Patent ID: 7470462

Claim:
A method for controlling residual stress in a structure in a MEMS device, the method comprising: selecting a total thickness for a structure; selecting an overall equivalent stress for the structure; determining a thickness for each of at least one set of alternating first and second layers to control an internal stress with respect to a neutral axis for each of the at least alternating first and second layers and to form the structure based on the selected total thickness and the selected overall equivalent stress, wherein the internal stress in each of the alternating first and second layers ranges from a compressive stress to a tensile stress with respect to the neutral axis based on the determined thickness, wherein at least one of the alternating first and second layers comprises two or more of the compressive stress, a neutral stress, and the tensile stress; and depositing each of the at least alternating first and second layers to the determined thickness for each of the at least alternating first and second layers to form the structure.