An optical micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) system is disclosed. The optical MEMS system includes a printed circuit board (PCB), and a MEMS optical integrated circuit (IC) package mounted to the PCB. The IC package includes a MEMS optical die, and a plurality of leads electrically and mechanically connected to the MEMS optical die and to the PCB. The optical MEMS system also includes one or more elastomeric grommets contacting one or more of the leads, where the grommets are configured to absorb mechanical vibration energy from the contacted leads.

A micro-structured organic sensor device which has the following layers oriented in parallel to one another: a substrate layer for supporting the further layers; an organic sensor layer for converting a technical quantity to be detected to an electrical quantity; a first electrode layer for contacting the organic sensor layer on a side of the organic sensor layer facing the substrate layer; a second electrode layer for contacting the organic sensor layer on a side of the organic sensor layer facing away from the substrate layer; and one or several functional layers; wherein the sensor layer is structured such that a plurality of horizontally spaced sensor segments are formed; wherein at least one of the electrode layers is structured such that a plurality of horizontally spaced electrode segments are formed so that at least one of the electrode segments of the respective electrode layer is associated to each of the sensor segments; and wherein the one or several functional layers at least partly fill gaps located horizontally between the sensor segments.

A micro-electro-mechanical device includes an ion exchange polymer coated onto a surface or within pores of a micro-electro-mechanical portion. The micro-electro-mechanical device may be an electrode, a sensor or a cantilever. The ion exchange polymer may comprise an additive, such as an inorganic particle or powder or a metal-organic framework compound. Gases may react with the ionomer and create voltage and/or current which can be measured. The incorporation of ion exchange polymer with a MEM to produce electrode can provide interesting chemical, mechanical and electrical properties, which may have promise in sensor application and some other applications. The ion exchange polymer may be either cation exchange polymer or anion exchange polymer. The ion exchange polymer can be chemically cross-linked, or reinforced by support material or additive.

A method for fabricating an MEMS device includes providing a first substrate with a central region and a peripheral region, and forming a plurality of first openings in the peripheral region and a plurality of third openings in the central region by etching the first substrate from a front side. The depth of the first openings is larger than the depth of the third openings. The method further includes forming a photosensitive layer on the surfaces of the first openings and the third openings, bonding a second substrate to the front side of the first substrate, and forming a trench by etching the first substrate from a back side using a patterned mask layer as an etch mask. The trench has a concave bottom surface and exposes a portion of the photosensitive layer formed on the bottom surfaces of the first openings and the third openings.

An integrated package of at least one environmental sensor and at least one MEMS acoustic sensor is disclosed. The package contains a shared port that exposes both sensors to the environment, wherein the environmental sensor measures characteristics of the environment and the acoustic sensor measures sound waves. The port exposes the environmental sensor to an air flow and the acoustic sensor to sound waves. An example of the acoustic sensor is a microphone and an example of the environmental sensor is a humidity sensor.

An acoustic sensor integrated MEMS microphone structure and a fabrication method thereof. A diaphragm (3e) and back-pole (7) which forms a condenser structure are formed on a substrate (1) having at least one recessed slot (1a) on the top. A sensitive electrode is formed on the substrate (1), the sensitive electrode comprising a fixed portion (3b) fixed on the substrate (1) via a sacrificial layer (2), and a bending portion (3a) inserted into the recessed slot (1a), wherein the bending portion and the side wall of the recessed slot form the condenser structure. The integrated structure integrates the condenser structure of the microphone and condenser structure of the acoustic sensor on a substrate (1), thereby increasing the integration level thereof and reducing the overall size of the package. Meanwhile, the microphone diaphragm (3e) and the sensitive electrode of the acoustic sensor can be fabricated on a same substrate (1) at the same time, from the same material, and using the same fabricating process to increase production efficiency.

An actuator includes: an electrostatic actuation mechanism including a stationary electrode and a movable electrode; a first movable part driven by the electrostatic actuation mechanism; a first elastic support part that elastically supports the first movable part; an electret formed in at least one of the stationary electrode and the movable electrode; and a drive control unit that controls application of voltage to the electrostatic actuation mechanism. In the actuator a plurality of stable states are set in which the first movable part is positioned at a stable position at which an electrostatic force generated by the electret matches with an elastic force exerted by the first elastic support part or at a stable position near such stable position. By applying a voltage to the electrostatic actuation mechanism, the first movable part may be displaced from any stable position to another stable position.

Various aspects of this disclosure comprise systems and methods for synchronizing sensor data acquisition and/or output. For example, various aspects of this disclosure provide for achieving a desired level of timing accuracy in a MEMS sensor system, even in an implementation in which timer drift is substantial.

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.

Embodiments of chip-package and corresponding methods of manufacture are provided. In an embodiment of a chip-package, the chip-package includes: a carrier having a first side and a second side opposing the first side; a first chip coupled to the first side of the carrier; a second chip coupled to the second side of the carrier; an encapsulation with a first portion, which at least partially encloses the first chip on the first side of the carrier, and a second portion, which at least partially encloses the second chip on the second side of the carrier; a via extending through the first portion of the encapsulation, the carrier and the second portion of the encapsulation; and an electrically conductive material at least partly covering a sidewall of the via in the first portion or the second portion of the encapsulation, to electrically contact the carrier at either side.