Methods and apparatus for preventing solar damage, and other heat-related damage, to uncooled microbolometer pixels. In certain examples, a thermochroic membrane that becomes highly reflective at temperatures above a certain threshold is applied over at least some of the microbolometer pixels to prevent the pixels from being damaged by excessive heat.

A silicon carbide based MOS integrated circuit is monolithically integrated with a suspended piezoelectric aluminum nitride member to form a high-temperature-capable hybrid MEMS-over-MOS structure. In the integrated structure, a post-MOS passivation layer of silicon carbide is deposited over the MOS passivation and overlain by a structural layer of the MEMS device. Electrical contact to refractory metal conductors of the MOS integrated circuit is provided by tungsten vias that are formed so as to pass vertically through the structural layer and the post-MOS passivation layer.

A method includes depositing a silicon layer over a first oxide layer that overlays a first silicon substrate. The method further includes depositing a second oxide layer over the silicon layer to form a composite substrate. The composite substrate is bonded to a second silicon substrate to form a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) substrate. Holes within the second silicon substrate are formed by reaching the second oxide layer of the composite substrate. The method further includes removing a portion of the second oxide layer through the holes to release MEMS features. The MEMS substrate may be bonded to a CMOS substrate.

Provided is an internal temperature measurement device capable of measuring an internal temperature of a measuring object for which the thermal resistance value of a non-heating body present on the surface side of the object is unknown, more accurately with better responsiveness than hitherto. The internal temperature measurement device 10 includes a MEMS chip 12 including: two cells 20a, 20b for measuring two heat fluxes for calculating an internal temperature of a measuring object for which the thermal resistance value of a non-heating body is unknown; and a cell 20c for increasing a difference between the heat fluxes.

A sensor device is constructed to maintain a high glass strength to avoid the glass failure at low burst pressure, resulting from the sawing defects located in the critical high stress area of the glass pedestal as one of the materials used for construction of the sensor. This is achieved by forming polished recess structures in the critical high stress areas of the sawing street area. The sensor device is also constructed to have a robust bonding with the die attach material by creating a plurality of micro-posts on the mounting surface of the glass pedestal.

A microphone includes a substrate defining an embedded cavity between a first surface of the substrate and an opposing second surface of the substrate, the first surface defining a first opening into the embedded cavity, a distance between the first surface and the second surface defining a substrate thickness. A cover is disposed over the first surface of the substrate and forms a housing, the cover including a port, the substrate thickness being greater than a height of the cover from the first surface of the substrate. A microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) transducer is disposed in the housing and mounted on the first surface of the substrate over the first opening, and an integrated circuit (IC) is disposed in the housing and electrically coupled to the MEMS transducer. The MEMS transducer and the IC are disposed in a front volume of the housing defined by the cover and the substrate.

Methods and apparatus for preventing solar damage, and other heat-related damage, to uncooled microbolometer pixels. In certain examples, at least some of the pixels of an uncooled microbolometer are configured with a bimetallic thermal shorting structure that protects the pixel(s) from excessive heat damage. In other examples a thermochroic membrane that becomes highly reflective at temperatures above a certain threshold is applied over the microbolometer pixels to prevent the pixels from being damaged by excessive heat.

A microphone device includes a substrate having a cavity. The device also includes a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) transducer mounted on the substrate outside of the cavity and an application specific integrated circuit mounted in the cavity. A first set of bonding wires connect the MEMS transducer to the ASIC and a second set of bonding wires connect the ASIC to a conductor within the cavity. An encapsulating material completely covers the ASIC and at least a portion of the second set of wires and is substantially confined within the cavity. A cover is installed over the substrate to cover the MEMS transducer, the encapsulating material, the ASIC, the first set of bonding wires, and the second set of bonding wires.

A MEMS resonator is equipped with a substrate, a moving structure suspended above the substrate in a horizontal plane formed by first and second axes, having first and second arms, parallel to one another and extending along the second axis, coupled at their respective ends by first and second transverse joining elements, forming an internal window. A first electrode structure is positioned outside the window and capacitively coupled to the moving structure. A second electrode structure is positioned inside the window. One of the first and second electrode structures causes an oscillatory movement of the flexing arms in opposite directions along the first horizontal axis at a resonance frequency, and the other electrode structure has a function of detecting the oscillation. A suspension structure has a suspension arm in the window. An attachment arrangement is coupled to the suspension element centrally in the window, near the second electrode structure.

A method for fabricating a thermally isolated microelectromechanical system (MEMS) structure is provided. The method includes processing a first wafer of a first material with a glass wafer to form a composite substrate including at least one sacrificial structure of the first material and glass; forming a MEMS device in a second material; forming at least one temperature sensing element on at least one of: the composite substrate; and the MEMS device; and etching away the at least one sacrificial structure of the first material in the composite substrate to form at least one thermally isolating glass flexure. The MEMS device is thermally isolated on a thermal isolation stage by the at least one thermally isolating glass flexure. The at least one temperature sensing element in on a respective at least one of: the thermal isolation stage; and the MEMS device.