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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9932222-B2
Application number	US-201615162994-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 24, 2016
Priority date	Apr 12, 2013
Publication date	Apr 3, 2018
Grant date	Apr 3, 2018

Abstract

Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) structures, methods of manufacture and design structures are disclosed. The method includes forming a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) beam structure by venting both tungsten material and silicon material above and below the MEMS beam to form an upper cavity above the MEMS beam and a lower cavity structure below the MEMS beam.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method comprising:
forming a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) beam structure comprising:
forming both tungsten material and semiconductor material on a substrate;
forming the MEMS beam structure above the tungsten material and the semiconductor material;
forming both the tungsten material and the semiconductor material above the MEMS beam structure;
forming a lid over the tungsten material formed above the MEMS beam structure;
forming at least one vent hole in the lid and through the tungsten material formed above the MEMS beam structure to expose the semiconductor material formed above the MEMS beam structure; and
etching the semiconductor material formed above the MEMS beam structure while etching the tungsten material formed above the MEMS beam structure to form an upper cavity structure above the MEMS beam structure and below the lid; and
etching both the tungsten material and the semiconductor material below the MEMS beam structure to form a lower cavity structure above the substrate and below the MEMS beam structure,

wherein the MEMS beam structure comprises a cantilevered beam structure, and
wherein the etching comprises performing an XeF 2 etching process.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the etching and film thicknesses are controlled to ensure that all or substantially all of the tungsten material is removed above the MEMS beam structure, prior to the semiconductor material above the MEMS beam structure.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor material is one of silicon material and germanium material.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the semiconductor material is silicon material, and wherein the tungsten material and silicon material below the MEMS beam structure comprises forming the tungsten material on a substrate and forming the silicon material over the tungsten material.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the tungsten material and silicon material above the MEMS beam structure comprises forming the silicon material within a via in contact with the silicon material below the MEMS beam structure and forming the tungsten material over the silicon material.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the etching comprising forming a vent hole in the lid to expose at least the silicon material above the MEMS beam structure.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the tungsten material at least one of above and below the MEMS beam structure is formed by a physical vapor deposition process followed by a chemical vapor deposition process.

8. The method of claim 5 , further comprising forming an additional silicon material on the tungsten material above the MEMS beam structure.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
planarizing the additional silicon material;
forming the lid over the planarized additional silicon material;
forming at least one venting hole in the lid, exposing the additional silicon material; and
etching the tungsten material, silicon material and additional silicon material above and below the MEMS beam structure to form the upper cavity and the lower cavity.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the lid is formed with a planar surface on an underside thereof by depositing the lid directly on one of the tungsten material formed over the MEMS beam structure or another layer of semiconductor material formed on the tungsten material formed over the MEMS beam structure.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forming of the least one vent hole is forming at least two vent holes, wherein a first of the at least two vent holes exposes the semiconductor material above the MEMS beam structure and a second of the at least two vent holes exposes the tungsten material above the MEMS beam structure.

12. A method comprising forming a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) beam structure by etching both tungsten material and semiconductor material at least above and below the MEMS beam structure, formed above a substrate, to form an upper cavity structure above the MEMS beam structure and a lower cavity structure above the substrate and below the MEMS beam structure, wherein the MEMS beam structure comprises a cantilevered beam structure,
further comprising:
forming a lid over the tungsten material formed above the MEMS beam structure;
forming at least one vent hole in the lid and through the tungsten material formed above the MEMS beam structure to expose the semiconductor material formed above the MEMS beam structure; and
etching the semiconductor material formed above the MEMS beam structure while etching the tungsten material formed above the MEMS beam structure to form the lower cavity structure above the MEMS beam structure and below the lid,
wherein the etching comprises performing an XeF 2 etching process.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the lid is formed with a planar surface on an underside thereof by depositing the lid directly on one of the tungsten material formed over the MEMS beam structure or another layer of semiconductor material formed on the tungsten material formed over the MEMS beam structure.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the forming of the at least one vent hole is forming at least two vent holes, wherein a first of the at least two vent holes exposes the semiconductor material above the MEMS beam structure and a second of the at least two vent holes exposes the tungsten material above the MEMS beam structure.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the etching and film thicknesses are controlled to ensure that all or substantially all of the tungsten material is removed above the MEMS beam structure, prior to the semiconductor material above the MEMS beam structure.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the semiconductor material is one of silicon material and germanium material.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the semiconductor material is silicon material, and wherein the tungsten material and silicon material below the MEMS beam structure comprises forming the tungsten material on a substrate and forming the silicon material over the tungsten material.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the tungsten material and silicon material above the MEMS beam structure comprises forming the silicon material within a via in contact with the silicon material below the MEMS beam structure and forming the tungsten material over the silicon material.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Brigham Michael T
• Jahnes Christopher V
• Luce Cameron E
• Maling Jeffrey C
• Murphy William J
• Stamper Anthony K
• White Eric J

Classifications

• G06F30/20

  Design optimisation, verification or simulation (optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30) · CPC title

• B81B2203/0118

  Cantilevers · CPC title

• B81B3/0021

  Transducers for transforming electrical into mechanical energy or vice versa (dynamo-electric machines H02K99/00; electrostatic machines H02N1/00; piezoelectric devices H10N30/00) · CPC title

• B81C2203/0109

  Bonding an individual cap on the substrate · CPC title

• B81C1/00365

  having low tensile stress between layers · CPC title