JP2007093816A - Method of manufacturing vertical comb actuator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of manufacturing a vertical comb actuator by which steps are accurately formed between comb-shaped electrodes opposing to each other in a simple manufacturing process. <P>SOLUTION: The vertical steps are formed between the comb-shaped electrodes 2 and 5 opposing to each other by adjusting the film thickness of a protective layer and a conductive thin film. Thus, the steps are accurately formed between the comb-shaped electrodes opposing to each other in the simple manufacturing process. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a vertical comb actuator that drives a structure such as a micromirror element or a motion sensor by electrostatic force.

Conventionally, two opposing comb electrodes (vertical combs) are arranged with a step in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the electrodes, and are generated between the comb electrodes according to application of a predetermined voltage. A vertical comb actuator that drives a structure in the vertical direction by electrostatic force is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2000-147419 A

  However, in the conventional method for manufacturing a vertical comb actuator, the above-described step is formed by using the warping due to the bonding process or the film stress, so that the driving of a fine structure such as a micromirror element or a motion sensor is performed. When manufacturing finely for use, the manufacturing process becomes very complicated, and it is difficult to accurately form a step by suppressing variations in the in-plane direction.

  The present invention has been proposed in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a vertical comb actuator capable of accurately forming a step between opposing comb electrodes by a simple manufacturing process. It is to provide.

  A method for manufacturing a vertical comb actuator according to the present invention includes first and second comb electrodes facing each other, and an electrostatic force generated between the first and second comb electrodes in response to voltage application. A method of manufacturing a vertical comb actuator for driving a structure using a first and second steps of forming a first protective layer on a surface of a semiconductor substrate, and patterning the first protective layer Forming a protective layer on the surface corresponding to the comb electrode, forming a conductive thin film on the surface of the substrate after patterning the first protective layer, and forming a second on the conductive thin film surface. Forming a protective layer; forming a protective layer on a surface corresponding to the second comb electrode by patterning the second protective layer; and substrate surface after patterning the second protective layer Exposed to the above Removing the conductive thin film; forming the comb-tooth structure by removing the semiconductor substrate exposed on the substrate surface after removing the conductive thin film; and forming the comb-tooth structure on the substrate surface Forming a step in the vertical direction between the first and second comb electrodes by adjusting the thickness of the first protective layer and the conductive thin film. .

  According to the method for manufacturing a vertical comb actuator according to the present invention, a step can be formed with high accuracy between the comb electrodes facing each other by a simple manufacturing process.

  A method for manufacturing a vertical comb actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the vertical comb actuator manufactured by this manufacturing method includes a comb electrode 2 (movable comb) formed on the mirror unit 1 side that reflects a light beam on the mirror surface, and a support unit 3. And a comb-shaped electrode 5 (fixed comb) formed on the side of the frame 4 that supports the mirror 1 in a swingable state, and is opposed to the comb-shaped electrode 2 when a voltage is applied. , 5 is used to switch the optical path of the light beam by swinging the mirror unit 1 in the vertical direction by an electrostatic force generated between them. 2 and 3 shown below are cross-sectional views of the vertical comb actuator taken along line AA ′ shown in FIG. 1.

  In the vertical comb actuator manufacturing method according to the embodiment of the present invention, first, as shown in FIG. 2A, an oxide film 12 is formed on the surface of a support substrate 11 such as single crystal silicon. The oxide film 12 can be formed by a method such as a thermal oxidation method or a chemical vapor deposition method, but when formed by a pyrooxidation method, the time, oxygen flow rate, temperature, etc. are controlled. The film can be formed with good controllability and can be formed to a film thickness of about 2 [μm].

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2B, a resist pattern is formed on the surface of the oxide film 12 using a spin coating method and a photolithography method, and the oxide film 12 is selectively removed using the resist pattern as an etching mask. Thus, the upper protective layers 12a and 12b of the comb electrodes 2 and 5 and the upper protective layer 12c of the mirror unit 1 are formed. Next, as shown in FIG. 2C, a conductive thin film 13 such as an aluminum thin film is formed on the substrate surface shown in FIG. The film thickness of the conductive thin film 13 can be easily controlled by controlling the manufacturing conditions such as the film formation time.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2 (d), the resist material 14 is applied onto the substrate surface shown in FIG. 2 (c) by spin coating, and then the resist material 14 is patterned to form an upper portion of the comb electrode 5 A protective layer is formed. Next, as shown in FIG. 3 (a), the conductive thin film 13 exposed on the substrate surface shown in FIG. 2 (d) is removed by metal etching, and then the upper protection is shown in FIG. 3 (b). Comb electrodes 2 and 5 are formed by etching support substrate 11 by D-RIE (Deep Reactive Ion Etching) using layers 12b and 12c and resist material 14 as a mask. Finally, after removing the oxide film 12 exposed on the substrate surface as shown in FIG. 3C, the resist material 14 is removed as shown in FIG. A vertical comb actuator is formed. In the present embodiment, the vertical step between the comb electrodes 2 and 5 is the total thickness of the protective layer 12a and the conductive thin film 13, and the vertical comb actuator is driven under a resonating condition. It can be used as an actuator having a displacement several tens of times this step.

  As is apparent from the above description, according to the method for manufacturing the vertical comb actuator according to the embodiment of the present invention, the comb electrodes 2, 5 facing each other by adjusting the film thickness of the protective layer 12a and the conductive thin film 13 Since a vertical step can be formed between them, the step can be accurately formed between the comb electrodes facing each other by a simple manufacturing process.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment which applied the invention made by the present inventors was described, this invention is not limited by the description and drawing which make a part of indication of this invention by this embodiment. That is, it should be added that other embodiments, examples, operation techniques, and the like made by those skilled in the art based on the above-described embodiments are all included in the scope of the present invention.

It is a top view which shows the structure of the vertical comb actuator used as embodiment of this invention. It is sectional process drawing which shows the manufacturing method of the vertical comb actuator used as embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional process diagram illustrating a method for manufacturing the vertical comb actuator illustrated in FIG. 2.

Explanation of symbols

1: Mirror part 2, 5: Comb electrode 3: Support part 4: Frame part 11: Support substrate 12: Oxide film 13: Conductive thin film 14: Resist material

Claims (1)

A vertical comb actuator that includes first and second comb electrodes facing each other, and drives the structure using electrostatic force generated between the first and second comb electrodes in response to voltage application. A manufacturing method of
Forming a first protective layer on the surface of the semiconductor substrate;
Forming a protective layer on a surface corresponding to the first and second comb electrodes by patterning the first protective layer;
Forming a conductive thin film on the substrate surface after the patterning treatment of the first protective layer;
Forming a second protective layer on the surface of the conductive thin film;
Forming a protective layer on the surface corresponding to the second comb electrode by patterning the second protective layer;
Removing the conductive thin film exposed on the substrate surface after patterning of the second protective layer;
Forming a comb-tooth structure by removing the semiconductor substrate exposed on the substrate surface after removing the conductive thin film;
A step of removing the protective layer exposed on the substrate surface after forming the comb structure,
A vertical comb step is formed between the first and second comb electrodes by adjusting the film thickness of the first protective layer and the conductive thin film.

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