A method is provided for subtractively processing a layer of etchable material formed over an electrically conductive surface region of a workpiece. The workpiece is immersed in a liquid solution, generally but not exclusively a conductive solution, that comprises an etchant for the etchable material, so that etching of the etchable material is initiated. An electric circuit is connected to include a control electrode, a reference electrode, and the electrically conductive surface region of the workpiece. The electric circuit is used to monitor the development process dynamically at each of a plurality of intervals during the etching. The etching is terminated when the electrochemical signal satisfies a criterion indicating that the etching is complete.

An online trimming device and method for a micro-shell resonator gyroscope is provided. A micro-shell resonator gyroscope fixing fixture and a mode test circuit in the device are placed in a vacuum test cavity provided with a circuit interface. The mode test circuit and a host computer are connected through a circuit interface on the vacuum test cavity. The gyroscope fixing fixture is provided with a signal interface, and the electrodes on the gyroscope substrate are connected to the signal interface. The signal interface on the fixture is connected to the mode test circuit. The laser etching module is located at the top of the device. An opening is formed in the gyroscope fixing fixture. The vacuum test cavity is provided with a transparent trimming window. The laser acts on the edge of the resonant structure of the gyroscope through the trimming window and the through hole of the fixture.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towards a semiconductor device. The semiconductor device comprises a substrate. A cavity is disposed in the substrate. A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) layer is disposed over the substrate. The MEMS layer comprises a movable diaphragm disposed over the cavity. The movable diaphragm comprises a central region and a peripheral region. The movable diaphragm is flat in the central region of the movable diaphragm. The movable diaphragm is corrugated in the peripheral region of the movable diaphragm.

A MEMS microphone according to an embodiment comprises a substrate including an air chamber in a central portion, a back-plate disposed above the substrate and including a plurality of penetration holes through which a sound wave passes, and a vibration membrane disposed between the back-plate and the substrate, forming compressive residual stress, having a base form convexly bent toward the back-plate, and configured to vibrate a sound pressure transferred through the plurality of penetration holes.

A method for manufacturing a micromechanical structure in the structural layer of a wafer by forming a first gap and a second gap depositing and patterning a first etching mask and a second etching mask on a horizontal face of the structural layer, etching trenches through the structural layer in the first and second unprotected areas which are not protected by the first etching mask or the second etching mask, coating at least the sidewalls of the trenches with a protective layer and removing the second etching mask at least from a second opening in the first etching mask, so that a temporarily protected area is exposed, and etching away the structural layer in the exposed temporarily protected area.

A production method for a micromechanical device having inclined optical windows. First and second substrates are provided. A plurality of through-holes is produced in the first and second substrate such that for each through-hole in the first substrate a congruent through-hole is produced in the second substrate, which overlap when the first substrate is placed over the second substrate. A slanted edge region is produced around a respective through-hole in the first and second substrate, the edge region being inclined at a window angle, two slanted edge regions situated on top of each other being congruent in a top view and being inclined at the same window angle. A window foil is provided having a structured window region, which covers the through-hole in a top view of the window foil in each case, the window foil forming an optical window slanted at the window angle above the respective through-hole.

In an example, a method includes depositing an organic polymer layer on one or more material layers. The method also includes thermally curing the organic polymer layer. The method includes depositing a hard mask on the organic polymer layer and depositing a photoresist layer on the hard mask. The method also includes patterning the photoresist layer to expose at least a portion of the hard mask. The method includes etching the exposed portion of the hard mask to expose at least a portion of the organic polymer layer. The method also includes etching the exposed portion of the organic polymer layer to expose at least a portion of the one or more material layers.

Methods of manufacturing a pressure sensor from an SOI wafer are provided. In preferred embodiments, the methods comprise forming a cavity in a SOI wafer by removing a first portion of a bottom silicon layer on the bottom side of the SOI wafer to a depth of an insulator layer; depositing a layer of a second material over the cavity; removing both the silicon layer and the insulator layer from a top side of the SOI wafer in a first plurality of areas above the cavity to form a diaphragm from the layer of a second material, wherein at least one support structure that spans the diaphragm is formed from material above the cavity that was not removed; and forming at least one piezoresistor in the SOI wafer over an intersection of the support structure and SOI wafer at an outside edge of the diaphragm.

A method for etching a curved substrate is provided, including: forming a conductive thin film layer with an etched pattern on the curved substrate; supplying power to the conductive thin film layer such that the conductive thin film layer has an equal potential at each position of the conductive thin film layer; etching each position of the curved substrate to an etching depth corresponding to the potential at each position of the conductive thin film layer based on the etched pattern of the conductive thin film layer, so as to obtain the curved substrate having a consistent etching depth at each position of the curved substrate. With the etching method, it is possible to etch an arbitrary curved surface to obtain a microstructure with a uniform processing depth.

The present disclosure relates to a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) package featuring a flat plate having a raised edge around its perimeter serving as an anti-stiction device, and an associated method of formation. A CMOS IC is provided having a dielectric structure surrounding a plurality of conductive interconnect layers disposed over a CMOS substrate. A MEMS IC is bonded to the dielectric structure such that it forms a cavity with a lowered central portion the dielectric structure, and the MEMS IC includes a movable mass that is arranged within the cavity. The CMOS IC includes an anti-stiction plate disposed under the movable mass. The anti-stiction plate is made of a conductive material and has a raised edge surrounding at least a part of a perimeter of a substantially planar upper surface.