Patent ID: 7291511
Filing Date: 2007-11-06
Classification: G01C

Abstract:
1. A method of manufacturing a vibration gyro sensor element that includes a cantilever vibrator having a lower electrode, a piezoelectric thin film, and an upper electrode, and detects an angular rate using piezoelectric effect of the piezoelectric thin film, comprising the steps of: forming a first protective film pattern including a first opening portion constituted by the lines parallel to and perpendicular to a {110} surface on a first main surface of a single-crystal silicon substrate, the first main surface and a second main surface of the single-crystal silicon substrate opposite to the first main surface having orientations {100}, and applying crystal anisotropic etching to the first opening portion until the thickness of the etched portion becomes the thickness of the vibrator; sequentially forming the lower electrode, piezoelectric thin film, and upper electrode in a stacked manner on the area to become the vibrator, the area being included in the second main surface opposite to the first main surface that has been subjected to the crystal anisotropic etching until the thickness of the etched portion becomes the thickness of the vibrator; forming a second protective film pattern including a second opening portion having a space that makes the vibrator to be a cantilever shape on the second main surface where the lower electrode, piezoelectric thin film, upper electrode have been formed, the second opening portion being constituted by the lines parallel to and perpendicular to the {110} surface, and forming the vibrator by applying reactive ion etching (RIE) to the second opening portion; forming, as the upper electrode, a drive electrode to which a voltage for allowing the vibrator to vibrate is applied and first and second detection electrodes extending in the longitudinal direction of the vibrator in parallel to each other such that the drive electrode is interposed between the first and second detection electrodes and does not contact with the detection electrodes; and irradiating a laser light to a desired portion of the vibrator to apply grinding operation based on detection signals detected in the first and second detection electrodes in the case where there is a difference between the detection signals detected in the first and second detection electrodes, the detection signals being obtained when a voltage is applied between the lower electrode and drive electrode to allow the vibrator to vibrate at a vertical resonance frequency, where “{ }” is a symbol for collectively representing equivalent surface orientations among which the directions are different from each other.