Micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) structures and design structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10589992-B2
Application number	US-201815923013-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 16, 2018
Priority date	Apr 12, 2013
Publication date	Mar 17, 2020
Grant date	Mar 17, 2020

Abstract

Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) structures, methods of manufacture and design structures are disclosed. The method includes forming a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) beam structure by venting both tungsten material and silicon material above and below the MEMS beam to form an upper cavity above the MEMS beam and a lower cavity structure below the MEMS beam.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method of forming a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) beam structure comprising:
forming both tungsten material and semiconductor material above and below a MEMS beam, wherein the MEMS beam is formed between a substrate and a lid; and
etching both the tungsten material and the semiconductor material at least above and below the MEMS beam, using an XeF 2 etchant,
wherein the etching is performed by venting both the tungsten material and the semiconductor material above and below the MEMS beam, using a vent hole in the lid, to form an upper cavity structure above the MEMS beam and a lower cavity structure below the MEMS beam, and
wherein the MEMS beam comprises a cantilevered beam structure comprised of a first cantilevered beam and a second cantilevered beam separated from one another by a via which connects the upper cavity structure and the lower cavity structure to one another.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the venting and film thicknesses of the tungsten material and the semiconductor material above the MEMS beam are controlled to ensure that all or substantially all of the tungsten material above the MEMS beam is removed, prior to removal of the semiconductor material above the MEMS beam.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the vent hole is structured to expose at least the semiconductor material above the MEMS beam.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor material is silicon material.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein forming the tungsten material and silicon material below the MEMS beam comprises forming the tungsten material on the substrate and forming the silicon material over the tungsten material.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the tungsten material above and below the MEMS beam is formed by a physical vapor deposition process followed by a chemical vapor deposition process.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the lid includes another vent hole, spaced apart from the vent hole.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the vent hole is vertically aligned with the via.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming a first recess in an upper surface of the first cantilevered beam facing toward the upper cavity structure.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising forming a second recess in an upper surface of the second cantilevered beam facing toward the upper cavity structure.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the upper cavity structure is formed over the upper surface of the first cantilevered beam, over the upper surface of the second cantilevered beam, and over the first and second recesses.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Brigham Michael T
• Jahnes Christopher V
• Luce Cameron E
• Maling Jeffrey C
• Murphy William J
• Stamper Anthony K
• White Eric J

Classifications

• B81C2201/0132

  Dry etching, i.e. plasma etching, barrel etching, reactive ion etching [RIE], sputter etching or ion milling · CPC title

• B81C2203/0145

  Hermetically sealing an opening in the lid · CPC title

• B81C2201/0125

  Blanket removal, e.g. polishing · CPC title

• B81C2201/0121

  involving addition of material followed by removal of parts of said material, i.e. subtractive planarization · CPC title

• B81C1/00269

  Bonding of solid lids or wafers to the substrate · CPC title