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 microelectronics H-frame device includes: a stack of two or more substrates wherein the substrate stack comprises a top substrate and a bottom substrate, wherein bonding of the top substrate to the bottom substrate creates a vertical electrical connection between the top substrate and the bottom substrate, wherein the top surface of the top substrate comprises top substrate top metallization, wherein the bottom surface of the bottom substrate comprises bottom substrate bottom metallization; mid-substrate metallization located between the top substrate and the bottom substrate; a micro-machined top cover bonded to a top side of the substrate stack; and a micro-machined bottom cover bonded to a bottom side of the substrate stack.

Suspended microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices including a stack of one or more materials over a cavity in a substrate are described. The suspended MEMS device may be formed by forming the stack, which may include one or more electrode layers and an active layer, over the substrate and removing part of the substrate underneath the stack to form the cavity. The resulting suspended MEMS device may include one or more channels that extend from a surface of the device to the cavity and the one or more channels have sidewalls with a spacer material. The cavity may have rounded corners and may extend beyond the one or more channels to form one or more undercut regions. The manner of fabrication may allow for forming the stack layers with a high degree of planarity.

A micro-electro-mechanical pressure sensor device, formed by a cap region and by a sensor region of semiconductor material. An air gap extends between the sensor region and the cap region; a buried cavity extends underneath the air gap, in the sensor region, and delimits a membrane at the bottom. A through trench extends within the sensor region and laterally delimits a sensitive portion housing the membrane, a supporting portion, and a spring portion, the spring portion connecting the sensitive portion to the supporting portion. A channel extends within the spring portion and connects the buried cavity to a face of the second region. The first air gap is fluidically connected to the outside of the device, and the buried cavity is isolated from the outside via a sealing region arranged between the sensor region and the cap region.

A DMD cooling apparatus and method includes a DMD chip configured on a substrate, and a heatsink located within and integrated into the substrate upon which the DMD is configured. A plurality of micro-channels can be formed on a backside of the substrate. The micro-channels are fabricated via microlithography in association with a fabrication of the DMD chip such that the heatsink integrated into the silicon substrate allows for direct heat removal from the substrate.

A semiconductor differential pressure sensor element is such that as strain sensitive elements are disposed only inside a diaphragm, and strain relaxation grooves are provided along the diaphragm, it is difficult for thermal stress caused by expansion or contraction of a case to propagate to the strain sensitive elements, thus suppressing characteristic fluctuations resulting from a change in external temperature. Also, as a configuration is such that a sacrificial column is provided inside a depressed portion, and that the diaphragm is held by the sacrificial column in a diaphragm formation step which thins a second semiconductor substrate and a functional element formation step which repeatedly implements a cleaning step, breakage of the diaphragm can be prevented, thus achieving a significant improvement in yield.

The present invention generally relates to an ovenized platform and a fabrication process thereof. Specifically, the invention relates to an ovenized hybrid Si/SiO.sub.2 platform compatible with typical CMOS and MEMS fabrication processes and methods of its manufacture. Embodiments of the invention may include support arms, CMOS circuitry, temperature sensors, IMUs, and/or heaters among other elements.

Electromechanical device structures are provided, as well as methods for forming them. The device structures incorporate at least a first and second substrate separated by an interface material layer, where the first substrate comprises an anchor material structure and at least one suspended material structure, optionally a spring material structure, and optionally an electrostatic sense electrode. The device structures may be formed by methods that include providing an interface material layer on one or both of the first and second substrates, bonding the interface materials to the opposing first or second substrate or to the other interface material layer, followed by forming the suspended material structure by etching.

A DMD cooling apparatus and method includes a DMD chip configured on a substrate, and a heatsink located within and integrated into the substrate upon which the DMD is configured. A plurality of micro-channels can be formed on a backside of the substrate. The micro-channels are fabricated via microlithography in association with a fabrication of the DMD chip such that the heatsink integrated into the silicon substrate allows for direct heat removal from the substrate.

The present invention generally relates to glass-sensor structures and methods of making the same.