A micro-electrical-mechanical system (MEMS) actuator configured to provide multi-axis movement, the micro-electrical-mechanical system (MEMS) actuator including: a first portion, a second portion, wherein the first portion and the second portion are displaceable with respect to each other, and a locking assembly configured to releasably couple the first portion and the second portion to attenuate displacement between the first portion and the second portion.

Alignment features for an optical fibre assembly are formed directly into an ion trap chip to align an optical module with respect to the ion trap chip. This is achieved using microfabrication techniques to etch alignment elements into the surface of the ion trap chip, advantageously carried out with lithographic precision achieving the alignment accuracy required of the optical beam geometries for the application, with an alignment accuracy of a few micrometres. The alignment elements are advantageously etched along defined crystal planes of the silicon substrate of the chip. An external microstructure can be micromachined with lithographic precision to contain locating features that will fit, or “plug”, into the recesses of the chip, for instance ion microtrap chip.

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 MEMS switch is actuatable by a fluid, and includes a piezoelectric pressure sensor that detects the movement of a fluid generating a negative pressure. The piezoelectric pressure sensor is formed by a chip of semiconductor material having a through cavity and a sensitive membrane, which extends over the through cavity and has a first and a second surface. The piezoelectric pressure sensor is mounted on a face of a board having a through hole so that the through cavity overlies and is in fluid connection with the through hole. The board has a fixing structure, which enables securing in an opening of a partition wall separating a first and a second space from each other. The board is arranged so that the first surface of the sensitive membrane faces the first space, and the second surface of the sensitive membrane faces the second space.

A piezo-resistor-based sensor, and a method to fabricate such sensor, comprise a sensor having at least a sensing element provided on a flexible structure, such as a membrane or cantilever or the like. The sensing element includes at least one piezo-resistor comprising at least a first region of the flexible structure doped with dopant atoms of a first type. The flexible structure furthermore comprises a second doped region within it, at least partially overlapping the first doped region, forming a shield for shielding the sensing element from external electrical field interference, wherein dopant atoms of the second doped region are of a second type opposite to the dopant atoms of the first doped region, for generating a charge depletion layer within the flexible structure at the overlapping region between the first doped region and the second doped region.

A microelectromechanical (MEMS) resonator includes a resonator structure having a plurality of beam elements and connection elements with certain geometry, where the plurality of beam elements are positioned adjacent to each other and adjacent beam elements are mechanically connected to each other by the connection elements, where the geometry of the beam elements or the connection elements varies within the resonator structure.

A overhanging device cavity structure comprises a substrate and a cavity disposed in or on the substrate. The cavity comprises a first cavity side wall and a second cavity side wall opposing the first cavity side wall on an opposite side of the cavity from the first cavity side wall. A support extends from the first cavity side wall to the second cavity side wall and at least partially divides the cavity. A device is disposed on, for example in direct contact with, the support and extends from the support into the cavity.

In accordance with various embodiments, a method for processing a layer structure is provided, where the layer structure includes a first layer, a sacrificial layer arranged above the first layer, and a second layer arranged above the sacrificial layer, where the second layer includes at least one opening, and the at least one opening extends from a first side of the second layer as far as the sacrificial layer. The method includes forming a liner layer covering at least one inner wall of the at least one opening; forming a cover layer above the liner layer, where the cover layer extends at least in sections into the at least one opening; and wet-chemically etching the cover layer, the liner layer and the sacrificial layer using an etching solution, where the etching solution has a greater etching rate for the liner layer than for the cover layer.

In accordance with various embodiments, a method for processing a layer structure is provided, where the layer structure includes a first layer, a sacrificial layer arranged above the first layer, and a second layer arranged above the sacrificial layer, where the second layer includes at least one opening, and the at least one opening extends from a first side of the second layer as far as the sacrificial layer. The method includes forming a liner layer covering at least one inner wall of the at least one opening; forming a cover layer above the liner layer, where the cover layer extends at least in sections into the at least one opening; and wet-chemically etching the cover layer, the liner layer and the sacrificial layer using an etching solution, where the etching solution has a greater etching rate for the liner layer than for the cover layer.

A microfluidic device for increasing convective clearance of particles from a fluid is provided. In some implementations, described herein the microfluidic device includes multiple layers that each define infusate, blood, and filtrate channels. Each of the channels have a pressure profile. The device can also include one or more pressure control features. The pressure control feature controls a difference between the pressure profiles along a length of the device. For example, the pressure control feature can control the difference between the pressure profile of the filtrate channel and the pressure profile of the blood channel. In some implementations, the pressure control feature controls the pressure difference between two channels such that the difference varies along the length of the channels by less than 50% of the pressure difference between the channels at the channels' inlets.