JP2000317897A - Heat insulating structure, semiconductor microactuator using the same, semiconductor microvalve, and semiconductor microrelay - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a heat insulating structure having a high heat insulating efficiency and manufactured through simple processes, a semiconductor microactuator using the same, a semiconductor microvalve, and a semiconductor microrelay. SOLUTION: Four outwardly extending flexible areas 2 joined to a central moving element 5 are joined to a semiconductor substrate 3 via heat insulating areas 7 made from a heat insulating material such as polyimide or fluororesin, the semiconductor substrate 3 serving as a frame. The heat insulating areas 7 are provided within the thickness of the flexible area 2 between the semiconductor substrate 3 and the flexible area 2 in such a way as to be about as thick as the flexible area 2. When the flexible areas 2 are heated by heating means 6 consisting of impurity diffusion resistances or the like provided on the surfaces of the flexible areas 2, the flexible areas 2 flex because of a difference in thermal expansion from thin films 4 of aluminum or nickel provided on the flexible areas 2, and the movable element 5 is displaced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a heat insulating structure comprising a semiconductor substrate, a flexible region separated from the semiconductor substrate and displaced by a temperature change, and a heat insulating region provided therebetween. The present invention relates to a semiconductor microactuator, a semiconductor microvalve, and a semiconductor microrelay using the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A semiconductor substrate, a flexible region which is separated from the semiconductor substrate and is displaced by a change in temperature, and a heat insulating structure composed of a heat insulating region provided therebetween are different from each other. At least 2 having a coefficient of thermal expansion
There is a semiconductor microactuator that combines two materials (bimetal structure), heats that portion, and obtains displacement using the difference in thermal expansion coefficient. This semiconductor microactuator is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-506392, "Semiconductor microactuator", and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-187574.
No. "Very small valve".

The semiconductor microactuator described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-506392 is a top view of FIG.
As shown in the sectional view of FIG. 26, a bimetal structure in which an aluminum thin film 104 is formed on a part of a silicon diaphragm 100 is shown. When a current is applied to the heater 101 formed in the diaphragm 100 made of silicon, heat is generated and the temperature of the diaphragm 100 rises.
Here, since silicon and aluminum have significantly different coefficients of thermal expansion, thermal stress is generated to deflect the diaphragm 100 and cause the movable portion 105 to be displaced. Further, in order to obtain an efficient displacement, a hinge 103 made of a silicon dioxide thin film is provided between the periphery of the diaphragm 100 and the silicon frame 102 to prevent the heat generated in the diaphragm 100 from escaping to the silicon frame 102. I have.

[0004] However, the semiconductor microactuator having such a structure has the following problems. First, the thermal insulation effect of the hinge structure of the silicon dioxide thin film will be considered. Generally, heat Q escaping from a high temperature portion to the low temperature portion Q (W) = - a _{λ (t 2 -t 1) /} δ · A ( Formula X).

Here, Q: heat flow (speed of heat transfer) t ₂ −t ₁ ; temperature difference (° C.) δ: distance from heat source (cm) A: cross section perpendicular to the direction of heat flow (cm ² ) λ Thermal conductivity (J / cm · s · ° C.).

Therefore, the amount of heat escaping from the diaphragm 100 to the silicon frame 102 is calculated using this relational expression.
The temperature difference between the diaphragm 100 and the silicon frame 102 is set to 15
0 ° C., width of hinge 103 is 30 μm, diaphragm 1
00 has a diameter of 2.5 mm, and the thickness of the hinge 103 is 2 μm.
("Electrically-Activated, Micromachined Diaphr
am Valves '' Technical Digest IEEE Solid-Stat
e Sensor and Actuator Workshop, pp65-69, June
Estimated from 1990), the section A1 perpendicular to the direction of heat flow
A1 = 2.5 mm × π × 2 μm = 0.25 cm × π × 2
× 10 ⁻⁴ cm = 1.57 × 10 ⁻⁴ cm ² , and the thermal conductivity of silicon dioxide λ = 0.084 (W /
cm · ° C.), the heat Q1 that escapes is: Q1 = 0.084 (W / cm · ° C.) × 150 ° C./(30
× 10 ⁻⁴ cm) × 1.57 × 10 ⁻⁴ cm ² = 0.66 W
= 660 mW. Next, the case where the hinge structure of silicon dioxide is not provided is calculated. When the thickness of the silicon diaphragm 100 is 10 μm and the cross section A2 perpendicular to the direction of the heat flow is calculated, A2 = 2.5 mm × π × 10 μm = 0.25 cm × π ×
10 × 10 ⁻⁴ cm = 7.85 × 10 ⁻⁴ cm ² , and the thermal conductivity of silicon λ = 1.48 (W / cm ·
° C), the heat Q2 that escapes is: Q2 = 1.48 (W / cm · ° C) x 150 ° C / (30 x
10 ⁻⁴ cm) × 7.85 × 10 ⁻⁴ cm ² = 58 W Thus, by providing the hinge 103 made of a silicon dioxide thin film, a thermal insulation effect of about 90 times was obtained. As described above, the semiconductor microactuator described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-506392 has a structure with higher thermal efficiency than that of the conventional structure. However, in consideration of the current use, further reduction of heat loss is desired. Specifically, this heat release (heat loss) is considered to be power (power consumption) constantly supplied to maintain the diaphragm 100 at a predetermined temperature (for example, 150 ° C.).

Therefore, the power consumption of the semiconductor microactuator described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-506392 can be estimated to be several hundred mW (660 mW in calculation). In consideration of the above, it is desirable that the power is not more than 100 mW.

In the semiconductor microactuator described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-506392, the hinge 103 of the silicon dioxide thin film is as thick as 2 μm. The factor that determines the thickness of the silicon dioxide thin film of the hinge 103 is not clearly described in the specification. However, when the semiconductor microactuator described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-506392 is used for a microvalve or the like, the pressure applied to the movable element causes the hinge 10 to move.
It is expected that the film thickness will be concentrated to 3, and a film thickness that does not break down under this pressure is required. However, when the thickness of the hinge 103 is increased, the thermal insulation effect is reduced according to the above-described heat release calculation formula. Therefore, it can be estimated that 2 μm is determined as the thickness of the silicon dioxide thin film having a certain strength and a thermal insulation effect.

Next, the necessity of increasing the thickness of the silicon dioxide thin film of the hinge 103 will be considered. Tokuhyo Hei 4-5063
No. 92, a semiconductor microactuator is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No.
Although it is structured to be movable by a bimetal composed of a metal film 00 and an aluminum thin film 104, a silicon dioxide thin film 106 is inserted between the diaphragm 100 and the aluminum thin film 104 in order to obtain electrical insulation.

In the semiconductor manufacturing process, the silicon dioxide thin film 106 and the silicon dioxide thin film of the hinge 103 are formed at the same time, and it is desirable that these film thicknesses are the same. However, the diaphragm 100 and the aluminum thin film 1
When the thickness of the silicon dioxide thin film 106 inserted between the layers 04 becomes as large as 2 μm, it can be expected that the bimetal characteristic as a driving source is deteriorated. Literature ("Electric
ally-Activated, Micromachined Diaphram Valves "
Technical Digest IEEE Solid-State Sensor a
nd Actuator Workshop, pp. 65-69, June 1990), the thickness of the aluminum thin film 104 is 5 to 6 μm. Then, if a silicon dioxide thin film 106 having a thickness of 2 μm is inserted between the diaphragm 100 and the aluminum thin film 104, the diaphragm 1 at the time of heating can be obtained.
It can be easily presumed that it becomes a factor that hinders the deflection of 00.

In the semiconductor manufacturing process, a silicon dioxide thin film is usually formed at a high temperature of about 1000 ° C. Therefore, in consideration of the thermal expansion coefficient of silicon and silicon dioxide, the silicon diaphragm 100-silicon dioxide thin film 10
It is considered that a considerable internal stress is generated between 6.
This internal stress increases as the thickness of the silicon dioxide thin film 106 increases, which causes a reduction in bimetal characteristics. Considering the above points, the silicon dioxide thin film 106 between the diaphragm 100 and the aluminum thin film 104 is as thin as possible (2 × 10 ⁻⁸ m (200
Å)), and the silicon dioxide film of the hinge 103 must be somewhat thick (2 μm). However, forming such a thin film of silicon dioxide requires a very complicated semiconductor manufacturing process.
The specification of 506392 does not mention the production method.

As an improvement, US Pat. 5,27
1,597 discloses another hinge structure. This is not the silicon dioxide thin film structure as described above, but the silicon dioxide thin film between the hinge portion and the diaphragm-aluminum thin film has the same thickness. In this method, in order to make the silicon dioxide thin film in the hinge part thinner and to compensate for the decrease in strength of the hinge part caused by this, a part of the diaphragm and the silicon frame is used in addition to the hinge, and a part of the silicon of the diaphragm is used. It is not designed to reduce the power consumption of the actuator.

As described above, many problems still remain in the thermal insulation structure of the semiconductor microactuator.

Also, the microminiature valve described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 5-187574 combines at least two materials having different coefficients of thermal expansion, heats the portion, and uses the difference in the coefficients of thermal expansion to change the displacement. The resulting semiconductor microactuator has been used. The thermal insulation structure of this microactuator is performed by providing a torsion bar type suspension. This structure minimizes heat loss to the silicon frame by both reducing the cross section perpendicular to the heat flow and increasing the path length through which the heat flow passes. However, since this torsion bar type suspension structure is formed of silicon, it is considered that a sufficient thermal insulation effect cannot be obtained as considered in the calculation of heat escape.

This is described in the document "SILICON MICROVALVES FOR
GAS FLOW CONTROL '' The 8th International Conference
on Solid-State Sensor and Actuators, Stockholm, Swe
Den, 1995, pp. 276-279, can be estimated from the microvalve performance comparison table. In this document, Japanese Translation of PCT Publication No. 4-5
Microvalve relating to "semiconductor microactuator" disclosed in JP-A-063922
No. 4 discloses a comparison of the bicro valve related to the “ultra-small valve”, and the latter has a pressure resistance of 6 times as compared with the former.
The power consumption is about twice and the thermal resistance is about 1/3, although the flow rate range is 10 times.

As described above, the microminiature valve described in JP-A-5-187574 is a microactuator capable of generating a large force by a torsion bar type suspension structure formed of silicon. Does not meet the needs of small and portable devices.

[0017]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a heat insulating structure having a high heat insulating efficiency and a simple manufacturing process, and a semiconductor microstructure using the same. An actuator, a semiconductor microvalve, and a semiconductor microrelay are provided.

[0018]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is directed to a semiconductor substrate, a flexible region separated from the semiconductor substrate and displaced by a change in temperature, and the semiconductor substrate and the flexible substrate. And a heat insulating region provided between the flexible region and the flexible region, wherein the heat insulating region is provided within the thickness of the flexible region. Claim 1
According to the invention, heat can be prevented from escaping from the flexible region to the semiconductor substrate, and the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region can be joined by a simple manufacturing process and the both can be thermally insulated.

Further, the invention according to claim 2 includes a semiconductor substrate,
A flexible region separated from the semiconductor substrate and displaced by a change in temperature; a movable element separated from the flexible region and displaced by displacement of the flexible region; It is characterized by comprising a heat insulating region provided between the region and the movable element. According to the invention of claim 2, it is possible to prevent heat from escaping from the flexible region to the semiconductor substrate and to prevent heat from escaping from the flexible region to the movable element. There is an advantage that it is performed efficiently.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, heat conduction of a material constituting a heat insulating region provided between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region is provided. It has the characteristic that the rate is about 0.4 W / m · ° C. or less. According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to obtain a thermal insulating effect higher than that of the silicon dioxide thin film.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, a material constituting a heat insulating region provided between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region is provided. Is a polyimide. According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to obtain a heat insulating structure which has good thermal insulation and is easy to manufacture.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, a material constituting a heat insulating region provided between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region is provided. Is a fluorinated resin. According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to obtain a heat insulating structure having good heat insulating properties and easy to manufacture.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, a flexible region of a heat insulating region provided between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region. Is characterized in that a thin film harder than the material constituting the heat insulating region is provided on at least one surface in the thickness direction of. According to the invention of claim 6, the bonding strength between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region can be increased.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the sixth aspect, the hard thin film has a Young's modulus of about 9.8.
× 10 ⁹ N / m ² or more. Claim 7
According to the invention, the joining region between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region can be increased.

The invention of claim 8 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 6 or claim 7, the hard thin film is a silicon dioxide thin film. According to the invention of claim 8, the bonding strength between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region can be increased.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the portions of the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region which are in contact with the heat insulating region are comb-shaped. It is characterized by having. According to the ninth aspect, it is possible to increase the bonding strength between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region while maintaining the thermal insulation effect between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the semiconductor substrate and a heat insulating region provided between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region. And a wiring is formed on one end surface in the thickness direction of the flexible region over the flexible region. According to the tenth aspect, a wiring can be formed between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the semiconductor substrate and a heat insulating region provided between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region. And a wiring is formed over the flexible region, and a part of the wiring is provided inside the heat insulating region. According to the eleventh aspect, the wiring can be protected, and a highly reliable heat insulating structure can be obtained.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to ninth aspects, the one end face on which the wiring is formed is flush. According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the level difference of the wiring and prevent disconnection of the wiring.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the semiconductor substrate, the flexible region separated from the semiconductor substrate, and displaced according to a difference in thermal expansion coefficient between at least two regions including the semiconductor substrate; And a movable element connected to the flexible region, wherein the temperature of the flexible region varies. The movable element is displaced with respect to the semiconductor substrate when the operation is performed. According to the thirteenth aspect, a semiconductor microactuator having the same effects as the first to twelfth aspects is obtained.

According to a fourteenth aspect, in the thirteenth aspect, the displacement of the movable element with respect to the semiconductor substrate is a non-rotational displacement. According to the fourteenth aspect, the control accuracy of the displacement of the movable element is improved.

According to a fifteenth aspect, in the thirteenth aspect, a displacement of the movable element with respect to the semiconductor substrate is a rotational displacement.
According to the fifteenth aspect, the displacement of the movable element becomes large.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the thirteenth to fifteenth aspects, the flexible region includes a heating unit for heating the flexible region. . According to the sixteenth aspect, the semiconductor microactuator can be downsized.

The invention of claim 17 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 14 or claim 16, the flexible region forms a part of a cross-shaped beam. According to the seventeenth aspect, the control accuracy of the displacement of the movable element is improved.

The invention of claim 18 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 15 or claim 16, the flexible region forms a part of a swastika-shaped beam. According to the eighteenth aspect, the displacement of the movable element becomes large.

According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, the flexible region is a part of a cantilever having a fixed end at a part of the semiconductor substrate. It is characterized by. According to the nineteenth aspect, it is possible to provide a semiconductor microactuator capable of obtaining a large displacement and a large force.

According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor substrate, a flexible region separated from the semiconductor substrate and displaced in accordance with a difference in thermal expansion coefficient between at least two regions including the semiconductor substrate; 13. The heat insulating region according to claim 1, which is provided between the movable region and the flexible region, a movable element connected to the flexible region, and the movable element in accordance with a displacement of the movable element. And a fluid control element having a flow path in which the flow of the fluid is controlled, wherein the fluid flowing through the flow path is controlled by the displacement of the movable element when the temperature of the flexible region changes. Features. According to the twentieth aspect, a semiconductor microvalve having the same effects as the first to twelfth aspects can be provided.

According to a twenty-first aspect, in the twentieth aspect, the flexible region includes a heating unit for heating the flexible region. According to the twenty-first aspect, a small-sized microvalve can be obtained.

According to a twenty-second aspect of the present invention, in the twentieth or twenty-first aspect, the flexible region forms a part of a cross-shaped beam. According to the twenty-second aspect, a semiconductor microvalve with high fluid control accuracy can be obtained.

According to a twenty-third aspect of the present invention, in the twentieth or twenty-first aspect, the flexible region forms part of a swastika-shaped beam. According to the twenty-third aspect, a microvalve having a wide fluid flow control range can be obtained.

Further, the invention according to claim 24, wherein the semiconductor substrate, a flexible region separated from the semiconductor substrate and displaced according to a difference in thermal expansion coefficient between at least two regions including the region, and the semiconductor substrate 13. The heat insulating region according to claim 1, which is provided between the movable region and the flexible region; a movable element that is connected to the flexible region and has a contact; A fixed element having a contact that is separated from the contact, the contact being capable of contacting the contact, and the separated contact is opened and closed by displacement of the movable element when the temperature of the flexible region changes. It is characterized by doing. According to the invention of claim 24, claim 1 to claim 1
A semiconductor micro relay having the same effect as that of the second embodiment is obtained.

According to a twenty-fifth aspect, in the twenty-fourth aspect, the flexible region includes a heating means for heating the flexible region. Claim 2
According to the fifth aspect, a small-sized semiconductor microrelay can be obtained.

According to a twenty-sixth aspect, in the twenty-fourth or twenty-fifth aspect, the flexible region is a part of a cantilever having the semiconductor substrate as a fixed end. I do. According to the twenty-sixth aspect, a semiconductor micro relay having a large contact pressure can be obtained.

According to the present invention, a resin material such as polyimide or fluorinated resin has a high thermal insulation property (about 80% of silicon dioxide).
Times), and is easily processed in a liquid state and has a desired thickness (several μm to several tens μm) by a semiconductor manufacturing process such as spin coating.
The focus is on the feature that the thin film of m) can be easily obtained.

More specifically, a semiconductor substrate, a flexible region which is separated from the semiconductor substrate and generates displacement due to a change in temperature,
It comprises a heat insulating region provided between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region. The heat insulating region provided between the flexible region and the semiconductor substrate has a structure in which a heat insulating material such as polyimide or fluorinated resin is filled in the thickness of the flexible region. By separating the flexible region and the semiconductor substrate, the escape of heat from the flexible region to the semiconductor substrate is prevented,
By providing the heat insulating region within the thickness of the flexible region, the heat insulating structure can be manufactured by a simple manufacturing process.

Further, by providing a hard thin film such as a silicon dioxide thin film on the upper or lower portion, or on the upper and lower portions of the heat insulating region, the strength of the joint between the flexible region and the semiconductor substrate can be increased.

Further, the structure in which the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region are processed into a comb-tooth shape and a heat insulating material is filled between them can increase the strength of the bonding portion while maintaining the heat insulating effect. In addition, a semiconductor microactuator, a semiconductor microvalve, and a semiconductor microrelay that respond thermally using such a heat insulating structure can be used to achieve a small and low power consumption semiconductor microactuator with high thermal efficiency. Valves and semiconductor micro relays can be realized.

[0048]

(Embodiment 1) Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the structure of a semiconductor microactuator using a heat insulating structure according to the present invention, FIG. 2 (a) is a sectional view, and FIG. 2 (b) is a top view.

As shown in the figure, the semiconductor microactuator 1 is joined to a semiconductor substrate 3 made of silicon or the like, which is a hollow, substantially rectangular frame, at four points inside the semiconductor substrate 3 via heat insulating regions 7 respectively. And a movable portion 8 separated from the semiconductor substrate 3. This movable part 8
Is a rectangular piece that extends outwardly from each of the four sides of the opening on the upper surface of the central movable element 5 formed in a hollow truncated pyramid shape in which the upper surface is opened in a square shape and the width decreases downward. The flexible region 2 has a substantially cross shape with the movable element 5 interposed therebetween.

The heat insulating region 7 between the semiconductor substrate 3 and the flexible region 2 is filled with a heat insulating material such as a fluorinated resin or polyimide at substantially the same thickness as the flexible region 2. A heating means 6 for heating the flexible region 2 made of impurity diffusion resistance or the like is provided on the surface of the flexible region 2, and the flexible region 2 is provided thereon with an aluminum thin film or a nickel thin film. A thin film 4 having a different coefficient of thermal expansion from that of the silicon constituting the flexible region 2 is provided. here,
The semiconductor substrate 3, the flexible region 2, and the heat insulating region 7 therebetween form a heat insulating structure.

Here, in order to explain the operation of the present invention,
As a specific example, as shown in the sectional view of FIG.
Has a lateral length of 30 μm and a thickness of 20 μm, and is made of polyimide (trade name “Photo Nice”,
Hereinafter, the case where polyimide is used) will be considered. Further, the length of the flexible region 2 shown in FIG.
Is 800 μm,
The width of the flexible region 2 (in the direction parallel to the heat insulating region 7) is set to 600 μm.
m.

When the heat Q3 escaping from the flexible region 2 to the semiconductor substrate 3 through the heat insulating region 7 is calculated, it follows the formula X shown in the conventional example. Here, the cross section A3 perpendicular to the direction of the heat flow of the escaped heat Q3 is: A3 = (thickness of polyimide) × (width of flexible region) = 20
μm × 600 μm = 1.2 × 10 ⁻⁴ cm The thermal conductivity of polyimide is 1.17 × 10
⁻³ (W / cm ° C.) and the distance δ from the heat source, that is, the distance between the flexible region 2 and the semiconductor substrate 3 is 30 μm.
The heat Q3 escaping from the flexible region 2 heated to 150 ° C. to the semiconductor substrate 3 is Q3 = 1.17 × 10 ⁻³ (W / cm · ° C.) × (150 ° C.)
/ (30 × 10 ⁻⁴ cm)) × 1.2 × 10 ⁻⁴ (cm ² )
= 4.2 × 10 ⁻³ (W) = 4.2 (mW). As described above, since the movable portion 8 has four flexible regions, the total amount of heat is 16.8 mW. This indicates that the temperature of the flexible region 2 can be maintained at 150 ° C. by inputting the input power of 16.8 mW to the heating means 6, and the power consumption is reduced to 1/40 of that of the conventional example of 660 mW. it can.

Next, the strength of the heat insulating region 7 made of polyimide will be considered. A model of a doubly supported beam structure fixed at both ends shown in FIG. When a load W is applied to the center of the beam from below as shown in FIG. 4A, the shear force and moment force of the beam become as shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C, respectively. The heat insulation region 7 is located between the fixed ends 25 and 26 at both ends and the beam 27 in FIG.
Therefore, for example, a force applied to the beam 27 when a load W of 1 g is applied to the center of the beam 27 (corresponding to a case where a pressure of 46.7 kPa is applied to the orifice 500 μm in the case of a microvalve) is obtained.

The shear force F applied to the beam is F = W / 2 = 1.
0 × 10 ⁻³ (kgf) /2=0.5×10 ⁻³ (kgf)
= 4.9 × 10 ⁻³ (N), and the maximum shear stress Fmax applied to the beam is as follows: Fmax = F / S (S is the cross-sectional area of the beam). Here, beam width b = 600 μm, beam thickness h =
Assuming 20 μm, the sectional area S is as follows: S = bh = 600 × 10 ⁻⁴ × 20 × 10 ⁻⁴ = 1.2 × 1
0 ^-4 cm ² . Therefore, the maximum shear stress Fma applied to the beam 27
x is: Fmax = 0.50 × 10 ⁻³ (kgf) /1.2×10
^-4 (cm ² ) = 4.16 (kgf / cm ² ) = 4.16 ×
0.098 (MPa) = 0.41 (MPa). Next, the maximum stress σmax applied to the beam is determined.
The maximum stress σmax is represented by σmax = Mmax / Z. At this time, Mmax is the maximum moment, and Z is the section modulus. The maximum moment Mmax is, as shown in FIG. 4C, Mmax = WL / 8 (L is the length of the beam 800 μm).
max is Mmax = WL / 8 = 1.0 × 10 ⁻³ (kg
f) × 800 × 10 ⁻⁴ (cm) /8=1.0×10
⁻⁵ (kgf · cm) = 9.8 × 10 ⁻⁵ (N · cm) Further, section modulus Z is ^{Z = bh 2/6 = 1} /6 × 600 × 10 -4 × (20 × 1
0 ⁻⁴ ) ² = 4.0 × 10 ⁻⁸ (cm ³ ). Then, the maximum stress σmax due to the moment is σmax = Mmax / Z = 1.0 × 10 ⁻⁵ (kgf · c
m) /4.0×10 ⁻⁸ (cm ³ ) = 250 (kgf / c)
m ² ) = 24.5 (MPa). Here, the dimensions of the beam are set to 600
μm and a length of 800 μm.

Since the breaking strength of polyimide is about 30 MPa, a semiconductor microactuator capable of withstanding a load of about 1 g in the above-mentioned heat insulating region 7 can be realized. The strength of the heat insulating region 7 can be increased as shown in another example. Although not described here, the same effect can be expected with a fluorinated resin.

Here, an example of a method of forming the heat insulating region 7 shown in FIG. 3 will be described with reference to FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 5A, a groove 15 is formed by etching a portion corresponding to a heat insulating region on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 17 with KOH or the like. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5B, a polyimide thin film 16 is spin-coated with a coater or the like to form the groove 15 completely. Next, as shown in FIG. 5C, patterning is performed so that the polyimide thin film 16 is completely removed from the portion where the groove 15 is completely filled by a photolithography process of a semiconductor, and the other portions are removed. The organic solvent or the like contained in the polyimide is evaporated and solidified.
Next, as shown in FIG. 5D, etching is performed from the back surface of the semiconductor substrate 17 with KOH or the like. At this time, 28
Denotes a semiconductor substrate serving as a frame portion, and 29 denotes a flexible region. Through these steps, the heat insulating region 7 shown in FIG. 3 is formed.

As described above, the heat insulating region 7 is made of a resin material such as polyimide or fluorinated resin, which has a high heat insulating property (about 80 times that of silicon dioxide). By making good use of the property that a thin film having a desired thickness (several μm to several tens μm) can be easily obtained by a semiconductor manufacturing process, the heat insulating region 7 between the flexible region 2 and the semiconductor substrate 3 can be formed. Since the heat insulating structure is formed within the thickness of the flexible region 2, a heat insulating structure having a higher heat insulating effect and a higher strength than the conventional example can be easily realized by using a semiconductor manufacturing process. Further, as described above, by making the heat insulating region 7 substantially the same thickness as the flexible region 2, the semiconductor substrate 3 and the flexible region 2 are formed.
And the strength of the joint can be increased.

Here, the semiconductor microactuator 1
Will be described. When electric power is applied to the heating means 6, the temperature of the flexible region 2 rises. Since the thin film 4 having a thermal expansion coefficient different from that of the flexible region 2 is formed on the upper portion of the flexible region 2, thermal stress is generated due to a difference in thermal expansion between the two. For example, when a metal thin film of aluminum, nickel, or the like is formed as the thin film 4, the flexible region 2 is bent downward in the figure because the thermal expansion coefficient is larger than that of the silicon constituting the flexible region 2. . Since the movable element 5 is connected to the flexible region 2, the movable element 5 receives the thermal stress of the flexible region 2 and is displaced downward with respect to the semiconductor substrate 3.

In the semiconductor microactuator 1 according to the present embodiment, the central movable element 5 and the four flexible regions 2 surrounding the central movable element 5 form a cross-shaped beam. , The displacement is non-rotational, and the displacement control accuracy is good and a large force can be generated. Further, the manufacturing process is simple with the above-described configuration, and the device can be driven with high thermal insulation and small size and low power consumption. In addition, since the flexible region 2 is provided with the heating means 6 made of a diffusion resistance or the like for heating the flexible region 2, the semiconductor microactuator 1 can be downsized.

Next, the semiconductor substrate 3 and the flexible region 2
Another example of the heat insulating structure constituted by the heat insulating region 7 will be described. The heat insulating structure of this example is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 3B, a heat insulating region 10 having a thickness substantially equal to the thickness of the flexible region 2 is formed in the thickness between the semiconductor substrate 3 and the flexible region 2 as shown in FIG. In the same manner, this heat insulating region 10 has a heat insulating material region 11 made of a heat insulating material such as fluorinated resin or polyimide on the upper portion, and a thin film harder than the material forming the heat insulating region 11 such as silicon dioxide on the lower portion. The reinforcement region 12 is composed of: 6 (a) is a sectional view, FIG. 6 (b) is a top view, and FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line YY 'of FIG. 6 (b).

As shown in FIG. 7, the specific thickness of the heat insulating region 10 is 20 μm as a whole, the heat insulating material region 11 is 19 μm, and the reinforcing region 12 is 1 μm. Then, as shown in FIG. 6A, the length in the lateral direction of the heat insulating region 10, ie, the direction from the semiconductor substrate 3 to the flexible region 2, is 30 μm, and the length in the YY ′ direction, ie, the depth direction is It is 600 μm. Here, polyimide is used as a material constituting the heat insulating material region 11,
The strength of the heat insulating region 10 when silicon dioxide is used as the material forming the reinforcing region 12 is determined under the same conditions as the above-described calculation of the strength of the heat insulating region 7 in FIG.

Assuming that the Young's modulus of each constituent material of the heat insulating region 10 is E _i and the cross-sectional area of the cross section shown in FIG. 7 of each region is A _i , the distance from the bottom surface to the neutral axis is given by ηa by the following equation. Can be

[0063]

(Equation 1)

The values obtained for the silicon dioxide constituting the reinforcing region 12 are as follows.

[0065]

(Equation 2)

Further, the respective values of the polyimide constituting the heat insulating material region 11 are obtained as follows.

[0067]

(Equation 3)

Here, when the distance ηa to the neutral axis is obtained using the above values, the following is obtained.

[0069]

(Equation 4)

Next, the second moments I _s and _If with respect to the neutral axis of silicon dioxide and polyimide are obtained as follows.

[0071]

(Equation 5)

Here, ηi = η−ηa, that is, ηi indicates the distance from the neutral axis. As described in FIG. 4, when a load of 1 g is applied to the center of the beam having both ends fixed, the maximum moment Mmax applied to the beam is as follows: Mmax = 1.00 × 10 ⁻⁵ (kgf · cm) = 9. 8
× 1.00 × 10 ^-5 × 10 ^-2 (N · m). Calculating the maximum bending stress σsmax of silicon dioxide,

[0073]

(Equation 6)

Here, I _i is the above second moment I _s ,
_If is shown. Also, the maximum bending stress σ of polyimide
Calculation of fmax is as follows.

[0075]

Equation 7

Therefore, the stress applied to the heat insulating material region 11 made of polyimide is about 比 べ of that in the example shown in FIG. This is apparently equivalent to doubling the intensity. In FIG. 6, the reinforcing region 12 is provided below the heat insulating material region 11, but the same effect can be obtained even in the upper region. Also, if it is provided on both upper and lower sides, the lower part,
An effect twice as large as that provided in each of the upper portions can be obtained.

As described above, the heat insulating region 10 shown in FIG.
An example of a forming method will be described with reference to FIG. First, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3A, a portion of the surface of the semiconductor substrate 18 corresponding to the heat insulating region is etched with KOH or the like to form a groove 1.
9 is formed. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8B, the silicon dioxide thin film 2 is formed on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 18 by thermal oxidation or the like.
Form one. Except for the surface portion of the groove 19, the silicon dioxide thin film 21 is removed by etching or the like.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8C, a polyimide thin film 22 is spin-coated with a coater or the like, and is formed so as to fill the groove 19. Further, as shown in FIG. 8D, patterning is performed so that the polyimide thin film 22 in a portion that fills the groove 19 by a photolithography process of a semiconductor is left, and the other portion is removed, and is heated to about 400 ° C. The organic solvent or the like contained in the polyimide is evaporated and solidified. Next, as shown in FIG. 8E, the semiconductor substrate 18 is etched from the back surface with KOH or the like.
At this time, 23 is a semiconductor substrate, and 24 is a flexible region.
Through these steps, the heat insulating region 10 shown in FIG. 6 is formed.

Next, still another example of the heat insulating structure of the present invention will be described. In this example, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the thickness between the flexible region 2 separated from the semiconductor substrate 3 and the semiconductor substrate 3 is substantially the same as that of the flexible region 2. Is formed. In this embodiment, FIG.
As shown in the top view of (b), each of the semiconductor substrate 3 and the flexible region 2 has the flexible region 2 projecting outside the flexible region 2 in the BB ′ direction, and the semiconductor substrate 3 projecting inside the flexible region 2. In the form of a comb blade having three comb blades, and a heat insulating region 20 is provided between each of them. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 10 which is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB ′ in FIG. 10B, the flexible region 2, the semiconductor substrate 3, and the heat insulating region 20 are mixed in the direction BB ′. Here, the heat insulation area 2
0 is made of a fluorinated resin, polyimide or the like.

In order to calculate the strength of the heat insulating region 20, as a specific example, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the thickness of the heat insulating region 20 is set to 20 μm and the thickness in the direction perpendicular to the BB ′ direction. The width is 30 μm. As shown in FIG. 10, BB ′ of each of the comb blades including the flexible region 2 and the semiconductor substrate 3 described above.
The width in the direction is 180 μm, and the width in the BB ′ direction of the heat insulating region 20 is 30 μm. The material of the heat insulating region 20 is polyimide, and the semiconductor substrate 3 and the flexible region 2 are made of silicon. For comparison, the strength of the heat insulating region 20 is calculated under the same conditions as the strength calculation of FIG.

In the case of a combination structure of silicon and polyimide as shown in FIG. 10, the Young's modulus of the silicon is E _si , the Young's modulus of the polyimide is E _Ph , the second moment of area of the silicon part is I _Si , and the cross section of the polyimide part is two. Assuming that the next moment is I _Ph , the moment M _Si applied to the silicon portion and the moment applied to the polyimide portion are M _Ph , the following relational expression is obtained.

[0082]

(Equation 8)

[0083]

[Equation 9]

Here, respective values relating to the silicon portion and the polyimide portion are calculated. Young's modulus of silicon E _Si = 0.19 × 10 ¹² (N /
m ² ) = 1.9 × 10 ¹² (dyne / cm ² ),

[0085]

(Equation 10)

Therefore, E _Si · I _Si = 1.93 × 106
(Kgf / cm ² ) × 3.6 × 10 ⁻¹¹ (cm 4) = 6.
94 × 10 ⁻⁵ (kgf · cm ² ) = 6.8 × 10 ⁻⁴ N ·
cm ² . The Young's modulus E _{Ph of} polyimide is 500MP
a

[0087]

[Equation 11]

Therefore, E _Ph · I _Ph = 5.10 × 10
³ (kgf / cm ² ) × 4 × 10 ⁻¹² (cm ⁴ ) = 2.04
× 10 ⁻⁸ (kgf · cm ² ) = 2.00 × 10 ⁻⁷ (N ·
cm ² ).

Here, the moment M _Ph applied to the polyimide portion is as follows.

[0090]

(Equation 12)

Here, M _Ph = 2.93 × 10 ⁻⁹ (kgf
Cm) = 2.87 × 10 ⁻⁸ (N · cm).

Similarly, the moment M _Si applied to the silicon portion is as follows.

[0093]

(Equation 13)

Here, M _Si = 9.99 × 10 ⁻⁶ (kgf
Cm) = 9.79 × 10 ⁻⁵ (N · cm).

Therefore, the maximum stress σ applied to the polyimide part
_Ph is as follows.

[0096]

(Equation 14)

Here, Za is a section modulus. Further, the maximum stress σ _Si applied to the silicon portion is obtained as follows.

[0098]

(Equation 15)

Here, Zb is a section modulus.

Therefore, the stress applied to the heat insulating region made of polyimide is about 1/300 as compared with the example shown in FIG.
Becomes This is apparently equivalent to a 300-fold increase in strength. FIG. 9 illustrates a case where the semiconductor substrate 3 and the flexible region 2 form three comb blades, but the present invention is not limited to this, and at least two or more comb blade structures are used. By doing so, a similar effect can be obtained.

In the semiconductor microactuator shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the flexible region 2 and the movable element 5 are integrated so that the movable element 5 is connected to the flexible region 2. As shown in FIG. 11, the movable element 5a is separated from the flexible region 2a, and a heat insulating region 7b filled with a resin such as polyimide is formed between the movable element 5a and the flexible region 2a. There may be. The point that the heat insulating region 7a is formed between the semiconductor substrate 3a and the flexible region 2a is the same as in FIGS.

The movable element 5 is provided on the semiconductor substrate 3a.
a, the flexible region 2a has a larger heat capacity than the semiconductor substrate 3a.
Even in the structure in which the heat insulating region 7a is provided between the flexible region 2a and the heat insulating region 7a, the movable element 5a is separated from the flexible region 2a to reduce the heat insulating region 7b. With this structure, the thermal insulation is further enhanced, and the flexible region 2a and the thin film 4a can be effectively heated by the diffusion resistor 6a serving as a heating unit. Therefore, power consumption can be reduced.

Referring to FIG. A protective thin film 9 is provided on each upper surface of the semiconductor substrate 3a, the flexible region 2a, and the movable element 5a.
b, and a protective thin film 9a is provided on a part of the upper surface thereof. The flexible region 2a is provided on the surface of the flexible region 2a.
Resistance 6a as heating means (heater) for heating
One end is connected to the diffusion resistor 6a, and the heat insulating region 7 is formed on the protective thin film 9a on the flexible region 2a.
a through the lower surface of the protective thin film 9 on the upper part of the semiconductor substrate 3a.
An aluminum wiring 13a connected to, for example, an electrode pad (not shown) provided on a is formed.

Further, a thin film 4a having a different coefficient of thermal expansion from the silicon constituting the flexible region 2a is provided on the upper surface of the protective thin film 9a on the flexible region 2a.
When electric power is applied to the diffusion resistor 6a through the gate, the temperature of the diffusion resistor 6a rises, and the silicon of the flexible region 2 and the thin film 4a
A thermal stress is generated due to the difference in thermal expansion of the movable element 5a, and the flexible region 2a is displaced, and the movable element 5a is displaced.

FIG. 12 schematically shows the state of formation of the aluminum wiring 13a. The upper surface of the flexible region 2a, the side of the heat insulating region 7a, and the lower surface which is one end surface of the flexible region 2a in the thickness direction. The portion 7P is formed over the upper portion of the semiconductor substrate 3a via the side portion. In FIG. 12, illustration of the protective thin film is omitted.

A manufacturing process of the semiconductor microactuator configured as shown in FIG. 11 will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, a silicon oxide film 80a is formed on both surfaces of a single crystal silicon substrate 80 by thermal oxidation or the like, and a photoresist patterned in a predetermined shape is used as a mask.
The opening 80b is formed by etching the silicon oxide film 80a provided on the back surface of the single crystal silicon substrate 80.
Is formed, and the photoresist is removed by plasma ashing or the like. The gap 80c is formed by etching the formed opening 80b with an aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide (hereinafter referred to as an aqueous solution of KOH) or the like (FIG. 13).
(A)). At this time, in addition to the KOH aqueous solution, TMAH (tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide solution), humanrazine aqueous solution, or the like may be used. The same applies to the KOH aqueous solution described below.

Next, after removing the entire surface of the silicon oxide film 80a, boron or the like is deposited and thermally diffused to form a diffusion resistor 6 serving as a heater on the surface of the single crystal silicon substrate 80.
a is formed. Subsequently, a silicon oxide film 81b is formed on both surfaces of the single crystal silicon substrate 80 by thermal oxidation or the like, and a silicon nitride film 81a is formed on each silicon oxide film 81b by low-pressure CVD (FIG. 13B). .

Then, using the photoresist patterned in a predetermined shape as a mask, an opening 82 is formed by etching the silicon oxide film 81b and the silicon nitride film 81a, and the photoresist is removed by plasma ashing or the like (see FIG. 13 (c)).

Next, the opening 8 of the single crystal silicon substrate 80 is formed.
The movable element 5a and the flexible region 2a are formed by etching 2 with a KOH aqueous solution or the like. At this time, in order to obtain the desired thickness of the movable element 5a and the thickness of the flexible region 2a, a time difference may be provided between the start of etching from each surface of the single crystal silicon substrate 80. Thereafter, the single crystal silicon substrate 80 is etched to form the heat insulating region 7.
A groove 83a, 83b for forming a, 7b is formed. The grooves 83a and 83b are for embedding an organic material such as polyimide in a later step, and have a bottom thickness of 10 μm.
Etching is performed to a thickness of about m (FIG. 13)
(D)).

Subsequently, the movable element 5a, the flexible region 2
The surface of the substrate etched to form a is oxidized to form a protective film 84 when plating the substrate (FIG. 13E).

Then, aluminum is formed on the upper surface of the single crystal silicon substrate 80 by sputtering or EB vapor deposition to form an aluminum wiring 13a serving as an electric wiring connected to the diffusion resistor 6a (FIG. 14A).

Next, an organic substance 85 such as polyimide is buried in the grooves 83a and 83b (FIG. 14B). In this manner, a structure in which the aluminum wiring 13a is formed on the lower surface of the organic substance 85 is obtained. Here, an organic material such as polyimide 8
5 is formed only in a predetermined portion using a semiconductor lithography process.

Then, a metal pattern of a predetermined shape is formed by plating or the like on the silicon nitride film 81a over the flexible region 2a.
(Protective thin film 9a in FIG. 11) to form thin film 4a (FIG. 14C). Thereby, the flexible region 2a and the thin film 4a
Thus, a bimetal structure as a driving source of the semiconductor microactuator is obtained.

Next, the flexible region 2a is etched from the back surface of the flexible region 2a by RIE or the like, so that the flexible region 2a is
0 (semiconductor substrate 3 in FIG. 11) and movable element 5a (FIG. 14D). This allows
The movable element 5a, the flexible region 2a, and the semiconductor substrate 3a are thermally insulated from each other, and have thermal insulation regions 7a and 7b provided therebetween.

Thus, the semiconductor microactuator 87 is manufactured.
7 and a glass substrate 88 formed in a predetermined mold are bonded by anodic bonding or the like, thereby manufacturing a semiconductor microvalve using a semiconductor microactuator as shown in FIG. After that, the diaphragm portion other than the flexible region 2a is etched by RIE or the like. (Not shown) FIG.
The aluminum wiring 13a in FIG. 1 is provided on the lower surface of the heat insulating region 7a as shown in FIG. 12, but the aluminum wiring 13b is substantially intermediate between the upper surface and the lower surface of the heat insulating region 7a as shown in FIG. It may be provided inside the heat insulating region 7a.

In order to form the aluminum wiring 13b in this way, after the step of forming the protective film 84 shown in FIG. 13E, the groove 83a formed in the step of FIG.
In the step of embedding an organic substance 85 such as polyimide shown in FIG.
The step of forming the aluminum wiring shown in FIG.
The groove 83a may be filled by the filling step shown in FIG. The other steps are as shown in FIG. 13 and FIG.

Since the aluminum wiring 13b is formed inside the heat insulating region 7a as described above, the aluminum wiring 13b has an effect of protecting aluminum in a later etching step and the like, and a highly reliable wiring structure can be realized.

In the above wiring structure, an aluminum wiring 13c may be provided on the upper surface of heat insulating region 7a as shown in FIG.

In order to form the aluminum wiring 13c in this manner, after the step of forming the protective film 84 shown in FIG. 13E, the groove 83a formed in the step of FIG.
Polyimide is buried in the step of burying an organic substance 85 such as polyimide shown in FIG. 14B, and then aluminum wiring is formed on the upper surface of the polyimide in the step of forming aluminum wiring shown in FIG. The other steps are as shown in FIG. 13 and FIG.

Since the aluminum wiring 13c is formed on the upper surface of the heat insulating region 7a, the flexible region 2a, the heat insulating region 7a, and the semiconductor substrate 3a are formed on the same surface. As compared with the case where the aluminum wiring is provided inside or on the lower surface of the heat insulating region 7a,
The step of the aluminum wiring is reduced, and there is an effect of preventing disconnection of the aluminum wiring.

(Embodiment 2) Next, another embodiment of a semiconductor microactuator using a heat insulating structure according to the present invention will be described with reference to a perspective view of FIG. 18 and a top view of FIG. As shown, the semiconductor microactuator 31 is composed of a semiconductor substrate 30 made of silicon or the like, which is a hollow and substantially rectangular frame, and a semiconductor substrate joined to the inside thereof at four points via a heat insulating region 37. The movable portion 38 is separated from the movable portion 38. The movable portion 38 is formed by placing a central movable element 35 formed in a hollow truncated pyramid shape whose upper surface opens in a square shape and narrows downward as it goes downward, outward of each of the four sides of the opening portion on the upper surface. Each of the flexible regions 32 has a substantially swastika-shaped beam with the central movable element 35 interposed therebetween.

At this time, the semiconductor substrate 30 and the flexible region 32
A heat insulating region 37 made of a heat insulating material such as fluorinated resin or polyimide and having substantially the same thickness as the flexible region 32 is provided within the thickness of the flexible region 32 between the semiconductor substrate 30 and the semiconductor substrate 30.
The flexible region 32 and the heat insulating region 37 constitute a heat insulating structure. A heating means such as an impurity diffusion resistance (not shown) is provided on the surface of each flexible region 32. The flexible region 32 has a flexible region 32 such as an aluminum thin film or a nickel thin film formed thereon. A thin film 34 having a different thermal expansion coefficient from that of the constituent silicon is provided.

The operation of the semiconductor microactuator 31 configured as described above will be described. When power is applied to the heating means, the temperature of the flexible region 32 rises. Since the thin film 34 having a different thermal expansion coefficient from that of the flexible region 32 is formed on the flexible region 32, a thermal stress is generated in the flexible region 32 due to a difference in thermal expansion between the thin films 34. For example, when a metal thin film of aluminum, nickel, or the like is formed as the thin film 34, the thin film 34 is bent downward in FIG. The movable element 35 supported by the flexible region 32 receives the thermal stress of the flexible region 32 and is displaced downward with respect to the semiconductor substrate 30.

In this embodiment, the central movable element 3
5 and the flexible region 32 form a swastika-shaped beam, and the displacement of the movable element 35 includes horizontal rotation with respect to the semiconductor substrate 30. In addition, because of the swastika shape, the length of the beam can be increased, the bending of the flexible region 32 increases, and the displacement of the movable element 35 can be increased. Here, the heat insulating structure composed of the semiconductor substrate 3, the flexible region 32, and the heat insulating region 37 is described above with reference to FIGS.
Any of those shown in FIG. 9 may be used, and a semiconductor microactuator having the same effect as that of the above-described heat insulating structure can be obtained.

(Embodiment 3) Next, still another embodiment of a semiconductor microactuator using a heat insulating structure according to the present invention will be described with reference to the perspective view of FIG. The semiconductor microactuator 41 includes a semiconductor substrate 40 serving as a frame made of silicon or the like, and a heat insulating region 4 inside the semiconductor substrate 40.
The movable part 48 is separated from the semiconductor substrate 40 joined through the movable part 7. This movable part 48
A hollow movable element 4 protruding downward at one end.
5 and a square-shaped flexible region 42 formed in connection with the movable element 45.

A heat insulating region 47 having the same thickness as the flexible region 42 is provided within the thickness between the semiconductor substrate 40 and the end of the flexible region 42 on the side where the movable element 45 is not provided. . The flexible region 42 has a cantilever structure having the semiconductor substrate 40 as a fixed end. This heat insulating region 47 is made of a fluorinated resin, polyimide or the like. A heating means 46 made of impurity diffusion resistance or the like is provided on the surface of the flexible region 42, and a thin film 44 having a thermal expansion coefficient different from that of silicon, such as an aluminum thin film or a nickel thin film, is formed above the flexible region 42. ing. Further, an electrode pad 49 of the heating means 46 is provided on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 40. Here, the semiconductor substrate 40, the flexible region 42, and the heat insulating region 47 constitute a heat insulating structure.

The operation of the semiconductor microactuator 41 thus configured will be described. When power is applied to the heating means 46, the temperature of the flexible region 42 increases. Since a thin film 44 having a different thermal expansion coefficient from that of the flexible region 42 is formed above the flexible region 42, thermal stress is generated in the flexible region 42 due to the difference in the thermal expansion coefficient. For example, when the thin film 44 is a metal thin film of aluminum, nickel, or the like, the flexible region 42 is bent downward in FIG.

Therefore, the movable element 45 connected to the flexible region 42 receives the thermal stress of the flexible region 42 and is displaced downward with respect to the semiconductor substrate 40. The displacement in this case includes rotation in the vertical direction with respect to the semiconductor substrate 40. By forming the flexible region 42 in a cantilever structure in this manner, the flexibility of the flexible region 42 can be increased, the bending of the flexible region 42 during heating increases, and the displacement of the movable element 45 increases. Great power is obtained. Here, any of the thermal insulating structures shown in FIGS. 3, 6, and 9 may be used, and a semiconductor microactuator having the same effect as the above-described thermal insulating structure can be obtained.

(Embodiment 4) Next, a microvalve using the heat insulating structure according to the present invention will be described with reference to the perspective view of FIG. The semiconductor microvalve 52 has a valve seat 50 as a fluid control element and anodic bonding on the valve seat 50,
And a valve element 51 joined by gold eutectic joining or the like. This valve element 51 has the same configuration as the semiconductor microactuator 1 shown in FIGS.
The same reference numerals are given and the description is omitted. On the surface of the valve seat 50, an orifice 55, which is a hole corresponding to a fluid flow path, is provided at a position corresponding to the movable element 5 of the valve body 51, and the orifice 55 is surrounded by the orifice 55 so as to surround the orifice 55. A base portion 56 projecting from the portion and having a substantially planar upper surface is formed.

At this time, a current flows through the heating means 6 provided in the flexible region 2, and when the flexible region 2 is heated, the flexible region 2 bends due to a difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the flexible region 2 and the movable element 5. Is displaced. Due to the displacement of the movable element 5, the gap between the lower surface and the base 56 of the valve seat 50 changes, and the flow rate of the fluid flowing through the orifice 55 is controlled.

The valve element 51 of the semiconductor microvalve 52 of this embodiment is provided with the above-mentioned heat insulating structure, and the same effects as those described above can be obtained. Further, since the flexible region 2 of the semiconductor microvalve 52 forms a part of a cross-shaped beam as described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the control accuracy of the movable element 5 is good, and the control accuracy of the fluid is high. Good semiconductor microvalves are obtained.

(Embodiment 5) Next, another embodiment of a semiconductor microvalve using a heat insulating structure according to the present invention will be described with reference to the perspective view of FIG. The semiconductor microvalve 62 includes a valve seat 60 which is a fluid control element, and a valve body 61 joined to the upper portion thereof by anodic bonding, gold eutectic bonding, or the like. This valve element 61 is shown in FIG.
8, the semiconductor microactuator 31 shown in FIG.
, And the same reference numerals are given and the description is omitted. On the surface of the valve seat 60, an orifice 65, which is a hole corresponding to a fluid flow path, is provided at a position corresponding to the movable element 35 of the valve body 61. The orifice 65 surrounds the orifice 65 so as to surround the orifice 65. A base 66 protruding from the base and having a substantially flat upper surface is formed.

Here, when a current flows through heating means (not shown) formed in the flexible region 32 and the flexible region 32 is heated, the flexible region 32 bends due to a difference in thermal expansion with the thin film 34, The movable element 35 is displaced. The displacement of the movable element 35 changes the gap between the lower surface of the movable element 35 and the base 66 of the valve seat 60, and controls the flow rate of the fluid flowing through the orifice 65.

The valve body 61 of the semiconductor microvalve 62 of the present embodiment is provided with the above-described heat insulating structure, and the same effects as those described above can be obtained. The flexible region 32 of the semiconductor microvalve 62 is shown in FIGS.
As described above, since a part of the swastika-shaped beam is formed, the displacement of the movable element 35 is increased, and a semiconductor microvalve with a wide fluid flow control range can be obtained.

(Embodiment 6) Next, an embodiment of a semiconductor micro relay using a heat insulating structure according to the present invention will be described with reference to the perspective view of FIG. The semiconductor microrelay 70 includes a fixed piece 72 which is a fixed element having fixed contacts 76 and 77 provided on the surface thereof, and a movable piece 71 joined to the upper portion thereof by anodic bonding, gold eutectic bonding or the like. The movable piece 71 has the same configuration as the semiconductor microactuator 41 shown in FIG. 20, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted. Movable piece 71
A movable contact 75 is provided on the lower surface of the
The upper fixed contacts 76 and 77 are provided at positions corresponding to the movable contact 75 so as to be separated from the movable contact 75 so as to come into contact therewith.

Here, when an electric current flows through the heating means 46 and the flexible region 42 is heated, the flexible region 42 bends due to a difference in thermal expansion between the flexible region 42 and the thin film 44, and the movable element 4
5 is displaced. Due to this displacement, the movable contact 75 provided on the lower surface of the movable element 45 comes into contact with the fixed contacts 76 and 77, and the semiconductor micro relay 70 operates so that the fixed contacts 76 and 77 close.

The movable piece 71 of the semiconductor micro relay 70 of the present embodiment is provided with the above-described heat insulating structure, and the same effects as those described above can be obtained. Also, the flexible region 42 of the semiconductor microrelay 70 is a part of a cantilever having the semiconductor substrate 40 as a fixed end, as described with reference to FIG. 20, so that a semiconductor microrelay having a large contact pressure can be obtained.

In the semiconductor microrelay shown in FIG. 23, the flexible region 42 and the movable element 45 are integrated and the movable element 45 is connected to the flexible region 42. As shown in the figure, the movable element 45a is separated from the flexible region 42a,
A configuration may be such that a heat insulating region 47b filled with a resin such as polyimide is formed between the movable element 45a and the flexible region 42a. Semiconductor substrate 40a and flexible region 4
2a is formed with a heat insulating region 47a.

In FIG. 24, the semiconductor microrelay is composed of a fixed piece 72a which is a fixed element having a fixed contact 77a provided on the surface, and a movable piece 71a which is joined to the upper portion thereof by anodic bonding, gold eutectic bonding or the like. You. The diffusion resistor 46a provided on the surface of the flexible region 42a is connected to an electrode pad (not shown) for supplying power to the diffusion resistor 46a via the aluminum wiring 48. The portion is provided on the lower surface of the heat insulating region 47a.

When a current flows through the diffusion resistor 46a and the flexible region 42a is heated, the heat is generated between the thin film 44a provided on the upper surfaces of the protective thin films 43b and 43a on the flexible region 42a and the silicon of the flexible region 42a. Due to the difference in expansion, the flexible region 42
a bends and the movable element 45a is displaced. Due to this displacement, the movable contact 75a provided on the lower surface of the movable element 45a contacts the fixed contact 77a on the fixed piece 72a and the fixed contact (not shown), and the fixed contacts come into contact with each other to operate the semiconductor micro relay.

The semiconductor substrate 40a has a larger heat capacity than the movable element 45a, and even if the flexible region 42a is separated from the semiconductor substrate 40a and the heat insulating region 47a is provided between the flexible region 42a and the diffusion resistor 46a as the heating means, the semiconductor substrate 40a has a larger heat capacity. Although there is an effect of suppressing the escape of heat, the flexible region 42a
The movable element 45a is further separated from the heat insulating area 47.
b, the thermal insulation is further enhanced, and the flexible region 42a and the thin film 44 are effectively formed by the diffusion resistor 46a.
a can be heated. Therefore, power consumption can be reduced.

In FIG. 24, a part of the aluminum wiring 48 is provided on the lower surface of the heat insulating region 47a. However, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the aluminum wiring 48 is provided inside or on the upper surface of the heat insulating region. You may do so.

[0144]

As described above, the first aspect of the present invention provides a semiconductor substrate, a flexible region separated from the semiconductor substrate and displaced by a change in temperature, and provided between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region. Since the heat insulating region is provided within the thickness of the flexible region, preventing heat from escaping from the flexible region to the semiconductor substrate,
In addition, the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region can be joined by a simple manufacturing process, and the both can be thermally insulated.

Further, according to the invention of claim 2, a semiconductor substrate,
A flexible region separated from the semiconductor substrate and displaced by a change in temperature; a movable element separated from the flexible region and displaced by displacement of the flexible region; Since it is composed of the region and the heat insulating region provided between the movable element, it prevents heat from escaping from the flexible region to the semiconductor substrate and prevents heat from escaping from the flexible region to the movable element. Therefore, there is an advantage that the displacement of the flexible region due to a temperature change is efficiently performed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or the second aspect of the present invention, heat conduction of a material constituting a heat insulating region provided between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region is performed. Since the rate is about 0.4 W / m · ° C. or less, a thermal insulation effect higher than that of a silicon dioxide thin film can be obtained.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, a material constituting a heat insulating region provided between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region is provided. Is a polyimide, so that a heat insulating structure having good heat insulating properties and easy to manufacture can be obtained.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, a material constituting a heat insulating region provided between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region is provided. Is a fluorinated resin, so it has good thermal insulation,
A thermally insulating structure that is easy to manufacture is obtained.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the flexible region of the heat insulating region provided between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region. Since a thin film harder than the material forming the heat insulating region is provided on at least one surface in the thickness direction of the above, the bonding strength between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region can be increased.

The invention of claim 7 is the invention according to claim 6, wherein the hard thin film has a Young's modulus of about 9.8.
Since it is at least 10 ⁹ N / m ² , the joining region between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region can be increased.

According to the invention of claim 8, in the invention of claim 6 or 7, since the hard thin film is a silicon dioxide thin film, the bonding strength between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region can be increased. .

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the portions of the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region which are in contact with the heat insulating region are comb-shaped. Therefore, the bonding strength between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region can be increased while maintaining the thermal insulation effect between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the semiconductor device according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, the semiconductor substrate and a heat insulating region provided between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region. In addition, since the wiring is formed on one end surface in the thickness direction of the flexible region over the flexible region, the wiring can be formed between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the semiconductor device according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, the semiconductor substrate and a heat insulating region provided between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region. And a wiring is formed over the flexible region, and a part of the wiring is provided inside the heat insulating region, so that the wiring can be protected and a highly reliable heat insulating structure can be obtained. Can be

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, since the one end face on which the wiring is formed is flush, the step of the wiring is reduced. This makes it possible to prevent the disconnection of the wiring.

Further, according to the invention of claim 13, there is provided a semiconductor substrate, a flexible region separated from the semiconductor substrate and displaced according to a difference in thermal expansion coefficient between at least two regions including the region, and the semiconductor substrate. And a movable element connected to the flexible region, wherein the temperature of the flexible region varies. Then, the movable element is displaced with respect to the semiconductor substrate, so that a semiconductor microactuator having the same effects as in the first to twelfth aspects is obtained.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the thirteenth aspect, the displacement of the movable element with respect to the semiconductor substrate is a non-rotational displacement, so that the accuracy of controlling the displacement of the movable element is improved.

According to a fifteenth aspect, in the thirteenth aspect, the displacement of the movable element with respect to the semiconductor substrate is a rotational displacement, so that the displacement of the movable element is large.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in the semiconductor device according to any one of the thirteenth to fifteenth aspects, the flexible region includes a heating means for heating the flexible region. Can be reduced in size.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the fourteenth or sixteenth aspect, since the flexible region forms a part of a cross-shaped beam, the displacement control accuracy of the movable element is reduced. Get better.

According to an eighteenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the fifteenth or sixteenth aspect, since the flexible region forms a part of a swastika-shaped beam, the displacement of the movable element is large. Becomes

According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the fifteenth or sixteenth aspect, the flexible region is a part of a cantilever having a part of the semiconductor substrate as a fixed end. Thus, a semiconductor microactuator capable of obtaining a large displacement and a large force can be provided.

According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the semiconductor substrate, the flexible region separated from the semiconductor substrate and displaced in accordance with a difference in thermal expansion coefficient between at least two regions including the semiconductor substrate; 13. The heat insulating region according to claim 1, which is provided between the movable region and the flexible region, a movable element connected to the flexible region, and the movable element in accordance with a displacement of the movable element. A fluid control element having a flow path in which control of the fluid flowing through the fluid control element is performed, and the fluid flowing through the flow path is controlled by the displacement of the movable element when the temperature of the flexible region changes, A semiconductor microvalve having the same effects as the first to twelfth aspects can be provided.

According to a twenty-first aspect of the present invention, in the twentieth aspect, the flexible region includes a heating means for heating the flexible region, so that a small-sized microvalve can be obtained.

According to a twenty-second aspect of the present invention, in the twentieth or twenty-first aspect, the flexible region forms a part of a cross-shaped beam, so that the semiconductor microcontroller with good fluid control accuracy can be provided. A valve is obtained.

According to a twenty-third aspect of the present invention, in the twentieth or twenty-first aspect, the flexible region forms a part of a swastika-shaped beam, so that the fluid flow control range is wide. A microvalve is obtained.

Further, the invention according to claim 24, wherein the semiconductor substrate, a flexible region separated from the semiconductor substrate and displaced according to a difference in thermal expansion coefficient between at least two regions including the semiconductor substrate; 13. The heat insulating region according to claim 1, which is provided between the movable region and the flexible region; a movable element that is connected to the flexible region and has a contact; A fixed element having a contact that is separated from the contact, the contact being capable of contacting the contact, and the separated contact is opened and closed by displacement of the movable element when the temperature of the flexible region changes. Claim 1
Accordingly, a semiconductor microrelay having the same effect as the twelfth aspect is obtained.

According to a twenty-fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the twenty-fourth aspect, the flexible region includes a heating means for heating the flexible region, so that a small-sized semiconductor microrelay can be obtained.

According to a twenty-sixth aspect of the present invention, in the twenty-fourth or twenty-fifth aspect, the flexible region is a part of a cantilever having the semiconductor substrate as a fixed end.
A semiconductor micro relay having a large contact pressure can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially broken perspective view showing a structure of a semiconductor microactuator using a heat insulating structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2A and 2B show a structure of an example of a semiconductor microactuator using a heat insulating structure corresponding to the first embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view and FIG. is there.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the structure of the heat insulating structure shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 shows a structural model used to determine the strength of the heat insulating structure shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein (a)
Is a schematic diagram, (b) is a distribution diagram of shear force, and (c) is a distribution diagram of moment.

5 (a) to 5 (d) are cross-sectional views showing the steps of manufacturing the heat insulating structure shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

6A is a cross-sectional view and FIG. 6B is a top view showing the structure of another heat insulating structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the heat insulating structure shown in FIG.

8 (a) to 8 (e) are cross-sectional views showing the steps of manufacturing the heat insulating structure shown in FIG. 6.

9A and 9B show a structure of still another heat insulating structure according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view and FIG. 9B is a top view.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the heat insulating structure shown in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing another structure of the semiconductor microactuator corresponding to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing a structure of an aluminum wiring in the semiconductor microactuator according to the embodiment.

13 (a) to 13 (e) are views showing a method for manufacturing the semiconductor microactuator according to the embodiment, and FIGS. 13 (a) to 13 (e) are cross-sectional views.

FIGS. 14A to 14D are views showing a method for manufacturing the semiconductor microactuator according to the embodiment, and FIGS. 14A to 14D are cross-sectional views.

FIG. 15 is a sectional view showing a structure of a semiconductor microvalve using the semiconductor microactuator according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a sectional view showing another structure of the aluminum wiring in the semiconductor microactuator corresponding to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a sectional view showing still another structure of the aluminum wiring in the semiconductor microactuator corresponding to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a partially broken perspective view showing a structure of a semiconductor microactuator corresponding to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a top view showing a structure of a semiconductor microactuator corresponding to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a partially broken perspective view showing a structure of a semiconductor microactuator corresponding to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a partially broken perspective view showing the structure of a semiconductor microvalve corresponding to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a partially broken perspective view showing a structure of a semiconductor microvalve corresponding to Embodiment 5 of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a partially broken perspective view showing a structure of a semiconductor micro relay corresponding to Embodiment 6 of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a sectional view showing another structure of the semiconductor micro relay corresponding to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a top view showing the structure of a conventional semiconductor microactuator.

FIG. 26 is a sectional view showing the structure of a conventional semiconductor microactuator.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Semiconductor microactuator 2 Flexible area 3 Semiconductor substrate 4 Thin film 5 Movable element 6 Heating means 7 Thermal insulation structure 8 Movable part

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H01L 49/00 H01L 49/00 // H01H 61/01 H01H 61/01 C (72) Inventor Hiroshi Kawata Osaka No. 1048, Kadoma, Kadoma, Kadoma, Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd. (72) Inventor Masaharu Kamakura 1048, Kadoma, Kadoma, Kadoma, Osaka Matsushita Electric Works Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hironori Katayama 1048 Kazuma Kadoma, Kadoma City, Osaka Prefecture 72) Inventor Keiko Fujii 1048 Kazuma Kadoma, Kadoma City, Osaka Prefecture Inside Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd. (72) Inventor Kenji Toyoda 1048 Kadoma Kadoma Kadoma City, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Shares in the company (72) inventor signal when Kazuhiro Osaka Prefecture Kadoma Oaza Kadoma 1048 address Matsushita Electric Works Co., the company

Claims (26)

[Claims] 1. A semiconductor device comprising: a semiconductor substrate; a flexible region separated from the semiconductor substrate and displaced by a change in temperature; and a heat insulating region provided between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region. A heat insulating structure, wherein the heat insulating region is provided within a thickness of the flexible region. 2. A semiconductor substrate, a flexible region separated from the semiconductor substrate and displaced by a change in temperature, a movable element separated from the flexible region and displaced by displacement of the flexible region, the semiconductor substrate and the flexible substrate. A heat insulating structure comprising a heat insulating region provided between a flexible region and between the flexible region and the movable element. 3. A heat insulating region provided between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region has a thermal conductivity of about 0.4 W / (m · ° C.) or less. The heat insulating structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein 4. The thermal device according to claim 1, wherein a material constituting a heat insulating region provided between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region is polyimide. Insulating structure. 5. The material according to claim 1, wherein a material constituting a heat insulating region provided between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region is a fluorinated resin. Thermal insulation structure. 6. A thin film harder than a material forming the heat insulating region is provided on at least one surface in a thickness direction of the flexible region of the heat insulating region provided between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region. The heat insulating structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein 7. The hard thin film has a Young's modulus of about 9.8 ×.
The thermal insulation structure according to claim 6, wherein the thermal insulation structure is at least 10 ⁹ N / m ² . 8. The heat insulating structure according to claim 6, wherein the hard thin film is a silicon dioxide thin film. 9. The heat insulating structure according to claim 1, wherein portions of the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region which are in contact with the heat insulating region are comb-shaped. body. 10. A wiring is formed on one end surface in the thickness direction of the flexible region over the semiconductor substrate, a heat insulating region provided between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region, and the flexible region. 10. The method according to claim 1, wherein:
A heat insulating structure according to any one of the above. 11. A wiring is formed over the semiconductor substrate, a heat insulating region provided between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region, and the flexible region, and a part of the wiring is formed by the heat. The heat insulating structure according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the heat insulating structure is provided inside the insulating region. 12. The heat insulating structure according to claim 10, wherein one end face on which the wiring is formed is flush. 13. A semiconductor substrate, a flexible region separated from the semiconductor substrate and displaced in accordance with a difference in thermal expansion coefficient between at least two regions including the semiconductor substrate, and between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region. Claims 1 to 12 provided.
And a movable element connected to the flexible region, wherein the movable element is displaced with respect to the semiconductor substrate when the temperature of the flexible region changes. Characteristic semiconductor microactuator. 14. The semiconductor microactuator according to claim 13, wherein the displacement of the movable element with respect to the semiconductor substrate is a non-rotational displacement. 15. The semiconductor microactuator according to claim 13, wherein the displacement of the movable element with respect to the semiconductor substrate is a rotational displacement. 16. The semiconductor microactuator according to claim 13, wherein said flexible region includes a heating means for heating said flexible region. 17. The semiconductor microactuator according to claim 14, wherein the flexible region forms a part of a cross-shaped beam. 18. The semiconductor microactuator according to claim 15, wherein the flexible region forms a part of a swastika-shaped beam. 19. The semiconductor microactuator according to claim 15, wherein the flexible region is a part of a cantilever having a part of the semiconductor substrate as a fixed end. 20. A semiconductor substrate, a flexible region separated from the semiconductor substrate and displaced in accordance with a difference in thermal expansion coefficient between at least two regions including the semiconductor substrate, and between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region. 13. The heat insulating region according to claim 1, wherein the movable element is connected to the flexible region, and the fluid flowing therethrough is controlled in accordance with the displacement of the movable element. A fluid control element having a flow path formed therein, wherein the fluid flowing through the flow path is controlled by displacement of the movable element when the temperature of the flexible region changes. 21. The flexible region according to claim 20, further comprising heating means for heating the flexible region.
4. The semiconductor microvalve according to claim 1. 22. The semiconductor microvalve according to claim 20, wherein the flexible region forms a part of a cross-shaped beam. 23. The semiconductor microvalve according to claim 20, wherein the flexible region forms a part of a swastika-shaped beam. 24. A semiconductor substrate, a flexible region separated from the semiconductor substrate and displaced according to a difference in thermal expansion coefficient between at least two regions including the semiconductor substrate, and a flexible region between the semiconductor substrate and the flexible region. The heat insulating region according to any one of claims 1 to 12, which is provided therebetween, a movable element connected to the flexible region and having a contact, and a portion corresponding to the contact provided on the movable element. A fixed element having contacts separated from each other and capable of contacting the contacts, wherein the separated contacts are opened and closed by displacement of the movable element when the temperature of the flexible region changes. Micro relay. 25. The semiconductor microrelay according to claim 24, wherein the flexible region includes a heating unit for heating the flexible region. 26. The semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein the flexible region is a part of a cantilever having the semiconductor substrate as a fixed end.
The semiconductor microrelay according to claim 4 or claim 25.