MEMS-component

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11286158-B2
Application number	US-201916287232-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2019
Priority date	Mar 1, 2018
Publication date	Mar 29, 2022
Grant date	Mar 29, 2022

Abstract

A MEMS component includes a semiconductor substrate stack having a first semiconductor substrate and a second semiconductor substrate, wherein the semiconductor substrate stack has a cavity formed within the first and second semiconductor substrates, and wherein at least the first or the second semiconductor substrate has an access opening for gas exchange between the cavity and an environment. A radiation source is arranged at the first semiconductor substrate, and a radiation detector is arranged at the second semiconductor substrate. Two mutually spaced apart reflection elements are arranged in a beam path between the radiation source and the radiation detector, wherein one reflection element is partly transmissive to the emitted radiation from the cavity in the direction of the radiation detector, and wherein an interspace between the two mutually spaced apart reflection elements has a length that is at least ten times the wavelength of the emitted radiation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A MEMS component, comprising:
a semiconductor substrate stack having a first semiconductor substrate and a second semiconductor substrate connected thereto, wherein the semiconductor substrate stack comprises a cavity formed within the first and second semiconductor substrates,
wherein at least the first or the second semiconductor substrate comprises an access opening for gas exchange between the cavity and an environment,
wherein a radiation source is coupled to the first semiconductor substrate, said radiation source being configured to emit radiation into the cavity, and wherein a radiation detector is physically connected to the second semiconductor substrate, said radiation detector being configured to receive at least one part of the radiation emitted by the radiation source through the cavity,
wherein two mutually spaced apart reflection elements for reflecting the emitted radiation are arranged in a beam path between the radiation source and the radiation detector, wherein at least one reflection element is partly transmissive to the emitted radiation from the cavity in the direction of the radiation detector, and wherein an interspace between the two mutually spaced apart reflection elements comprises a length that is at least ten times a wavelength of the emitted radiation, and
wherein the radiation source comprises a multilayer emitter physically connected to at least one reflection element.

2. The MEMS component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a distance covered by the emitted radiation in the interspace defines an interaction length within which the emitted radiation can interact with an analyte situated in the interspace, and wherein the length of the interspace or of the cavity corresponds to at least an average minimum interaction length dependent on the analyte.

3. The MEMS component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a distance covered by the emitted radiation in the interspace defines an interaction length within which the emitted radiation can interact with an analyte situated in the interspace, and wherein the two mutually spaced apart reflection elements are configured to reflect the emitted radiation in each case at least once in order to increase the interaction length of the emitted radiation in the interspace between the two reflection elements, wherein the interaction length increased by the reflection corresponds to at least an average minimum interaction length dependent on the analyte.

4. The MEMS component as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the average minimum interaction length dependent on the analyte is 1.0 mm to 100 mm.

5. The MEMS component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a first reflection element of the two mutually spaced apart reflection elements is arranged outside the cavity between the radiation source and the first semiconductor substrate, or wherein the first reflection element is arranged within the cavity at the first semiconductor substrate and opposite the radiation source.

6. The MEMS component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a second reflection element of the two mutually spaced apart reflection elements is arranged within the cavity at the second semiconductor substrate and opposite the radiation detector.

7. The MEMS component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein within the cavity a flexible membrane is arranged at the semiconductor substrate stack, wherein the membrane extends between the radiation source and the radiation detector transversely with respect to the beam path of the emitted radiation.

8. The MEMS component as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the membrane comprises a semiconductor material.

9. The MEMS component as claimed in claim 7 , wherein a second reflection element of the two mutually spaced apart reflection elements is arranged at a side of the membrane facing the radiation source.

10. The MEMS component as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the second reflection element comprises a metal layer arranged at the membrane, a structured metal layer, a photonic crystal structure layer or a layer stack comprising a plurality of Bragg grating layers.

11. The MEMS component as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the second semiconductor substrate comprises an electrode structure arranged between the membrane and the radiation detector, said electrode structure being electrically connectable to the membrane, wherein in an event of an electrical voltage being applied, the membrane is deflectable relative to the electrode structure.

12. The MEMS component as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the first semiconductor substrate comprises an electrode structure arranged between the membrane and the radiation source, said electrode structure being electrically connectable to the membrane, wherein in an event of an electrical voltage being applied, the membrane is deflectable relative to the electrode structure.

13. The MEMS component as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the membrane is deflectable at least in a direction along the beam path between the radiation source and the radiation detector, and wherein the absolute value of the deflection of the membrane corresponds to at least half the wavelength of the emitted radiation.

14. The MEMS component as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the membrane is deflectable with a frequency of 0.1 to 1000, or of 10 to 100, or of approximately 50, oscillations per second.

15. The MEMS component as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the membrane comprises at least one flap configured to block or to release a through opening for a medium to flow through from a first side of the membrane to an opposite second side of the membrane depending on a direction of movement of the membrane.

16. The MEMS component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a main portion of the emitted radiation, along an arrangement direction of individual semiconductor substrates in the semiconductor substrate stack, propagates through the cavity or through the interspace between the two reflection elements.

17. The MEMS component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor substrate stack comprises a third semiconductor substrate, which is arranged between the first and second semiconductor substrates.

18. The MEMS component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one section of the semiconductor substrate stack within the cavity comprises a coating that is reflective to the emitted radiation.

19. The MEMS component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the radiation source is configured to emit infrared radiation in a wavelength range of 0.8 μm to 40 μm, and wherein the radiation detector is configured to receive infrared radiation in a wavelength range of 0.8 μm to 40 μm.

20. The MEMS component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a first and/or second reflection element of the two mutually spaced apart reflection elements comprise(s) a reflectivity R of 50%<R<98%, or of 60%<R<90%, or of 70%<R<85%.

21. The MEMS component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the MEMS component is embodied as a MEMS micro gas detector configured to detect at least one gas situated in the interspace between the two reflection elements, on the basis of an absorption of the emitted radiation by the radiation detector.

22. A MEMS component, comprising:
a semiconductor substrate stack having a first semiconductor substrate and a second semiconductor substrate connected thereto, wherein the semiconductor substrate stack comprises a cavity formed within the first and second semiconductor substrates,
wherein at least the first or the second semiconductor substrate comprises an acces

Assignees

• Infineon Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Ranacher Christian
• Abasahl Banafsheh
• Consani Cristina
• Grille Thomas
• Irsigler Peter
• Tortschanoff Andreas

Classifications

• G01J3/0291

  Housings; Spectrometer accessories; Spatial arrangement of elements, e.g. folded path arrangements · CPC title

• B81B2203/0315

  Cavities · CPC title

• G02B26/0833

  the reflecting element being a micromechanical device, e.g. a MEMS mirror, DMD (G02B26/0825 takes precedence; micromechanical devices in general B81B) · CPC title

• G01J3/0202

  Mechanical elements; Supports for optical elements · CPC title

• G01J3/021

  using plane or convex mirrors, parallel phase plates, or particular reflectors · CPC title