Physical quantity sensor and electronic apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9470703-B2
Application number	US-201313856053-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 3, 2013
Priority date	Apr 6, 2012
Publication date	Oct 18, 2016
Grant date	Oct 18, 2016

Abstract

A physical quantity sensor includes: a substrate; a movable body including, with a first axis as a boundary, a first movable electrode portion disposed in a first region, a second movable electrode portion disposed in a second region, and a damping adjusting portion disposed in at least one of the first region and the second region; beam portions supporting the movable body; a first fixed electrode portion; and a second fixed electrode portion. A first through-hole is disposed in the damping adjusting portion. Second through-holes are disposed in the movable electrode portions. The area of a region where the first movable electrode portion overlaps with the first fixed electrode portion is the same as the area of a region where the second movable electrode portion overlaps with the second fixed electrode portion. The width of the first through-hole is greater than the widths of the second through-holes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A physical quantity sensor comprising:
a movable body displaceable about a first axis as an axis of rotation and including, with the first axis as a boundary in plan view, a first movable electrode portion disposed in a first region, a second movable electrode portion disposed in a second region, and a damping adjusting portion disposed in the first region or the second region and at an edge portion of the movable body in a direction of a second axis crossing the first axis;
a beam portion supporting the movable body;
a first fixed electrode portion arranged to face the first movable electrode portion; and
a second fixed electrode portion arranged to face the second movable electrode portion, wherein
a first through-hole is disposed in the damping adjusting portion,
each of a plurality of second through-holes is disposed in the first movable electrode portion and the second movable electrode portion,
in a portion excepting the second through-holes in plan view, the area of a region where the first movable electrode portion overlaps with the first fixed electrode portion is the same as the area of a region where the second movable electrode portion overlaps with the second fixed electrode portion,
the first through-hole has a length in a direction of the first axis and a width in a direction of the second axis, the length of the first through-hole being greater than the width of the first through-hole, and each of the plurality of second through-holes has a length in the direction of the first axis and a width in the direction of the second axis, the length of each second through-hole being greater than the width of each second through-hole,
the width of the first through-hole is greater than the width of each of the plurality of second through-holes,
the damping adjusting portion is disposed in both of the first region and the second region, and
the width of the first through-hole of the damping adjusting portion disposed in the first region is greater than the width of the first through-hole of the damping adjusting portion disposed in the second region.

2. The physical quantity sensor according to claim 1 , wherein
the mass of the first region of the movable body and the mass of the second region of the movable body are different from each other.

3. The physical quantity sensor according to claim 1 , wherein
the total area of an opening surface of the second through-hole disposed in the first movable electrode portion, the opening surface being on the first fixed electrode portion side, is the same as the total area of an opening surface of each of the second through-holes disposed in the second movable electrode portion, the opening surface being on the second fixed electrode portion side.

4. An electronic apparatus comprising the physical quantity sensor according to claim 1 ,
wherein the electronic apparatus is one of a personal computer, a mobile phone, or a digital still camera.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Tanaka Satoru

Classifications

• G01P15/0802

  Details · CPC title

• G01P1/003 Primary

  used for damping · CPC title

• G01P15/125

  by capacitive pick-up · CPC title

• G01P2015/0882

  for providing damping of vibrations · CPC title