ENHANCED CONTROL OF SHUTTLE MASS MOTION IN MEMS DEVICES

Abstract

A MEMS device and a method of forming the same. A disclosed method includes: providing a silicon substrate layer, a buried oxide layer and a device silicon layer; using a microfabrication process to pattern a set of device features on the device silicon layer including a shuttle mass and an anchor frame; removing the silicon substrate layer and buried oxide below the shuttle mass; placing a shadow mask on a surface of the device silicon layer, wherein the shadow mask has a microscale opening to expose at least one device feature; and forming a nanoscale stopper on a sidewall of the at least one device feature by depositing a deposition material through the opening in a controlled manner.

Claims

1. A microelectronic mechanical system (“MEMS”) device, comprising: a movable feature that moves relative to a fixed feature; a nanoscale stopper that engages and prevents the movable feature from touching the fixed feature as the movable feature moves toward the fixed feature, wherein the nanoscale stopper has a thickness of less than 1000 nanometers; and a soft stopper that engages the movable feature before the movable feature engages the nanoscale stopper, wherein the soft stopper slows the movable feature relative to the fixed feature.

2. The MEMS device of claim 1, wherein: the movable feature comprises a plurality of movable electrodes extending from a shuttle mass; and the fixed feature comprises a plurality of fixed electrodes interdigitated with the plurality of movable electrodes.

3. The MEMS device of claim 2, wherein the nanoscale stopper is positioned on sidewalls of the shuttle mass and an adjacent anchor frame.

4. The MEMS device of claim 2, wherein the nanoscale stopper is positioned on sidewalls of the plurality of movable electrodes and plurality of fixed electrodes.

5. The MEMS device of claim 1, wherein the soft stopper comprises at least one cantilever beam positioned on an anchor frame.

6. The MEMS device of claim 5, wherein the at least one cantilever beam includes an end region having a protrusion located to engage a contact zone on the shuttle mass.

7. The MEMS device of claim 1, wherein the nanoscale stopper is fabricated from a material selected from a group consisting of: silicon oxide (“SiO.sub.2”), silicon nitride (“SiN”), and paralyne.

8. A wireless microsensor, comprising: a sensor for sensing an environmental condition; and a microelectronic mechanical system (“MEMS”) device for harvesting energy and powering the sensor, wherein the MEMS device comprises: a movable feature that moves relative to a fixed feature; a nanoscale stopper that engages and prevents the movable feature from touching the fixed feature as the movable feature moves toward the fixed feature, wherein the nanoscale stopper has a thickness of less than 1000 nanometers; and a soft stopper that engages the movable feature before the movable feature engages the nanoscale stopper, wherein the soft stopper slows the movable feature relative to the fixed feature.

9. The wireless microsensor of claim 8, wherein: the movable feature comprises a plurality of movable electrodes extending from a shuttle mass; and the fixed feature comprises a plurality of fixed electrodes interdigitated with the plurality of movable electrodes.

10. The wireless microsensor of claim 9, wherein the nanoscale stopper is positioned on sidewalls of the shuttle mass and an adjacent anchor frame.

11. The wireless microsensor of claim 9, wherein the nanoscale stopper is positioned on sidewalls of the movable electrodes and fixed electrodes.

12. The wireless microsensor of claim 9, wherein the soft stopper comprises at least one cantilever beam positioned on an anchor frame.

13. The wireless microsensor of claim 12, wherein the at least one cantilever beam includes an end region having a protrusion located to engage a contact zone on the shuttle mass.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0015] These and other features of this invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description of the various aspects of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0016] FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C depict cross-sectional views of a process for fabricating a MEMS device.

[0017] FIG. 2 depicts a top view of a fabricated MEMS device according to embodiments.

[0018] FIG. 3 depicts a cross-sectional view of the MEMS device of FIG. 1C having nanoscale stoppers fabricated from coated sidewalls according to embodiments.

[0019] FIG. 4 depicts a top view of a MEMS device having a shadow mask used for fabricating nanoscale stoppers according to embodiments.

[0020] FIG. 5 depicts a top view of a MEMS device having stoppers formed using the shadow mask of FIG. 4.

[0021] FIG. 6 depicts a top view of a MEMS device having a shadow mask used for fabricating nanoscale stoppers on electrodes according to embodiments.

[0022] FIG. 7 depicts a graph showing normalized capacitance of nanoscale stoppers versus typical stoppers.

[0023] FIG. 8 depicts a top view of a MEMS device having a soft stopper according to embodiments.

[0024] FIG. 9 depicts a plot of output voltage versus frequency of a MEMS device.

[0025] FIG. 10 depicts a microsensor network having a MEMS device according to embodiments.

[0026] The drawings are not necessarily to scale. The drawings are merely schematic representations, not intended to portray specific parameters of the invention. The drawings are intended to depict only typical embodiments of the invention, and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention. In the drawings, like numbering represents like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] FIG. 2 depicts an example of a power harvesting MEMS device 20, shown in top view, fabricated according to a microfabrication process such as that described above. MEMS device 20 generally includes a movable feature such as a shuttle mass 30, spring beams 22, interdigitated electrodes including fixed electrodes 26 and movable electrodes 28, and stoppers 24. The shuttle mass 30 is suspended by the spring beams 22, and the interdigitated electrodes 26, 28 form a capacitor. In-plane motion of the shuttle 30 will cause the gaps between the electrodes 26, 28 to vary, which in turn varies the capacitance between them. When used in conjunction with appropriate integrated circuits, the capacitance variation may be used to increase in electrical potential of a storage capacitor or a battery. Alternatively, a voltage applied across the electrodes 26, 28 will produce a defined displacement of the shuttle mass 30.

[0028] The total device capacitance is calculated by adding the capacitances between all the electrode pairs. As is known, achieving smaller minimum gaps during operation leads to larger maximum capacitance, and consequently larger capacitance variation, which improves performance when employing these devices in most applications. In many current device designs, the stoppers 24 on the device 20 define the minimum possible gap between the electrodes 26, 28 and prevent device failure resulting from the moving 28 and fixed electrodes 26 contacting each other. Thus, the thickness of the stoppers 24 dictates the maximum capacitance, which in turn has a direct effect on device performance. As noted, feature size of stoppers 24 or the like are generally limited by the resolution of the technology, i.e., 1 μm or more using micro fabrication techniques based on deep reactive ion etching (“DRIE”).

[0029] The present approach allows stoppers 24 and other such features to be fabricated with nanoscale resolution (e.g., less than 1000 nanometers) using existing microfabrication techniques based on thin film deposition. FIG. 3 depicts an example of this process with reference to the generic MEMS device depicted in FIG. 1C. In this new process, after the MEMS device has been etched (without stoppers, etc., as shown in FIG. 1C), a shadow mask 30 is aligned with the wafer and stopper material is deposited on the device silicon 10, such as that shown in the cross-sectional (side) view of FIG. 3. The shadow mask 30 has microscale openings 34 that allow a deposition material 32 to go through and deposit on the sidewalls 37 of the shuttle mass 16 and anchors 18. Using a technique where a controlled amount of deposition material 32 is provided, nanoscale features, such as stoppers and the like can be formed on any of the sidewalls 37 of the device.

[0030] This process results in nanoscale stoppers 35 being formed on the sidewalls 37 between the anchor frames 18 and shuttle mass 16, which are exposed to the deposition material 32. In many deposition processes, such as plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (“PECVD”), thermal evaporation, and sputtering, the deposition material 32 will deposit on sidewall features, although at a slower rate compared to the top surfaces. The thickness deposited on the sidewall can be controlled, through deposition parameters (time, flow rates, temperature, etc.) with high precision allowing for nanoscale resolution of the side wall thickness defining the nanoscale stoppers 35.

[0031] FIG. 4 shows an energy harvesting MEMS device similar to that depicted in FIG. 2 with a microscale shadow mask 60 on top. As can be seen, the mask includes two openings 54 through which deposition material is allowed to pass. The size and location of the openings 54 may change depending on the application and parameters used during the deposition process. For example, rather than locating stoppers at the ends of the shuttle mass, stoppers may be placed at other locations, such as on the electrodes 26, 28 (FIG. 3).

[0032] FIG. 5 shows a resulting device with the sidewall deposited nanoscale stoppers 40A, B. In this example, nanoscale stoppers 40A, B limit motion in each direction and include a section formed on the shuttle mass 30 and a section on each anchor 50A, B. Thus, for example, each stopper section may be implemented with a 50 nanometer thick material 51 on each sidewall, such that the total limit for the displacement of the shuttle mass in either direction is 100 nanometers. It is, however, understood that stoppers 40A, B may be implemented with different dimensions.

[0033] It is also understood that the stoppers 40A, B may be located elsewhere on the MEMS device. For example, FIG. 6 depicts a shadow mask 62 placed on top of the device silicon layer having openings 56 over the interdigitated electrodes 26, 28. Using this configuration, stoppers can be formed on the sidewalls of the interdigitated electrodes 26, 28. With this configuration, stopper material applied through the shadow mask 62 will coat the sidewalls of the interdigitated electrodes 26, 28 with a predetermined thickness, thus allowing a coating on the electrodes 26, 28 to act as stoppers.

[0034] Regardless of the location, the stopper material may comprise any material deposited in a cleanroom environment that can coat sidewalls including, e.g., silicon oxide (“SiO.sub.2”), silicon nitride (“SiN”), and paralyne. The stopper thickness is controllable and dependent on the deposition parameters such as deposition time, gas flow rates, and temperature. The shadow mask 62 may utilize any microscale geometry that exposes sidewall features in a MEMS device. As noted, the nanoscale stoppers may be located anywhere on the device, including, e.g., the shuttle, electrodes, springs, etc. The use of nanoscale stoppers may be applied to limit in-plane motion, as well as limit linear or angular motion. The described approach thus allows for the control of minimum gap and maximum displacement with nanoscale resolution. Illustrative uses of MEMS fabricated with this process include sensors, microphones, accelerometers, gyroscopes, actuators, power harvesters, seismic sensors (e.g., for oil and gas exploration), motes, personal devices, smart clothing, etc.

[0035] As noted, one advantage of nanoscale stoppers is the ability to control the minimum gap between interdigitated electrodes 26, 28. This is equivalent to controlling the maximum capacitance and can have application in any MEMS device that uses variable capacitors such as pressure and force sensing, actuation, or power harvesting. A comparison of the capacitance of a MEMS device versus shuttle mass position with typical micro-fabricated stoppers and the new nanoscale stoppers is shown in FIG. 7. The microscale stoppers allow for a minimum gap of about 1 μm and the nanoscale stoppers allow for a minimum gap of under 100 nm and as little as 10 nm or less. The ability to reduce the gap greatly increases the effectiveness of the device. For instance, a 100 nm minimum gap results in a 10× increase in maximum capacitance relative to a one micron gap, thus an order of magnitude increase in device operational range.

Soft Stoppers

[0036] In a further embodiment, performance may also be enhanced by employing a “soft stopper” in a MEMS device, which slows down the shuttle mass before the electrodes reach maximum displacement. The soft stoppers serve various functions. First, when they are implemented in conjunction with nanoscale stoppers, they will decrease the force before the impact of the shuttle mass (or electrodes, etc.) with the nanoscale stoppers, which will help decrease the wear that the nanoscale stoppers experience due to the impact and thus increase the lifespan of the device. Secondly, soft stoppers can be used to increase the operational frequency range of the device resulting an effect referred to as frequency-up conversion of the device resonant response. The latter can significantly improve the performance of the device in many applications. For example, power output and performance of energy harvesting MEMS devices is directly proportional to device frequency: higher frequency results in higher power. Finally, soft stoppers can also help prevent device failure due to pull in, which occurs when the moving electrodes get “stuck” in position near the stationary electrodes.

[0037] In one illustrative embodiment, soft stoppers can be achieved by etching one or more cantilever stopper beams on the anchor frame that impact the shuttle mass before the displacement maximum is reached. On impact, the beams deflect in a manner similar to the primary flexures or spring beams that support the shuttle mass, increasing the overall stiffness of the system.

[0038] FIG. 8 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a MEMS device having cantilever stopper beams 70 attached to the anchor frame 72. The cantilever stopper beams 70 may optionally include protrusions 75 and corresponding indents at contact zones 76 in the shuttle mass 74. However, such protrusions and indents are not required.

[0039] The increase in stiffness serves several purposes as mentioned herein, including:

[0040] 1. When soft stoppers are implemented in conjunction with nanoscale stoppers, they reduce the shuttle mass velocity before impact with the nanoscale stoppers, thus reducing impact forces which can cause wear and tear.

[0041] 2. By increasing the stiffness of the device, the operational frequency range of the device is increased resulting in an effect referred to as frequency-up conversion. This is because higher spring stiffness correlates to higher resonant frequency. In general, if an increase in displacement causes an increase in spring stiffness, this is called spring hardening, a phenomenon thoroughly studied in dynamics and mechanical systems, which can result in frequency-up conversion, increasing the operational bandwidth of the device.

[0042] 3. The soft stoppers can provide an opposing force against the electrostatic pull-in force from the charged electrodes. If pull-in does occur, the springing effect of the soft stoppers can aid in pushing the shuttle mass 74 in the opposite direction.

[0043] In the example of FIG. 8, cantilever beams 70 are etched in the anchor frame and a contact zone 76 is optionally etched in the shuttle mass 74. Each beam 70 may include a protrusion at the end to initiate contact. The displacement at which the beam contacts the cantilever beam (e.g., at least one micron) is less than the maximum displacement determined by the nanoscale stoppers, e.g., less than 1000 nanometers (not shown). The stiffness of the beams can be controlled by their geometry and dimensions, therefore allowing for flexibility in design choice. Although shown as a pair of beams, any number of beams may be utilized.

[0044] FIG. 9 shows the voltage output of a resonating MEMS device during a vibration frequency sweep at different acceleration levels in mili-g (“mg”) (where g is the gravitation acceleration constant 9.81 m/s.sup.2). The long, slanted curves increase in amplitude as the frequency sweeps up. With an increase in the vibration acceleration level the bandwidth also increases, allowing for a larger range of driving frequencies that can cause the device to resonate.

[0045] FIG. 10 depicts a network of wireless microsensors 80, 80a, 80b. Each microsensor is self-powered with a power harvesting MEMS device 84 that generates power in response to an external force, such as a vibration. Each MEM device 84 includes at least one of a nanoscale stopper and/or a soft stopper, as described herein. As shown, a sensor device 82 is provided that senses one or more environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, air flow, light, pressure, etc.) and communicates information either to other wireless microsensors in the network or e.g., a control system 88. Such a network can be used in any number of applications, e.g., smart buildings, vehicles, smart appliances, object part of the Internet of Things, smart clothing, etc.

[0046] The foregoing description of various aspects of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and obviously, many modifications and variations are possible. Such modifications and variations that may be apparent to an individual in the art are included within the scope of the invention as defined by the accompanying claims. Note that for the purposes of this disclosure, the term shuttle mass refers to any type of movable component in a MEMS device.