The present invention provides an infrared detector pixel structure and manufacturing method thereof. The structure comprises a conductive metal region on surface of the silicon substrate; an infrared detecting element located above the silicon substrate for detecting infrared light and generating electrical signal; and a conductive beam unit electrically connected to the infrared detecting element for transmitting the electrical signal to the conductive metal region; the conductive beam unit includes at least one conductive beam layer and multilayer conductive trench arranged in a vertical direction; two ends of the conductive beam are respectively in contact with two layers of conductive trenches whose bottom portions are not in the same horizontal plane; the infrared detecting element is in contact with one conductive trench one conductive beam; the conductive metal region is in contact with bottom portion of the other layer of conductive trench therein; the electrical signal is transmitted along the height direction of the conductive trench and the conductive beam, so as to be transmitted downward to the conductive metal region in a circuitous path in the vertical direction.

A semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the same are provided such that a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) element is protected at an early manufacturing stage. A method for protecting a MEMS element includes: providing at least one MEMS element, having a sensitive area, on a substrate; and depositing, prior to a package assembly process, a protective material over the sensitive area of the at least one MEMS element such that the sensitive area of at least one MEMS element is sealed from an external environment, where the protective material permits a sensor functionality of the at least one MEMS element.

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.

The MEMS sensor includes: a device substrate on which a device pattern is formed; a cap substrate disposed on top of the device substrate, the cap substrate comprising a first cavity area; a base substrate disposed on the bottom of the device substrate; a first-through silicon via formed through the base substrate, the first-through silicon via including a first core area for outputting an electrical signal provided from the device pattern to the outside or transmitting an electrical signal provided from the outside to the device pattern, a first insulating area surrounding an outer surface of the first core area, a first peripheral area surrounding an outer surface of the first insulating area, and a second insulating area surrounding an outer surface of the first peripheral area; and a circuit board, electrically connected to the first-through silicon via, for processing electrical signals for the device pattern.

Methods for manufacturing MEMS structures are provided. The method includes forming a first trench and a second trench in a MEMS substrate by performing a main etching process and etching the MEMS substrate through the first trench and the second trench to form a first through hole and an extended second trench by performing a first step of an over-etching process. The method further includes etching the MEMS substrate through the extended second trench to form a second through hole by performing a second step of the over-etching process. In addition, a width of the first trench is greater than a width of the second trench, and a height of the first trench is greater than of a height of the MEMS substrate, and a height of the second trench is smaller than of the MEMS substrate.

Methods for manufacturing MEMS structures are provided. The method includes forming a first trench and a second trench in a MEMS substrate by performing a main etching process and etching the MEMS substrate through the first trench and the second trench to form a first through hole and an extended second trench by performing a first step of an over-etching process. The method further includes etching the MEMS substrate through the extended second trench to form a second through hole by performing a second step of the over-etching process. In addition, a width of the first trench is greater than a width of the second trench, and a height of the first trench is greater than of a height of the MEMS substrate, and a height of the second trench is smaller than of the MEMS substrate.

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 of making nanoscale channels including: providing a substrate, locating a photoresist mask layer on the substrate, the thickness of the photoresist mask layer equals H; forming a patterned mask layer by exposing and developing the photoresist mask layer, the patterned mask layer includes a plurality of parallel and spaced stripe masks, the spacing between adjacent stripe masks equals L; depositing a first thin film layer on the substrate in a first direction, the thickness of the first thin film layer equals D, a first angle between the first direction and a direction in the thickness of the stripe masks equals .sub.1, .sub.1<tan.sup.1(L/H); depositing a second thin film layer on the substrate in a second direction, a second angle between the second direction and the direction in the thickness of the stripe masks equals .sub.2, .sub.2<tan.sup.1[L/(H+D)], 0<H tan .sub.1+(H+D)tan .sub.2L<10 nm.

A method for manufacturing a micromechanical inertial sensor, including: forming a movable MEMS structure in a MEMS wafer; connecting a cap wafer to the MEMS wafer; forming an access opening into the cavity, the access opening to the cavity being formed from two opposing sides; a defined narrow first access opening being formed from one side of the movable MEMS structure and a defined wide second access opening being formed from a surface of the MEMS wafer, the second access opening being formed to be wider in a defined manner than the first access opening; and closing the first access opening while enclosing a defined internal pressure in the cavity.

A method for forming a trench in a first semiconductor layer of a multi-layer system. The method includes: applying a mask layer onto the first semiconductor layer, a recess being formed in the mask layer so that the first semiconductor layer is exposed within the recess; applying a protective layer which completely covers or modifies the first semiconductor layer exposed within the recess; applying a second semiconductor layer; etching the second semiconductor layer to completely remove it in a subarea surrounding the recess of the mask layer; etching the protective layer so that the first semiconductor layer is exposed within the recess; and forming the trench in the first semiconductor layer, the recess of the mask layer serving as an etching mask, and the trench being formed by a cyclical alternation between etching and passivation steps, the first etching step being longer than the subsequent etching steps.