A method of manufacturing a plurality of through-holes in a layer of first material by subjecting part of the layer of said first material to ion beam milling. For batch-wise production, the method comprises after a step of providing the layer of first material and before the step of ion beam milling, providing a second layer of a second material on the layer of first material, providing the second layer of the second material with a plurality of holes, the holes being provided at central locations of pits in the first layer, and subjecting the second layer of the second material to said step of ion beam milling at an angle using said second layer of the second material as a shadow mask.

Disclosed is a method for manufacturing a microcantilever having a predetermined thickness that includes forming a liquid synthetic resin for cantilevers to a thickness corresponding to the thickness of the microcantilever on an upper surface of a base block having an adhesive base and a non-adhesive base, and curing the liquid synthetic resin for cantilevers via a boundary between the adhesive base and the non-adhesive base, wherein the adhesive base has stronger adhesivity to the cured synthetic resin for cantilevers than the non-adhesive base.

A process for manufacturing an interaction system of a microelectromechanical type for a storage medium, the interaction system provided with a supporting element and an interaction element carried by the supporting element, envisages the steps of: providing a wafer of semiconductor material having a substrate with a first type of conductivity (P) and a top surface; forming a first interaction region having a second type of conductivity (N), opposite to the first type of conductivity (P), in a surface portion of the substrate in the proximity of the top surface; and carrying out an electrochemical etch of the substrate starting from the top surface, the etching being selective with respect to the second type of conductivity (N), so as to remove the surface portion of the substrate and separate the first interaction region from the substrate, thus forming the supporting element.

A micromechanical device has a functional layer. One or more layers are provided between the functional layer and the micromechanical device to provide stress relief.

The present invention relates to a cantilever or membrane comprising a body and an elongated beam attached to the body. The elongated beam includes a first layer comprising a first material, a second layer comprising a second material having an elastic modulus different to that of the first material, a third layer comprising a third material having an elastic modulus different to that of the first material, where the first layer is sandwiched between the second layer and the third layer.

A method of manufacturing a plurality of through-holes in a layer of first material, for example for the manufacturing of a probe comprising a tip containing a channel. To manufacture the through-holes in a batch process, a layer of first material is deposited on a wafer comprising a plurality of pits a second layer is provided on the layer of first material, and the second layer is provided with a plurality of holes at central locations of the pits; using the second layer as a shadow mask when depositing a third layer at an angle, covering a part of the first material with said third material at the central locations, and etching the exposed parts of the first layer using the third layer as a protective layer.

A micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) probe module structure is provided, including: a ceramic carrier and a plurality of probes fixed on the ceramic carrier; the ceramic carrier has a top surface, a side surface, and a bottom surface, and a window in the center; the ceramic carrier is provided with a plurality of lead wires, each lead wires are distributed on the top surface, the side surface and the bottom surface and connected together; the bottom surface is provided with a plurality of bonding areas, and each lead wire is connected to a corresponding bonding area; each of the probes includes a needle tip and the needle arm, the needle tup is arranged at one end of the needle arm, and the needle arm is welded to the bonding area, so that the needle arm extends below the window like a cantilever and the needle tip faces downward.

Electrostatically-excited hermetic multi-cell microelectromechanical actuator and production method thereof The present invention discloses an electrostatically excited microelectromechanical actuator and its fabrication method. The structure of the actuator comprises a set of electrostatic-capacitive cells that, when electrostatically excited, create local torques. The perimeter-fixed and excited cell structure deforms in a variety of ways in the vertical direction over a range of several or tens of micrometers, thus allowing to perform functions of an AFM sensor or micro-fluidic controls. The advantages of such a perimeter clamped structure are higher operating frequencies, higher AFM imaging throughput and higher output energies. Also, it is inherently hermetic, making it less sensitive to contamination and it is less damped when the actuator operates in liquids. All embodiments of the invention can be fabricated using CMOS-compatible MEMS micromachining technology based on wafer bonding and bulk micromachining processes.

A microelectromechanical device comprising a mechanical structure extending along a longitudinal direction, linked to a planar substrate by an anchorage situated at one of its ends and able to flex in a plane parallel to the substrate, the mechanical structure comprises a joining portion, which links it to each anchorage and includes a resistive region exhibiting a first and second zone for injecting an electric current to form a resistive transducer, the resistive region extending in the longitudinal direction from an anchorage and arranged so a flexion of the mechanical structure in the plane parallel to the substrate induces a non-zero average strain in the resistive region and vice versa; wherein: the first injection zone is carried by the anchorage; and the second injection zone is carried by a conducting element not fixed to the substrate and extending in a direction, termed lateral, substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

A method of manufacturing a plurality of through-holes in a layer of first material by subjecting part of the layer of said first material to ion beam milling.

For batch-wise production, the method comprises after a step of providing the layer of first material and before the step of ion beam milling, providing a second layer of a second material on the layer of first material, providing the second layer of the second material with a plurality of holes, the holes being provided at central locations of pits in the first layer, and subjecting the second layer of the second material to said step of ion beam milling at an angle using said second layer of the second material as a shadow mask.