A method of fabricating three-dimensional (3D) structures comprises forming a patterned area in a handle wafer, and bonding a mold wafer over the patterned area to produce one or more sealed cavities having a first pressure in the handle wafer. The mold wafer is heated past its softening point at a second pressure different from the first pressure to create a differential pressure across the mold wafer over the sealed cavities. The mold wafer is then cooled to harden the mold wafer into one or more 3D shapes over the sealed cavities. One or more materials are deposited on an outer surface of the mold wafer over the 3D shapes to form a structure layer having 3D structures that conform to the hardened 3D shapes of the mold wafer. The 3D structures are then bonded to a device wafer, and the handle wafer is removed to expose the 3D structures.

An apparatus and method for wafer-level hermetic packaging of MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) devices of different shapes and form factors is presented in this disclosure. The method is based on bonding a glass cap wafer with fabricated micro-glassblown “bubble-shaped” structures to the substrate glass/Si wafer. Metal traces fabricated on the substrate wafer serve to transfer signals from the sealed cavity of the bubble to the outside world. Furthermore, the method provides for chip-level packaging of MEMS three dimensional structures. The packaging method utilizes a micro glass-blowing process to create “bubbleshaped” glass lids. This new type of lids is used for vacuum packaging of three dimensional MEMS devices, using a standard commercially available type of package.

A support structure for a micro-vibrator includes: a micro-vibrating body having a curved surface portion and a recess recessed from the curved surface portion; and a support member having a rod and an adhesive member arranged at a tip end of the rod. The support member is adhered on a connecting surface of the recess through the adhesive member. The connecting surface of the recess is an internal bottom surface of the recess.

A method for separating a solid-body layer from a donor substrate includes: providing a donor substrate having a planar surface, a longitudinal axis orthogonal to the planar surface, and a peripheral surface; producing a plurality of modifications within the donor substrate using at least one LASER beam, wherein the at least one LASER beam penetrates the donor substrate via the peripheral surface at an angle not equal to 90° relative to the longitudinal axis of the donor substrate; producing a stress-inducing polymer layer on the planar surface of the donor substrate; and producing mechanical stresses in the donor substrate by a thermal treatment of the stress-inducing polymer layer, wherein the mechanical stresses produce a crack for separating the solid-body layer, and wherein the crack propagates along the modifications.

Methods for fabricating three-dimensional microstructures are provided. The method includes disposing a reflow material on a mold, heating the reflow material, and creating a pressure gradient across the reflow material to reflow the material towards a bottom surface of the mold. The mold includes a molding region, a boundary region, and a thermal-isolating region disposed therebetween. The molding region includes a cavity and a projection projecting upwards from a bottom surface of the cavity. The thermal-isolating region includes at least one pocket formed adjacent to and along a perimeter of the cavity of the molding region. During heating, the temperature of the molding region is higher than that of the boundary region and the thermal-isolating region controls the thermal conductivity and mass therebetween. The material reflows towards the bottom surface of the cavity and the protrusion helps shapes the reflow material to form a substantially symmetrical three-dimensional microstructure.

The invention relates to a method for separating solid-body slices (1) from a donor substrate (2). The method comprises the following steps: providing a donor substrate (2), producing at least one modification (10) within the donor substrate (2) by means of at least one LASER beam (12), wherein the LASER beam (12) penetrates the donor substrate (2) via a planar surface (16) of the donor substrate (2), wherein the LASER beam (12) is inclined with respect to the planar surface (16) of the donor substrate (2) such that it penetrates the donor substrate at an angle of not equal to 0° or 180° relative to the longitudinal axis of the donor substrate, wherein the LASER beam (12) is focused in order to produce the modification (10) in the donor substrate (2) and the solid-body slice (1) detaches from the donor substrate (2) as a result of the modifications (10) produced or a stress-inducing layer (14) is produced or arranged on the planar surface (16) of the donor substrate (2) and mechanical stresses are produced in the donor substrate (2) by a thermal treatment of the stress-inducing layer (14), wherein the mechanical stresses produce a crack (20) for separating a solid-body layer (1), which crack propagates along the modifications (10).

A method of manufacturing a Fabry-Perot interference filter includes a forming step of forming a first thinned region, a first mirror layer, a sacrificial layer, and a second mirror layer are formed on a first main surface of a wafer, and the first thinned region in which at least one of the first mirror layer, the sacrificial layer, and the second mirror layer is partially thinned along each of a plurality of lines is formed; a cutting step of cutting the wafer into a plurality of substrates along each of the plurality of lines by forming a modified region within the wafer along each of the plurality of lines through irradiation of a laser light, after the forming step; and a removing step of removing a portion from the sacrificial layer through etching, between the forming step and the cutting step or after the cutting step.

A method of manufacturing a Fabry-Perot interference filter includes a forming step of forming a first thinned region, a first mirror layer, a sacrificial layer, and a second mirror layer are formed on a first main surface of a wafer, and the first thinned region in which at least one of the first mirror layer, the sacrificial layer, and the second mirror layer is partially thinned along each of a plurality of lines is formed; a cutting step of cutting the wafer into a plurality of substrates along each of the plurality of lines by forming a modified region within the wafer along each of the plurality of lines through irradiation of a laser light, after the forming step; and a removing step of removing a portion from the sacrificial layer through etching, between the forming step and the cutting step or after the cutting step.

The Fabry-Perot interference filter includes: a substrate having a first surface, a first laminate having a first mirror portion disposed on the first surface, a second laminate having a second mirror portion facing the first mirror portion with an air gap interposed therebetween, and an intermediate layer defining the air gap between the first and second laminate. The substrate has an outer edge portion positioned outside an outer edge of the intermediate layer when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the first surface. The second laminate further includes a covering portion covering the intermediate layer and a peripheral edge portion positioned on the first surface in the outer edge portion. The second mirror portion, the covering portion, and the peripheral edge portion are integrally formed so as to be continuous with each other. The peripheral edge portion is thinned along an outer edge of the outer edge portion.

The invention relates to a method for producing optical components, wherein a first contact surface is formed by bringing a deformation element into contact with a carrier; and a second contact surface is formed by applying a functional element to the deformation element; said second contact surface at least partially overlapping the first contact surface, so that a deformation zone is formed by the area of the deformation element that lies between the overlapping areas of the two contact surfaces, wherein at least one portion of the deformation zone is heated and deformed in such a way that the functional element is deflected, in particular, shifts and/or tilts, and the functional element is joined with the deformation element during the process step of applying the functional element to the deformation element and/or during the process step of heating and deforming the deformation zone.