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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9496110-B2
Application number	US-201313920353-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 18, 2013
Priority date	Jun 18, 2013
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

Abstract

Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) structures, methods of manufacture and usage, and design structures are disclosed herein. The method includes applying a first voltage polarity to an actuator of a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) structure to place the MEMS structure in a predetermined state for a first operating condition. The method further includes applying a second voltage polarity which is opposite from the first voltage polarity to the actuator of the MEMS structure during a subsequent operating condition.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
applying a first voltage of a single polarity to an actuator of a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) structure to place the MEMS structure in a predetermined state for a first operating condition, wherein the first voltage of the single polarity is an actuation voltage applied during a first ON state; and
applying a second voltage of a single polarity which is opposite from the polarity of the first voltage to the actuator of the MEMS structure during a subsequent operating condition, wherein the second voltage of the single polarity is an actuation voltage applied during a subsequent ON state.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first operating condition is transmission of data.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the first voltage of the single polarity is applied until the first operating condition of a device is discontinued; and
the second voltage of the single polarity is applied during an entire time period of the subsequent operating condition of the device.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first ON state and the subsequent ON state correspond to when either a respective phone call or data transmission is taking place.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second voltage of the single polarity balances unipolar operation.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first voltage of the single polarity is applied during an ON state and the second voltage of the single polarity is applied during an OFF state.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising applying the first voltage of the single polarity during a subsequent ON state, wherein the first voltage of the single polarity is applied during an entire time period of the first operating condition and the subsequent operating condition and, after the first operating condition has completed, the second voltage of the single polarity is applied to substantially discharge a MEMS capacitor during an OFF state.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the applying of the second voltage of the single polarity is applied for a predetermined amount of time.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the predetermined amount of time is about 1 minute.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the first operating condition comprises applying a two step voltage; and
the second operating condition comprises applying another two step voltage.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein:
an absolute value of a first voltage is greater than an absolute value of a second voltage of the two step voltage of the first operating condition; and
an absolute value of the second voltage of the single polarity is greater than an absolute value of the another two step voltage of the second operating condition.

12. A method comprising:
applying a first voltage of a single polarity to a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) structure;
applying a second voltage of a single polarity to a MEMS beam during an OFF state or a subsequent actuated state of the MEMS structure, wherein:
the polarity of the first voltage of the single polarity is opposite to the polarity of the second voltage of the single polarity;
the first voltage of the single polarity places the MEMS structure in a data transmission mode;
the second voltage of the single polarity is applied after conclusion of the data transmission mode; and
the second voltage of the single polarity reduces dielectric charging across the MEMS structure.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein second voltage of the single polarity is applied in an OFF state of the MEMS structure.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the second voltage of the single polarity balances unipolar operation of the MEMS structure.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the second voltage of the single polarity is applied for a predetermined amount of time during an OFF state of the MEMS structure.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the predetermined amount of time is about 1 minute.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein:
applying first voltage of the single polarity comprises applying a two step voltage, where an absolute value of a first voltage is greater than an absolute value of a second voltage of the two step voltage; and
applying the second voltage of the single polarity comprises applying another two step voltage, where an absolute value of a first voltage is greater than an absolute value of a second voltage of the another two step voltage.

18. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first voltage of the single polarity is applied during an entire time of actuation and the & second voltage of the single polarity is applied during an entire time of the subsequent actuated state of the MEMS structure.

19. A non-transitory machine-readable medium including sequences of instructions, the sequences of instructions including instructions which when executed causes a machine to perform a method comprising:
generating a functional representation of a MEMS beam moveable between an ON state and an OFF state, the MEMS beam comprising a first set of actuators and a capacitor plate within a dielectric material; and
generating a functional representation of a second set of actuators and another capacitor plate, which are separated from the first set of actuators and the capacitor plate by an insulator layer,
wherein the representations further comprise at least one of the first set of actuators and the second set of actuators being structured and configured to provide a change in polarity of a first voltage in an ON state and an a second voltage after the MEMS structure is in a subsequent OFF state.

Assignees

• IBM
• Globalfoundries Inc

Inventors

• Johnson Ward A
• Lary Jenifer E
• Stamper Anthony K
• Watson Kimball M
• Yee Pui L

Classifications

• H01H2059/0054

  Rocking contacts or actuating members · CPC title

• H01H2057/006

  Micromechanical piezoelectric relay · CPC title

• H01H59/0009 Primary

  making use of micromechanics · CPC title