Mirror micromechanical structure and related manufacturing process

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9544573-B2
Application number	US-201414151471-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 9, 2014
Priority date	Jan 14, 2013
Publication date	Jan 10, 2017
Grant date	Jan 10, 2017

Abstract

A mirror micromechanical structure has a mobile mass carrying a mirror element. The mass is drivable in rotation for reflecting an incident light beam with a desired angular range. The mobile mass is suspended above a cavity obtained in a supporting body. The cavity is shaped so that the supporting body does not hinder the reflected light beam within the desired angular range. In particular, the cavity extends as far as a first side edge wall of the supporting body of the mirror micromechanical structure. The cavity is open towards, and in communication with, the outside of the mirror micromechanical structure at the first side edge wall.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mirror micromechanical structure, comprising:
a mobile mass which carries a mirror element and is configured to be driven in rotation for reflecting an incident light beam with an angular range;
said mobile mass suspended above a cavity provided in a supporting body including semiconductor material,
wherein said cavity is shaped so that said supporting body does not hinder the light beam reflected by said mirror element within said angular range; and
wherein said mirror element is carried by said mobile mass in a condition of rest at an angle of inclination formed between a normal to a surface of said mirror and said incident light beam of between 40° and 50°, and a movement of rotation of said mobile mass for said angular range has an angular extension comprised between −(15 to 25°) and +(15 to 25°) with respect to said condition of rest.

2. The structure according to claim 1 , wherein said cavity extends as far as a first side edge wall of said supporting body, being open towards, and communicating with, an outside edge of said mirror micromechanical structure at said first side edge wall.

3. The structure according to claim 2 , wherein said mobile mass has a rotational movement about an axis of rotation, and wherein said cavity extends as far as said first side edge wall along an axis of extension, transverse to said axis of rotation.

4. The structure according to claim 2 , wherein said cavity has a first width, at said first side edge wall, and a second width, underneath said mobile mass, wherein said second width is smaller than said first width.

5. The structure according to claim 1 , wherein said mobile mass is coupled to anchorages towards said supporting body via elastic torsional elements which define an axis of rotation for said mobile mass.

6. The structure according to claim 1 , further comprising a structural body in which said mobile mass is defined and coupled to said supporting body.

7. The structure according to claim 6 , wherein said structural body and said supporting body are defined from a silicon-on-insulator wafer.

8. A process for manufacturing a mirror micromechanical structure, comprising:
forming a mobile mass which carries a mirror element and is drivable in rotation for reflecting an incident light beam within an angular range; and
forming a cavity which is designed to be set underneath said mobile mass in a supporting body designed to be coupled to said mobile mass;
wherein forming the cavity comprises: shaping said cavity so that said supporting body does not hinder the reflected light beam within said angular range and carrying out a dicing operation of a wafer of semiconductor material along at least one scribe line in such a way that said cavity extends as far as a first side edge wall of said supporting body defined by said dicing operation and being open towards, and communicating with, an outside edge of said mirror micromechanical structure; and
wherein said wafer includes at least one further mirror micromechanical structure having a respective cavity facing the cavity of said mirror micromechanical structure along said scribe line.

9. The process according to claim 8 , wherein said first side edge wall extends along said scribe line.

10. The process according to claim 8 , wherein said dicing operation is carried out via laser cutting.

11. The process according to claim 8 , wherein said dicing operation is carried out at the end of said manufacturing process at a back-end process stage.

12. A process for manufacturing a mirror micromechanical structure, comprising:
forming a mobile mass which carries a mirror element and is drivable in rotation for reflecting an incident light beam within an angular range; and
forming a cavity which is designed to be set underneath said mobile mass in a supporting body designed to be coupled to said mobile mass;
wherein forming the cavity comprises: shaping said cavity so that said supporting body does not hinder the reflected light beam within said angular range and carrying out a dicing operation of a wafer of semiconductor material along at least one scribe line in such a way that said cavity extends as far as a first side edge wall of said supporting body defined by said dicing operation and being open towards, and communicating with, an outside edge of said mirror micromechanical structure; and
wherein said wafer includes at least one further mirror micromechanical structure having a respective cavity, a respective first side edge wall, and a second side edge wall opposite to said first side edge wall with respect to an axis of rotation; said cavity of said mirror micromechanical structure being adjacent along said scribe line to said second side edge wall of said further mirror micromechanical structure.

Assignees

• St Microelectronics Srl

Inventors

• Carminati Roberto
• Conti Sebastiano
• Costantini Sonia

Classifications

• H04N23/56

  provided with illuminating means · CPC title

• H04N23/57

  Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices · CPC title

• G01B11/2518 Primary

  Projection by scanning of the object · CPC title

• G02B26/0841

  the reflecting element being moved or deformed by electrostatic means · CPC title

• H04N5/2256

  Electricity · mapped topic