MICRO-MECHANICAL SEMICONDUCTOR ACCELEROMETER

摘要

A precision, micro-mechanical semiconductor accelerometer of the differential-capacitor type comprises a pair of etched opposing cover layers fusion bonded to opposite sides of an etched proofmass layer to form a hermetically sealed assembly. The cover layers are formed from commercially available, Silicon-On-Insulator ("SOI") wafers to significantly reduce cost and complexity of fabrication and assembly. The functional semiconductor parts of the accelerometer are dry-etched using the BOSCH method of reactive ion etching ("RIE"), thereby significantly reducing contamination inherent in prior art wet-etching processes, and resulting in features advantageously bounded by substantially vertical sidewalls.