JP2011181315A - Switch, method for manufacturing the same, and relay - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a switch and a relay, including a contact with a smooth contacting surface. <P>SOLUTION: A side surface of a fixed contact 33 faces a side surface of a movable contact 34. The fixed contact 33 has an insulating layer 43 and a base layer 44 stacked on a fixed contact substrate 41, and a conductive layer 45 formed thereon through electrolytic plating. The side surface of the conductive layer 45 that faces the movable contact 34 becomes a fixed contact 46 (contacting surface). The movable contact 34 has an insulating layer 53 and a base layer 54 stacked on a movable contact substrate 51, and a movable contact 56 formed thereon through electrolytic plating. A side surface of a conductive layer 55 that faces the fixed contact 33 becomes the movable contact 56 (contacting surface). The fixed contact 46 and the movable contact 56 have surfaces that contact the side surfaces of a mold portion, when the conductive layers 45 and 55 are to be grown through electrolytic plating. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a switch, a manufacturing method thereof, and a relay. Specifically, the present invention relates to a switch using a metal contact and a manufacturing method thereof, and further relates to a relay using the structure of the switch.

  An example of a MEMS switch that contacts and separates metal contacts is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In this switch 11, as shown in FIG. 1, an insulating layer 13a is formed on the upper surface of a substrate 12a, a conductive layer 14a made of Al, Cu, or the like is formed on the insulating layer 13a, and further from the upper surface to the end surface of the conductive layer 14a. The movable contact portion 17 is formed by growing a plated layer 15a of Au or the like. Similarly, an insulating layer 13b is formed on the upper surface of the substrate 12b, a conductive layer 14b made of Al, Cu, or the like is formed thereon, and a plated layer 15b such as Au is grown from the upper surface to the end surface of the conductive layer 14b. Thus, the fixed contact portion 18 is formed. Then, the movable contact portion 17 is moved in the direction of the arrow, and the movable contact portion 17 is fixed to the movable contact portion 17 by contacting or separating the movable contact 16a that is the protruding region of the plating layer 15a and the fixed contact 16b that is the protruding region of the plating layer 15b. Switching operation is performed between the contact portions 18.

  Moreover, as an electrostatic relay, there exist some which were disclosed by patent document 2, for example. In this electrostatic relay 21, as shown in FIG. 2, by applying a voltage to the movable comb electrode 22a and the fixed comb electrode 23a, the lever 24a is elastically bent, and at the same time, the movable comb electrode 22b and The lever 24b is elastically bent by applying a voltage to the fixed comb-like electrode 23b, and the movable contact 25a formed at the tip of the lever 24a and the movable contact 25b formed at the tip of the lever 24b are brought into contact with each other to move. The contact 25a, 25b is closed. Further, the movable contacts 25a and 25b are separated from each other by releasing the applied voltage between the comb-shaped electrodes 22a and 23a and the movable comb-shaped electrodes 22b and 23b. In the electrostatic relay 21, the movable contacts 25a and 25b are formed by depositing a metal film by vapor deposition, sputtering or the like on the end portions of the levers 24a and 24b.

JP-T-2006-526267 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-251834

  The switch 11 of Patent Document 1 has a structure in which the surface of the movable contact 16a formed on the end surface of the conductive layer 14a and the surface of the fixed contact 16b formed on the end surface of the conductive layer 14b are contacted and separated. Therefore, the movable contact 16a and the fixed contact 16b come into contact with each other on a plane (plating surface) perpendicular to the growth direction of the plating layer.

  The electrostatic relay 21 of Patent Document 2 also has a structure in which the surfaces of the movable contacts 25a and 25b formed on the end surfaces of the levers 24a and 24b are brought into contact with and separated from each other. Therefore, also in this electrostatic relay 21, the movable contacts 25a and 25b are in contact with each other on a plane perpendicular to the growth method of the deposited film or the like.

  However, the plane perpendicular to the growth direction of these contacts (contact surface) is considerably rough when viewed microscopically, and has irregular and fine irregularities. Therefore, when viewed finely, the contact area between the contacts is small, and the contact resistance when the contacts are closed is large. Furthermore, since it is difficult to obtain parallelism between the surfaces of the opposing contacts, the contact resistance between the contacts tends to be excessive.

  Further, when plating is performed, the electric field strength is high on the end face of the conductive layer in the switch 11 and the end face of the lever in the electrostatic relay 21, so that the contact growth rate is high, and it is difficult to control the gap distance between the contacts. For this reason, it has been difficult to reduce the distance between the contacts.

  In order to solve such a problem, a method of smoothing the surface of the contact by polishing or the like is known. However, since the contact polishing process increases, it causes an increase in cost of the switch and the relay.

  The present invention has been made in view of such technical problems, and the object of the present invention is a switch capable of smoothly forming a contact surface of a contact without polishing or the like, a method for manufacturing the same, and the like. An object of the present invention is to provide a relay using the structure of the switch.

  The switch according to the present invention is a switch having a plurality of contacts that are in contact with or away from each other, and a surface parallel to the growth direction when the conductive layer for forming the contact is formed is defined as a contact surface between the contacts. It is characterized by that.

  In the present invention, since the contact surfaces of the contacts are parallel to the growth direction of the conductive layer, the contact surfaces of the contacts can be formed smoothly without polishing the contacts. Therefore, the contact resistance when the contacts come into contact with each other is reduced. In addition, since the contact surfaces of both contacts are smooth, the contacts come into uniform contact with each other, and the contact contact portion is less likely to break. As a result, the open / close life of the switch is increased, and the distance between the contacts can be reduced.

  An embodiment of the switch according to the present invention is characterized in that the contact surface of the contact is a surface that is in contact with a mold portion for defining a formation region of the conductive layer when the conductive layer is grown. . According to such an embodiment, the contact surface of the contact can be formed using the surface of the mold part, so that the contact surface of the contact can be formed smoothly.

  A method of manufacturing a switch according to the present invention is a method of manufacturing a switch having a plurality of contacts that are in contact with or separated from each other, the step of forming a mold part having a predetermined pattern above a substrate, A step of growing a conductive layer in a thickness direction of the substrate in a plurality of regions excluding a region where a mold portion is formed; and removing the mold portion and contacting a surface of the conductive layer that is in contact with the side surface of the mold portion And a step of dividing the substrate into a plurality of regions in accordance with a plurality of regions where the conductive layers are formed.

  According to the switch manufacturing method of the present invention, when the conductive layer is formed, the contact surface of the contact can be formed by the side surface of the mold part, so that the contact surface of the contact can be smoothed without polishing the contact. Can be formed. Therefore, the contact resistance when the contacts come into contact with each other is reduced. Further, since the contact surfaces of both the contacts are smoothed, the contact positions of the contacts are dispersed, and the contact contact portion is not easily broken. As a result, the open / close life of the switch is increased, and the distance between the contacts can be reduced.

  An embodiment of the method for manufacturing a switch according to the present invention is characterized in that both side surfaces of the mold part for forming the opposing contacts are formed in parallel to each other. According to this embodiment, the contact surfaces of the contacts can be made parallel to each other.

  In the method for manufacturing a switch according to the present invention, the conductive layer may be grown above the substrate by electrolytic plating or electroless plating, or may be grown above the substrate by a deposition method such as vapor deposition or sputtering. . In the case of the deposition method, the material of the conductive layer deposited on the mold part can be removed together with the mold part in the process of removing the mold part.

  The relay according to the present invention includes the switch according to the present invention and an actuator for moving a part of the contact in a direction perpendicular to a contact surface between the contacts to contact or separate the contacts. It is a feature. In the relay of the present invention, the contact surface between the contacts can be formed smoothly, so that the contact resistance when the contacts come into contact with each other is reduced. In addition, since the contact surfaces of both contacts are smooth, the contacts come into uniform contact with each other, and the contact contact portion is less likely to break. As a result, the life of the relay is increased.

  The means for solving the above-described problems in the present invention has a feature in which the above-described constituent elements are appropriately combined, and the present invention enables many variations by combining such constituent elements. .

FIG. 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a switch disclosed in Patent Document 1. In FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the electrostatic relay disclosed in Patent Document 2. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the switch according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. 4A to 4D are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating a method for manufacturing the switch of the first embodiment. 5A to 5D are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating another method for manufacturing the switch according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an electrostatic relay according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view showing a portion A of FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view along the line BB in FIG.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and various design changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[First Embodiment]
(Construction)
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the switch according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The switch 31 includes a fixed contact portion 33 and a movable contact portion 34. The fixed contact portion 33 is fixed to the upper surface of the base substrate 32 via an insulating film 42, and the movable contact portion 34 is moved in a direction parallel to the upper surface of the base substrate 32 (direction indicated by a white arrow) by a driving mechanism or an actuator. . For example, the switch of the present invention can also be used for a MEMS switch having a structure as disclosed in Patent Document 1.

  The fixed contact portion 33 is obtained by forming an insulating layer 43 and a base layer 44 on the upper surface of the fixed contact substrate 41 and forming a conductive layer 45 thereon. The movable contact portion 34 is obtained by forming an insulating layer 53 and a base layer 54 on the upper surface of the movable contact substrate 51 and forming a conductive layer 55 thereon. The conductive layers 45 and 55 are formed by growing a conductive material in the thickness direction (the arrow direction in FIG. 3) by electrolytic plating, electroless plating, vapor deposition, sputtering, or the like. Electrical contact surface) and movable contact 56 (electric contact surface). As a material of the conductive layers 45 and 55, Pt, Au, Pd, Ir, Ru, Rh, Re, Ta, Pt alloy, Au alloy, or the like can be used. The fixed contact 46 and the movable contact 56 are formed in parallel and smoothly with each other. Therefore, when the movable contact portion 34 is translated to bring the fixed contact 46 and the movable contact 56 into contact with each other and the both contacts 46 and 56 are closed, the both contacts 46 and 56 are almost in surface contact with each other.

  The opposing portions of the conductive layer 45 and the conductive layer 55 protrude from the end surfaces of the fixed contact substrate 41 and the movable contact substrate 51, respectively, and the opposing surfaces of the fixed contact substrate 41 and the movable contact substrate 51 are both retracted toward the lower surface side. It is inclined to. Therefore, when the movable contact portion 34 is moved to bring the movable contact 56 into contact with the fixed contact 46, the fixed contact substrate 41 and the movable contact substrate 51 do not interfere with the contact between the movable contact 56 and the fixed contact 46.

(Manufacturing method 1)
The switch 31 is manufactured using MEMS (Micro Electrical-Mechanical Systems) technology. In the manufacturing method shown in FIGS. 4A to 4D, the conductive layers 45 and 55 are produced by electrolytic plating. FIG. 4A shows an insulating layer A3 such as SiO ₂ and a plating base layer A4 formed on a substrate A1 made of Si and a mold portion A2 formed on the plating base layer A4. The plating base layer A4 serves as a plating electrode. For example, the plating base layer A4 has a two-layer structure composed of lower layer Cr / upper layer Au, and has a function of improving adhesion (peeling strength) between the insulating layer A3 and the conductive layer A5. ing. The mold part A2 uses a material that is resistant to the plating solution and that is selectively etched away without eroding the conductive layer A5 in the subsequent mold part removal step. For example, the mold part A2 may be formed by patterning by exposing and etching a photoresist applied to the upper surface of the plating base layer A4 through an exposure mask. Alternatively, after forming an oxide film (SiO ₂ ), a nitride film (SiN), an alumina film (Al ₂ O ₃ ), a metal film different from the conductive layers 45 and 55 on the upper surface of the plating base layer A4, a photolithography technique A pattern obtained by patterning these films using, may be used as the mold part A2. Thus, the mold part A2 is formed in a region other than the region where the conductive layers 45 and 55 are to be formed, and both side surfaces of the mold part A2 patterned between the regions where the conductive layers 45 and 55 are to be formed are parallel to each other. And it is smooth. Although not shown in FIG. 4A, the entire lower surface of the substrate A1 is fixed to the upper surface of the base substrate 32 made of an Si substrate, a glass substrate or the like via an insulating film 42 such as SiO ₂ .

  Next, when this substrate A1 is immersed in a plating bath and electrolytic plating is performed using the plating base layer A4 as a plating electrode, plating metal particles such as Pt are formed on the surface of the plating base layer A4 as shown in FIG. Gradually deposit, and the conductive layer A5 grows in the thickness direction of the substrate A1. Plated metal particles do not precipitate in the region covered with the mold part A2. Note that electroless plating (chemical plating) may be performed instead of electrolytic plating.

  After the substrate A1 taken out from the plating bath was washed with water and the mold part A2 was removed by etching, there was a mold part A2 between the regions where the conductive layers 45 and 55 were to be formed, as shown in FIG. There is a cavity A6. One conductive layer A5 separated by the cavity A6 becomes the conductive layer 55, and the side surface facing the cavity A6 becomes the movable contact 56. The other conductive layer A5 separated by the cavity A6 becomes the conductive layer 45, and the side surface facing the cavity A6 becomes the fixed contact 46.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4D, an etching solution is introduced from the cavity A6 to sequentially divide the plating base layer A4 and the insulating layer A3 into two. Further, the substrate A1 is etched from the lower surface side or etched from the cavity A6 side and divided into two parts, one of which is the base layer 54, the insulating layer 53, and the movable contact substrate 51, and the other is the base layer 44, insulating. A layer 43 and a fixed contact substrate 41 are provided.

  Thus, one block becomes the fixed contact portion 33 in which the fixed contact substrate 41, the insulating layer 43, the base layer 44, and the conductive layer 45 are laminated. The fixed contact portion 33 is fixed to the upper surface of the base substrate 32 through an insulating film 42. The other block is the movable contact portion 34 in which the movable contact substrate 51, the insulating layer 53, the base layer 54, and the conductive layer 55 are laminated. The movable contact portion 34 is finally separated from the base substrate 32 by etching away the insulating film on the lower surface, and the switch 31 (MEMS switch) is manufactured.

(Manufacturing method 2)
In addition, the switch 31 can be manufactured by a process as shown in FIGS. In this manufacturing method, the conductive layers 45 and 55 are formed by vapor deposition, sputtering, or the like. FIG. 5A is a process corresponding to FIG. 4A, but the adhesion strength (peeling strength) between the insulating layer A3 and the conductive layer A5, not the plating base layer A4, is provided on the insulating layer A3. An adhesion layer A7 (for example, a two-layer structure composed of lower layer Cr / upper layer Au) is formed to increase the thickness. In the step of FIG. 5B, a metal material such as Pt is deposited on the adhesion layer A7 by vapor deposition, sputtering, or the like. According to a deposition method such as vapor deposition or sputtering, the conductive layer A5 is deposited on the mold part A2 as shown in FIG. 5B, but if the mold part A2 has a sufficient height, the mold part A2 is By removing by etching, the conductive layer A5 on the mold part A2 is also removed at the same time (lift-off method).

  The point that the cavity A6 is formed after the mold part A2 is removed as shown in FIG. 5C and the conductive layer A5 is separated into the conductive layer 55 and the conductive layer 45 is the same as the process of FIG. is there. Further, as shown in FIG. 5D, an etching solution is introduced from the cavity A6 to sequentially divide the adhesion layer A7 and the insulating layer A3 into two, and further divide the substrate A1 into two, one of which is a base layer 54. The insulating layer 53 and the movable contact substrate 51 are used, and the other is the base layer 44, the insulating layer 43, and the fixed contact substrate 41, which is the same as the process of FIG.

(Function and effect)
In the switch 31 of the present invention, the contact surface of the fixed contact 46 and the contact surface of the movable contact 56 are parallel to the growth direction of the conductive layer A5. Can be formed smoothly. Moreover, the parallelism of the contact surfaces of both contacts 46 and 56 is also improved. Therefore, the contact resistance when both the contacts 46 and 56 are in contact with each other is reduced.

  Moreover, since the accuracy of the gap distance between both the contacts 46 and 56 can be increased and the variation can be reduced, the gap distance between the contacts can be reduced, and the moving distance of the movable contact 56 by the actuator can be reduced. Furthermore, since the surfaces of the fixed contact 46 and the movable contact 56 are smoothed, the contact positions between the contacts are dispersed, the contact contact portion is not easily broken, and the open / close life of the switch 31 is extended.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, the structure of a high-frequency electrostatic relay 31A according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the structure of the electrostatic relay 31A. FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view showing a portion A of FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view along the line BB in FIG.

  The electrostatic relay 31A includes a fixed contact portion 33, a movable contact portion 34, a fixed electrode portion 35, a movable electrode portion 36 that supports the movable contact portion 34, and an elastic spring on the upper surface of a base substrate 32 made of a Si substrate, a glass substrate, or the like. 37, a support portion 38 for supporting the elastic spring 37 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 8, in the fixed contact portion 33, the lower surface of the fixed contact substrate 41 made of Si is fixed to the upper surface of the base substrate 32 by an insulating film 42 (SiO ₂ ). An insulating layer 43 made of an oxide film (SiO ₂ ), a nitride film (SiN) or the like is formed on the upper surface of the fixed contact substrate 41, and an underlayer 44 made of lower layer Cr / upper layer Au is formed on the upper surface. Conductive layers 45 a and 45 b such as Pt are formed on the ground layer 44.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the fixed contact substrate 41 extends in the width direction (X direction) at the upper surface end portion of the base substrate 32, and protrudes toward the movable contact portion 34 side at the center portion. An overhang portion 41a is formed, and pad support portions 41b and 41b are formed at both ends, respectively. The conductive layers 45a and 45b are wired along the upper surface of the fixed contact board 41, and one end portions of the conductive layers 45a and 45b are arranged in parallel with each other on the upper surface of the overhang portion 41a, and from the end surface of the overhang portion 41a. The protruding end surfaces are located in the same plane and are fixed contacts 46a and 46b (electrical contact surfaces), respectively. Metal pad portions 47a and 47b are formed on the upper surfaces of the pad support portions 41b and 41b at the other end portions of the conductive layers 45a and 45b.

The movable contact portion 34 is provided at a position facing the overhanging portion 41a. As shown in FIG. 8, in the movable contact portion 34, an insulating layer 53 made of an oxide film (SiO ₂ ), a nitride film (SiN) or the like is formed on the upper surface of a movable contact substrate 51 made of Si, and a lower layer Cr is formed on the upper surface. / A base layer 54 made of an upper layer Au is formed, and a conductive layer 55 such as Pt is formed on the base layer 54. The end surface of the conductive layer 55 facing the conductive layers 45a and 45b protrudes from the front surface of the movable contact substrate 51 and is formed in parallel with the fixed contacts 46a and 46b, and the end surface is a movable contact 56 (electrical contact surface). It has become. The movable contact 56 has a width substantially equal to the distance from the outer edge of the fixed contact 46a to the outer edge of the fixed contact 46b.

  In addition, the movable contact substrate 51 is supported in a cantilever manner by a support beam 57 protruding from the movable electrode portion 36. The lower surfaces of the movable contact substrate 51 and the support beam 57 float from the upper surface of the base substrate 32 and can move in parallel with the length direction (Y direction) of the base substrate 32 together with the movable electrode portion 36.

  In the electrostatic relay 31A, a main circuit (not shown) is connected to the metal pad portions 47a and 47b of the fixed contact portion 33, and the main circuit is closed by bringing the movable contact 56 into contact with the fixed contacts 46a and 46b. The main circuit can be opened by separating the movable contact 56 from the fixed contacts 46a and 46b. The opposing surfaces of the overhanging portion 41a and the movable contact substrate 51 are inclined so as to recede toward the lower side, the fixed contacts 46a and 46b protrude from the overhanging portion 41a, and the movable contact 56 is also a movable contact. Since it protrudes from the board | substrate 51, when projecting between contacts, the overhang | projection part 41a and the movable contact board | substrate 51 contact, and it prevents that the movable contact 56 and fixed contact 46a, 46b raise | generate a contact failure.

  An actuator for moving the movable contact portion 34 includes a fixed electrode portion 35, a movable electrode portion 36, an elastic spring 37, and a support portion 38.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of fixed electrode portions 35 are arranged on the upper surface of the base substrate 32 in parallel with each other. The fixed electrode portion 35 has branch-like electrode portions 67 extending in a branch shape from both surfaces of the rectangular pad portion 66 in the Y direction in plan view. The branch electrode portions 67 protrude from the branch electrode portions 67 so as to be bilaterally symmetric, and the branch portions 68 are arranged at a constant pitch in the Y direction.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in the fixed electrode portion 35, the lower surface of the fixed electrode substrate 61 is fixed to the upper surface of the base substrate 32 by the insulating film 62. In the pad portion 66, a fixed electrode 63 is formed of Cu, Al or the like on the upper surface of the fixed electrode substrate 61, and an electrode pad layer 65 is provided on the fixed electrode 63.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the movable electrode portion 36 is formed so as to surround each fixed electrode portion 35. Comb-like electrode portions 74 are formed in the movable electrode portion 36 so as to sandwich each fixed electrode portion 35 from both sides (a pair of comb-like electrode portions 74 form a branch shape between the fixed electrode portions 35). ing). The comb-like electrode portions 74 are symmetric with respect to each fixed electrode portion 35, and the comb-tooth portions 75 extend from each comb-like electrode portion 74 toward the gap between the branch portions 68. Yes. In addition, each comb tooth 75 has a distance from the branch 68 positioned adjacent to the comb tooth 75 and closer to the movable contact 34 so that the comb tooth 75 is adjacent to the comb tooth 75 from the movable contact 34. It is shorter than the distance to the branch portion 68 located on the far side.

  The movable electrode portion 36 is composed of a Si movable electrode substrate 71, and the lower surface of the movable electrode substrate 71 is lifted from the upper surface of the base substrate 32. Further, a support beam 57 projects from the center of the movable contact side end face of the movable electrode portion 36, and the movable contact portion 34 is held at the tip of the support beam 57.

  The support portion 38 is made of Si and extends long in the X direction at the other end portion of the base substrate 32. The lower surface of the support portion 38 is fixed to the upper surface of the base substrate 32 by an insulating film 39. Both end portions of the support portion 38 and the movable electrode portion 36 (movable electrode substrate 71) are connected by a pair of elastic springs 37 formed symmetrically by Si, and the movable electrode portion 36 is supported via the elastic springs 37. It is supported horizontally by the portion 38. The movable electrode portion 36 is movable in the Y direction by elastically deforming the elastic spring 37.

  In the electrostatic relay 31A having the above structure, a DC voltage source is connected between the fixed electrode portion 35 and the movable electrode portion 36, and the DC voltage is turned on and off by a control circuit or the like. In the fixed electrode portion 35, one terminal of the DC voltage source is connected to the electrode pad layer 65. The other terminal of the DC voltage source is connected to the support portion 38. Since the support portion 38 and the elastic spring 37 have conductivity, and the support portion 38, the elastic spring 37, and the movable electrode substrate 71 are electrically connected, the voltage applied to the support portion 38 is the movable electrode substrate 71. Will join.

  When a DC voltage is applied between the fixed electrode portion 35 and the movable electrode portion 36 by a DC voltage source, the static electricity is generated between the branch portion 68 of the branch electrode portion 67 and the comb tooth portion 75 of the comb tooth electrode portion 74. Electric attraction is generated. However, since the structures of the fixed electrode portion 35 and the movable electrode portion 36 are formed symmetrically with respect to the center line of each fixed electrode portion 35, the electrostatic attractive force in the X direction acting on the movable electrode portion 36 is balanced, and the movable electrode The part 36 does not move in the X direction. On the other hand, the distance between each comb tooth portion 75 and the branch portion 68 located on the side close to the movable contact portion 34 is the branch portion located on the side far from the movable contact portion 34 adjacent to the comb tooth portion 75. Since each comb tooth 75 is attracted to the movable contact portion side and the elastic spring 37 is bent, the movable electrode portion 36 moves in the Y direction. As a result, the movable contact portion 34 moves to the fixed contact portion 33 side, the movable contact 56 contacts the fixed contacts 46a and 46b, and the space between the fixed contact 46a and the fixed contact 46b (main circuit) is electrically closed.

  Further, when the DC voltage applied between the fixed electrode part 35 and the movable electrode part 36 is released, the electrostatic attractive force between the branch part 68 and the comb tooth part 75 disappears. As a result, the movable electrode part 36 moves backward in the Y direction, the movable contact 56 is separated from the fixed contacts 46a and 46b, and the space between the fixed contact 46a and the fixed contact 46b (main circuit) is opened.

  Such an electrostatic relay 31A is manufactured by the following process. First, a Si substrate (another Si wafer having conductivity) is bonded to the upper surface of a base substrate 32 (Si wafer, SOI wafer, etc.) whose entire surface is covered with an insulating film, and a metal material is bonded to the upper surface of the Si substrate. An electrode film is formed by vapor deposition. Next, this electrode film is patterned by a photolithography technique, and a fixed electrode 63 is formed on the upper surface of the fixed electrode substrate 61 in the pad portion 66 by the electrode film.

  Thereafter, an insulating layer, a base layer and a conductive layer are stacked on the upper surface of the Si substrate from above the electrode film. Next, the conductive layer is patterned to form the conductive layers 45a and 45b of the fixed contact portion 33, the conductive layer 55 of the movable contact portion 34, and the electrode pad layer 65 of the fixed electrode portion 35. The conductive layers 45a and 45b and the conductive layer 55 are etched away leaving the underlying layer and the insulating layer, the underlying layers 44 and 54 are formed by the remaining underlying layer, and the insulating layers 43 and 53 are formed by the remaining insulating layer. Form.

  Note that the fixed electrode 63, the conductive layers 45a and 45b, and the conductive layer 55 may be formed simultaneously by a procedure different from the above.

  Thereafter, a photoresist is applied on the conductive layer 45a, the conductive layer 55, the fixed electrode 63, etc. to form a resist mask, the Si substrate is etched through the resist mask, and the fixed contact is made by the Si substrate remaining in each region. The fixed contact substrate 41 of the portion 33, the movable contact substrate 51 of the movable contact portion 34, the fixed electrode substrate 61 of the fixed electrode portion 35, the movable electrode substrate 71 of the movable electrode portion 36, the elastic spring 37, and the support portion 38 are produced.

  Finally, the insulating film in the region exposed from the Si substrate and the insulating film on the lower surface of the movable contact portion 34 and the movable electrode portion 36 are removed by etching, and the individual electrostatic relays 31A are cut.

  In the manufacturing process of the electrostatic relay 31A, the movable contact portion 34 and the fixed electrode portion 35 are manufactured in the same process as the process shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. The movable contacts 56a and 46b and the movable contact 56 of the movable contact portion 34 are side surfaces parallel to the growth direction of the conductive layer, and a contact having good smoothness and parallelism can be obtained without polishing. Therefore, also in this electrostatic relay 31A, the same effect as the switch 31 of Embodiment 1 can be obtained.

31 switch 31A electrostatic relay 32 base substrate 33 fixed contact portion 34 movable contact portion 35 fixed electrode portion 36 movable electrode portion 37 elastic spring 38 support portion 39 insulating film 41 fixed contact substrate 45, 45a, 45b conductive layers 46, 46a, 46b Fixed contact 51 Movable contact substrate 55 Conductive layer 56 Movable contact 63 Fixed electrode 67 Branch electrode part 68 Branch part 74 Comb electrode part 75 Comb tooth part

Claims (8)

In a switch having a plurality of contacts that contact or separate from each other,
A switch characterized in that a surface parallel to a growth direction at the time of forming a conductive layer for forming the contact is used as a contact surface between the contacts.   2. The switch according to claim 1, wherein the contact surface of the contact is a surface that is in contact with a mold portion for defining a formation region of the conductive layer when the conductive layer is grown. A method of manufacturing a switch having a plurality of contacts that contact or separate from each other,
Forming a mold part of a predetermined pattern above the substrate;
Growing a conductive layer in the thickness direction of the substrate in a plurality of regions excluding the region where the mold part is formed above the substrate;
Removing the mold part and setting the surface of the conductive layer in contact with the side surface of the mold part as a contact surface between the contacts;
Dividing the substrate into a plurality of regions in accordance with a plurality of regions where the conductive layer is formed;
A method for manufacturing a switch, comprising:   4. The method of manufacturing a switch according to claim 3, wherein both side surfaces of the mold part for forming the opposing contacts are formed in parallel to each other.   4. The method of manufacturing a switch according to claim 3, wherein the conductive layer is grown above the substrate by electrolytic plating or electroless plating.   The method for manufacturing a switch according to claim 3, wherein the conductive layer is grown above the substrate by a deposition method such as vapor deposition or sputtering.   The method for manufacturing a switch according to claim 6, wherein the material of the conductive layer deposited on the mold part is removed together with the mold part in the step of removing the mold part.   A relay comprising: the switch according to claim 1; and an actuator for moving a part of the contact in a direction perpendicular to a contact surface between the contacts to contact or separate the contacts.

Images