In an embodiment a device includes a substrate including an upper substrate surface and a lower substrate surface and a membrane-layer suspended above the upper substrate surface, wherein the substrate includes a recess penetrating the substrate between the lower substrate surface and the upper substrate surface, wherein the membrane-layer spans the recess, wherein the recess includes an upper recess region, an intermediate recess region, and a lower recess region, wherein the upper recess region is a part of the recess in direct vicinity to the upper substrate surface, the intermediate recess region is a part of the recess directly below the upper recess region, and the lower recess region is a part of the recess other than the upper recess region and the intermediate recess region, and wherein a cross-sectional area of the upper recess region determined parallel to the upper substrate surface is larger than a respective cross-sectional area of the intermediate recess region.

A method includes obtaining an active device layer. The active device layer has a first surface with one or more active feature areas. First portions of the active feature areas are exposed, and second portions of the active feature areas are covered by an insulating layer. A conformal overcoat layer is formed on the first surface. A base of a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device layer is formed on the conformal overcoat layer. The MEMS device layer is spatially segregated from the active feature areas by removing portions of the base of the MEMS device layer in one or more antiparasitic regions (APRs) that correspond to the active feature areas. Metal MEMS features are formed on the base of the MEMS device layer. Selected portions of the active feature areas are exposed removing portions of the conformal overcoat layer that overlay the active feature areas.

A MEMS capacitance microphone includes a substrate, a diaphragm, a back plate structure and a plurality of support structures. The substrate is provided with a plurality of gate structures and a cavity penetrating through the substrate, and the gate structures extend from an inner wall of the cavity to the center of the cavity. The diaphragm is vibratably arranged on one side of the substrate and includes a main deformation zone and a non-main deformation zone. The back plate structure is arranged on the diaphragm, and the diaphragm is located between the substrate and the back plate structure. The support structures are arranged on the back plate structure, penetrate the periphery of the main deformation zone, and respectively abut against the gate structures. The MEMS capacitance microphone has higher rigidity of a back plate, and is capable of greatly reducing the impedance of air to increase its signal-to-noise ratio.

A method of forming at least one Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) includes forming a beam structure and an electrode on an insulator layer, remote from the beam structure. The method further includes forming at least one sacrificial layer over the beam structure, and remote from the electrode. The method further includes forming a lid structure over the at least one sacrificial layer and the electrode. The method further includes providing simultaneously a vent hole through the lid structure to expose the sacrificial layer and to form a partial via over the electrode. The method further includes venting the sacrificial layer to form a cavity. The method further includes sealing the vent hole with material. The method further includes forming a final via in the lid structure to the electrode, through the partial via.

A micro-device including at least one first element comprising at least: a portion of material corresponding to a compound of at least one semi-conductor and at least one metal, first and second protective layers each covering one of two opposite faces of said portion of material, such that the first and second protective layers are in direct contact with said portion of material, that the first protective layer comprises at least one first material able to withstand an HF etching, that the second protective layer comprises at least one second material able to withstand the HF etching, and that at least one of the first and second materials able to withstand the HF etching includes the semi-conductor.

Described herein is a technique capable of forming a sacrificial film with a high wet etching rate so as to obtain a wet etching selectivity with respect to a movable electrode when manufacturing a cantilever structure sensor. According to one aspect of the technique of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device including: (a) placing a substrate with a sacrificial film containing impurities on a substrate support in a process chamber, wherein the sacrificial film is formed so as to cover a control electrode, a pedestal and a counter electrode formed on the substrate; (b) heating the substrate; and (c) modifying the sacrificial film into a modified sacrificial film by supplying an oxygen-containing gas in a plasma state to the substrate to desorb the impurities from the sacrificial film after (b).

A MEMS microphone includes a substrate having a cavity, a back plate being disposed over the substrate and having a plurality of acoustic holes, a diaphragm disposed between the substrate and the back plate, the diaphragm being spaced apart from the substrate and the back plate, covering the cavity to form an air gap between the back plate, and being configured to generate a displacement with responding to an acoustic pressure and a plurality of anchors extending from an end portion of the diaphragm to be integrally formed with the diaphragm, the anchors being arranged along a circumference of the diaphragm to be spaced apart from each other, and having lower surfaces making contact with an upper surface of the substrate to support the diaphragm. Thus, the MEMS microphone may have improved rigidity and flexibility.

Microelectromechanical (MEMS) devices and associated methods are disclosed. Piezoelectric MEMS transducers (PMUTs) suitable for integration with complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuit (IC), as well as PMUT arrays having high fill factor for fingerprint sensing, are described.

A MEMS microphone includes a substrate. A dielectric layer is disposed on the substrate, having an opening and includes: indent region surrounding the opening; pillars extending from an indent surface at the indent region to the substrate; and an outer part surrounding the indent region and disposed on the substrate. A signal sensing space is created at the indent region between the pillars and between the pillars and the outer part. A first electrode layer is disposed on the indent surface of the dielectric layer. A second electrode layer is disposed on the substrate. A sensing diaphragm is held by the dielectric layer, including two elastic diaphragms supported by the dielectric layer; and a conductive plate between the first elastic diaphragm and the second elastic diaphragm. The conductive plate has a central part embedded in the holding structure and a peripheral part extending into the signal sensing space.

The present disclosure includes apparatuses and methods related to freezing a sacrificial material in forming a semiconductor. In an example, a method may include solidifying, via freezing, a sacrificial material in an opening of a structure, wherein the sacrificial material has a freezing point below a boiling point of a solvent used in a wet clean operation and removing the sacrificial material via sublimation by exposing the sacrificial material to a particular temperature range.