The present invention provides a method for preparing a micro-cavity array surface with an inclined smooth bottom surface based on an air molding method. The method includes: preparing a micro-cavity array surface; preparing an auxiliary microstructure polymer template, and performing plasma treatment on the auxiliary microstructure polymer template; uniformly spreading a layer of a liquid polymer film to be formed on the auxiliary microstructure polymer template subjected to the plasma treatment; placing a gap bead in an empty position on the micro-cavity array surface; placing the auxiliary microstructure polymer template spread with the liquid polymer film on the gap bead on the micro-cavity array surface, maintaining this state, and feeding the auxiliary microstructure polymer template into a vacuum drying oven; and heating and solidifying the liquid polymer film, and separating the micro-cavity array surface to obtain the micro-cavity array surface with the inclined smooth bottom surface.

A stress-isolated microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device and a method of manufacture of the stress-isolated MEMS device are provided. MEMS devices may be sensitive to stress and may provide lower performance when subjected to stress. A stress-isolated MEMS device may be manufactured by etching a trench and/or a cavity in a first side of a substrate and subsequently forming a MEMS device on a surface of a platform opposite the first side of the substrate. Such a stress-isolated MEMS device may exhibit better performance than a MEMS device that is not stress-isolated. Moreover, manufacturing the MEMS device by first forming a trench and cavity on a backside of a wafer, before forming the MEMS device on a suspended platform, provides increased yield and allows for fabrication of smaller parts, in at least some embodiments.

A method for producing a MEMS device comprises fabricating a first semiconductor layer and selectively depositing a second semiconductor layer over the first semiconductor layer, wherein the second semiconductor layer comprises a first part composed of monocrystalline semiconductor material and a second part composed of polycrystalline semiconductor material. The method furthermore comprises structuring at least one of the semiconductor layers, wherein the monocrystalline semiconductor material of the first part and underlying material of the first semiconductor layer form a spring element of the MEMS device and the polycrystalline semiconductor material of the second part and underlying material of the first semiconductor layer form at least one part of a comb drive of the MEMS device.

Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) inertial sensors exhibiting reduced parasitic capacitance are described. The reduction in the parasitic capacitance may be achieved by forming localized regions of thick dielectric material. These localized regions may be formed inside trenches. Formation of trenches enables an increase in the vertical separation between a sense capacitor and the substrate, thereby reducing the parasitic capacitance in this region. The stationary electrode of the sense capacitor may be placed between the proof mass and the trench. The trench may be filled with a dielectric material. Part of the trench may be filled with air, in some circumstances, thereby further reducing the parasitic capacitance. These MEMS inertial sensors may serve, among other types of inertial sensors, as accelerometers and/or gyroscopes. Fabrication of these trenches may involve lateral oxidation, whereby columns of semiconductor material are oxidized.

A semiconductor oxide plate is formed on a recessed surface in a semiconductor matrix material layer. Comb structures are formed in the semiconductor matrix material layer. The comb structures include a pair of inner comb structures spaced apart by a first semiconductor portion. A second semiconductor portion that laterally surrounds the first semiconductor portion is removed selective to the comb structures using an isotropic etch process. The first semiconductor portion is protected from an etchant of the isotropic etch process by the semiconductor oxide plate, the pair of inner comb structures, and a patterned etch mask layer that covers the comb structures. A movable structure for a MEMS device is formed, which includes a combination of the first portion of the semiconductor matrix material layer and the pair of inner comb structures.

A semiconductor device includes first and second exposed electrical contacts and a cavity having a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) structure therein. A conductive path extends from the first exposed electrical contact to the cavity and an over-voltage protection element electrically is coupled between the first and second exposed electrical contacts.

3D nanochannel interleaved devices for molecular manipulation are provided. In one aspect, a method of forming a device includes: forming a pattern on a substrate of alternating mandrels and spacers alongside the mandrels; selectively removing the mandrels from a front portion of the pattern forming gaps between the spacers; selectively removing the spacers from a back portion of the pattern forming gaps between the mandrels; filling i) the gaps between the spacers with a conductor to form first electrodes and ii) the gaps between the mandrels with the conductor to form second electrodes; and etching the mandrels and the spacers in a central portion of the pattern to form a channel (e.g., a nanochannel) between the first electrodes and the second electrodes, wherein the first electrodes and the second electrodes are offset from one another across the channel, i.e., interleaved. A device formed by the method is also provided.

A method for manufacturing a micromechanical structure and a micromechanical structure. The method includes: forming a first micromechanical functional layer; forming a plurality of trenches in the first micromechanical functional layer, which include an upper widened area at the upper side of the first micromechanical functional layer and a lower area of essentially constant width; depositing a sealing layer on the upper side of the first micromechanical functional layer to seal the plurality of trenches, a sealing point of the plurality of trenches being formed below the upper side of the first micromechanical functional layer and the first trenches being at least partially filled; thinning back the sealing layer by a predefined thickness; and forming a second micromechanical functional layer above the thinned-back sealing layer.

Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) inertial sensors exhibiting reduced parasitic capacitance are described. The reduction in the parasitic capacitance may be achieved by forming localized regions of thick dielectric material. These localized regions may be formed inside trenches. Formation of trenches enables an increase in the vertical separation between a sense capacitor and the substrate, thereby reducing the parasitic capacitance in this region. The stationary electrode of the sense capacitor may be placed between the proof mass and the trench. The trench may be filled with a dielectric material. Part of the trench may be filled with air, in some circumstances, thereby further reducing the parasitic capacitance. These MEMS inertial sensors may serve, among other types of inertial sensors, as accelerometers and/or gyroscopes. Fabrication of these trenches may involve lateral oxidation, whereby columns of semiconductor material are oxidized.

The present invention provides a method for preparing a micro-cavity array surface with an inclined smooth bottom surface based on an air molding method. The method includes: preparing a micro-cavity array surface; preparing an auxiliary microstructure polymer template, and performing plasma treatment on the auxiliary microstructure polymer template; uniformly spreading a layer of a liquid polymer film to be formed on the auxiliary microstructure polymer template subjected to the plasma treatment; placing a gap bead in an empty position on the micro-cavity array surface; placing the auxiliary microstructure polymer template spread with the liquid polymer film on the gap bead on the micro-cavity array surface, maintaining this state, and feeding the auxiliary microstructure polymer template into a vacuum drying oven; and heating and solidifying the liquid polymer film, and separating the micro-cavity array surface to obtain the micro-cavity array surface with the inclined smooth bottom surface.