable electrode fingers respectively. A set of moveable damping fingers extend from the proof mass substantially perpendicular to the sensing direction, laterally spaced in the sensing direction. A set of fixed damping fingers mounted to the fixed substrate interdigitates with the set of moveable damping fingers and comprises an electrical connection to the proof mass so that the interdigitated damping fingers are electrically common. The damping fingers are mounted in a gaseous medium that provides a damping effect.

A micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) device includes a mirror; at least one hinge; an electrostatic comb structure; and a control device. The control device causes, for a period of time, a voltage to be supplied to the electrostatic comb structure to cause the electrostatic comb structure to tilt the mirror about the at least one hinge in a particular direction. The control device causes, after the period of time and at an instant of time, the voltage to cease being supplied to the electrostatic comb structure. A tilt angle of the mirror, at the first instant of time, is less than a maximum tilt angle of the mirror in the particular direction. An angular momentum of the mirror, at the instant of time, is greater than zero kilogram meters squared per second in the particular direction.

A micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) device and method of fabricating the MEMS device are disclosed. The MEMS device comprises a substrate, one or more suspension structures connected to the substrate, one or more metallized layers on the one or more suspension structures, and one or more sense structures connected to the one or more suspension structures. The one or more metallized layers provide selectively adjusted damping of the one or more suspension structures.