Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) structures, methods of manufacture and design structures are disclosed. The method includes forming a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) beam structure by venting both tungsten material and silicon material above and below the MEMS beam to form an upper cavity above the MEMS beam and a lower cavity structure below the MEMS beam.

A semiconductor arrangement and method of formation are provided. The semiconductor arrangement includes an electro-wetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) device. The EWOD device includes a top portion over a bottom portion and a channel gap between the top portion and the bottom portion. The bottom portion includes a driving dielectric layer over a first electrode, a second electrode and a first separating portion of an ILD layer between the first electrode and a second electrode. The driving dielectric layer has a first thickness less than about 1,000 . An EWOD device with a driving dielectric layer having a first thickness less 1000 requires a lower applied voltage to alter a shape of a droplet within the device and has a longer operating life than an EWOD device that requires a higher applied voltage to alter the shape of the droplet.

Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) structures, methods of manufacture and design structures are disclosed. The method includes forming a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) beam structure by venting both tungsten material and silicon material above and below the MEMS beam to form an upper cavity above the MEMS beam and a lower cavity structure below the MEMS beam.

Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) structures, methods of manufacture and design structures are disclosed. The method includes forming a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) beam structure by venting both tungsten material and silicon material above and below the MEMS beam to form an upper cavity above the MEMS beam and a lower cavity structure below the MEMS beam.

Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) structures, methods of manufacture and design structures are disclosed. The method includes forming a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) beam structure by venting both tungsten material and silicon material above and below the MEMS beam to form an upper cavity above the MEMS beam and a lower cavity structure below the MEMS beam.

A strain sensor utilizes an ohmic-based contact switch to detect strain. The sensor can be incorporated into other structures, such as an artificial flapping wing, to detect strain and other parameters, including air flow disturbances. The sensors are fabricated using an additive manufacturing process, with a layer of gold or other conductive material applied for electrical conductivity and UV laser ablation for electrical isolation. The sensor design incorporates mechanical amplification, converting small strains into larger displacements that close contact pads, resulting in an ohmic switch activated at a specific strain threshold. Unlike traditional sensors, the switch provides a high or low state output directly without the need for additional amplification or post-processing. The device can detect disturbances in flapping wing cycles and obtain yaw rotation information, with potential applications in other aircraft for disturbance detection.

A process for filling one or more etched holes defined in a frontside surface of a wafer substrate. The process includes the steps of: (i) depositing a layer of a photoimageable thermoplastic polymer onto the frontside surface and into each hole; (ii) reflowing the polymer; (iii) selectively removing the polymer from regions outside a periphery of each hole, the selective removing comprising exposure and development of the polymer; (iv) optionally repeating steps (i) to (iii) until each hole is overfilled with the polymer; and (v) planarizing the frontside surface to provide one or more holes filled with a plug of the polymer. Each plug has a respective upper surface coplanar with the frontside surface.

A process for filling one or more etched holes defined in a frontside surface of a wafer substrate. The process includes the steps of: (i) depositing a layer of a thermoplastic first polymer onto the frontside surface and into each hole; (ii) reflowing the first polymer; (iii) exposing the wafer substrate to a controlled oxidative plasma; (iv) optionally repeating steps (i) to (iii); (v) depositing a layer of a photoimageable second polymer; (vi) selectively removing the second polymer from regions outside a periphery of the holes using exposure and development; and (vii) planarizing the frontside surface to provide holes filled with a plug comprising the first and second polymers, which are different than each other. Each plug has a respective upper surface coplanar with the frontside surface.

Methods of reversing the tone of a pattern having non-uniformly sized features. The methods include depositing a highly conformal hard mask layer over the patterned layer with a non-planar protective coating and etch schemes for minimizing critical dimension variations.

A method for manufacturing a vibration device includes: preparing a base including a semiconductor substrate having a first surface, on which a circuit element is formed, and a second surface, and a first insulating layer disposed on the first surface of the semiconductor substrate and covering the circuit element; forming a second insulating layer by depositing an insulator on a fifth surface of the first insulating layer on a side opposite to the semiconductor substrate; planarizing at least a part of a third surface of the second insulating layer on a side opposite to the base by polishing; forming a mount electrode on the polished third surface of the second insulating layer; and bonding a vibration element to the mount electrode.