Provided is a method including at least the thermal treatment step of thermally treating a SOI substrate having a first silicon layer at a first temperature that the diffusion flow rate of an interstitial silicon atom in a silicon single crystal is higher than the diffusion flow rate of an interstitial oxygen atom and the processing step of processing the SOI substrate after the thermal treatment step to obtain a displacement enlarging mechanism.

A method for forming a microscale device may include growing, by a chemical vapor deposition, a patterned forest of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes, wherein the patterned forest defines a component of the microscale device, and applying a conformal non-metal coating to the vertically aligned carbon nanotubes throughout the patterned forest, wherein the conformal non-metal coating comprises a substantially uniform thickness along a length of the vertically aligned carbon nanotubes. The method may also include connecting adjacent vertically aligned carbon nanotubes together with the conformal non-metal coating without filling interstices between the adjacent vertically aligned carbon nanotubes, wherein the connecting of the vertically aligned carbon nanotubes is configured to increase a strength of the vertically aligned carbon nanotubes of the patterned forest above a threshold level to withstand forces applied during a wet etching process, and infiltrating the interstices between the adjacent vertically aligned carbon nanotubes with a metallic material.

A semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The semiconductor device includes a substrate having a first surface and a second surface arranged opposite to the first surface; a stress-sensitive sensor disposed at the first surface of the substrate, where the stress-sensitive sensor is sensitive to mechanical stress; a stress-decoupling trench that has a vertical extension that extends from the first surface into the substrate, where the stress-decoupling trench vertically extends partially into the substrate towards the second surface although not completely to the second surface; and a plurality of particle filter trenches that vertically extend from the second surface into the substrate, wherein each of the plurality of particle filter trenches have a longitudinal extension that extends orthogonal to the vertical extension of the stress-decoupling trench.

A micro-electromechanical device includes a semiconductor substrate, in which a first microstructure and a second microstructure of reference are integrated. The first microstructure and the second microstructure are arranged in the substrate so as to undergo equal strains as a result of thermal expansions of the substrate. Furthermore, the first microstructure is provided with movable parts and fixed parts with respect to the substrate, while the second microstructure has a shape that is substantially symmetrical to the first microstructure but is fixed with respect to the substrate. By subtracting the changes in electrical characteristics of the second microstructure from those of the first, variations in electrical characteristics of the first microstructure caused by changes in thermal expansion or contraction can be compensated for.

A method for manufacturing a mirror device is a method for manufacturing a mirror device including a structural body that includes a support portion, a movable portion, and a coupling portion, and a mirror layer provided on the movable portion. The method for manufacturing a mirror device includes: a first forming step of forming a plurality of parts on a wafer, each of the plurality of parts corresponding to the structural body; a second forming step of forming the mirror layer on a part of each of the plurality of parts, the part corresponding to the movable portion; a heating step of heating the part of each of the plurality of parts, corresponding to the movable portion, after the first forming step and the second forming step; and a cutting step of cutting the wafer to separate the plurality of parts from one another, after the heating step.

Methods and apparatus for proving a sensor assembly. Embodiments can include employing a circuit assembly having a first layer bonded to a second layer with an oxide layer, depositing bonding oxide on the second layer of the circuit assembly, and thinning the first layer of the circuit assembly after depositing the bonding oxide. A coating can be applied over at least a portion of the first layer of the circuit assembly after annealing the circuit assembly. After polishing the bonding oxide on the second surface of the second layer of the circuit assembly, a shim can be secured to the bonding oxide on the second surface of the second layer of the circuit assembly to reduce bow of the assembly. Embodiments can provide a sensor useful in focal plane arrays.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor structure includes providing a first substrate, disposing and patterning a plate over the first substrate, disposing a first sacrificial oxide layer over the plate, forming a plurality of recesses over a surface of the first sacrificial oxide layer, disposing and patterning a membrane over the first sacrificial oxide layer, disposing a second sacrificial oxide layer to surround the membrane and cover the first sacrificial oxide layer; and forming a plurality of conductive plugs passing through the plate or the membrane, wherein the plate includes a semiconductive member and a tensile member, and the semiconductive member is disposed within the tensile member.

A semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The semiconductor device includes a substrate having a first surface and a second surface arranged opposite to the first surface; a stress-sensitive sensor disposed at the first surface of the substrate, where the stress-sensitive sensor is sensitive to mechanical stress; a stress-decoupling trench that has a vertical extension that extends from the first surface into the substrate, where the stress-decoupling trench vertically extends partially into the substrate towards the second surface although not completely to the second surface; and a plurality of particle filter trenches that vertically extend from the second surface into the substrate, wherein each of the plurality of particle filter trenches have a longitudinal extension that extends orthogonal to the vertical extension of the stress-decoupling trench.

A method of forming a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) includes forming a lower electrode on a first insulator layer within a cavity of the MEMS. The method further includes forming an upper electrode over another insulator material on top of the lower electrode which is at least partially in contact with the lower electrode. The forming of the lower electrode and the upper electrode includes adjusting a metal volume of the lower electrode and the upper electrode to modify beam bending.

A polycrystalline material having low mechanical strain is provided. The polycrystalline material includes one or multiple layers of a first type and one or multiple layers of a second type. The layers of the first type and the layers of the second type each include at least one polycrystalline material component. The layers of the first type have a smaller average crystal grain size than the layers of the second type, a layer of the first type and a layer of the second type being situated, at least in part, one above the other in an alternating sequence, and it being the case for the transition between the layers of the first type and the layers of the second type to be abrupt or continuous.