A sensor includes an upper lid layer, a lower lid layer, and a sensor layer disposed between the upper lid layer and the lower lid layer. One of the upper lid layer and the lower lid layer includes an insulative region mainly made of glass, a via-electrode covered with the insulative region, and an outer circumferential region mainly made of silicon and provided at an outer circumference of the insulative region. This sensor allows reducing outer dimensions of a wafer, which is a material for the sensor.

A physical quantity sensor includes a base substrate; a movable unit which is provided so as to be displaced with respect to the base substrate by facing the base substrate; a first fixed electrode and a second fixed electrode which are disposed on the base substrate by facing the movable unit; and a plurality of protrusion portions which are disposed at a position overlapped with the movable unit in a planar view, on the movable unit side of the base substrate, in which the protrusion portion includes a conductive layer with the same potential as that of the first fixed electrode and the second fixed electrode, and an insulating layer which is provided on a side opposite to the base substrate with respect to the conductive layer.

A method of manufacturing microstructures, such as MEMS or NEMS devices, including forming a protective layer on a surface of a moveable component of the microstructure. For example, a silicide layer may be formed on a portion of at least four different surfaces of a poly-silicon mass that is moveable with respect to a substrate of the microstructure. The process may be self-aligning.

Disclosed is a variable inductor or inductor module with a varying inductance, wherein the variable inductor or inductor module changes inductor ring spacing and the distance between the inductor and a substrate using a MEMS driver, thereby enabling variances in the inductance.

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.

A mechanism for reducing stiction in a MEMS device by decreasing surface area between two surfaces, such as a travel stop and travel stop region, that can come into close contact is provided. Reduction in contact surface area is achieved by increasing surface roughness of the travel stop region. This is achieved by depositing a polysilicon layer over a dielectric layer using gaseous hydrochloric acid as one of the reactants. A subsequent etch back is performed to further increase the roughness. The deposition of polysilicon and subsequent etch back may be repeated one or more times in order to obtain the desired roughness. A final polysilicon layer may then be deposited to achieve a desired thickness. This final polysilicon layer is patterned to form the travel stop regions. The rougher surface decreases the surface area available for contact and, in turn, decreases the area through which stiction can be imparted.

An actuator device includes a support portion, a movable portion, a connection portion, a first wiring provided to the connection portion, a second wiring provided to the movable portion, a first insulation layer which includes a first opening exposing a surface opposite to the movable portion in a first connection part located at the movable portion in one wiring of the first and second wirings, a second insulation layer covering the first and second wirings. The other wiring of the first and second wirings is connected to the surface of the first connection part in the first opening. A region corresponding to a corner of the other wiring of the first and second wirings in a surface opposite to the movable portion in the second insulation layer is curved in a convex shape toward an opposite side to the movable portion.

A MEMS sensor (1) is configured to measure a physical quantity and has a substrate (10) and a movable mass (12) suspended at a distance from the substrate along a direction (Z), wherein the movable mass is coupled to the substrate so as to undergo a movement (M) along a sensing direction (S), with respect to the substrate, as a function of the physical quantity to be measured. The MEMS sensor also has a contact sensing structure (30) coupled to the substrate and which extends, at rest, at a distance (g.sub.SW) from the movable mass along the sensing direction; and at least one stator electrode (18A, 18B) coupled to the substrate and configured to form with the movable mass at least one capacitor having a capacitance variable as a function of the movement of the movable mass. A control circuit (5) is configured to: induce a voltage difference between the movable mass and the stator electrode, for sensing a capacitance variation between the movable mass and the stator electrode; sense a contact between movable mass and contact sensing structure; and in response to sensing the contact between movable mass and contact sensing structure, modify the induced voltage difference, so as to reduce an electrostatic force exerted by the at least one stator electrode on the movable mass.

An actuator device includes a support portion, a movable portion, a connection portion, a first wiring which is provided to the connection portion, and a second wiring which is provided to the support portion. The first wiring includes a metal material and the second wiring includes a metal material. One wiring of the first wiring and the second wiring includes a first connection part located at the support portion. An other wiring of the first wiring and the second wiring is connected to a surface of the first connection part. An extending length of the first wiring from an end of the connection portion on a side of the support portion to the first connection part along an extending direction of the first wiring is larger than a minimum width of the connection portion.

A MEMS accelerometer has a substrate and a sensing mass suspended at a distance from the substrate along an out-of-plane direction. The sensing mass is coupled to the substrate so as to undergo an out-of-plane movement with respect to the substrate, in response to an acceleration along the out-of-plane direction. The MEMS accelerometer also has a damping structure configured to damp an in-plane movement of the sensing mass with respect to the substrate. The damping structure has a plurality of movable fingers integral with the sensing mass and a plurality of fixed fingers integral with the substrate and interdigitated with the movable fingers. The movable fingers and/or the fixed fingers have, along a first in-plane direction transversal to the out-of-plane direction, a variable length.