A MEMS structure that provides an improved way to selectively control electromechanical properties of a MEMS device with an applied voltage. The MEMS structure includes a capacitor element that comprises at least one stator element, and at least one rotor element suspended for motion parallel to a first direction in relation to the stator element. The stator element and the rotor element form at least one capacitor element, the capacitance of which varies according to displacement of the rotor element from an initial position. The stator element and the rotor element are mutually oriented such that in at least one range of displacements of the rotor element from an initial position, the second derivative of the capacitance with respect to the displacement has negative values.

A MEMs actuator device and method of forming includes arrays of actuator elements. Each actuator element has a moveable top plate and a bottom plate. The top plate includes a central membrane member and a cantilever spring for movement of the central membrane member. The bottom plate consists of two RF signal lines extending under the central membrane member. A MEMs electrostatic actuator device includes a CMOS wafer, a MEMs wafer, and a ball bond assembly. Interconnections are made from a ball bond to an associated through-silicon-via (TSV) that extends through the MEMS wafer. A RF signal path includes a ball bond electrically connected through a TSV and to a horizontal feed bar and from the first horizontal feed bar vertically into each column of the array. A metal bond ring extends between the CMOS wafer and the MEMS wafer. An RF grounding loop is completed from a ground shield overlying the array to the metal bond ring, a TSV and to a ball bond.

The present invention generally relates to a method of operating a MEMS DVC while minimizing impact of the MEMS device on contact surfaces. By reducing the drive voltage upon the pull-in movement of the MEMS device, the acceleration of the MEMS device towards the contact surface is reduced and thus, the impact velocity is reduced and less damage of the MEMS DVC device occurs.

Disclosed is a MEMS device, comprising: a sensing element, including a movable electrode plate, a first electrode plate and a second electrode plate, the first electrode plate and the movable electrode plate forming a first capacitor; the second electrode plate and the movable electrode plate forming a second capacitor; the first capacitor and the second capacitor forming a detection capacitor of the sensing element; a differential mode detection module, performing differential mode detection on the first capacitor and the second capacitor; a common mode detection module, performing common mode detection on the first capacitor and the second capacitor; and a non-linearity elimination module, performing elimination of the non-linear relationship between the capacitance variation of the detection capacitor and the displacement of the movable electrode plate using the differential mode detection module output and the common mode detection module output.

According to one embodiment, an electronic device includes a base region, an element portion located on the base region, the element portion including a movable portion, and a protective film overlying the element portion and forming a cavity on an inner side of the protective film. The protective film includes a first protective layer and a second protective layer located on the first protective layer. A hole extends in a direction parallel to a main surface of the base region, and the second protective layer covers the hole.

An electrostatic actuator includes: a fixed driving electrode that is disposed on a silicon substrate; a movable driving electrode that is disposed so as to face the fixed driving electrode and approaches the fixed driving electrode with an electrostatic force generated between the movable driving electrode and the fixed driving electrode; and a pair of spacers that comes in contact with the movable driving electrode in an approaching state in which the fixed driving electrode and the movable driving electrode approach each other and forms a prescribed air gap between the fixed driving electrode and the movable driving electrode, wherein each of the spacers has a spacer electrode portion that comes in contact with the movable driving electrode via an insulator and has the same potential as one of the electrodes at least in the approaching state.

An inertial sensor and a method therefor. The inertial sensor includes: a first substrate; a medium layer stacked on the first substrate; a first electric-conductive layer stacked on the medium layer, first openings being formed in the first electric-conductive layer and spaced from one another; second electric-conductive layers being bonded to the first electric-conductive layer through bonding structures, a gap being formed between adjacent second electric-conductive layers, which are connected to each other by a connection part, and second openings being formed in each of the second electric-conductive layers and spaced from one another; and a second substrate covering the first substrate, a closed space being formed between the second substrate and the first substrate. Compared with a traditional single-layer structure, the die size is reduced, the manufacturing cost is reduced, and the integration of device into portable consumer applications is improved, and XY axis sensitivity is improved.

Described embodiments include a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) array comprising a first MEMS device that includes a first movable electrostatic plate elastically connected to a first structure, the first movable electrostatic plate having a first mass, a first fixed electrostatic plate, and a first drive circuit having a first drive output coupled to the first fixed electrostatic plate. There is a second MEMS device that includes a second movable electrostatic plate elastically connected to a second structure, the second movable electrostatic plate having a second mass that is different than the first mass, a second fixed electrostatic plate, and a second drive circuit having a second drive output coupled to the second fixed electrostatic plate.

An integrated circuit includes several metallization levels separated by an insulating region. A hollow housing whose walls comprise metallic portions is produced within various metallization levels. A controllable capacitive device includes a suspended metallic structure situated in the hollow housing within a first metallization level including a first element fixed on two fixing zones of the housing and at least one second element extending in cantilever fashion from the first element and includes a first electrode of the capacitive device. A second electrode includes a first fixed body situated at a second metallization level adjacent to the first metallization level facing the first electrode. The first element is controllable in flexion from a control zone of this first element so as to modify the distance between the two electrodes.

An antenna having radio-frequency (RF) resonators with tunable capacitors. In one embodiment, the tunable capacitor for tuning an RF resonator comprises: a first substrate with a first electrode attached thereto; a second substrate with a second electrode attached thereto; and a membrane between the first and second electrodes, the membrane being movable between the first and second electrodes in order to change capacitance.