MEMS reinforcement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9874742-B2
Application number	US-201514865757-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 25, 2015
Priority date	Sep 25, 2015
Publication date	Jan 23, 2018
Grant date	Jan 23, 2018

Abstract

An apparatus for micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS) reinforcement is described herein. The apparatus includes a MEMS device and a stiffener. A micro scale mirror is to be embedded in a top layer of a substrate of the MEMS device. The stiffener is to be coupled to a back side of the MEMS device, wherein the stiffener is to stiffen the MEMS device via support of the MEMS device, without increasing a thickness of the MEMS device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS) reinforcement, comprising:
a MEMS device, wherein a micro scale mirror is to be embedded in a top layer of a substrate of the MEMS device and the MEMS device is at least partially rotatable; and
a stiffener to be coupled to a back side of the MEMS device, wherein the stiffener is to stiffen the MEMS device via support of the MEMS device, without increasing a thickness of the MEMS device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the stiffener comprises steel, ceramic, or any other rigid material.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the stiffener completely covers the back side of the MEMS device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the stiffener covers a portion of the back side of the MEMS device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the stiffener has a T shape.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a flexible printed circuit board, wherein the flexible printed circuit board is coupled with the stiffener such that an interconnection pad of the MEMS device and an interconnection pad of the flexible printed circuit board are aligned.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a support structure, wherein the support structure is to enable assembly of the micro scale mirror in a chassis at a 45 degree angle relative to an incident beam.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the stiffener is to prevent deformation of the MEMS device.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the MEMS device is a MEMS scanning mirror.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the stiffener enables wire bonding of the MEMS device and a flexible printed circuit board prior to assembly within a chassis of a computing device.

11. A system for micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS) reinforcement, comprising:
an optoelectronic device associated with a laser device, wherein the optoelectronic device includes a MEMS scanning mirror and the MEMS scanning mirror comprises a micro scale mirror that is configured to be at least partially rotatable and is embedded in a top layer of a substrate;
a stiffener coupled to a back side of the MEMS scanning mirror, wherein the stiffener is to stiffen the MEMS scanning mirror via support of the MEMS scanning mirror, without increasing a thickness of the MEMS scanning mirror.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the stiffener comprises steel, ceramic, or any other rigid material.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the stiffener completely covers the back side of the MEMS scanning mirror.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the stiffener covers a portion of the back side of the MEMS scanning mirror.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the stiffener has a T shape.

16. The system of claim 11 , further comprising a flexible printed circuit board, wherein the flexible printed circuit board is coupled with the stiffener such that an interconnection pad of the MEMS scanning mirror and an interconnection pad of the flexible printed circuit board are aligned.

17. A method for micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS) reinforcement, comprising:
bonding a stiffener to a MEMS device;
bonding a flexible printed circuit board to the stiffener; and
coupling the MEMS device with the flexible printed circuit board, wherein the MEMS device comprises a micro scale mirror embedded in a top layer of a substrate of the MEMS device that is configured to be at least partially rotatable.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the stiffener comprises steel, ceramic, or any other rigid material.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the stiffener completely covers the back side of the MEMS device.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the stiffener covers a portion of the back side of the MEMS device.

21. The method of claim 17 , wherein the stiffener has a T shape.

22. The method of claim 17 , wherein the flexible printed circuit board is bonded with the stiffener such that an interconnection pad of the MEMS device and an interconnection pad of the flexible printed circuit board are aligned.

23. The method of claim 17 , further comprising a support structure, wherein the support structure is to enable assembly of the micro scale mirror in a chassis at a 45 degree angle relative to an incident beam.

24. The method of claim 17 , wherein the stiffener is to prevent deformation of the MEMS device.

25. The method of claim 17 , wherein the stiffener is glued to the back side of the MEMS device.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Petronius Israel
• Freedman Barak
• Bareket Sagy
• Hirshberg Arnon

Classifications

• B81B7/02

  containing distinct electrical or optical devices of particular relevance for their function, e.g. microelectro-mechanical systems [MEMS] (B81B7/04 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H05K1/028

  Bending or folding regions of flexible printed circuits (H05K1/0283 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B7/1821

  for rotating or oscillating mirrors · CPC title

• H05K1/111

  Pads for surface mounting, e.g. lay-out · CPC title

• G02B26/0833 Primary

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