The damascene wiring structure includes a base including a main surface provided with a groove, an insulating layer including a first portion provided on an inner surface of the groove and a second portion provided on the main surface, a metal layer provided on the first portion, a wiring portion embedded in the groove, and a cap layer provided to cover the second portion, an end portion of the metal layer, and the wiring portion. A surface of a boundary part between the first portion and the second portion includes an inclined surface inclined with respect to a direction perpendicular to the main surface. The end portion of the metal layer enters between the cap layer and the inclined surface, and in the end portion, a first surface along the cap layer and a second surface along the inclined surface form an acute angle.

Expansion compensating structures are formed in redistribution layers of a wafer-level chip-scale integrated circuit package (WLCSP) or other IC package having a low-expansion substrate. The structures include micromechanical actuators designed and oriented to move solder bumps attached to them in the same direction and distance as a function of temperature as do pads to which they may be connected on a higher-expansion substrate such as a printed circuit board. Expansion compensated IC packages incorporating these expansion compensating structures are provided, as well as expansion compensated assemblies containing one or more of these IC packages. Methods of fabricating expansion compensated IC packages requiring minimal changes to existing commercial WLCSP fabrication processes are also provided. These devices and methods will result in assemblies having improved board-level reliability during thermal cycling, and allow the use of larger IC die sizes in WLCSP technology.

Apparatus and methods for forming MEMS structures that minimize bending with temperature change due to differences in the coefficient of thermal expansion for different layers of the MEMS structures. In particular, shown is forming a compensating reflectivity coating on the underside of a suspended MEMS structure to offset bending by a reflectivity coating on a top side of the suspended MEMS structure. The reflectivity coating can be either a reflective coating, or a non-reflective (anti-reflective) coating. The method includes forming a cavity on a first wafer, forming the compensating reflective coating on a second wafer substrate that will become the suspended MEMS structure, then flipping the second wafer over and bonding the two wafers together.

A transducer includes a first piezoelectric layer; and a second piezoelectric layer that is above the first piezoelectric layer; wherein the second piezoelectric layer is a more compressive layer with an average stress that is less than or more compressive than an average stress of the first piezoelectric layer.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor structure includes following operations. A first substrate is provided. A plate is formed over the first substrate. The plate includes a first tensile member, a second tensile member, a semiconductive member between the first tensile member and the second tensile member, and a plurality of apertures penetrating the first tensile member, the semiconductive member and the second tensile member. A membrane is formed over and separated from the plate. The membrane include a plurality of holes. A plurality of conductive plugs passing through the plate or membrane are formed. A plurality of semiconductive pads are formed over the plurality of conductive plugs. The plate is bonded to a second substrate. The second substrate includes a plurality of bond pads, and the semiconductive pads are in contact with the bond pads.

Systems and methods for MEMS devices are disclosed. A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device includes a substrate, and a MEMS structure supported by the substrate. The MEMS structure includes a first layer of a first material comprising a titanium aluminum alloy. The MEMS structure furth includes an aluminum layer on the first layer.

A silicon substrate having a first silicon substrate having a first surface with a cavity and a second surface opposite the first surface; a first silicon oxide film having a thickness d1 on the first surface; a second silicon oxide film having a thickness d2 on a bottom of the cavity; and a third silicon oxide film having a thickness d3 on the second surface, where d1≤d3 and d1<d2, or d3<d1 and d2<d1.

Techniques relating to a micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS) device configured to measure direct axial and shear stress components of a stress tensor are described. The MEMS device includes a first and second circuit configured in a double rosette structure coupled with a third circuit in a standard rosette structure to form a triple rosette piezo-resistive gauge circuit. The first circuit includes at least one piezoresistive element suspended from a substrate, and at least one piezoresistive element fixed to the substrate. The second circuit includes each piezoresistive element fixed to the substrate. The third circuit includes at least one piezoresistive element fixed to the substrate. Additionally, the MEMS device may be coupled to one or more processing systems to determine a mechanical stress tensor that is applied to the MEMS device based on measurements received from the MEMS device.

An MEMS acoustic transducer includes a substrate having an opening formed therein, a diaphragm comprising a slotted insulative layer, and a first conductive layer. The slotted insulative layer is attached around a periphery thereof to the substrate and over the opening, and the first conductive layer is disposed on a first surface of the slotted insulative layer. A backplate is separated from the diaphragm and disposed on a side of the diaphragm opposite the substrate.

A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device contains a movable MEMS structure, a first support structure in which an edge of the MEMS structure is attached, a cavity which is bounded by the MEMS structure and the first support structure, and a second support structure which is attached in the cavity and at the edge of the MEMS structure and is configured so as to support the edge of the MEMS structure mechanically.