U.S. patents available from 1976 to present.
U.S. patent applications available from 2005 to present.

Method and apparatus for stress pulsed release and actuation of micromechanical structures

Patent 6433463 Issued on August 13, 2002. Estimated Expiration Date: Icon_subject June 1, 2020. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Patent References

Method and apparatus for using ultrasonic energy for moving microminiature elements
Patent #: 5006749
Issued on: 04/09/1991
Inventor: White

Ultrasonic step motor
Patent #: 5610468
Issued on: 03/11/1997
Inventor: Miyazawa, et al.

Ultrasonic motor and electronic apparatus provided with an ultrasonic motor
Patent #: 5619089
Issued on: 04/08/1997
Inventor: Suzuki, et al.

Method for the manufacture of an electrodisplacive actuator array
Patent #: 5735026
Issued on: 04/07/1998
Inventor: Min

Method to reduce particulates in device manufacture
Patent #: 5766369
Issued on: 06/16/1998
Inventor: Tran, et al.

Method of making a piezoelectric/electrostrictive film element with a diaphragm having at least one stress releasing end section Patent #: 5940947
Issued on: 08/24/1999
Inventor: Takeuchi, et al.

Inventors

Assignee

Application

No. 585314 filed on 06/01/2000

US Classes:

310/328, With mechanical energy coupling means310/323.06, Piezoelectric element or electrode310/323.08Armature

Examiners

Primary: Sircus, Brian
Assistant: Zarroli, Michael C.

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Foreign Patent References

  • 07027999 JP. 01/06/1995
  • 11-221493 JP. 08/06/1999

International Class

H01L 041/08

Abstract

Micromechanical parts are freed from a surface of a substrate to which the parts are stiction bonded by applying a pulse stress wave to the substrate that propagates through the substrate and is reflected at the surface to which the micropart is stiction bonded, breaking the bond between the micropart and the substrate surface by a spalling action at the surface. A piezoelectric transducer may be secured to the bottom surface of the substrate such that a voltage pulse supplied to the piezoelectric transducer deforms the piezoelectric element and the substrate to which it is secured to provide a pulse stress wave that propagates through the substrate to the top surface. For microparts that are in contact with but not stiction bonded to the substrate top surface, a pulse stress wave can be applied to the substrate to drive the microparts away from the surface by the rapid displacement of that surface as the pulse stress wave is reflected at the surface. Microparts that are attached to the surface in a way to permit rotation or a translation of movement may be activated by applying a pulse stress wave to the substrate to drive such parts away from contact with the surface into their erected positions.

Other References

  • Analysis of Part Motion on a Longitudinally Vibrating Plate; Reznik, Canny, Goldberg; 8/97; University of California at Berkley.
  • "Stiction Release," Research Disclosure, GB, Industrial Opportunities Ltd., Havant, No. 299, Mar. 1, 1989, XP000049572, ISSN:0374-4353
  • Hsi-Jin J. Yeh, et al., "Fluidic Self-Assembly of Microstructures and its Application to the Integration of GaAs on Si," IEEE International Workshop on MEMS, Oiso, Japan, 1994, pp. 279-284
  • Bishnu P. Gogoi, et al., "Adhesion Release and Yield Enhancement of Microstructures Using Pulsed Lorentz Forces," J. of MicroMechanical Systems, vol. 4, No. 4, Dec. 1995, pp. 185-192
  • Roya Maboudian et al., "Stiction Reduction Processes for Surface Micromachines," Tribology Letters, vol. 3, Jun. 1997, pp. 215-221
  • C.H. Mastrangelo, "Adhesion-Related Failure Mechanisms in Micromechanical Devices," Tribology Letters, vol. 3, Jun. 1997, pp. 223-238
  • Steven A. Henck, "Lubrication of Digital Micromirror Devices," Tribology Letters, vol. 3, Jun. 1997, pp. 239-247
  • Li Fan, et al., "Self-Assembled Microactuated XYZ Stages for Optical Scanning and Alignment," Transducers '97, Jun. 1997, pp. 319-322
  • Gregory T.A. Kovacs, Micromachined Transducers Source Book (book), 1999, pp. 205-207
  • Karl-Friedrich Bohringer, et al., "Parallel Microassembly with Electrostatic Force Fields," Proceedings of the 1998 IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics & Automation, Leuven, Belgium, May 1998, pp. 1204-1211
  • Ville Kaajakari, et al., "Ultrasonically Driven Surface Micromachined Motor," MEMS 2000, Miyazaki, Japan, Jan. 23, 200
loading...


View Patent Images (PDF)
(Registered users only)
 
Forgot password?
Register here