A support substrate includes an insulating core layer, an electrically conductive layer over the insulating core layer and a solder mask layer over the electrically conductive layer. A back side of an integrated circuit chip is mounted to an upper surface of the support substrate at a die attach location. The upper surface of the support substrate includes a cavity located within the die attach location, where the cavity extends under the back side of the integrated circuit chip. The cavity is defined by an area where the solder mask layer and at least a portion of the electrically conductive layer have been removed. Bonding wires connect connection pads on a front side of the integrated circuit chip to connection pad on the upper surface of the support substrate.

A MEMS pressure sensor is provided having a membrane made with one of plurality of metal layers. A lid is positioned above the membrane and connected to a plurality of cavity walls at distal ends of the membrane. The lid includes an array of holes positioned on a region of the lid. A fixed metal electrode is positioned below the lid.

The present invention provides a MEMS pressure sensor and a manufacturing method. The pressure is formed by a top cap wafer, a MEMS wafer and a bottom cap wafer. The MEMS wafer comprises a frame and a membrane, the frame defining a cavity. The membrane is suspended by the frame over the cavity. The bottom cap wafer closes the cavity. The top cap wafer has a recess defining with the membrane a capacitance gap. The top cap wafer comprises a top cap electrode located over the membrane and forming, together with the membrane, a capacitor to detect a deflection of the membrane. Electrical contacts on the top cap wafer are connected to the top cap electrode. A vent extends from outside of the sensor into the cavity or the capacitance gap. The pressure sensor can include two cavities and two capacitance gaps to form a differential pressure sensor.

A pressure sensor element and a receiving circuit are formed on an IC chip. A transmitting circuit and a piezoelectric element of an actuator are respectively formed on a transmitting chip and a piezoelectric chip. The piezoelectric chip and the pressure sensor face each other separated by a distance in an airtight first space surrounded by a package main body and a base substrate. Dielectric breakdown voltage of signal transmission from the primary side to the secondary side is set by the distance. The first space is a pressure propagation region including an insulating medium capable of transmitting vibrations of the piezoelectric element as pressure. The signal transmission is performed with high insulation by the pressure generated in the pressure propagation region between components integrated in a single module by insulating the primary side and the secondary side from each other by the insulating medium of the pressure propagation region.

Disclosed is a MEMS chip that in certain embodiments includes a substrate with a back cavity, and a plate capacitor bank provided on the substrate; the plate capacitor bank at least includes a first plate capacitor structure and a second plate capacitor structure located below the first plate capacitor structure and arranged in parallel with the first plate capacitor structure; the first plate capacitor structure includes a first diaphragm and a first hack electrode; and the second plate capacitor structure includes a second. diaphragm and a second back electrode.

In the following, a sensor assembly is described. According to an exemplary embodiment, the sensor assembly has a housing enclosing a pressure chamber filled with a medium, the housing having a first housing part and a second housing part, the first housing part being connected to the second housing part to seal the pressure chamber in a pressure-tight manner A sensor chip is arranged in the pressure chamber, substantially surrounded by the medium, and configured to measure a pressure of the medium. The sensor assembly also includes a plurality of connection pins which are fed through the first housing part (carrier) by pressure-tight bushings and which are electrically connected to the sensor chip. The sensor assembly also has stress relieving structures which are configured to mechanically decouple the first housing part and a pressure-sensitive element of the sensor chip.

A method for closing openings in a flexible diaphragm of a MEMS element. The method includes: providing at least one opening in the flexible diaphragm, situating sealing material in the area of the at least one opening, melting-on at least the applied sealing material in the area of the at least one opening, and subsequently cooling the melted-on material to close the at least one opening.

A method of fabricating a capacitive micromechanical electrical system (MEMS) pressure sensor includes the steps of forming a backing wafer, forming a diaphragm wafer that includes a diaphragm configured to deflect from an applied force and a pressure cavity configured to produce on the diaphragm the applied force which is indicative of a system pressure; fusing the diaphragm wafer to the backing wafer thereby forming a base wafer, forming a top wafer, joining the top wafer to the base wafer, thereby forming a detector wafer. The diaphragm defines a first capacitor surface and the top wafer defines a second capacitor surface. A void separates the second capacitor surface from the first capacitor surface by a separation distance which is a capacitor gap. A capacitive MEMS pressure sensor is also disclosed.

A system includes an array of chemical, pressure, and temperature sensors, and a temporal airflow modulator configured to provide sniffed vapors in a temporally-modulated sequence through a plurality of different air paths across multiple sensor locations.

A system and/or method for utilizing MEMS switching technology to operate MEMS sensors. As a non-limiting example, a MEMS switch may be utilized to control DC and/or AC bias applied to MEMS sensor structures. Also for example, one or more MEMS switches may be utilized to provide drive signals to MEMS sensors (e.g., to provide a drive signal to a MEMS gyroscope).