Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/KR101379680B1/en
Timestamp: 2020-02-17 01:57:56
Document Index: 623884410

Matched Legal Cases: ['arts 130', 'art 130', 'art 130', 'art 130', 'art 130', 'arts 150', 'art 150', 'art 150', 'art 150', 'art 150', 'art 150', 'art 130', 'art 150', 'art 150', 'art 150']

KR101379680B1 - Mems microphone with dual-backplate and method the same - Google Patents
Mems microphone with dual-backplate and method the same Download PDF
KR101379680B1
KR101379680B1 KR1020120048922A KR20120048922A KR101379680B1 KR 101379680 B1 KR101379680 B1 KR 101379680B1 KR 1020120048922 A KR1020120048922 A KR 1020120048922A KR 20120048922 A KR20120048922 A KR 20120048922A KR 101379680 B1 KR101379680 B1 KR 101379680B1
KR1020120048922A
KR20130125433A (en
2012-05-09 Application filed by 이화여자대학교 산학협력단, 한국기계연구원 filed Critical 이화여자대학교 산학협력단
2012-05-09 Priority to KR1020120048922A priority Critical patent/KR101379680B1/en
2013-11-19 Publication of KR20130125433A publication Critical patent/KR20130125433A/en
2014-04-01 Publication of KR101379680B1 publication Critical patent/KR101379680B1/en
Disclosed are a MEMS microphone having a dual backplate and a method of manufacture. MEMS microphone according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a substrate formed with a first back plate in the center; A membrane plate disposed on the first support part formed on both sides of the substrate and vibrating according to an external sound pressure; And a second back plate disposed on an upper portion of the second support part formed on both sides of the membrane plate.
MEMS microphone with dual back plate and manufacturing method {MEMS MICROPHONE WITH DUAL-BACKPLATE AND METHOD THE SAME}
The present invention relates to a MEMS microphone and a manufacturing method, and more particularly to a MEMS microphone and a manufacturing method having a dual back plate.
A microphone uses a principle of outputting a change in capacitance generated by vibrating a diaphragm by an external vibration sound pressure as an electric signal, and is used in various areas such as a microphone, a telephone, a mobile phone, a recorder, and a speaker.
In particular, in the case of the capacitive type which consists of a diaphragm vibrating by sound pressure and the opposite fixed electrode and converts the sound into an electric signal according to the change in capacitance, the acoustic device is precisely equipped with a relatively simple structure, high signal-to-noise ratio, and excellent frequency characteristics. It is widely used for measuring instruments and the like.
Meanwhile, as the demand for ultra-small microphones is increasing due to the recent miniaturization of electronic devices and the development of personal portable multimedia devices, interest in MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) microphone manufacturing method utilizing semiconductor process technology in microphone manufacturing is increasing. have.
In such a MEMS microphone, methods for simplifying the process and improving the yield for low-cost and high-efficiency microphone manufacturing have been sought.
Embodiments of the present invention provide a MEMS microphone capable of improving sensitivity by differentially amplifying two capacitances through a dual back plate.
In addition, in manufacturing the MEMS microphone as described above, it is intended to provide a MEMS microphone manufacturing method that can simplify the process.
According to an aspect of the invention, the substrate is a first back plate is formed in the center; A membrane plate disposed on an upper side of the first support part formed on both sides of the substrate and vibrating according to an external sound pressure, wherein at least a portion of a surface of the membrane plate is formed with a corrugation part; The MEMS microphone may include a second back plate disposed on an upper portion of the second support part formed on both sides of the membrane plate.
In this case, a plurality of back plate holes may be formed in the first back plate and the second back plate.
In addition, the first back plate and the second back plate may be one of silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), molybdenum (Mo), or an alloy thereof. It may be characterized in that it is formed.
The membrane plate may be formed of a semiconductor material, a metal material, or a combination thereof, or may be formed of a double layer structure of an insulator material and the metal material.
In addition, a plurality of holes may be formed on the surface of the membrane plate, or at least a portion of the surface of the membrane plate may be characterized in that the wrinkles are formed.
In addition, the height of the first support portion and the second support portion may be characterized.
According to another aspect of the invention, a step of preparing an integrated substrate in which the base layer, the first insulating film and the membrane layer are sequentially stacked; Forming a second insulating film on an upper surface of the integrated substrate; Etching a central portion of the lower silicon layer of the integrated substrate so that the lower surface of the first insulating layer is partially exposed; And forming a back plate on the lower surface of the first insulating film and the upper surface of the second insulating film, respectively, by electroplating.
The method may further include forming a plurality of protrusions on the lower surface of the first insulating film and the upper surface of the second insulating film between the steps 3 and 4 at predetermined intervals.
In addition, after the step 4, the step of removing the protrusion; And removing center portions of the first insulating film and the second insulating film.
In addition, the back plate may be formed of any one or alloys of silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), molybdenum (Mo). have.
The membrane layer may be formed of a semiconductor material, a metal material, or a combination thereof, or may be formed of a double layer structure of an insulator material and the metal material.
In addition, at least a portion of the surface of the membrane layer may be characterized in that the wrinkle portion is formed.
In addition, the height of the first insulating film and the second insulating film may be formed differently.
In the embodiments of the present invention, by configuring two backplates above and below the membrane plate, two capacitances may be differentially amplified to improve sensitivity.
In addition, by forming the two back plates of the metal to function as an electrode pad itself, it is possible to simplify the configuration of the microphone.
In addition, the process can be simplified by using an integral substrate in the production of MEMS microphones and forming the backplate through electroplating.
1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a MEMS microphone according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 to 8 is a process chart showing a method for manufacturing a MEMS microphone according to an embodiment of the present invention.
1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a MEMS microphone 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 1, the MEMS microphone 100 includes a substrate 110 on which the first back plate 120 is formed, a membrane plate 140 disposed on the substrate 110, and an upper portion of the membrane plate 140. It may include a second back plate 160 disposed.
In the present specification, "upper" means an upward direction based on the attached drawings, and "lower" means a lower direction based on the attached drawings. In addition, the central portion (C) refers to a space having a predetermined size centered on the center of the MEMS microphone 100, and it is understood that it means a vibration region.
The substrate 110 is provided with a hole (not shown) in the center portion (C). The substrate 110 may be a silicon substrate, but is not limited thereto. The hole is a place where the air enters, the first back plate 120 is formed in the hole. For example, the first back plate 120 may be supported by an inner edge of the substrate 110 to form a flat plate to fill the hole. In this case, a plurality of back plate holes 120a are formed on the surface of the first back plate 120, and air may enter and exit the back plate hole 120a. The first back plate 120 may be formed of any one or alloys of silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), and molybdenum (Mo). It is not limited to this.
First support parts 130 are formed on both sides of the substrate 110. The first support part 130 serves to support the membrane plate 140 and to form a first air gap a between the first back plate 120 and the membrane plate 140. The first support 130 may be formed using an oxide such as SiO 2 , but is not limited thereto.
The height h1 of the first support part 130 is not limited. Since the size of the first air gap a may vary depending on the height of the first support 130, the height of the first support 130 may be adjusted to correspond to the desired size of the first air gap a.
The thin film type membrane plate 140 is disposed on the first support part 130. That is, the membrane plate 140 may be disposed to be spaced apart from the first back plate 120 by being supported by the first support part 130. Therefore, a first air gap a is formed between the membrane plate 140 and the first back plate 120.
The membrane plate 140 vibrates according to external sound pressure, thereby causing a change in capacitance. The membrane plate 140 may be formed of a semiconductor material such as silicon; Metal material such as aluminum, copper, nickel, titanium, tungsten, molybdenum, or the like, or a combination thereof. In addition, the membrane plate 140 may be formed in a double layer structure in which a metal material is laminated on an insulator material such as a silicon oxide film, a silicon nitride film, or the like. However, FIG. 1 shows that the membrane layer 213 is formed as a single layer. The thickness of the membrane plate 140 is not limited, and may be formed to have a thickness of, for example, 1 μm.
On the other hand, the shape of the membrane plate 140 is not limited. For example, the membrane plate 140 may be formed in a thin plate shape, but a plurality of holes may be irregularly formed on a surface thereof or wrinkles (not shown) may be formed in at least a part thereof. The corrugation means that a corrugation formed at least partially curved on the surface of the membrane plate 140 is formed. When wrinkles are formed on the surface of the membrane plate 140 as described above, the compliance of the membrane plate 140 may be modified. However, hereinafter, the membrane plate 140 will be described based on the case where the membrane plate 140 is formed in a thin plate shape for convenience of description.
The substrate 110, the first support 130, and the membrane plate 140 may be formed by etching a portion of one substrate. For example, when using a silicon-0n-insulator (SOI) substrate, the lower silicon layer is used as the substrate 110, the insulating film is used as the first support 130, and the upper silicon layer is used as the membrane plate 140, respectively. It is possible to.
Second support parts 150 are formed on both sides of the membrane plate 140. The second support part 150 serves to support the second back plate 160 and to form a second air gap b between the membrane plate 140 and the second back plate 160. The second support part 150 may be formed using an oxide such as SiO 2 , but is not limited thereto.
The height h2 of the second support part 150 is not limited. Since the size of the second air gap b may vary according to the height of the second support part 150, the height of the second support part 150 may be adjusted to correspond to the desired size of the second air gap b. In addition, when different sizes of the first air gap a and the second air gap b are to be formed, it is also possible to form different heights of the first support part 130 and the second support part 150.
The second back plate 160 is formed on the second support part 150. That is, the second back plate 160 may be disposed to be spaced apart from the membrane plate 140 by a side part supported by the second support part 150. Therefore, a second air gap b is formed between the membrane plate 140 and the second back plate 160. In this case, a plurality of back plate holes 160a are formed on the surface of the second back plate 160, and air may enter and exit the back plate hole 160a. The second back plate 160 may be formed of any one or alloys of silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), and molybdenum (Mo). It is not limited to this.
In the MEMS microphone 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the first back plate 120 and the second back plate 160 are made of metal, so that electrode pads formed separately to electrically connect with the conventional membrane plate may be formed. One feature is that it is not necessary. For example, since the first back plate 120 and the second back plate 160 are made of metal, a separate electrode pad is not required when configuring each of the positive electrode and the negative electrode. Therefore, there is an effect that the configuration of the microphone is more simplified.
Since the MEMS microphone 100 configured as described above has two back plates (the first back plate and the second back plate), it is possible to configure a differential capacitive type MEMS microphone. For example, when the membrane plate 140 vibrates due to external sound pressure, a first capacitance is generated in the first air gap a formed between the membrane plate 140 and the first back plate 120. The second capacitance may occur in the second air gap b formed between the membrane plate 140 and the second back plate 160. In this case, the first capacitance may be a positive capacitance, and the second capacitance may be a negative capacitance. Therefore, the two capacitances are differentially amplified to improve the sensitivity of the microphone. On the other hand, since the content of the differential amplification in the plurality of capacitances corresponds to known contents, detailed description thereof will be omitted.
Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing a MEMS microphone according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.
Referring to FIG. 2, first, an integrated substrate 210 is prepared. The integrated substrate 210 has a structure in which the base layer 211, the first insulating layer 212, and the membrane layer 213 are sequentially stacked. In this case, the base layer 211 may function as the substrate 110, the first insulating layer 212 may function as the first support 130, and the membrane layer 213 may function as the membrane plate 140. . Therefore, in the MEMS microphone manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention, by using the integrated substrate 210, the substrate 110, the first support 130, and the membrane plate 140 may be manufactured without a separate lamination process. (See FIG. 1) The process is simplified. Meanwhile, the integrated substrate 210 may use an integrated substrate that can be obtained through a conventional method. An example of such an integrated substrate is a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate.
The integrated substrate 210 may have a structure in which the base layer 211, the first insulating layer 212, and the membrane layer 213 are sequentially stacked. In this case, the base layer 211 may be silicon, but is not limited thereto. The first insulating layer 212 may be a conventional oxide material, and may have a thickness of several μm, but is not limited thereto. The membrane layer 213 may be a semiconductor material such as silicon; Metal material such as aluminum, copper, nickel, titanium, tungsten, molybdenum, or the like, or a combination thereof. In addition, the membrane layer 213 may be formed in a double layer structure in which a metal material is laminated on an insulator material such as a silicon oxide film or a silicon nitride film. However, FIG. 2 shows that the membrane layer 213 is formed as a single layer. The thickness of the membrane layer 213 is not limited, and for example, may have a thickness of 1 μm.
Next, referring to FIG. 3, a second insulating film 220 is formed on the upper surface of the integrated substrate 210. The formation method may use a conventional deposition method, and examples of such deposition methods are low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) method, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) method, physical Physical vapor deposition (PVD) method, reactive sputtering method in which a gas is carried out, and the like, but are not limited thereto.
The thickness of the second insulating film 220 is not limited. Since the thickness of the first insulating film 212 and the thickness of the second insulating film 220 respectively determine the size of the two air gaps, the first insulating film 212 and the second insulating film 220 of the It is possible to determine the thickness. In addition, the thicknesses of the first insulating film 212 and the second insulating film 220 may be the same, or may be different from each other.
Next, referring to FIG. 4, the center portion C of the lower silicon layer 211 of the integrated substrate 210 is etched to partially expose the lower surface of the first insulating layer 212. In this case, the etching method may be a conventional method, and wet etching using a solution such as dry etching (DRIE) or a solution such as potassium hydroxide (KOH) or tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH). etch) and the like, but is not limited thereto. On the other hand, when etching the central portion (C) of the base material layer 211, it can be etched so that the radius becomes narrower from the bottom up. When the etching is completed, the lower surface of the first insulating layer 212 is partially exposed.
Next, referring to FIG. 5, a plurality of protrusions 240 are formed on the lower surface of the first insulating film 212 and the upper surface of the second insulating film 220 exposed through the etching. The protrusion 240 is for forming a back plate hole of the back plate, and may be formed by patterning using a photo process (for example, photolithography) using a photoresist. For example, after the photoresist is applied to the lower portion of the first insulating film 212 and the upper portion of the second insulating film 220 through spin coating or spray coating, a mold having a protrusion 240 shape through an exposure process or the like ( mold).
The size of the protrusion 240 is not limited. Since the size of the protrusion 240 corresponds to the size of the back plate hole, the size of the protrusion 240 may be differently formed according to the size of the back plate hole.
Next, referring to FIG. 6, the back plate 230 is formed on the lower surface of the first insulating film 212 and the upper surface of the second insulating film 220 by electroplating. MEMS microphone manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the back plate 230 is formed by electroplating.
Electroplating uses the principle that the object to be plated is used as a cathode and the metal to be electrodeposited is used as an anode, and then metal ions adhere to the surface of the object through electricity. have. Therefore, when the back plate 230 is formed through electroplating, a separate etching process or the like is not required, thereby simplifying the process.
After depositing a metal seed layer (not shown) having a predetermined thickness on the lower surface of the first insulating film 212 and the second insulating film 220 for electroplating, the back plate 230 is formed through electroplating. At this time, the deposition of the metal seed layer may use a deposition method such as sputtering.
The metal for forming the back plate 230 may be selected by using a suitable metal that is well plated, for example, silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni) , Molybdenum (Mo) any one or an alloy thereof, etc., but is not limited thereto.
The back plate 230 is formed by electroplating metal on the remaining portions except for the portion where the protrusion 240 is formed, and the height of the back plate 230 may correspond to the height of the protrusion 240. When the electroplating is completed, the back plate 230 is formed on the lower surface of the exposed first insulating film 212 and the upper surface of the second insulating film 220 to have a dual back plate structure.
Next, referring to FIG. 7, the protrusion 240 is removed after the back plate 230 is formed. When the protrusion 240 is formed of a photoresist, the protrusion 240 may be removed through a dry method such as ashing, a wet method using acetone, or an exposure process. When the protrusion 240 is removed, a plurality of back plate holes 230a are formed in the back plate 230.
8, the central portion C of the first insulating layer 212 and the second insulating layer 213 is removed. Removal of the insulating layers may use a wet removal method using an acid, an alkali, or an organic solvent through the back plate hole 230a, or a dry removal method such as ashing removed by an oxygen plasma. When the central portion C of the first insulating film 212 and the second insulating film 213 is removed, a space is created between the upper silicon layer 213 of the integrated substrate 210 and the two back plates 230, and thus, an air gap. Are formed respectively. In addition, since the two back plates 230 are formed of metal, they may be used as electrodes, and thus a separate electrode pad forming process is unnecessary.
As described above, in the embodiments of the present invention, by configuring two backplates above and below the membrane plate, the two capacitances may be differentially amplified to improve sensitivity. In addition, by forming the two back plates of the metal to function as an electrode pad itself, it is possible to simplify the configuration of the microphone. In addition, the process can be further simplified by using an integrated substrate in forming MEMS microphones and forming a back plate through electroplating.
100: MEMS microphone
110: substrate 120: first back plate
130: first support portion 140: membrane plate
150: second support portion 160: second back plate
120a, 160a: back plate hole a: first air gap
b: second air gap c: central portion
h1, h2: support part height 210: integral board | substrate
211: lower silicon layer 212: first insulating film
213: upper silicon layer 220: second insulating film
230: back plate 230a: back plate hole
240: protrusion
A substrate on which a first back plate is formed in a central portion;
A membrane plate disposed on an upper side of the first support part formed on both sides of the substrate and vibrating according to an external sound pressure, wherein at least a portion of a surface of the membrane plate has a pleat part;
MEMS microphone, characterized in that it comprises a second back plate disposed on the upper side of the second support formed on both sides of the membrane plate.
MEMS microphone, characterized in that a plurality of back plate holes are formed in the first back plate and the second back plate.
The first back plate and the second back plate are formed of any one or alloys of silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), and molybdenum (Mo). MEMS microphone, characterized in that.
The membrane plate is formed of a semiconductor material, a metal material or a combination thereof, or a MEMS microphone, characterized in that formed of a double layer structure of the insulator material and the metal material.
MEMS microphone, characterized in that a plurality of holes are formed in the membrane plate surface or wrinkles are formed in at least a portion of the membrane plate surface.
MEMS microphone, characterized in that the height of the first support and the second support is different.
Preparing an integrated substrate in which a substrate layer, a first insulating film, and a membrane layer are sequentially stacked;
Forming a second insulating film on an upper surface of the integrated substrate;
Etching a central portion of the lower silicon layer of the integrated substrate so that the lower surface of the first insulating layer is partially exposed; And
And forming a back plate on the lower surface of the first insulating film and the upper surface of the second insulating film, respectively, by electroplating.
Between steps 3 and 4,
And forming a plurality of protrusions on the lower surface of the first insulating film and the upper surface of the second insulating film at predetermined intervals.
Removing the protrusion; And
And removing the central portions of the first insulating film and the second insulating film.
The back plate is formed of any one or alloys of silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), molybdenum (Mo) or their alloys Way.
And the membrane layer is formed of a semiconductor material, a metal material, or a combination thereof, or a double layer structure of an insulator material and the metal material.
MECR microphone manufacturing method characterized in that the at least part of the surface of the membrane layer is formed wrinkles.
MEMS microphone manufacturing method characterized in that to form a different height of the first insulating film and the second insulating film.
KR1020120048922A 2012-05-09 2012-05-09 Mems microphone with dual-backplate and method the same KR101379680B1 (en)
KR1020120048922A KR101379680B1 (en) 2012-05-09 2012-05-09 Mems microphone with dual-backplate and method the same
US14/394,473 US9656854B2 (en) 2012-05-09 2012-11-29 MEMS microphone with dual-back plate and method of manufacturing the same
PCT/KR2012/010259 WO2013168868A1 (en) 2012-05-09 2012-11-29 Mems microphone having dual back plate and method for manufacturing same
KR20130125433A KR20130125433A (en) 2013-11-19
KR101379680B1 true KR101379680B1 (en) 2014-04-01
ID=49550876
US (1) US9656854B2 (en)
KR (1) KR101379680B1 (en)
WO (1) WO2013168868A1 (en)
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JP4419551B2 (en) * 2003-12-16 2010-02-24 パナソニック株式会社 Electret condenser and manufacturing method thereof
JP4737535B2 (en) 2006-01-19 2011-08-03 ヤマハ株式会社 condenser microphone
2012-05-09 KR KR1020120048922A patent/KR101379680B1/en active IP Right Grant
2012-11-29 WO PCT/KR2012/010259 patent/WO2013168868A1/en active Application Filing
2012-11-29 US US14/394,473 patent/US9656854B2/en active Active
WO2013168868A1 (en) 2013-11-14
US20150129992A1 (en) 2015-05-14
KR20130125433A (en) 2013-11-19
US9656854B2 (en) 2017-05-23
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