JP2009110974A - Microrelay - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a microrelay excellent in sealability and capable of simplifying manufacturing processes. <P>SOLUTION: The microrelay includes a fixed substrate having fixed contacts and fixed electrodes, a cap substrate arranged in opposition to the fixed substrate, and a movable plate arranged between the fixed substrate and the cap substrate. The movable plate includes a frame part and a plurality of movable parts fitted in free movement to the frame part. The frame part is sealed and jointed between the fixed substrate and the cap substrate. Each movable part is provided with a movable electrode facing to the fixed electrode and a movable contact at a position corresponding to the fixed contact point, and moves between the fixed substrate and the cap substrate based on electrostatic attractive force generated between the movable electrode and the fixed electrode. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a so-called micro relay. Micro relays can be manufactured by applying semiconductor manufacturing technology. A micro relay is one of devices that have recently been attracting attention because it has many advantages such as being able to promote downsizing compared to a conventional relay.

The general structure of the micro relay includes a movable plate so as to face the fixed substrate. Some micro relays use electrostatic attraction (electrostatic force) generated when a predetermined voltage is supplied between a fixed substrate and a movable plate. In such a micro relay, the contact is made conductive by moving the movable plate to the fixed plate side by electrostatic attraction. Also, the contact is cut off by releasing the voltage supply. There have been several proposals for this type of microrelay. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a micro relay in which a movable plate is disposed between a pair of fixed bases. This publication has a structure in which minute micro relays are subject to distortion due to temperature change and formation of connection electrodes is generally difficult, and the structure is solved.
JP-A-5-242788

  However, the technique disclosed in the above publication does not ensure the sealing performance inside the micro relay in order to draw the wiring to the outside. As a characteristic of the relay, the contact resistance when the contact is on (ON) is required to be low and stable. This is because the contact resistance is affected by the atmosphere around the contact, so that it is desirable to have a sealed structure. In particular, the microrelay has a great merit that it can be mass-produced by forming a large number of microchips on a wafer using a semiconductor manufacturing technique and dicing them individually. Therefore, it is necessary to protect the minute driving part, the contact, and the like inside the micro relay from water and abrasion powder used in the dicing. However, the microrelay disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a problem that an internal sealing structure is not ensured before dicing, and therefore preferable relay characteristics cannot be guaranteed.

  The microrelay preferably has a sealed structure as described above, and further has a plurality of problems to be solved as listed below, and it can be said that a microrelay having a structure that solves many of these problems is more desirable.

  (1) The use of electrostatic force as a driving method of the micro relay has an advantage that the structure is relatively simple and low power consumption can be realized. At that time, it is important to increase the distance between the contacts as much as possible in order to improve the isolation (to suppress the amount of signal leakage between the open contacts). However, the electrostatic attractive force that drives the movable plate is proportional to the square of the applied voltage and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the electrodes. Furthermore, considering the drive applied voltage (up to about 10 V) that can be practically used in the microrelay and the size of the microrelay itself, the distance between the contacts is extremely small, about several μm. Therefore, it is difficult for the micro relay to have a structure with a large distance between the contacts. Here, the distance between the contacts is a distance when the contact on the fixed side and the contact on the movable plate are separated.

  (2) In addition, in the micro relay using electrostatic attraction, a driving electrode is present on the fixed substrate and the movable plate separately from the contact. The smaller the distance between the electrodes, the greater the generated force based on the electrostatic attractive force. Therefore, when the movable plate comes into contact with the fixed electrode at other than the contact point, and the movable plate sticks to the fixed electrode (sticks tightly) due to residual charge (charge up) between the electrodes, and the situation occurs. There is. In such a situation, the micro relay function cannot be performed.

  (4) Furthermore, the contact force based on the electrostatic force used in the micro relay is small. However, as a general relay, it is desirable to stabilize the contact resistance by increasing the contact force. Therefore, a micro relay having a large contact force although it is driven at a low voltage is required, but it is a conflicting requirement and it is difficult to realize such a micro relay. In addition, with regard to micro relays, it is required to improve the manufacturing yield by improving the accuracy of the distance between electrodes, and the external connection such as wire bonding is abolished to reduce the package size and the resistance of signal lines. A structure that takes into account

  Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide a microrelay having excellent sealing performance and simplifying the manufacturing process, and further providing a microrelay having a more preferable structure that can solve the above-mentioned other problems together. It is.

The present invention includes a fixed substrate having a fixed contact and a fixed electrode, a cap substrate disposed to face the fixed substrate, and a movable plate disposed between the fixed substrate and the cap substrate. Includes a frame portion and a plurality of movable portions provided to be movable with respect to the frame portion, and the frame portion is hermetically bonded between the fixed substrate and the cap substrate, and each of the movable portions includes: A movable contact is provided at a position corresponding to the movable electrode facing the fixed electrode and the fixed contact, and between the fixed substrate and the cap substrate based on an electrostatic attractive force generated between the movable electrode and the front fixed electrode. It is a micro relay characterized by moving. Since a plurality of movable parts arranged in parallel are included in one structure, the influence of the stub can be suppressed and a high-frequency signal can be transmitted.
In the above configuration, the plurality of movable parts are electrically connected, the number of the fixed electrodes corresponding to the number of the movable parts is provided, and each of the fixed electrodes is electrically independent. be able to. In the above configuration, the plurality of movable parts are electrically insulated, the number of the fixed electrodes corresponding to the number of the movable parts is provided, and each of the fixed electrodes is electrically connected. be able to. In the above configuration, the plurality of movable parts may be electrically insulated, and the fixed electrode may be formed in a size corresponding to all of the movable parts. According to these configurations, it is possible to close and open the fixed contact by switching the power supply state to the fixed electrode and the plurality of movable parts.
The said structure WHEREIN: The said cap board | substrate can be set as the structure provided with the cavity. Further, the cavity of the cap substrate may be configured to face the fixed substrate.
In the above configuration, the plurality of movable parts are electrically connected, the number of the fixed electrodes corresponding to the number of the movable parts is provided, and each of the fixed electrodes is electrically independent. be able to.
In the above configuration, the plurality of movable parts are electrically insulated, the number of the fixed electrodes corresponding to the number of the movable parts is provided, and each of the fixed electrodes is electrically connected. be able to.
In the above configuration, the plurality of movable parts may be electrically insulated, and the fixed electrode may be formed in a size corresponding to all of the movable parts.
The said structure WHEREIN: It can be set as the structure which has arrange | positioned the line of the said fixed contact on a straight line.
The said structure WHEREIN: It can be set as the structure which includes the through hole for wiring the said stationary contact outside, and this through hole is formed in the equal distance from each stationary contact.
The said structure WHEREIN: It can be set as the structure which includes the through hole for wiring the said stationary contact outside, and this through hole is biased and formed in the predetermined stationary contact side.

  According to the present invention, since a plurality of movable parts arranged in parallel are included in one structure, it is possible to transmit a high-frequency signal while suppressing the influence of the stub.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
1 to 3 are diagrams showing a micro relay according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a chip portion of a micro relay, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing in order how the micro relay chip 205 is finished into a micro relay device 200 as a finished product, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional configuration of the micro relay chip 205 It is the figure which showed the example typically. In the description of the first embodiment, first, the outline of the micro relay according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, and the internal configuration will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

  The micro relay chip 205 has a basic structure in which a movable plate 220 is sandwiched between a fixed substrate 230 and a cap substrate 210.

  The movable plate 220 is formed using a semiconductor material such as a silicon single crystal as a base material. The movable plate 220 includes a frame portion 225 formed in an annular shape, and a movable portion 221 that moves up and down within the frame relative to the frame portion 225. The direction in which the movable portion 221 moves up and down is a direction perpendicular to the plate surfaces of the cap substrate 210 and the fixed substrate 230. In order to allow the movable portion 221 to move up and down, the movable portion 221 is connected to the frame portion 225 by a hinge spring 222 that is elastically deformed. Although the frame part 225 illustrated in FIG. 1 is a rectangle, the shape is not limited thereto, and may be a line-symmetric shape. A plurality of hinge springs 222 are provided at symmetrical positions of the frame portion 225 to hold the movable portion 221. In this embodiment, hinge springs 222 are arranged at the four corners of the frame part 225 to hold the movable part 221. As will be described later, electrostatic attraction acts on the movable portion 221 and moves up and down. At that time, the four hinge springs 222 are set so that the movable portion 221 moves up and down while effectively using the electrostatic attractive force.

  The movable part 221 includes a movable electrode and a movable contact. Further, as shown in the middle part of FIG. 1, the movable part 221 of this embodiment has a shape in which two rectangular plates are connected via a small connection part 249 in appearance. Below this connection portion 249, there is a movable contact 223 formed so as to protrude downward, although it cannot be confirmed here. The rectangular plate is a movable electrode. That is, most of the movable portion 221 is a movable electrode, and a downward movable contact 223 is present at a part of the center thereof. Therefore, in this embodiment, the movable portion 221 is substantially a movable electrode. The movable contact 223 and the movable electrode (portion other than the movable contact 223) are electrically insulated. For example, the base material of the movable portion 221 is a silicon single crystal, and an insulating film is formed on the surface thereof to be insulated from the movable contact 223. The movable contact 223 itself or at least the surface thereof is formed of a conductive material such as gold, platinum, or copper.

  The cap substrate 210 and the fixed substrate 230 are disposed so as to sandwich the movable plate 220 from above and below. More specifically, the frame portion 225 of the movable plate 220 is hermetically bonded to the cap substrate 210 and the fixed substrate 230, and the movable portion 221 can move up and down in a space formed therein. The cap substrate 210 and the fixed substrate 230 are, for example, insulating members such as glass as a base material.

  The fixed substrate 230 has a fixed electrode 231 and a fixed contact 233. The cap substrate 210 may be a flat plate or a lid having a cavity inside. It is necessary to secure a clearance so that the movable portion 221 under the cap substrate 210 can move up and down smoothly. When the frame portion 225 is formed with an appropriate thickness, this clearance is secured, so there is no problem even if the cap substrate 210 is formed in a flat plate shape. However, when the thickness of the frame portion 225 cannot be secured sufficiently, it is necessary to dig up the lower surface of the cap substrate 210, that is, form a cavity that opens downward to ensure a clearance from the movable portion 221. .

  In FIG. 1, a fixed electrode 231 and a fixed contact 233 on the fixed substrate 230 side are shown. The fixed electrode 231 and the fixed contact 233 of the fixed substrate 230 are electrically insulated as in the case of the movable portion 221. The fixed electrode 231 is arranged on the movable part 221 that functions as a movable electrode, and the fixed contact of the fixed substrate 230 is arranged to correspond to the movable contact of the movable part 221. Although not confirmed in FIG. 1, the movable portion 221 has a movable contact 223 corresponding to the fixed substrate 230 on the lower surface side. The fixed contact 233 has a structure in which two electrodes are separated from each other. When the movable portion 221 is lowered, the movable contact 223 connects the pair of fixed contacts 233 to turn on the signal line.

  In this embodiment, the electrical wiring is drawn out from the inside of the fixed substrate 230 through the through hole 219. Therefore, when the fixed substrate 230 and the frame portion 225 are tightly bonded, the internal sealing performance can be maintained.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 2, a micro relay chip 205 having a sealing property is fixed to the base substrate 240 (B) and sealed with a resin 245 to obtain a preferable micro relay device (C). In FIG. 2B, the movable plate 220 has a connection pad 226 outside, and the micro relay 205 is stepped. The connection pad 226 is connected to the electrode pad 247 with a wire 246. A lead frame may be used instead of the base substrate 240.

By the way, the structure in which the cap substrate 210 and the fixed substrate 230 and the frame portion 225 of the movable plate 220 are hermetically sealed is made of, for example, the movable plate 220 made of single crystal silicon, and the cap substrate 210 and the fixed substrate 230 are made of glass. It is realizable by using. Silicon and glass can be easily and firmly bonded by anodic bonding. The anodic bonding is a bonding method in which a flat glass and a silicon surface are brought into contact with each other at a predetermined temperature or less, a glass side is connected to a negative (−) electrode, and a silicon side is connected to a ground (GND) to apply a DC high voltage. It is recommended to use Pyrex (registered trademark) glass as the glass for the cap substrate 210 and the fixed substrate 230. This glass is thermally stable because it has a thermal expansion coefficient close to that of silicon. Since metal can be used for anodic bonding in addition to silicon, a metal that can be anodic bonded to the frame portion 225 of the movable plate 220 may be used. In this anodic bonding, it is not necessary to melt an adhesive or a part of the bonding surface. Therefore, the accuracy of the designed dimension can be increased. In the micro relay, since it is desirable that the dimensional accuracy between the movable portion 221 and the fixed substrate 230 (gap) is high, the structure by anodic bonding can meet such a requirement. Note that oxygen gas is generated during anodic bonding. If oxygen gas remains inside after sealing, it is assumed that an increase in internal pressure may affect relay operation and cause sealing failure. Therefore, it is desirable to perform anodic bonding under a reduced pressure environment in an inert gas.

  When the microrelay chip 105 is connected from the state (A) to the base substrate 240 (B) in FIG. 2, the microrelay can be miniaturized by using Philip chip bonding as compared with the wire bonding structure. be able to. As will be described later, it is also possible to reduce the size by forming a groove-shaped side casting line on the outer periphery as a connection line shared by the cap substrate 210 and the fixed substrate 230 and the movable plate 220.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a cross-sectional configuration of the micro relay chip 205 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 3 schematically shows the positional relationship of the components in the micro relay chip 205 described in FIGS. 1 and 2 so that it can be easily confirmed. For example, in FIG. 1, each of the pair of fixed contacts 233 extends to both the left and right ends, but is shown briefly to indicate the fixed electrode 231. The microrelay of this embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to this figure. In this figure, the configurations of the cap substrate 210, the fixed substrate 230, and the movable plate 220 can be confirmed in detail. FIG. 3 shows that the cap substrate 210 of this embodiment, which could not be confirmed in FIGS. 1 and 2, has a flat plate shape. The movable plate 220 has a sufficient thickness in the vertical direction of the frame portion 225 by etching. Therefore, since a clearance is secured between the movable portion 221 and the cap substrate 210, the cap substrate 210 can be formed into a flat plate shape.

  The fixed electrode 231 of the lower fixed substrate 230 and the movable portion 221 that substantially functions as a movable electrode are formed at corresponding positions. The fixed contact 233 of the fixed substrate 230 is formed at a corresponding position below the movable contact 223. The pair of fixed contacts 233 provided on the fixed substrate 230 side are signal line contacts, and when the movable contact 223 descends and comes into contact, the fixed contacts 233 that are separated are brought into conduction.

  The movable contact 223 is disposed so as to protrude from the lower surface of the movable portion 221. The movable contact 223 is formed, for example, by forming an insulating movable film 229 on the surface after forming the conductive movable portion 221 and sputtering or plating a conductive material thereon.

  A predetermined voltage is applied between the fixed electrode 231 of the fixed substrate 230 and the movable portion 221 functioning as a movable electrode. Each of the fixed electrodes 231 is led out to the back side through the through hole 219. As described above, the movable plate 220 is made of, for example, silicon, and is doped with impurities to impart conductivity. In FIG. 3, the connecting line between the movable plate 220 and the fixed electrode 231 is not shown, but can be connected and disconnected via a switch. Note that the inside of the through hole 219 is filled with a conductor, or the inner wall is plated with a conductor. Therefore, a structure is secured in which the sealing of the internal space formed by the fixed substrate 230 and the frame portion 225 of the movable plate 220 is not broken. In the movable plate 220, the frame portion 225 and the movable portion 221 include a hinge spring 222, which can be integrally formed using silicon as a base material. By doping impurities into silicon, conductivity from the frame portion 225 to the movable portion 221 can be easily secured. However, the configuration of the movable portion 221 should not be limited to such a form, and for example, a form in which a metal electrode is formed on the surface thereof may be used. As described above, the insulating film 229 is formed on the surface of the movable portion 221 in order to form electrical insulation with the movable contact 223.

  As can be confirmed in FIG. 1, the movable portion 221 is supported by hinge springs 222 provided at the four corners of the frame portion 225 so as to be movable up and down. More specifically, when a voltage is applied between the movable portion 221 and the fixed electrode 231, the movable portion 221 moves to the fixed substrate 230 side by electrostatic attraction. That is, the movable portion 221 moves up and down between the initial position where no voltage is supplied and the fixed substrate 230 due to electrostatic attraction. At this time, when the movable contact 223 descends, it comes into contact with the fixed contact 233 of the fixed substrate 230. When the voltage supply is lost, the movable portion 221 returns to the initial position by the restoring force of the hinge spring 222. Therefore, it is possible to realize a relay operation in which the movable contact 223 comes into contact with the fixed contact 233 of the signal line, and is closed and separated.

  4 and 5 are diagrams showing a modification of the first embodiment. In FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the external wiring is drawn out through the through hole 219 in the fixed substrate 230. However, the electrical wiring can be drawn from the fixed substrate without using a through-hole, and the wiring can be embedded so that the bonding surface between the substrate 230 and the frame portion 225 of the movable plate can be flat. . This modification shows such a structural example.

  FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view in the case where the embedded wiring is used with the fixed substrate 230, and FIG. 5 schematically shows the micro relay 205 shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, the lead-out wiring 236 from the fixed electrode 231 and the lead-out wiring 237 from the fixed contact 233 are both embedded to be the same as the surface of the fixed substrate. Thus, by making the surface of the fixed substrate 230 flat, it is possible to manufacture a micro relay in which the same anodic bonding as described above is performed to ensure the internal sealing performance. In the case of adopting this structure, it is necessary to form an insulating film 227 in the frame portion 125 with which the lead wires 136 and 137 come into contact in order to ensure electrical insulation from the fixed substrate 230.

  In FIG. 5, as a more preferable form, a convex portion 224 protruding downward is provided on a part of the lower surface of the movable portion 221. The convex portion 224 functions as a stopper. After the movable part 221 moves downward and the movable contact 223 is closed with the fixed contact 233, even if the movable part 221 may be further attracted by electrostatic attraction, it is movable by providing the convex part 224 in this way. The portion 221 and the fixed electrode 231 can be prevented from sticking to each other. In FIG. 5, a recess 235 is formed in the fixed electrode 231 at a position corresponding to the protrusion 224. In this case, it is desirable that at least the height of the convex portion 224 is formed so as to be larger than the depth of the concave portion 235 so that the movable portion 221 is prevented from being firmly adhered to the fixed electrode 231. In addition, it is good also as a form which provides the comparatively low convex part 224 instead of providing a recessed part in the fixed electrode 231 side as mentioned above.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the microrelay according to the first embodiment including the convex portion 224 illustrated in FIG. 5 is operated. In the figure, a drive circuit 260 for driving the micro relay is shown. When the switch 265 is connected to the contact 261, a voltage is generated between the fixed electrode 231 of the fixed substrate 230 and the movable plate 220. In FIG. 6, the upper stage shows an initial state where no voltage is applied to the movable plate 220, and the lower stage shows the movable plate 220.
A state in which a voltage is applied to is shown.

  The fixed electrode 231 of the fixed substrate 230 is set to a GND (ground) potential in advance. As shown in the lower part of FIG. 6, when the movable plate 220 is set to a positive potential, the movable part 221 is attracted to the fixed electrode 231 side. The movable contact 223 comes into contact with the fixed contact 233. Even after the movable contact 223 comes into contact with the fixed contact 233, the movable portion 221 is attracted by the fixed electrode 231 with a larger force. Therefore, as shown in the figure, the movable portion 221 is bent, and the contact force between the movable contact 223 and the fixed contact 233 is further improved. Therefore, the contact resistance of the contact can be reduced.

Further, in the present embodiment, as a preferred embodiment, the convex portion 224 functioning as a stopper is formed on the surface of the movable portion 221, so that the surface contact between the movable portion 221 and the fixed electrode 231 can be reliably prevented. Yes. Therefore, the problem that the movable part 221 sticks to the fixed electrode 231 does not occur. In this embodiment, since the surface of the movable portion 221 is covered with the insulating film 229 as shown in FIG. 3, there is no short circuit problem even if the movable portion 221 contacts the fixed electrode 231. However, if the convex portion 224 can reliably prevent the contact between the movable portion 221 and the fixed electrode 231, the insulating film at this portion can be omitted. As shown in the upper part of FIG. 6, when the switch 265 is switched to disconnect the contact 261, the movable portion 221 returns to the initial position by the restoring force of the hinge spring 222.
(Second embodiment)
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the microrelay of the second embodiment. All the movable plates 220 of the first embodiment are formed by excavation such as etching. The lower height (thickness) of the frame portion 225 in the movable plate 220 defines the gap between the contacts, and the upper thickness defines the clearance of the movable portion 221 from the cap substrate 210. Therefore, it is desirable to process the frame portion 225 with high accuracy. The second embodiment exemplifies a micro relay in the case where the thickness of the frame portion 225 is adjusted using a spacer. Since the basic configuration of the microrelay of this embodiment is the same as the structure of the first embodiment described above, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

The frame portion 225 of this embodiment is formed using a spacer 228. The spacer 228 can be formed by depositing polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon) or metal. For the deposition, a method such as CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) can be employed. Since the spacer 228 formed in this manner can also be anodically bonded, an internal sealed microrelay can be manufactured also in this embodiment. Similarly, when the spacer is used as in this embodiment, the thickness of the frame portion 225 can be adjusted with high dimensional accuracy as in the case of the etching process. In general, since the etching process takes time, according to this embodiment in which the thickness of the frame portion 225 is adjusted using the spacer 228, the process time can be shortened.
(Third embodiment)
FIG. 8 is a view showing a microrelay of the third embodiment. The cap substrate 210 of this embodiment is formed in a lid shape having a cavity 215 opened on the lower side. The cap substrate 210 having such a shape may be processed in advance into a lid shape by excavating the central portion of a flat substrate made of an insulating material such as glass by an etching process or the like. When such a cap substrate 210 is used, the shape of the frame portion 225 on the movable plate 220 side can be simplified as shown in FIG. In the example illustrated in FIG. 8, the frame portion 225 is formed on substantially the same plane as the movable portion 221, but the clearance between the movable portion 221 and the cap substrate 210 is ensured by the presence of the cavity 215. When the cap substrate 210 having the cavity 215 is used as in this embodiment, the steps for securing the thickness above the frame portion 225 can be omitted, and thus the steps such as etching and spacer formation can be simplified.
(Fourth embodiment)
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a microrelay of the fourth embodiment. The present embodiment is characterized in that the fixed contact of the fixed substrate has a cantilever shape. In this embodiment, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same parts as those of the micro relay of the first embodiment. The same applies to the following embodiments.

The fixed contact 233 of this embodiment is formed in a cantilever shape, and has a structure in which the movable contact 223 lowered to the free end side comes into contact. Therefore, when the movable portion 221 that receives the electrostatic attraction and is supplied with the driving voltage from the initial position shown in the upper stage is lowered, the movable contact 223 comes in contact with the free end side of the pair of fixed contacts 233 being pressed down to turn on the signal line. And After that, when the drive power supply is cut off, the deformed fixed contact 233 tries to recover, so the movable contact 223 is pushed back. Therefore, when the drive power supply is turned off, in addition to the restoring force of the hinge spring 122, the restoring force from the fixed contact 233 having a cantilever shape is added, so that the contact opening force is increased. Therefore, in the micro relay of the present embodiment, the contact opening at the time of OFF can be reliably performed.
(5th Example)
10 and 11 are diagrams showing the microrelay of the fifth embodiment. This embodiment is a micro relay characterized in that a wiring path shared by the cap substrate 210, the fixed substrate 230, and the movable plate 220 is provided. The micro relay chip 205 of this embodiment shown in FIG. 10 is also similar in that it is manufactured by anodic bonding with the movable plate 220 between the cap substrate 210 and the fixed substrate 230. However, as indicated by an arrow X in the figure, the peripheral shape of each of the plates 210, 220, and 230 is smooth and has a clean appearance. Also in the case of the present embodiment, the electrical wiring from the inner side of the fixed substrate 230 is taken out to the opposite side (outer side) through the through holes 219. This configuration is the same as in the first embodiment.

  However, in the micro relay 205 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, a common wiring path (side castellation) 248 that penetrates three layers of the cap substrate 210, the movable plate 220, and the fixed substrate 230 is formed on the outer peripheral portion. ing. The micro relay 205 shown in the upper part of FIG. 11 shows the back side on the right side. On the back side, the bottom surface of the fixed substrate 230 is shown. On this bottom surface, a ground pad 251 of the fixed substrate 230, an electrode connection pad 252 and a connection pad 255 to the movable plate 220 are shown. Here, a discharge resistor 150 described later is shown.

  The cap substrate 210 of this embodiment has a simple structure having no electrodes or contacts. Therefore, in principle, the wiring between the cap substrate 210 and the outside need not be considered. However, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, it is efficient to adjust the size of each of the plates 210, 220, and 230 and simultaneously provide wiring on the outer periphery. Furthermore, if the side castellation 248 is provided on the outer periphery of the cap substrate 210, wiring can be provided on the upper surface of the cap substrate 210, so that the degree of freedom in design can be increased.

  The micro relay chip 205 of this embodiment is Philip chip bonded to the base substrate 240 with solder balls or the like as shown in the middle part of FIG. 11 to form the micro relay assembly 200. By adopting the configuration of this embodiment, wire bonding becomes unnecessary. Therefore, as is clear from the case of FIG. 2, the base substrate surface for wire bonding can be reduced in size, and an increase in conductor resistance due to the wire can be eliminated. Furthermore, it is not necessary to form a step for providing connection pads on the micro relay chip. Therefore, if three plates with the same outer shape are bonded together to form through-holes that pass through three layers and filled with a conductive material, and this is cut during the dicing process, the side castellation 248 is moved to the outside. A microrelay with a structure provided can be easily manufactured.

In addition, if the surface of the micro relay chip of this embodiment (cap substrate upper surface side) is covered with an appropriate protective film or the like, the micro relay chip 205 can be mounted as it is without molding a base substrate or a resin mold. Device. In this case, it is clear that further downsizing can be promoted.
(Sixth embodiment)
FIG. 12 shows the microrelay of the sixth embodiment. In this micro relay, the movable part 221 is formed thicker. In this embodiment, the movable portion 221 is moved by receiving an electrostatic attraction, and the thickness of the movable portion 221 is designed so that the movable contact 223 has rigidity that does not bend after the movable contact 223 contacts the fixed contact 233 as shown in the lower part. Has been. In the first embodiment described above, the movable portion 221 is considered to be bent, and the convex portion 124 is provided as a preferred modification for preventing the movable electrode 221 and the fixed electrode 231 from sticking to each other. However, in the case of the present embodiment, the movable portion 221 does not bend due to electrostatic attraction, so that it is not necessary to provide a convex portion. Therefore, the process can be simplified as compared with the case of the first embodiment. As a natural configuration of the present embodiment, the fixed electrode 231 is formed at such a height that the movable portion 221 does not contact when the movable contact 223 contacts the fixed contact 233.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an improved example of the sixth embodiment. If the thickness of the movable plate 221 is increased as in the sixth embodiment, the rigidity of the region of the hinge spring 222 indicated by a circle is also increased. However, when the rigidity of the hinge spring 222 is increased together with the movable portion 221, the spring property is lowered and the movable portion 221 is difficult to move downward from the initial position. Therefore, in this improved example, the hinge spring 222 is made thinner than the movable portion 221 to reduce the stiffness for easy movement. According to this example, it is possible to reliably move the movable portion 221 in which the bending is suppressed downward from the initial position.
(Seventh embodiment)
FIG. 14 is a view showing a microrelay of a seventh embodiment. This embodiment is characterized by the hinge spring 222 of the movable plate 220. (A) shows a case where the stiffness is reduced by widening the range TW in which the hinge spring 222 is folded back by bending, and (B) shows a case where the stiffness is reduced by increasing the number of times of folding by the hinge spring 222. Thus, the movable part 221 can be smoothly moved by improving the hinge spring 222. This structure is particularly effective for moving the movable part 221 with improved rigidity in the fifth embodiment up and down.
(Eighth embodiment)
FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a microrelay of the eighth embodiment. This embodiment also has a feature in the hinge spring portion of the movable plate 220. (A) is a structure which holds the movable part 221 by connecting four hinge springs 222-1 to 222-4 to each of the four sides of the frame part 225. Also with this structure, the movable portion 221 can be moved up and down. However, in the case of this structure, there is a tendency that the amount of shift at the portion of the TER in the circle is relatively large, and there are cases where the vertical movement of the movable portion 221 is hindered.

Therefore, as shown in (B) or (C), hinge springs 222 are connected to opposite sides of the frame portion 225. In (B), hinge springs 222-1 and 222-4 are connected to the left side, and hinge springs 222-2 and 222-3 are connected to the right side. In the case of (C), the upper and lower sides are similarly connected. When the hinge springs are arranged symmetrically in this way, the balance of the movable portion 221 is improved, so that the vertical movement can be performed smoothly. Further, since the movable plate 220 having this structure is increased in stability, it is not necessary to consider the addition of the convex portion 224 shown in the modification of the first embodiment.
(Ninth embodiment)
FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a microrelay of the ninth embodiment. The present embodiment includes a structure that generates a very small amount of friction between the movable contact and the fixed contact by changing the balance of the spring coefficient of the hinge spring. In the case of the first embodiment, the movable portion 221 moves downward from the initial position while maintaining the horizontal state. However, the present embodiment is different in that the spring coefficient of the hinge spring is positively changed. In FIG. 16, the four hinge springs 222-1 to 222-4 are set to different spring coefficients. The spring coefficient can be changed by appropriately adjusting the length, width, and thickness of the hinge spring 222. When the spring coefficient of each of the hinge springs 222-1 to 222-4 is different and an electrostatic attractive force is applied from the initial state shown in (A), first, the side with the smaller spring coefficient moves leading, as shown in (B). Only one side of the movable portion 221 is strongly attracted to the fixed electrode 231. Thereafter, as shown in (C), the distance between the movable plate 221 and the fixed electrode 231 is gradually reduced, and the side having the larger spring coefficient is also attracted. Ultimately, both sides of the movable portion 221 are sucked in the same manner as in the first embodiment. However, in the middle of the operation from the state (B) to (C), slight rubbing (referred to as wiping) occurs when the movable contact 223 and the fixed contact 233 are in contact with each other. At this time, since a slight rubbing occurs on the contact surface, a new surface of the contact surface appears. That is, it is possible to suppress the formation of an insulating film on the contact surface due to friction between the contacts and the adhesion of the insulating material. In this embodiment, a state where a new surface is always formed in this way. The contact resistance is stable. As a result, the reliability of the micro relay is improved.

The hinge springs 222-1 to 222-4 may be set so that the spring coefficients are all different, but the hinge springs may be divided into groups and the spring coefficients may be changed between the groups. For example, the hinge springs 222-1 and 222-4 and the hinge springs 222-2 and 222-3 connected to the opposing sides shown in FIG. 15 may be set to have different spring coefficients.
(Tenth embodiment)
FIG. 17 shows the microrelay of the tenth embodiment. The present embodiment shows a structural example in which the rigidity of the fixed electrode 231 and the movable portion 221 is increased and the electrostatic attractive force generated between them can be increased. Unlike the one shown in the first embodiment, the movable portion 221 shown in this embodiment has a shape close to a single plate. A pair of punched holes 218 are formed in the center of the plate. A movable contact 223 is formed in a portion between the punched holes 218 on the back surface of the movable portion 221. Therefore, as shown in the first embodiment, the rigidity is higher than a structure in which two plates are connected by a connecting portion 249 having a movable portion 223 below. Moreover, since the area of the movable part 221 that functions as a movable electrode increases, the electrostatic attractive force to be generated can be increased.

  On the other hand, on the fixed substrate 230 side, the length of the fixed contact 233 is shortened and connected to the wiring drawn out to the back side through the through hole 219. In the fixed substrate 230, the length of the fixed contact 233 is shortened and the area of the fixed electrode 231 is increased as compared with the case of the first embodiment. This structure can also improve the rigidity of the fixed electrode 231 and increase the electrostatic attractive force acting on the movable portion 221. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to realize a micro relay in which the structure of the movable part 221 and the fixed electrode 231 is made robust and the electrostatic attraction is increased to increase the driving efficiency.

In addition, the effect according to the present embodiment can be obtained even when either one of the fixed electrode 231 and the movable portion 221 is employed.
(Eleventh embodiment)
FIG. 18 is a view showing a microrelay according to an eleventh embodiment. This embodiment is a micro relay having a structure for removing charges from the fixed electrode 231 and the movable portion 221. FIG. 18 shows a peripheral configuration of a drive circuit 260 that drives the micro relay. (A) is the figure which showed the failure state which may generate | occur | produce when there is no discharge resistance. When the power source 266 is turned off, charges remain in the fixed electrode 231 and the movable portion 221. As a result, a situation in which the movable part 221 is held or a situation in which the movable part 221 returns to the initial position by being gradually discharged by a leakage current occurs. Furthermore, the movement of the movable part 221 may become unstable due to the influence of the remaining charge.

On the other hand, (B) illustrates the case where the discharge resistor 250 is provided on the wiring connecting the fixed electrode 231 and the movable part 221. In the case of this example, the discharge resistor 150 is disposed in parallel with the fixed electrode 231 and the movable portion 221, and the discharge resistor 250 exists between the power supply 266 and the ground (GND). Thus, in the case of (B) where the discharge resistor 250 exists between the power supply 266 and the ground, the current 207 flows through the discharge resistor 250 when the power supply is turned off, so no charge remains and the movable part 221 is quickly neutralized. It is possible to return to the state (initial state). It is preferable to use one having several hundred kΩ to several MΩ as the discharge resistor 250.
(Twelfth embodiment)
FIG. 19 is a view showing a microrelay of a twelfth embodiment in which a discharge resistance function is added to the convex portion provided on the movable portion. As described above, the convex portion 224 provided on the movable portion 221 functions as a stopper that prevents the movable portion 221 from sticking to the fixed electrode 231. If this convex portion 224 further acts as the above-described discharge resistance, the residual charge is removed, so that sticking can be prevented more efficiently.

For example, silicon or polysilicon may be doped with an impurity on the surface of the convex portion 224 to form a resistor. FIG. 19 shows a state where the movable part 221 sequentially moves downward. When the switch 265 is switched from the initial state (A) when the power is turned off and the power is turned on, the movable portion 221 is electrically attracted to the fixed electrode 231. In this operation, the movable contact 223 comes into contact with the fixed contact 233 and closes as in the state (B). At this time, the convex portion 224 provided on the lower side is not yet in contact with the fixed electrode 231. Further, the current 207 flows when the movable portion 221 is attracted and the convex portion 224 is pressed against the fixed electrode 231. As described above, the convex portion 224 functions as a discharge resistance between the movable portion 221 and the ground while preventing sticking, and prevents the charge from remaining (C). Therefore, since excessive electrostatic attraction after the contact is closed can be reduced, sticking of the movable portion 221 can be effectively suppressed. In the case of adopting the structure of the present embodiment, it is required to design so as not to generate vibration in consideration of the time constant and the resonance frequency of the movable portion 221.
(Thirteenth embodiment)
FIG. 20 is a view showing a microrelay of a thirteenth embodiment improved to a structure having a plurality of contacts. In this embodiment, there are two movable contacts 223-1 and 223-2 of the movable part 221. Correspondingly, each fixed contact 233 provided on the fixed substrate 230 side is branched into a substantially U-shape. Therefore, in the case of the present embodiment, since a plurality of contact structures exist in parallel, the relay function of connecting and disconnecting signal lines can be ensured even if a problem occurs in one contact. Although FIG. 20 illustrates the case where the number of the movable contacts is two, it is needless to say that the number may be three or more.

FIG. 21 is a view showing a modification of the thirteenth embodiment. In FIG. 20, one fixed contact 233 is branched so that the two movable contacts 223-1 and 223-2 can be contacted. However, in this example, the fixed contact 233 side also has two independent fixed contacts 233-1. 233-2. In the case of this structure, since there are a plurality of signal lines independently, the function of the relay can be secured more reliably.
(14th embodiment)
FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a microrelay according to a fourteenth embodiment. This embodiment proposes a preferred fixed electrode structure formed on a fixed substrate. (A) And (B) is the figure which showed the structural example for a comparison, (C) is the figure which showed the structure of the present Example. In (A), the fixed electrode 231 and the fixed contact 233 of the fixed substrate 230 are substantially the same height. Thus, when both are the same height, the distance between electrodes of the fixed part 231 and the movable part 221 which acts as a movable electrode will become large. Therefore, a high voltage drive is required to obtain a predetermined electrostatic attractive force. As a countermeasure, a structure in which the movable portion 221 is dug and the movable contact 223 is moved upward as shown in FIG. However, the structure (B) is difficult to process, and the number of steps increases, resulting in an increase in cost.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5C, in this embodiment, the fixed electrode 231 is formed so that the height thereof is higher than the height of the fixed contact 233. Here, it is desirable to set the height difference between the fixed electrode 231 and the fixed contact 233 to be slightly smaller than the height of the movable contact 223. According to the present embodiment, the movable portion 221 can be reliably sucked with a simple structure.
(15th embodiment)
FIG. 23 is a view showing a microrelay of a fifteenth embodiment provided with a preferable wiring structure of the movable plate 220. In this structure, the wiring of the movable plate 220 is a structure in which a through hole 219-2 is provided in the fixed substrate 230 and pulled out to the back surface side. The through hole 219-2 can be formed simultaneously with the wiring of the movable plate 220 when the through hole 219-1 for the fixed substrate 230 is formed. Therefore, the process can be simplified as compared with the case where wiring for the movable plate 220 is separately provided. Here, an example in which the through hole 219-2 is provided on the fixed substrate 230 side is shown, but it is needless to say that the through hole 219-2 may be provided on the cap substrate 210 side. (Sixteenth embodiment)
FIG. 24 is a view showing a micro relay according to a sixteenth embodiment having a preferable movable plate 220. In FIG. In this embodiment, a predetermined gap 257 is ensured between the outer periphery of the movable portion 221 and the frame portion 225, and a plurality of outer peripheral stoppers 258 that protrude from the peripheral portion of the movable portion 221 toward the inner surface of the frame portion 225 are provided. ing. With such a structure, the movement of the movable part 221 in the lateral direction (in-plane direction of the movable part) can be restricted. The outer peripheral stopper 258 may be formed integrally with the movable portion 221. However, if a member having excellent elasticity is added, a structure having particularly excellent impact resistance can be obtained.

  The outer peripheral stopper 258 is desirably provided at a position that is symmetrical with respect to the peripheral portion of the movable portion 221. Moreover, since the outer periphery stopper 258 is a partial convex part, it does not receive an obstruction about the movable part 221 moving up and down by the surrounding air flow. Moreover, when forming integrally with the movable part 221, it can form easily, without accompanying the increase in a process.

  24 shows an example in which the outer peripheral stopper 258 is provided on the movable portion 221 side, but it may be provided on the frame portion 225 side or both the movable portion 221 and the frame portion 225.

  Although not shown in the drawings, regarding the above-described embodiments of the micro relay, if a ground pad is provided on the entire surface of the cap substrate 210 (the surface opposite to the movable plate 220), the signal line shield is provided. In addition, the structure can be improved, and the shielding performance against disturbance such as static electricity exerted on the electrostatic attractive force can be improved and a structure without malfunction can be obtained. The same effect can be obtained when a metal layer is provided on the side surface of the laminated structure of the micro relay chip with an insulating film interposed therebetween. In addition, it is recommended that the movable contact 223 and the fixed contact 233 described above have a structure in which, for example, Au is disposed in a lower layer and a surface layer is formed of any one of Rh, Ru, and Pd. The lower Au layer has a predetermined cushion effect and has a metal with high hardness on the contact surface, so that it is possible to make the contact difficult to stick.

Furthermore, with reference to FIG. 25 to FIG. 28, a manufacturing process of the micro relay chip 205 of the second embodiment in which the height of the frame portion is adjusted using the spacer will be described. 25 is a diagram showing the manufacturing process of the fixed substrate 230, FIG. 26 is a diagram showing the cap substrate 210, FIG. 27 is a diagram showing the manufacturing process of the movable plate 220, and FIG. 28 is a process until the micro relay chip is completed by assembling them. The manufacturing process is shown. These processes use semiconductor manufacturing techniques, and techniques such as film formation, exposure, and etching are used. The fixed substrate 230 is manufactured by the process shown in FIG. A glass substrate having a thickness of about 0.2 to 0.4 mm is prepared (1). It is recommended to use Pyrex (registered trademark) glass as the glass substrate. This is because, as will be described later, when single crystal silicon is used for the movable plate, the coefficient of thermal expansion is close and bonding can be performed with high accuracy.

  This glass substrate is provided with a through hole forming hole 219 (2). Such holes can be made using a laser, sandblast, or the like. The hole (through hole) is filled with a conductive material using plating or the like (3). As the conductive material, for example, gold, copper, aluminum or the like can be used.

  Further, the fixed electrode 231 and the fixed contact 233 are formed by a sputtering method, a plating method or the like (4). Gold, platinum, or the like can be used as a material for forming these. Gold may be applied to the lower layer and a platinum-based element Rh, Ru, Pd, Pt or the like may be placed thereon. In particular, the fixed contact 233 that contacts the movable contact preferably has wear-resistant platinum-based metal on the surface, and if there is elastic gold below it, it functions as a cushion or the conductor resistance is small. A more suitable structure is obtained. A fixed electrode 231 and a fixed contact 233 are formed on the glass substrate to form the fixed substrate 230. As shown in the lowermost stage (5), a protective film made of Si3N4 or the like may be appropriately formed on the surface of the fixed electrode by using CVD or the like as necessary.

  FIG. 26 shows the cap substrate 210. The cap substrate 210 used in this embodiment has a flat plate shape shown in FIG. When the cap substrate having this shape is used, it is necessary to provide a certain thickness to the frame portion 225 of the movable plate 220 in order to secure the clearance as described above. In this manufacturing example, a spacer is formed in the frame portion 225 to secure a clearance between the movable portion 221 and the cap substrate 210.

  Note that a cavity 215 is formed in advance on the cap-shaped cap substrate shown in FIG. When this cap substrate is used, it is not necessary to consider the thickness on the upper side of the frame portion 225, so that the process can be simplified. A microrelay of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 8 is manufactured using the cap substrate 210 shown in FIG. The production method using (B) is simpler. Here, a manufacturing method using the cap substrate (A) having a large number of steps will be described. By explaining this basic manufacturing method, the advantages of using the cap substrate (B) can be understood together.

  FIG. 27 shows a manufacturing process of the movable plate 220. However, since the movable plate 220 is processed to the final form after being joined to the fixed substrate 230, FIG. 27 shows a process up to a semi-finished state. First, an SOI substrate is prepared (1). This SOI substrate has a structure in which an active layer 273 made of single crystal silicon or the like is laminated on a thick insulating support layer 271 via an oxide layer (insulating layer) 272 made of SiO 2 or the like.

  Conductivity is imparted by doping impurities into the active layer 273 of this SOI substrate (2). Further, an insulating film 279 made of, for example, SiO 2 is formed on the surface by sputtering or the like (3). This insulating film is formed to electrically insulate the movable plate 221 serving as a movable electrode from the movable contact 223 formed therein. Subsequently, a conductive material is formed on the insulating film 279 by sputtering or plating to form the movable contact 223 (4).

  Thereafter, polysilicon or metal for thickness adjustment is deposited on the outer ring portion (circumferential portion) corresponding to the frame portion 225 of the movable plate 220 to form the spacer 228. Further, the protrusion 224 serving as a stopper for preventing sticking as described above is also produced in this step if necessary (5).

  FIG. 28 shows a state where a micro relay is manufactured by assembling the fixed substrate 230, the cap substrate 210, and the movable plate 220 manufactured as described above in a laminated state. In FIG. 28, first, the semi-finished movable plate 220 is bonded onto the fixed substrate 230 (1). The movable plate 220 that has been manufactured in the process shown in FIG. 27 and is not completed is turned upside down and placed on the fixed substrate 230, and hermetically bonded. It is desirable to use anodic bonding for this bonding. If anodic bonding is performed as a minus (-) on the fixed substrate 230 side and a ground (GND) on the movable plate 220 side, both can be easily brought into close contact with each other.

  Subsequently, the remaining structure of the movable plate 220 is completed. Before that, first, the support layer 271 and the oxide layer 272 which are unnecessary portions are removed (2). Thereafter, the same processing as shown in FIG. 27 is repeated here. That is, conductivity is imparted by doping impurities (3). Further, an insulating film 279 is formed on the surface (4), and polysilicon or the like is similarly deposited on a portion corresponding to the frame portion 225 to provide a spacer 228 (5). The spacer 228 deposited here secures the clearance for the movable portion 221 described above. In other words, in this step (5), the thickness of the frame portion 225 is adjusted in order to ensure the clearance between the cap substrate 210 bonded on the movable plate 220 and the movable portion 221. Therefore, when the cap substrate of FIG. 26B is used, this step (5) can be omitted.

  Thereafter, the slit of the movable plate 220 is formed. With this slit formation, a structure is produced in which the frame portion 225 and the movable portion 221 are connected by an elastic hinge spring 222 (6). In particular, if single crystal silicon is used for the movable plate 220, a structure in which the frame portion 225 and the movable portion 221 are connected by a hinge spring 222 formed in a zigzag shape by RIE processing can be easily formed.

  Finally, the cap substrate 210 is placed on the movable plate 220 and anodic bonded as in the case of the fixed substrate 230 (7). The anodic bonding is performed in a reduced pressure atmosphere, more preferably in an inert gas atmosphere. As a result, the micro relay can be sealed without leaving unnecessary gas inside. Therefore, even if the micro relay chip manufactured in this way is further separated into pieces in the dicing process, the interior is not affected, and thus a reliable micro relay chip can be manufactured. Such a micro relay chip is made into a micro relay device 200 as a product through the same process as shown in FIG.

  Further, FIG. 29 and FIG. 30 show an example of manufacturing a micro relay with a simplified process. In the above description, the cap substrate 210 and the movable plate 220 are separate, and an example in which they are integrated later by joining them is shown. By the way, as shown in FIG. 27, when manufacturing the movable plate 220, an SOI substrate is prepared. This SOI substrate has an active layer 273 such as a silicon single crystal on an insulating support layer 271 made of Si or the like and an insulating oxide layer 272 made of SiO 2 or the like. Then, as described with reference to FIG. 28, the support layer 271 and the oxide layer 272 are removed during the process.

  In the manufacturing example shown in FIGS. 29 and 30, a structure in which the cap substrate is integrated with the movable plate by effectively using the support layer 271 and the oxide layer 272 is manufactured to simplify the process. The SOI substrate in FIG. 29 includes an oxide layer 272 that is patterned in advance and includes a cavity 315 (1). The cavity 315 is designed assuming the cavity 215 provided on the cap substrate side in order to ensure the clearance with the above-described movable part. This may be performed before the step (1) of forming the cavity 315 by patterning the SOI substrate having the oxide layer 272 on the entire surface. However, if a substrate on which the oxide layer 272 has been patterned in this way is used in this manner, the process is further performed. Can be simplified.

  The center of the SOI substrate on the active layer 273 side is excavated and etched so as to raise the portion corresponding to the frame portion 225 (2). An insulating film 279 such as SiO 2 is formed on the surface of the active layer 273 (3). A conductive material is formed over the insulating film 279 using a plating method, a sputtering method, or the like to form the movable contact 223. Then, slits are formed around the movable plate 220 by dry etching or the like. With this slit formation, a structure in which the frame portion 225 and the movable portion 221 are connected by an elastic hinge spring 222 is completed (5). The structure manufactured by this step (5) has a structure in which the support layer 271 is integrated with the cap substrate 210 and the oxide layer 272 is a spacer and is integrated with the movable plate 220. That is, in the manufacturing process of the movable plate 220 shown in FIG. 29, a movable plate with a cap part (plate) (referred to as a combined structure 300) is manufactured.

  The cavity 315 of the SOI substrate may be filled with a filler, for example, an organic photoresist, and removed later. Thus, by filling the cavity 315 with the filler, it is possible to reliably suppress the deformation of the movable plate in the processing step.

  Then, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 30, when the united structure 300 is placed on the fixed substrate 230 and anodic bonded at the bonding surface 290, a micro relay structure including the fixed substrate 230 and hermetically bonded is realized. Furthermore, if the wiring pattern 291 is formed on the back surface of the fixed substrate 230 as shown in the lower part of FIG. 30, the micro relay chip 200 can be obtained. As is apparent from the above description, the microrelay can be manufactured more easily in the steps of FIGS. Note that the fixed substrate 230 used in the step of FIG. 30 can be manufactured in the same manner by the step of FIG. 25 described above, and therefore, a duplicate description here is omitted.

  In the above-described embodiments, the structure example of the micro relay having only one movable portion in the frame portion of the movable plate has been shown. However, there are many cases in which a plurality of such micro relays are arranged adjacent to each other in a circuit of an electronic device. In this case, the occurrence of stubs in the circuit may be a problem. Below, the structure example of the micro relay which was further excellent in the high frequency characteristic by setting it as the structure provided with the several movable part is shown. This micro relay has a structure that can suppress unnecessary protrusions (stubs) on the signal transmission path (signal line).

  First, a stub in a circuit when a plurality of micro relays are used will be briefly described. As described above, the basic micro relay having one movable part on the movable plate bridges and closes a pair of fixed terminals (referred to as contact terminals) separated by one movable contact. This is advantageous because the isolation characteristics and manufacturing are simple. However, when a circuit is formed using a plurality of microrelays having this basic structure, a stub is formed. The input impedance of the stub is determined by the wavelength and the stub length as shown in the formula (I).

Zin = −j Zo cotβl Formula (I)

Zin: Input impedance of stub Zo: Characteristic impedance of transmission line β = 2π / λ
λ: wavelength on the transmission line l: stub length βl: electrical length The higher the frequency and the longer the stub length, the greater the effect, and due to impedance mismatch, reflection occurs and insertion loss increases, It may cause a delay in the waveform. In a filter or a high frequency circuit, a stub may be used by narrowing down to a specific frequency. However, since a relay is used in a wide band from DC to a high frequency signal, it is preferable to have a structure that does not include a stub as much as possible.

  FIG. 31 is a schematic diagram showing a stub when two micro relays are used. FIG. 31 shows a circuit that can generate the output 1 and the output 2 from the first line 302 and the second line 303 with the common 301 in common. In this circuit, a first micro relay 304 and a second micro relay 305 are disposed, and these are alternately closed and opened. FIG. 31 shows a state in which the first micro relay 304 is closed, the second micro relay 305 is opened, and the high frequency signal 306 flows as the output 1. In this case, the portion indicated by reference numeral 308 becomes a stub, and the reflection 307 due to the stub occurs on the second circuit side.

  FIG. 32 is a diagram structurally showing the generation of stubs when two micro relays are arranged in parallel in (A), and the generation of stubs when contacts are formed above and below the micro relays in (B). FIG. 32A shows a structure in which two micro relays are connected at a branch point 309. When the left micro relay is closed, the portion indicated by reference numeral 308 acts as a stub. Further, even if contacts are provided above and below one microrelay as shown in FIG. 32B, the portion indicated by reference numeral 308 acts as a stub. Thus, if a structure including substantially two micro relays is provided adjacent to each other, a stub is generated, which causes a problem. The microrelay shown below has a structure that can reduce this stub.

  FIG. 33 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a micro relay having two movable parts on a movable plate. The micro relay shown in FIG. 33 also has a structure in which a movable plate 320 is provided between the fixed substrate 330 and the cap substrate 310. However, two movable portions 321 and 323 are formed in the movable plate 320. Each of the first movable part 321 and the second movable part 323 has a first movable contact 322 and a second movable contact 324. The other parts of the first movable part 321 and the second movable part 323 substantially constitute movable electrodes. The configuration of each movable part is the same as that of the micro relay described above.

A first fixed contact 333 and a second fixed contact 334 are formed on the fixed substrate 330 side. The first fixed contact 333 corresponds to the first movable contact 322, and the second fixed contact 334 corresponds to the second movable plate 324. In the structure shown in FIG. 33, the signal lines on one side of the fixed contacts 333 and 334 serve as a common terminal 335. Therefore, when the first movable portion 321 is lowered and the first movable contact 322 closes the first fixed contact 333 as shown in the drawing, half of the common line indicated by the reference numeral 308 becomes a stub as in the case described above. However, since this line 308 is a very short wiring in the micro relay, no adverse effect is caused as compared with the structure shown in FIG. In FIG. 33, illustration of the fixed electrodes existing around the fixed contacts 333 and 334 is omitted. The configuration of the fixed electrode will be described in detail in the following examples.
(Seventeenth embodiment)
34 and 35 are views showing a microrelay according to a seventeenth embodiment. FIG. 34 is an exploded perspective view of the chip portion of the microrelay, and FIG. 35 is a diagram schematically showing a cross-sectional configuration example of the microrelay chip. This embodiment shows the structure of the micro relay shown in FIG. 33 in more detail. The same parts as those shown in FIG. 33 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  The cap substrate 310 has a cavity 315. This cavity ensures a clearance with the lower movable part. The movable plate 320 has two first movable portions 321 and a second movable portion 323 in the frame portion 325. The first movable portion 321 has a first movable contact 322 on the lower surface. The second movable portion 323 has a second movable contact 324 on the lower surface.

  Each of the movable parts 321 and 324 is connected to the frame part 325 via a hinge spring 327 so as to move up and down. The movable plate 320 is formed using a base material doped with a semiconductor material such as a silicon single crystal to provide conductivity. By etching this base material, two movable parts 321 and 323 can be formed in the frame part 325 via hinge springs 327. In this structure, the first movable part 321 and the second movable part 323 are electrically connected. These movable parts 321 and 323 substantially function as movable electrodes.

  The fixed substrate 330 is formed with two fixed electrodes so as to face the first movable portion 321 and the second movable portion 323. The first fixed electrode 331 and the second fixed electrode 332 are electrically insulated. These fixed electrodes 331 and 332 are supplied with power from the outside through the respective through holes 338.

  In addition, at a position where the first movable contact 322 of the first movable portion 321 and the second movable contact 324 of the second movable portion 323 face each other, a first fixed contact 333 and a second fixed contact 334 formed with a terminal therebetween, respectively. Is formed. These fixed contacts 333 and 334 are connected to external wiring via the respective through holes 336. One terminal of the first fixed contact 333 and the second fixed contact 334 is connected to the common terminal 335. The common terminal 335 is connected to external wiring through a through hole 3337.

  In the structure example of the present embodiment, the cap substrate 310 having the cavity 315 is used, and the portions where the fixed contacts 333 and 334 are formed are made lower than the peripheral portion in order to ensure the lower movement of the movable portions 321 and 323. A stepped fixed substrate 330 is used. Therefore, the movable plate 320 has the frame portion 325 and the movable portions 321 and 323 formed flat. Such a form of the movable plate 320 is easy to process. However, unlike the case shown in FIG. 34, the fixed substrate 330 side may be flat and the frame portion of the movable plate 320 may have a thickness. The structure in which the frame portion 325 on the movable plate 320 side has a thickness is exemplified in many cases in the above-described embodiment that describes the case where there is one movable portion.

  FIG. 35 is a diagram schematically showing a cross-sectional configuration of the microrelay shown in FIG. The micro relay of this embodiment has a structure in which the frame portion 325 of the movable plate 320 rides on the peripheral frame of the fixed substrate 330, and the cap substrate 310 is placed thereon. A through hole 339 for supplying power to the frame portion 325 of the movable plate is formed in the peripheral portion of the fixed substrate 330. The movable plate 320 is connected to an external power source through the power feed through hole 339. A voltage is supplied from the frame portion 325 to the first movable portion 321 and the second movable portion 323 that are movable electrodes.

  In the present micro relay, an electrostatic attractive force is generated between the first fixed electrode 331 and the first movable part 321 or between the second fixed electrode 332 and the second movable part 323. As a result, the first movable contact 322 closes the first fixed contact 333, and the second movable contact 324 closes the second fixed contact 334. At this time, when one fixed contact is closed, the distance from the terminal of the other fixed contact to the common terminal 335 is extremely short, so that the stub is hardly affected.

  FIG. 36 is a diagram showing a state in which the micro relay of the seventeenth embodiment shown in FIG. 35 is operated. The figure shows a drive circuit for driving the micro relay and an external control switch 360. The switch 360 has two contacts 361 and 362. Here, as shown in the upper stage, when the switch 360 is connected to the contact 361, a voltage is generated between the first fixed electrode 331 and the first movable portion 321 of the fixed substrate 330. Accordingly, the first movable portion 321 is lowered, and the first movable contact 322 closes the first fixed contact 333. At this time, the second movable contact 324 and the second fixed contact 334 are in an open state.

  Further, when the switch 360 is separated from both the contacts 361 and 362 as shown in the middle stage, a neutral state in which the first fixed contact 333 and the second fixed contact 334 are separated can be formed. Further, as shown in the lower stage, when the switch 360 is connected to the contact 362, a voltage is generated between the second fixed electrode 332 and the second movable portion 323. Accordingly, the second movable portion 323 is lowered, and the second movable contact 324 closes the second fixed contact 334.

As described above, in the micro relay of this embodiment, the fixed contacts 333 and 334 can be alternately closed to switch a desired signal line. There is almost no influence of the stub at that time. However, in the circuit configuration shown in FIG. 36, the first fixed electrode 331 is set to the GND (ground) potential, and the second fixed electrode 332 is set to the positive potential. A positive potential or a GND potential may be applied to the movable plate 320, and the two fixed electrodes 331 and 332 may be controlled independently by separate control switches. In this case, it is possible to form a state in which the first movable portion 321 and the second movable portion 323 are simultaneously closed.
(Eighteenth embodiment)
37 and 38 are views showing a microrelay according to an eighteenth embodiment. FIG. 37 is an exploded perspective view of the chip portion of the microrelay, and FIG. 38 is a diagram schematically showing a cross-sectional configuration example of the microrelay chip. The eighteenth embodiment differs from the seventeenth embodiment in that two movable parts, that is, the first movable part 321 and the second movable part 323 are electrically insulated. Further, the micro relay is different in that the cap substrate 310 is joined to the fixed substrate 330. In this embodiment, the same reference numerals are assigned to the portions corresponding to the portions shown in FIG.

  The movable plate 320 of this embodiment is composed of a first movable portion 321 and a second movable portion 323 that are completely separated. The first movable portion 321 is supported by the support portion 351 through the hinge spring 327 at the front and rear thereof. The support portion 351 can be regarded as a part of the frame portion described above. Similarly, the second movable portion 323 is also supported by the support portion 352 through the hinge spring 327 at the front and rear thereof.

  When the microrelay is assembled, the support portions 351 and 352 are disposed so as to ride on a part of the outer peripheral portion 339 of the fixed substrate 330. A through hole 356 for power feeding is formed at a position where the support portions 351 and 352 of the outer peripheral portion 339 are placed. The cap substrate 310 is placed from above so as to wrap the first movable portion 321 and the second movable portion 323 in the internal space, and the state shown in FIG. 38 is obtained. Although not shown here, a stepped portion for sandwiching the support portions 351 and 352 with the outer peripheral portion 339 of the fixed substrate 330 is formed on the outer peripheral portion 319 of the cap substrate 310.

  In the fixed substrate 330 of the present embodiment, one fixed electrode 355 corresponds to the first movable portion 321 and the second movable portion 323. That is, unlike the case of the seventeenth embodiment described above, the fixed electrode facing the first movable portion 321 and the second movable portion 323 is electrically connected. The difference in operation due to such a difference in configuration will be clarified in the following description. In the example shown in FIG. 37, the size corresponding to the movable parts 321 and 323 is formed, but two independent fixed electrodes may be arranged to be electrically conductive.

  FIG. 39 is a diagram showing a state in which the micro relay of the eighteenth embodiment shown in FIG. 38 is operated. In the figure, a driving circuit for driving the micro relay and two external control switches 370 and 375 are shown. Each of these switches 370 and 375 has two contacts. The switch 370 includes contacts 371 and 372, and the switch 375 includes contacts 376 and 377.

  As shown in the first stage of FIG. 39, when the switch 370 is connected to the contact 371 and the switch 375 is connected to the contact 376, a voltage is generated between the fixed electrode 335 and the first movable portion 321. Accordingly, the first movable portion 321 is lowered, and the first movable contact 322 closes the first fixed contact 333. At this time, the second movable contact 324 and the second fixed contact 334 are in an open state.

  Next, as shown in the second stage, when the switch 375 is switched to the contact 377 from the state of the switch shown in the first stage and connected, the supply line between the fixed electrode 335 and the first movable part 321 is cut off, The one movable contact 322 is separated from the first fixed contact 333. At this time, the second movable contact 324 and the second fixed contact 334 are kept in the separated state and are in the neutral state.

  Next, as shown in the third stage, when the switch 370 is switched to the contact 371 from the switch state shown in the second stage, a voltage is generated between the fixed electrode 335 and the second movable part 323, and the Two movable contacts 324 close the second fixed contact 334. At this time, the first movable contact 322 and the first fixed contact 333 are kept in the separated state.

  Further, as shown in the lowermost fourth stage, when the switch 375 is switched to the contact 376 from the state of the switch shown in the third stage, the fixed electrode 335, the first fixed contact 321, the second movable part 323, A voltage is generated between the two movable contacts 322 and 324 and both constant contacts 333 and 334 are closed. As described above, in the micro relay of this embodiment, the fixed contacts 333 and 334 can be alternately closed, or both the fixed contacts can be closed at the same time to switch the desired signal line. There is almost no influence of the stub at that time.

As described above, in the circuit configuration shown in FIG. 39, the two movable parts 321 and 323 are insulated from each other and can be controlled independently. In this way, a desired signal can be supplied by setting the fixed electrode 355 to the GDN potential in advance and switching the two switches 370 and 375. A configuration in which a GND (ground) potential is supplied to one movable part and a positive potential is supplied to the other movable part may be employed. In this case, however, the fixed contacts 333 and 334 cannot be closed at the same time as shown in the lowermost stage of FIG.
(Nineteenth embodiment)
FIG. 40 is an exploded perspective view showing the micro relay according to the nineteenth embodiment. In this figure, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same parts as in the above-described embodiment. In the micro relay of this embodiment, the position of the common terminal 335 is arranged on the straight line of the first fixed contact 333 and the second fixed contact 334, and the signal line is made straight. Thus, it is preferable to make the signal lines straight because the area of the fixed substrate 330 can be reduced.

  Incidentally, the movable plate 320 of this embodiment also shows a structural example in which two movable parts 321 and 323 that are electrically insulated are arranged inside the frame part 325. In this structure, the frame portion 325 is also separated from the first movable portion 321 and the second movable portion 323. The frame portion 325 functions as a spacer and has a structure in which the movable plate 320 is sandwiched between the fixed substrate 330 and the cap substrate 310.

Incidentally, in the micro relay of the seventeenth embodiment shown in FIG. 34, the frame portion 325 is electrically connected to the first movable portion 321 and the second movable portion 323, and the movable plate 320 is interposed between the fixed substrate 330 and the cap substrate 310. It is a structure that sandwiches. On the other hand, the micro relay of the eighteenth embodiment shown in FIG. 37 has no frame portion, the first movable portion 321 and the second movable portion 323 are electrically insulated, and the fixed substrate 330 and the cap substrate 310 are connected. Structure. Therefore, the structure shown in FIG. 40 is an intermediate structure of the structures shown in the seventeenth and eighteenth embodiments.
(20th embodiment)
FIG. 41 shows the microrelay according to the twentieth embodiment. This embodiment relates to the arrangement of the supply lines associated with the embodiment of FIG. 41A shows the case where the common terminal 335 is provided so that the distances from both the fixed contacts 333 and 334 are equal, and FIG. 41B shows the case where the common terminal 335 is provided by shifting to the one fixed contact 334 side. Is shown. In the case of (A), since the stub 308 is the same, the high frequency characteristics of the micro relay can be made equal. In the case of (B), since the stub 308 when the fixed contact 333 is closed is shortened, a structure in which high-frequency characteristics of one output are emphasized can be achieved.
(21st Example)
FIG. 42 is a diagram showing a twenty-first embodiment that suppresses the lateral movement of the movable portion. FIG. 42 shows a case where the movable parts 321 and 323 supported by the support parts 351 and 352 shown in FIG. 37 are improved. Convex portions 381 are provided on the support portions 351 and 352, and corresponding concave portions 382 are formed in the movable portions 321 and 323. In this way, by providing the concave portion and the convex portion, the lateral rearward movement can be restricted and the impact resistance of the micro relay can be improved.

  FIG. 43 is a view showing a modification of the twenty-first embodiment. FIG. 43A is a plan view of the movable portion, and FIG. 43B is a perspective view. It is changed to a thin hinge spring 328 as shown in the figure. Such a hinge spring 328 can reduce the stiffness of the spring and facilitate the movement of the movable part.

  Further, with reference to FIGS. 44 to 46, a description will be given of an example of a process in the case of manufacturing the micro relay of the nineteenth embodiment having two movable parts electrically insulated in the frame part. 44 shows a step of manufacturing the cap-movable plate assembly by joining the movable plate 320 to the cap substrate 310, FIG. 45 is a perspective view showing the cap-movable plate assembly, and FIG. It is the figure which showed the manufacturing process until it assembles | assembles to the said cap-movable plate assembly | attachment, and a micro relay chip is completed.

  FIG. 44 shows a process until a cap-movable plate assembly is completed. First, an SOI substrate is prepared (1). This SOI substrate has a structure in which an active layer 393 made of single crystal silicon or the like is laminated on a support layer 391 made of thick silicon via an oxide film layer (insulating layer) 392 made of SiO 2 or the like. The active layer 393 of this SOI substrate is doped with impurities to impart conductivity. Further, an oxide film layer 394 of, for example, SiO 2 is formed on the surface by sputtering or the like (2).

  Subsequently, a cap substrate 310 having a cavity 315 is bonded to a base material such as glass or a semiconductor substrate on the oxide film layer 394 (3). This is reversed to remove the unnecessary support layer 391 (4). Subsequently, a conductive material is formed on the oxide film layer 392 at a predetermined interval by sputtering, plating, or the like, thereby forming the first movable contact 322 and the second movable contact 324 (5).

  Thereafter, the slit of the movable plate 320 is formed. By forming the slit, the frame portion 225 and the first movable portion 321 and the second movable portion 323 are formed separately. Then, a structure in which the support portion 351 and the first movable portion 321 are connected by an elastic hinge spring and a structure in which the support portion 352 and the second movable portion 323 are connected by an elastic hinge spring are manufactured (6). . However, in (6), the support portions 351 and 352 are not shown.

  44, a cap-movable plate assembly is produced as a semi-finished microrelay as shown in FIG. The cross section shown in FIG. 44 is shown by the CRS cross section of FIG. 45, the arrangement of the first movable portion 321 and the second movable portion 323 supported by the frame portion 525 and the support portions 351 and 352 can be confirmed. If single crystal silicon is used for the movable plate 320, such a structure can be easily formed by RIE processing.

  Subsequently, the fixed substrate 330 is first manufactured by the process shown in FIG. A glass or silicon substrate having a thickness of about 0.2 to 0.4 mm is prepared (1). As described above, it is recommended to use Pyrex (registered trademark) glass for the glass substrate. The outer peripheral portion of the substrate is left, and the region where the fixed electrode and the fixed contact formed later are formed is etched to form a step (2). Thus, the clearance which the movable parts 321 and 323 move is formed by forming the fixed board | substrate 330 side in steps. As a structure for ensuring the clearance for moving the movable portions 321 and 323, the fixed substrate 330 side may be formed flat and the frame portion of the movable plate may be formed thick.

  Holes 336, 337, and 338 for forming through holes are provided in the glass substrate (2). The through hole 336 leads the wiring out from the terminals of the first fixed contact and the second fixed contact, the through hole 337 pulls the wiring out from the common terminal, and the through hole 338 pulls the wiring out from the fixed electrode 355 to the outside. Formed. Such holes can be made using a laser, sandblast, or the like. The hole (through hole) is filled with a conductive material using plating or the like (3). As the conductive material, for example, gold, copper, aluminum or the like can be used.

  Further, the fixed electrode 335, the first fixed contact 333, and the second fixed contact 334 are formed by sputtering, plating, or the like. Gold, platinum, or the like can be used as a material for forming these. Gold may be applied to the lower layer and a platinum-based element Rh, Ru, Pd, Pt or the like may be placed thereon. In particular, it is desirable that the fixed contact that contacts the movable contact has a platinum-based metal with wear resistance on the surface, and if there is elastic gold underneath it, it functions as a cushion or the conductor resistance is small. It becomes a suitable structure. Further, a wiring pattern is formed on the bottom surface side to complete the fixed contact 330 (4).

  Finally, as shown at the bottom of FIG. 46, the cap-movable plate assembly shown in FIG. 44 and the fixed substrate 330 are assembled in a laminated state to produce a microrelay, and the cap-movable plate assembly is moved up and down. Repeatedly placed on the fixed substrate 330 and hermetically bonded. It is desirable to use anodic bonding for this bonding. If anodic bonding is performed as a minus (-) on the fixed substrate 330 side and a ground (GND) on the movable plate 320 side, both can be easily brought into close contact with each other.

  The bonding is performed in a reduced-pressure atmosphere, more preferably in an atmosphere of an inert gas (N 2 or the like) or a gas having high insulation resistance (SF 6 or the like). As a result, the microrelay can be sealed without leaving unnecessary gas inside, and contact surface oxidation prevention and insulation performance improvement can be expected. Therefore, even if the micro relay chip manufactured in this way is further separated into pieces in the dicing process, the interior is not affected, and thus a reliable micro relay chip can be manufactured. Such a micro relay chip is made into a micro relay device 200 as a product through the same process as shown in FIG.

  Further, FIGS. 47 to 49 are diagrams showing an example of adopting a micro relay having two fixed contacts as described above. FIG. 47 is a circuit diagram showing an example of a non-reflective relay module in which a large number of micro relays having two contacts shown in the above embodiment are combined and mounted on a substrate. The minimum unit in the non-reflective relay module is a so-called contact of 1c configuration, and an unused output is connected to a terminating resistor. Although the structure becomes large if it is constituted by a normal relay, the overall size can be reduced by using the relay 401 combined with a large number of the present microrelays. Reference numeral 402 indicates a terminal resistor.

  As shown in FIG. 48, by incorporating this module as an internal circuit of a coaxial switch with a coaxial connector, the coaxial switch can be reduced in size. Further, as shown in the figure, the voltage can be lowered by incorporating a booster circuit 403 in the module. A control circuit 404 that logically drives a large number of relays may be mounted. As the contact configuration, various types such as SPDT (1c), SP4T, and SP6T types can be adopted.

  As in the above example, FIG. 49 shows an example of a step attenuator in which a large number of microrelays having two fixed contacts are combined. The attenuator 410 is an attenuator and outputs an input signal as a small signal by combining arbitrary attenuator circuits. This can also be configured using a relay 401 in which a large number of the micro relays are combined. In the above specific example, it is conceivable to integrate the relays on a single wafer, but it is often difficult to deal with various combinations with relay modules and attenuators. Particularly, since the attenuator has a problem that it is difficult to make a highly accurate resistance, a structure in which a large number of the present micro relays and resistors are mounted on a substrate and modularized is advantageous.

Although the example which provided two movable parts was shown in the said Example, it is good also as three or more. In this case, the movable parts may be arranged not only in a straight line but also in a plane. In the embodiment up to FIG. 30, the basic micro relay structure having one movable part has been described. Further, in the embodiments after FIG. 31, the structural example of the micro relay provided with a plurality of movable parts has been described. However, it should be noted that these embodiments include embodiments that can be applied to both types of microrelays regardless of the number of movable parts set.
The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, but the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the present invention described in the claims. It can be changed.

  As is apparent from the above detailed description, in the microrelay of the present invention, the movable portion moves between the fixed substrate and the cap substrate based on the electrostatic attractive force generated between the semiconductor movable electrode and the constant electrode. This closes and opens the contact. The micro relay having this structure can be manufactured minutely and efficiently using semiconductor manufacturing technology. And since the said frame part is sealingly joined between both board | substrates, the space which a movable part moves can be shielded from external air. Since contacts, electrodes and the like are exposed in this space, contamination and corrosion can be prevented. Therefore, even if there is a process of forming a large number of the present microrelays on a wafer and performing dicing, it can be provided as a reliable microrelay.

Moreover, the micro relay of this invention can be manufactured by simplifying a process by using the cap board | substrate previously provided with the cavity. In addition, by using a structure including a plurality of movable parts, the influence of the stub can be suppressed and a micro relay having excellent high frequency characteristics can be obtained.

It is the perspective view which decomposed | disassembled the chip | tip part of the micro relay of 1st Example. It is the figure which showed sequentially a mode that the micro relay chip | tip of FIG. 1 was finished in the micro relay device as a finished product. It is the figure which showed typically the example of a cross-sectional structure of the micro relay chip | tip of FIG. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view in the case where embedded wiring is used between a movable plate and a fixed substrate in a modification of the first embodiment. It is the figure which showed typically the side part cross section of the micro relay shown in FIG. It is the figure which showed a mode that the micro relay of 1st Example was operated. It is the figure shown about the micro relay of 2nd Example. It is the figure shown in the micro relay of 3rd Example. It is the figure shown in the micro relay of 4th Example. It is the figure shown about the micro relay of 5th Example. It is the figure shown about the micro relay of 5th Example. It is the figure shown about the micro relay of 6th Example. It is the figure shown about the modified example of the micro relay of 6th Example. It is the figure shown about the micro relay of 7th Example. It is the figure shown about the micro relay of 8th Example. It is the figure shown about the micro relay of 9th Example. It is the figure shown about the micro relay of 10th Example. It is the figure shown about the micro relay of 11th Example. It is the figure shown about the micro relay of 12th Example. It is the figure shown about the micro relay of 13th Example. It is the figure shown about the modification of the micro relay of 13th Example. It is the figure shown about the micro relay of 14th Example. It is the figure shown about the micro relay of 15th Example. It is the figure shown about the micro relay of 16th Example. It is the figure which showed the manufacturing process of the fixed board | substrate of an Example. It is the figure shown about the cap board | substrate of an Example. It is the figure which showed the manufacturing process of the movable plate of an Example. It is the figure which showed the manufacturing process until completion of a micro relay chip. It is the figure shown about the manufacture example of the micro relay which simplified the process. It is the figure shown about the manufacture example of the micro relay which simplified the process. It is the schematic diagram shown about the stub at the time of using two micro relays. It is the figure which showed structurally the generation | occurrence | production of the stub when two micro relays were paralleled in (A), and the generation | occurrence | production of a stub when a contact is formed in the upper and lower sides of a micro relay in (B). It is the figure which showed the example of schematic structure of the micro relay which has two movable parts in a movable plate. It is a disassembled perspective view of the micro relay which concerns on 17th Example. It is the figure which showed typically the example of a cross-sectional structure of the micro relay chip | tip of FIG. It is the figure which showed a mode that the micro relay of 17th Example was operated. It is a disassembled perspective view of the micro relay based on 18th Example. It is the figure which showed typically the example of a cross-sectional structure of the micro relay chip | tip of FIG. It is the figure which showed a mode that the micro relay of 18th Example was operated. It is a disassembled perspective view of the micro relay which concerns on 19th Example. It is the figure shown about the micro relay which concerns on 20th Example. It is the figure shown about 21st Example which suppresses the movement of the horizontal direction of a movable part. It is the figure shown about the modification of 21st Example. It is the figure which joined the movable plate to the cap board | substrate, and showed the process of manufacturing a cap-movable plate assembly. It is a perspective view which shows a cap-movable plate assembly. It is the figure which showed the manufacturing process until it manufactures a fixed board | substrate, assembles | assembles to a cap-movable plate assembly | attachment, and completes a micro relay chip. It is the circuit diagram which showed the example of the non-reflective relay module which combined many micro relays which have two contact points shown in the Example, and mounted on the board | substrate. It is a figure which shows the example which employ | adopted the module containing a micro relay as an internalization circuit of the coaxial switch with a coaxial connector. It is a figure which shows the example which employ | adopted the micro relay as the step attenuator.

200 Micro relay device 205 Micro relay chip 210 Cap substrate 215 Cavity 219 Through hole 220 Movable plate 221 Movable part 222 Hinge spring (elastic member)
223 Movable contact point 224 Convex part 225 Frame part 230 Fixed substrate 231 Fixed electrode 233 Fixed contact 250 Discharge resistor 260 Drive circuit 310 Cap substrate 315 Cavity 320 Movable plate 321 First movable part 322 First movable contact 323 Second movable part 324 Second Movable contact 325 Frame 327 Hinge spring 330 Fixed substrate 331 First fixed electrode 332 Second fixed electrode 333 First fixed contact 334 Second fixed contact 355 Fixed electrode

Claims (12)

A fixed substrate having a fixed contact and a fixed electrode, a cap substrate disposed to face the fixed substrate, and a movable plate disposed between the fixed substrate and the cap substrate,
The movable plate includes a frame part and a plurality of movable parts provided to be movable with respect to the frame part,
The frame portion is hermetically bonded between the fixed substrate and the cap substrate,
Each of the movable parts includes a movable contact at a position corresponding to the movable electrode and the fixed contact facing the fixed electrode, and the fixed substrate is based on an electrostatic attractive force generated between the movable electrode and the front fixed electrode. And the cap substrate. The micro relay according to claim 1,
The plurality of movable parts are electrically connected, and the number of the fixed electrodes corresponding to the number of the movable parts is disposed, and each of the fixed electrodes is in an electrically independent state. . The micro relay according to claim 1,
The plurality of movable parts are electrically insulated, the number of the fixed electrodes corresponding to the number of the movable parts is disposed, and each of the fixed electrodes is electrically connected. . The micro relay according to claim 1,
The plurality of movable parts are electrically insulated, and the fixed electrode is formed in a size corresponding to all of the movable parts. The micro relay according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The microrelay wherein the cap substrate has a cavity. The micro relay according to claim 5,
The micro relay according to claim 1, wherein a cavity of the cap substrate faces the fixed substrate. The micro relay according to claim 6,
The plurality of movable parts are electrically connected, the number of the fixed electrodes corresponding to the number of the movable parts is disposed, and each of the fixed electrodes is in an electrically independent state. . The micro relay according to claim 6,
The plurality of movable parts are electrically insulated, the number of the fixed electrodes corresponding to the number of the movable parts is disposed, and each of the fixed electrodes is electrically connected. . The micro relay according to claim 6,
The plurality of movable parts are electrically insulated, and the fixed electrode is formed in a size corresponding to all of the movable parts. The micro relay according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
A microrelay having the fixed contact lines arranged in a straight line. The micro relay according to claim 10,
A microrelay comprising a through hole for wiring the fixed contact to the outside, wherein the through hole is formed at an equal distance from each fixed contact. The micro relay according to claim 10,
A microrelay comprising a through hole for wiring the fixed contact to the outside, the through hole being biased toward a predetermined fixed contact.

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