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 microscale device may include a patterned forest of vertically grown and aligned carbon nanotubes defining a carbon nanotube forest with the nanotubes having a height defining a thickness of the forest. The patterned forest may define a patterned frame that defines one or more components of the microscale device. The microscale device may also include a conformal coating of substantially uniform thickness extending throughout the carbon nanotube forest. The carbon nanotube forest may have a thickness of at least three microns. The conformal coating may substantially coat the nanotubes, define coated nanotubes and connect adjacent nanotubes together such that the carbon nanotube forest is sufficiently robust for liquid processing, without substantially filling interstices between individual coated nanotubes. The microscale device may also include a metallic interstitial material infiltrating the carbon nanotube forest and at least partially filling interstices between individual coated nanotubes.

A semiconductor structure includes a first device and a second device. The first device includes a plate including a plurality of apertures; a membrane disposed opposite to the plate and including a plurality of corrugations, and a conductive plug extending through the plate and the membrane. The second device includes a substrate and a bond pad disposed over the substrate, wherein the conductive plug is bonded with the bond pad to integrate the first device with the second device, and the plate includes a semiconductive member and a tensile member, and the semiconductive member is disposed within the tensile member.

A device, such as a MEMS device, with stress tuning to achieve a desired stack stress across the wafer. The stress tuning includes trimming a stress compensation layer over a target layer having different stresses in different target layer regions. The trimming may include ion beam trimming to produce a stress compensation layer having different thicknesses over the different target layer regions to balance the stress of the target layer to a desired stress. The desired stress may result in almost zero residual stress to produce an almost flat MEMS device.

Electromechanical device structures are provided, as well as methods for forming them. The device structures incorporate at least a first and second substrate separated by an interface material layer, where the first substrate comprises an anchor material structure and at least one suspended material structure, optionally a spring material structure, and optionally an electrostatic sense electrode. The device structures may be formed by methods that include providing an interface material layer on one or both of the first and second substrates, bonding the interface materials to the opposing first or second substrate or to the other interface material layer, followed by forming the suspended material structure by etching.

A method for manufacturing a bonded substrate body in which an end portion of an adhesive is located at a position retreated in a direction to the inside of the bonded substrate body from an end surface of a bonding region of a first substrate and a second substrate includes forming a film on the end portion of the adhesive.

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 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.

Electromechanical device structures are provided, as well as methods for forming them. The device structures incorporate at least a first and second substrate separated by an interface material layer, where the first substrate comprises an anchor material structure and at least one suspended material structure, optionally a spring material structure, and optionally an electrostatic sense electrode. The device structures may be formed by methods that include providing an interface material layer on one or both of the first and second substrates, bonding the interface materials to the opposing first or second substrate or to the other interface material layer, followed by forming the suspended material structure by etching.

A method of forming at least one Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) includes patterning a wiring layer to form at least one fixed plate and forming a sacrificial material on the wiring layer. The method further includes forming an insulator layer of one or more films over the at least one fixed plate and exposed portions of an underlying substrate to prevent formation of a reaction product between the wiring layer and a sacrificial material. The method further includes forming at least one MEMS beam that is moveable over the at least one fixed plate. The method further includes venting or stripping of the sacrificial material to form at least a first cavity.