Integrated electrical-switching mechanical device having a blocked state

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10026563-B2
Application number	US-201414289784-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 29, 2014
Priority date	Dec 9, 2011
Publication date	Jul 17, 2018
Grant date	Jul 17, 2018

Abstract

An integrated circuit, comprising an electrical-switching mechanical device in a housing having at least one first thermally deformable assembly including a beam held in at least two different locations by at least two arms secured to edges of the housing, the beam and the arms being metallic and situated within the same first metallization level and an electrically conductive body, wherein the said first thermally deformable assembly has at least one first configuration at a first temperature and a second configuration when at least one is at a second temperature different from the first temperature, wherein the beam is at a distance from the body in the first configuration and in contact with the said body and immobilized by the said body in the second configuration and establishing or prohibiting an electrical link passing through the body and through the beam.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An integrated circuit, comprising:
a first metallization level separated from a second metallization level by an insulating region and disposed on a substrate; and
an electrical-switching mechanical device in a housing, the electrical-switching mechanical device comprising:
a first thermally deformable assembly including a beam held in at least two different locations by at least two arms secured to edges of the housing, the beam and the arms being metallic and situated within the first metallization level; and
an electrically conductive body;

wherein the first thermally deformable assembly has a first configuration at a first temperature and a second configuration at a second temperature different from the first temperature;
wherein the beam is at a distance from the body in the first configuration and in contact with the body and immobilized by the body in the second configuration and establishing or prohibiting an electrical link passing through the body and through the beam; and
wherein the first thermally deformable assembly is configured to be activated and switch from one of the configurations to another.

2. The integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the body comprises a first portion situated within the second metallization level and a second portion connected to the first portion and extending between the first and second metallization levels and partly within the first metallization level, the beam being at a distance from the second portion of the body in one of the first and second configurations and hooked by and in contact with the second portion of the body in the other of the first and second configurations.

3. The integrated circuit according to claim 2 , wherein the body comprises a metallic cantilevered beam extending substantially perpendicularly to the beam of the first thermally deformable assembly and forming the first portion, and an electrically conductive appendage situated at a free end of the cantilevered beam and forming the second portion, an end portion of the appendage extending in the first metallization level and widening out toward the cantilevered beam.

4. The integrated circuit according to claim 3 , wherein the first thermally deformable assembly comprises the beam and two arms each respectively secured at a separate fixing point to the beam on two opposite faces of the beam, the two arms being spaced apart by a distance in a longitudinal direction of the beam, the second portion of the body situated between a free end of the beam and one of the fixing points.

5. The integrated circuit according to claim 3 , wherein the thermally deformable first assembly comprises a first pair of first arms respectively fixed to a first face of the beam in a vicinity of respective ends of the beam and spaced in a longitudinal direction of the beam, a second pair of second arms both fixed to a second face of the beam and spaced in a longitudinal direction of the beam, opposite to the first face, in a vicinity of respective ends of the portion of the beam situated between the arms of the first pair, and a hooked beam member disposed on a central portion of the beam.

6. The integrated circuit according to claim 5 , wherein each first arm comprises several branches connected to an end portion secured to the beam.

7. The integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the beam of the first thermally deformable assembly comprises a portion forming a first hook and the body comprises a portion forming a second hook situated within the first metallization level, the first and second hook being at a distance from each other in one of the first and second configurations and fitted into each other in the other of the first and second configurations.

8. The integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the electrical-switching mechanical device further comprises means configured to selectively release the beam when immobilized by the body.

9. The integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the body comprises a first portion situated within the second metallization level different from the first metallization level, and a breakable portion connected to the first portion and extending between the first and second metallization levels, the beam of the first thermally deformable assembly being secured to the first portion of the body by means of the breakable portion in one of the first and second configurations and separated from and not in contact with the first portion of the body in the other of the first and second configurations, the breakable portion being broken in this other configuration.

10. The integrated circuit according to claim 9 , wherein the first thermally deformable assembly comprises the beam and two arms each respectively secured to the beam at each one of two fixing points on opposite faces of the beam, the two fixing points of the two arms spaced apart by a distance in a longitudinal direction of the beam, the beam of the first thermally deformable assembly being secured to the first portion of the body by the breakable portion in a vicinity of a free end.

11. The integrated circuit according to claim 10 , in which the body comprises a second thermally deformable assembly forming the first portion, situated on a second metallization level, mounted symmetrically relative to the first thermally deformable assembly, and an electrically conductive appendage, forming the breakable portion, situated in a vicinity of a free end of the beam of the second thermally deformable assembly.

12. The integrated circuit according to claim 11 , in which the electrical-switching mechanical device comprises a plurality of first thermally deformable assemblies and a plurality of second thermally deformable assemblies forming, in a first configuration, an electrically conductive chain in which all the breakable appendages are respectively secured to corresponding ends of the beams of the first assemblies.

13. The integrated circuit according to claim 1 , further comprising a current source configured to apply an electrical current to flow in at least one of the arms and raise a temperature of the at least one of the arms.

14. The integrated circuit according to claim 1 , further comprising a controller connected to the electrical-switching mechanical device and configured to test the establishment or non-establishment of the electrical link.

15. An integrated circuit, comprising:
a first metallization level separated from a second metallization level by an insulating region and disposed on a substrate; and
a first electrical-switching mechanical device in a housing comprising:
at least one first thermally deformable assembly comprising at least two arms secured to edges of the housing and a beam held in at least two different locations by the at least two arms; and
a body formed from a conductive material;

wherein the first thermally deformable assembly has a first configuration at a first temperature and a second configuration at a second temperature different from the first temperature, and
wherein the beam is at a distance from the body in the first configuration and in contact with the body and immobilized by the body in the second configuration, and configured to establish an electrical link passing through the body and through the beam in one of the first configuration and the second configuration and configured to prohibit an electrical link passing through the body and through the beam in the other of the first configuration and the second configuration.

16. The integrated circuit of claim 15 , the electrical-switching mechanical device

Assignees

• St Microelectronics Rousset

Inventors

• Di-Giacomo Antonio
• Rivero Christian
• Fornara Pascal

Classifications

• H01H1/0036 Primary

  Switches making use of microelectromechanical systems [MEMS] (for electromagnetic relays H01H50/005; for electrostatic relays H01H59/0009) · CPC title

• H01H2037/008

  Micromechanical switches operated thermally · CPC title

• H01H2061/008

  Micromechanical actuator with a cold and a hot arm, coupled together at one end · CPC title

• H01H2061/006

  Micromechanical thermal relay · CPC title

• H01H2001/0068

  with multi dimensional movement, i.e. the movable actuator performing movements in at least two different directions · CPC title