A process for fabricating a suspended microelectromechanical system (MEMS) structure comprising epitaxial semiconductor functional layers that are partially or completely suspended over a substrate. A sacrificial release layer and a functional device layer are formed on a substrate. The functional device layer is etched to form windows in the functional device layer defining an outline of a suspended MEMS device to be formed from the functional device layer. The sacrificial release layer is then etched with a selective release etchant to remove the sacrificial release layer underneath the functional layer in the area defined by the windows to form the suspended MEMS structure.

A vibration device including a supporting portion formed to cover both ends of a vibration region, and a method of manufacturing the vibration device are provided. The vibration device may include a lower substrate on which an insulating layer is formed, an upper substrate connected onto the insulating layer, and including a vibration region that vibrates and that is separated from the lower substrate by at least a predetermined distance, and a supporting portion formed to cover both ends of the vibration region, to support the vibration region.

The present disclosure relates to a device for analyzing a fluid sample. In one aspect, the device includes a fluidic substrate that comprises a micro-fluidic component embedded in the fluidic substrate configured to propagate a fluid sample via capillary force through the device and a means for providing a fluid sample connected to the micro-fluidic component. The device also includes a lid attached to the fluidic substrate at least partly covering the fluidic substrate and at least partly closing the micro-fluidic component. The fluidic substrate may be a silicon fluidic substrate and the lid may be a CMOS chip. In another aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method for fabricating such a device, and the method may include providing a fluidic substrate, providing a lid, and attaching, through a CMOS compatible bonding process, the fluidic substrate to the lid to close the fluidic substrate at least partly.

A microelectronic interconnect element can include a plurality of first metal lines and a plurality of second metal lines interleaved with the first metal lines. Each of the first and second metal lines has a surface extending within the same reference plane. The first metal lines have surfaces above the reference plane and remote therefrom and the second metal lines have surfaces below the reference plane and remote therefrom. A dielectric layer can separate a metal line of the first metal lines from an adjacent metal line of the second metal lines.

A method for manufacturing a micromechanical timepiece part starting from a silicon-based substrate, including, forming pores on the surface of at least one part of a surface of said silicon-based substrate of a determined depth, entirely filling the pores with a material chosen from diamond, diamond-like carbon, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, ceramics, polymers and mixtures thereof, in order to form, in the pores, a layer of the material of a thickness at least equal to the depth of the pores. A micromechanical timepiece part including a silicon-based substrate which has, on the surface of at least one part of a surface of the silicon-based substrate, pores of a determined depth, the pores being filled entirely with a layer of a material chosen from diamond, diamond-like carbon, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, ceramics, polymers and mixtures thereof, of a thickness at least equal to the depth of the pores.

Systems, processes and devices are provided for laser-based manufacturing of resonators and MEMS devices from bulk material including optically transparent material. Processes include digital marking of resonator structures in bulk material through non-linear interaction of ultrafast laser beam inscribing and material. The resonator structure may be defined and released through selective wet etching of the laser-modified areas, utilizing a combination of basic and acidic aqueous solutions. Processes can also include hydrofluoric thinning prior to wet etching to prevent laser surface damages. Systems and processes can pattern and fabricate resonator structures and concentricring structures. Embodiments provide miniaturized vibratory sensors from low loss material, such as fused silica and quartz, with an improved resolution and accuracy of measurements for inertial sensing, time referencing, bio-sensing and acoustic sensing.

An integrated circuit device includes a dielectric layer disposed over a semiconductor substrate, the dielectric layer having a sacrificial cavity formed therein, a membrane layer formed onto the dielectric layer, and a capping structure formed on the membrane layer such that a second cavity is formed, the second cavity being connected to the sacrificial cavity though a via formed into the membrane layer.

The disclosure relates to systems and methods for metering a dose volume of fluid that may be used to treat microelectronic substrates. The system enables precision dispensing of relatively small amounts of a liquid chemical into a chemical bath or processing chamber for microelectronic substrates. The dispensing device may include a fluid conduit with a plurality of actuation devices that may limit fluid communication between the actuation devices and store a portion of the fluid in expandable membrane. The actuation devices may push or pull the fluid within the fluid conduit when the expandable membrane expands or contracts. The configuration and operation of the actuation devices may enable the collection, isolation, and dispensing of the dose volume.

Embodiments of the invention describe hermetic encapsulation for MEMS devices, and processes to create the hermetic encapsulation structure. Embodiments comprise a MEMS substrate stack that further includes a magnet, a first laminate organic dielectric film, a first hermetic coating disposed over the magnet, a second laminate organic dielectric film disposed on the hermetic coating, a MEMS device layer disposed over the magnet, and a plurality of metal interconnects surrounding the MEMS device layer. A hermetic plate is subsequently bonded to the MEMS substrate stack and disposed over the formed MEMS device layer to at least partially form a hermetically encapsulated cavity surrounding the MEMS device layer. In various embodiments, the hermetically encapsulated cavity is further formed from the first hermetic coating, and at least one of the set of metal interconnects, or a second hermetic coating deposited onto the set of metal interconnects.

Systems and methods that protect CMOS layers from exposure to a release chemical are provided. The release chemical is utilized to release a micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS) device integrated with the CMOS wafer. Sidewalls of passivation openings created in a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) wafer expose a dielectric layer of the CMOS wafer that can be damaged on contact with the release chemical. In one aspect, to protect the CMOS wafer and prevent exposure of the dielectric layer, the sidewalls of the passivation openings can be covered with a metal barrier layer that is resistant to the release chemical. Additionally or optionally, an insulating barrier layer can be deposited on the surface of the CMOS wafer to protect a passivation layer from exposure to the release chemical.