TW201706204A - Passivated microelectromechanical structures and methods - Google Patents

Abstract

This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus including devices that include layers of passivation material covering at least a portion of an exterior surface of a thin film component within a microelectromechanical device. The thin film component may include an electrically conductive layer that connects via an anchor to a conductive surface on a substrate. The disclosure further provides processes for providing a first layer of passivation material on an exterior surface of a thin film component and for electrically connecting that thin film component to a conductive surface on a substrate. The disclosure further provides processes for providing a second layer of passivation material on any exposed surfaces of the thin film component after release of the microelectromechanical device.

Description

Passivated microelectromechanical structure and method Priority claim

The present application claims priority to U.S. Application Serial No. 14/724,374, filed on May 28, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference. The content is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

This invention relates to microelectromechanical systems, and more particularly to microelectromechanical systems having components that have passivated external surfaces, and to devices formed therefrom with such passivation components and procedures for forming such devices.

Electromechanical systems (EMS) include devices having electrical and mechanical components, actuators, transducers, sensors, optical components such as mirrors and optical films, and electronic components. EMS devices or components can be fabricated including, but not limited to, microscale and nanoscale dimensions. For example, a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device can include structures having a size ranging from about one micron to hundreds of microns or more. Nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) devices can include structures having a size less than one micron (including, for example, less than a few hundred nanometers). Electrodeposition can be created using deposition, etching, lithography, and/or other micromachining programs that etch away portions of the substrate and/or deposited material layer or add layers to form electrical and electromechanical devices.

Some MEMS devices, including some MEMS displays, require overlapping structural layers. through The overlay layer can have a first layer attached to the substrate and a second layer attached to the first layer, and the second layer uses the first layer as an anchor to hold the second layer away from the substrate surface, similar to The pillars in the house hold the roof above the foundation.

Once the layers are formed, they are sometimes passivated. Passivation can render the semiconductor material inert. Basically, passivation provides an insulating coating over the surface of the semiconductor. The passivated semiconductor surface can be contacted with other surfaces without creating a short circuit that can damage the device.

The current program for passivating overlapping layers is complex. In order to passivate the two layers, a passivating agent (often a gas) must travel through the second layer to contact the first layer to passivate the first layer. Today, existing programs use Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD). However, ALD processes are slow and tend to leave particles that can cause adhesion and device failure. Therefore, there is a need for improved structures and procedures for forming MEMS devices.

The systems, methods and devices of the present invention each have several inventive aspects in which no single one is solely responsible for the desirable attributes disclosed herein.

One innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented in a MEMS device. The MEMS device can include a component such as a shutter, an actuator, a crossbar, or some other component that is part of the MEMS device. The assembly is typically formed from a thin film of a semiconductor material such as amorphous germanium and typically responds to an electrical control signal. In one embodiment described herein, the MEMS device includes a first crossbar and a second crossbar. The first crossbar and the second crossbar are supported by a substrate, and the first crossbar is disposed between the substrate and the second crossbar. Both crossbars have an outer surface that carries one of the layers of passivation material. The first crossbar and the second crossbar each have an arm that extends toward a surface of the substrate. The arms may be film bodies joined together in an overlapping configuration and forming sidewalls of one of the anchors extending from the surface of the substrate. The anchor is configured to hold the first rail and the second rail away from the surface of the substrate. In another innovative aspect, the device is formed on a substrate including a conductive surface, and the device includes the same on the substrate An anchor that contacts the conductive surface. The first crossbar and the second crossbar both have a layer of conductive material, and both crossbars are attached to the anchor, and an electrical layer of at least one of the crossbars is connected to the substrate The conductive surface.

In another inventive aspect of the subject matter described herein, the program forms a MEMS device having two overlapping rails suspended above a substrate. The overlapping rails can include an electromechanical component that responds to an electrical signal that typically moves between two or more positions. The program can form the crossbars with a passivated outer surface. The processes deposit a layer of passivation material on the substrate. The processes can form the first crossbar by depositing material onto the passivation layer. Once the crossbar is formed, the program can utilize a layer of passivation material to cover the exposed surface of the crossbar. A mold can be deposited on the first crossbar and a passivation layer can be used to cover the mold. The program can form the second crossbar by depositing material onto the passivation material. Once the second crossbar is formed, the program can utilize a layer of passivation material to cover the exposed surface of the second crossbar. The mold can be washed away and the rails can be left in place and configured such that the first rail is placed adjacent to the substrate and the second rail is spaced from the first rail.

In some embodiments, the systems and methods described herein include a device having a substrate having a surface, a first film crossbar, and a second film crossbar disposed on the substrate And the second film crossbar is spaced apart from the substrate and the second crossbar, and the first crossbar has a first arm and the second crossbar has a second An arm extending toward the surface of the substrate, the first arm being coupled to and overlapping the second arm, and the first arm and the second arm forming the first arm and the second arm The anchor is held at a distance from the substrate. In some embodiments, the devices further comprise a layer of passivation material overlying an outer surface of one of the first crossbars. In some embodiments, the devices have a layer of passivation material overlying an outer surface of one of the second crossbars.

In some embodiments, the devices also include a conductive one of the anchors a layer, and the substrate has a conductive surface in contact with the conductive layer, and the conductive layer extends into the first crossbar and the second crossbar. In some embodiments, the conductive layer in the anchor includes a first conductive material layer and a second conductive material layer coupled to the first crossbar and the second crossbar, respectively.

In some embodiments, the substrate comprises a glass substrate, and in some embodiments, the first rail includes a movable mechanical body that can include a movable sidewall having an aspect ratio greater than about 4:1 Crossbar. The movable sidewall rail can include a layer of conformal passivation material having a tapered edge. In some embodiments, the second crossbar includes one or more apertures.

In some embodiments, the first crossbar and the second crossbar are separated by a distance between about 0.3 [mu]m and 10 [mu]m, and in some embodiments, the device has a means for holding a board to A plurality of spacers away from the second crossbar. In some embodiments, the device is a display including a controller, a processor, and a memory for modulating light via the first rail and the second rail of the device Produce images.

In another aspect, the systems and methods described herein include a procedure for forming a thin film device. The processes can include depositing a conductive pad on a substrate and depositing a mold for forming a first film crossbar. The program deposits a layer of passivation material on the mold and deposits at least one film layer on the passivation material to form at least a portion of the first film crossbar. The program may deposit a layer of passivation material over the first film crossbar, deposit a mold for forming a second film crossbar over the passivation material layer, and deposit at least one film layer over the mold to form a The second film crossbar. The program may demold the first film crossbar and the second film crossbar from the mold to form a first crossbar having a passivation material on an outer surface and spaced apart from the substrate, and The first crossbar is spaced apart and overlaps the second crossbar of one of the first crossbars. In some embodiments, the program can have the conductive contact in physical contact with the first film crossbar or the second film crossbar pad.

In some embodiments, the program can etch the first film crossbar to form a component of a MEMS device. In some embodiments, the program deposits at least one film layer onto the passivation material and deposits a passivation material layer, an amorphous germanium layer, and a metal layer.

In some embodiments, the program can deposit at least one film layer, including forming a light modulator for modulating light. The program may form a through hole extending through the first film crossbar and the second film crossbar and extending to the conductive pad, and forming a hole for supporting the first film crossbar and the second film in the through hole One of the rod anchors. The program can be further formed by attaching one of the arms of the first film rail and forming one of the side walls of the anchor with an arm coupled to the second film rail.

The program may further provide in the arm of the first film crossbar or the arm of the second film crossbar for electrically connecting the first film crossbar or the second film crossbar to one of the conductive pads material. The program may connect one of the first film crossbar and the second film crossbar to the conductive pad, and another film crossbar is spaced apart from the conductive pad and electrically connected to the conductive pad The film crossbar.

Another inventive aspect of the subject matter described in the present invention can be implemented in a MEMS device including a substrate, a first film crossbar above the substrate, one above the first film crossbar a second film crossbar, an inner passivation layer partially covering an outer surface of the second film crossbar and partially covering an outer surface of one of the first film crossbars, and over the inner passivation layer and covering the interior a passivation layer, the outer surface of the second film crossbar, and an outer passivation layer of the outer surface of the first film crossbar. The first film crossbar includes one or more electrodes, and is disposed between the substrate and the second film crossbar and spaced apart from the substrate and the second film crossbar, wherein the second film crossbar includes a Or multiple pores.

In some embodiments, each of the one or more electrodes comprises a top table a surface, a bottom surface, and a sidewall, the inner passivation layer covering at least the sidewalls of the one or more electrodes, and the outer passivation layer covers at least the top and bottom surfaces of the one or more electrodes. In some embodiments, the first film crossbar includes a first conductive layer, wherein the substrate includes a conductive surface in contact with the first conductive layer. In some embodiments, the first film crossbar further includes a second conductive layer that is identical in composition to the first conductive layer and to the second film crossbar. In some embodiments, the second conductive layer is an etch stop layer. In some embodiments, the first film crossbar further includes a metal layer between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer, the first conductive layer, the metal layer and the second conductive layer One or more are substantially opaque. In some embodiments, one of the second passivation layers has a thickness of less than about 1000 Å.

Another inventive aspect of the subject matter described in the present invention can be implemented in a MEMS device including a substrate, a first film crossbar above the substrate, one above the first film crossbar a second film crossbar, a first member partially covering an outer surface of the second film crossbar and partially covering an outer surface of one of the first film crossbars for passivating the MEMS device, and a second member over the passivation member for passivating the MEMS device, the second passivation member covering the first passivation member, the outer surface of the second film crossbar, and the outer portion of the first film crossbar surface. The first film crossbar includes one or more electrodes, and is disposed between the substrate and the second film crossbar and spaced apart from the substrate and the second film crossbar, wherein the second film crossbar includes a Or multiple pores.

In some embodiments, each of the one or more electrodes includes a top surface, a bottom surface, and a sidewall, the first passivation member covering at least the sidewalls of the one or more electrodes, and the second The passivation member covers at least the top and bottom surfaces of the one or more electrodes. In some embodiments, the first film crossbar includes a first conductive layer, wherein the substrate includes a conductive surface in contact with the first conductive layer.

Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in the present invention can be implemented in a manufacturing In a method of MEMS device, the method includes: providing a substrate; forming a first mold for forming a first film crossbar over the substrate; forming a first passivation material pre-release layer on the first mold Forming the first film crossbar over the first mold and the first passivation material pre-release layer; forming a second passivation material pre-release layer over the first film crossbar; and the second passivation material Forming a second mold for forming a second film crossbar above the layer; forming the second film crossbar above the second mold; the first film crossbar and the second film crossbar from the first The mold and the second mold are demolded such that the first passivation material layer and the second passivation material layer partially cover an outer surface of the first film crossbar, the first film crossbar is spaced apart from the substrate, and The second film crossbar is spaced apart from the first film crossbar and overlaps the first film crossbar; and a passivation material is formed to form a release layer to cover the second film crossbar and the first film crossbar The outer surface.

In some embodiments, the method further includes pre-debonding a third passivation material over the second film crossbar prior to demolding the first film crossbar and the second film crossbar. In some embodiments, forming the first film crossbar includes: depositing a first mask over a portion of the first passivation material pre-release layer; etching at least some of the first passivation material pre-release layer; Depositing a conductive layer over the first passivation material pre-release layer and over the first mold; and depositing a metal layer on the conductive layer. In some embodiments, forming the first film crossbar comprises: anisotropically etching at least some of the first passivation material pre-release layer; depositing on the first passivation material pre-release layer and the first mold a first conductive layer; depositing a metal layer on the first conductive layer; and depositing a second conductive layer on the metal layer, the second conductive layer being identical in composition to the first conductive layer.

The details of one or more embodiments of the subject matter described herein are set forth in the accompanying drawings and description. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the description, drawings, and claims. It should be noted that the relative sizes of the following figures may not be drawn to scale.

100‧‧‧ display device

102a‧‧‧Light modulator

102b‧‧‧Light modulator

102c‧‧‧Light modulator

102d‧‧‧Light modulator

104‧‧‧Image

105‧‧‧ lights

106‧‧‧ pixels

108‧‧ ‧Shutter

109‧‧‧ pores

110‧‧‧Write Enable Interconnect

112‧‧‧ Data Interconnects

114‧‧‧Common interconnections

120‧‧‧Host device

122‧‧‧Host processor

124‧‧‧Environment Sensor/Environment Sensor Module

126‧‧‧User input module

128‧‧‧ display device

130‧‧‧Scan Drive

131‧‧‧Scan Line Interconnect/Write Enable Interconnect

132‧‧‧Data Drive

133‧‧‧ Data Interconnects

134‧‧‧Controller/Digital Controller Circuit

138‧‧‧Common drive

139‧‧‧Common interconnects

140‧‧‧ lights

142‧‧‧ lights

144‧‧‧ lights

146‧‧‧ lights

148‧‧‧light driver

150‧‧‧Display element array

200‧‧‧Shutter assembly

202‧‧‧Shutter open actuator

204‧‧‧Shutter closure actuator

206‧‧ ‧Shutter

207‧‧‧ pore layer

208‧‧‧ Anchorage

209‧‧‧ pores

212‧‧‧Shutter aperture

216‧‧‧ overlap

300‧‧‧Shutter Assembly Array

301‧‧ ‧ pixels

302‧‧‧Shutter assembly/shutter

303‧‧‧Actuator

304‧‧‧Substrate

308‧‧‧ Data Interconnect

311‧‧‧ Anchorage

313‧‧‧ sidewall rails/springs

350‧‧‧Substrate/porosity layer

352‧‧‧metal layer

354‧‧‧Pore/passivation layer

355‧‧‧Pore/passivation layer

356‧‧‧ recess

358‧‧‧Conductive material / conductive surface

361‧‧‧First component layer

362‧‧‧Photoresist/resist

363‧‧‧Second component layer

364‧‧‧through hole

366‧‧‧through hole

370‧‧‧Mold layer/mold

371‧‧‧ Arm

372‧‧‧through hole

373‧‧‧ Arm

374‧‧‧through hole

378‧‧‧through hole

379‧‧‧ side wall

382‧‧‧ Passivation layer

383‧‧‧ components

384‧‧‧aSi layer/extra layer

385‧‧‧ components

386‧‧‧Ti layer/extra layer

390‧‧‧resist/resist material

391‧‧‧ Arm

392‧‧‧resist/resist material

393‧‧‧ Arm

394‧‧‧ Passivation layer

396‧‧‧resist layer/resist

400‧‧‧ photoresist layer / photoresist

402‧‧‧Mold layer/mold

408‧‧‧ spacer

410‧‧‧Material layer

412‧‧‧Material layer

414‧‧‧Material layer

415‧‧‧film rail

417‧‧‧film crossbar

418‧‧‧resist material

420‧‧‧through hole

430‧‧‧ Anchorage

500‧‧‧Down release passivation layer

502‧‧‧MEMS devices/shutter

503‧‧‧electrode

513‧‧‧electrode

530‧‧‧Internal passivation layer

550‧‧‧Substrate

552‧‧‧metal layer

554‧‧‧Insulation

555‧‧‧ pores

558‧‧‧Electrical materials

562‧‧‧ photoresist layer

570‧‧‧Mold layer

574‧‧‧ trench

578‧‧‧through hole

582‧‧‧First passivation layer

583‧‧‧ components

584‧‧‧ Conductive layer

585‧‧‧Component

586‧‧‧metal layer

590‧‧‧ first mask

594‧‧‧Second passivation layer

596‧‧‧second mask

598‧‧‧ third mask

614‧‧‧ third passivation layer

615‧‧‧Second film crossbar

617‧‧‧First film crossbar

700‧‧‧Down release passivation layer

702‧‧‧MEMS devices/shutter

703‧‧‧electrode

713‧‧‧electrode

730‧‧‧Internal passivation layer

750‧‧‧Substrate

752‧‧‧metal layer

754‧‧‧Insulation

755‧‧‧ pores

758‧‧‧Electrical materials

762‧‧‧ photoresist layer

770‧‧‧Mold layer

774‧‧‧ trench

778‧‧‧through hole

782‧‧‧First passivation layer

784‧‧‧ Conductive layer

786‧‧‧metal layer

788‧‧‧etch stop layer

790‧‧‧ first mask

794‧‧‧Second passivation layer

814‧‧‧ third passivation layer

815‧‧‧Second film crossbar

817‧‧‧First film crossbar

2500‧‧‧Program

2502‧‧‧ operation

2504‧‧‧ operation

2506‧‧‧ operation

2508‧‧‧ operation

2510‧‧‧ operation

2512‧‧‧ operation

2514‧‧‧ operation

2516‧‧‧ operation

2600‧‧‧Program

2602‧‧‧ operation

2604‧‧‧ operation

2606‧‧‧ operation

2608‧‧‧ operation

2710‧‧‧ Conductive material layer

2711‧‧‧ Anchors

2712‧‧ layer

2714‧‧‧ Passivation material layer

2715‧‧‧Second crossbar

2717‧‧‧First crossbar

2758‧‧‧ Conductive surface / conductive layer

2762‧‧‧resist layer

2770‧‧‧resist layer

2778‧‧‧through hole

5321‧‧‧ processor

5322‧‧‧Array Driver

5327‧‧‧Network interface

5328‧‧‧Frame buffer

5329‧‧‧Drive Controller

5330‧‧‧Display/Display Array

5340‧‧‧Display devices

5341‧‧‧Shell

5343‧‧‧Antenna

5345‧‧‧Speakers

5346‧‧‧Microphone

5347‧‧‧Transceiver

5348‧‧‧Input device

5350‧‧‧Power supply

5352‧‧‧Adjust hardware

1A shows a schematic diagram of an example intuitive microelectromechanical system (MEMS) based display device.

Figure 1B shows a block diagram of an example host device.

2A and 2B show views of an example dual actuator shutter assembly.

3A and 3B show a MEMS shutter assembly formed on a substrate.

Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a substrate having a conductive surface.

Figure 5 shows the substrate of Figure 4 with a photoresist layer.

Figure 6 shows the mold layer formed on the photoresist of Figure 5.

Figure 7 shows a passivation layer deposited over the mold.

Figure 8 shows an additional layer above the mold.

Figure 9 depicts a pattern of resist on the deposited layer.

Figure 10 depicts the etched surface of the substrate.

Figure 11 depicts a substrate with a resist removed.

Figure 12 shows a substrate having a second passivation material layer.

Figure 13 shows the mask placed on the passivation layer.

Figure 14 shows an etched passivation layer.

Figure 15 shows the mask removed from the substrate.

Figure 16 shows an anchor resist layer deposited over a first crossbar.

Figure 17 shows the surface exposed by the anchor layer as etched.

Figure 18 shows a mold for a second crossbar deposited on an anchor layer.

Figure 19 shows the spacer added to the mold.

Figure 20 shows a second crossbar formed on the mold.

Figure 21 shows the resist layer placed on the second crossbar.

Figure 22 shows the surface exposed by the resist layer as etched.

Figure 23 shows the resist stripped from the substrate.

Figure 24 shows a first crossbar and a second crossbar disposed on a substrate.

Figure 25 is a flow diagram of a procedure for forming a first rail and a second rail of a MEMS device.

Figure 26 is a flow diagram of a procedure for forming stacked vias.

27A and 27B show an alternative embodiment of a stacked via.

28 through 41 show cross-sectional schematic views illustrating various stages of fabricating an example MEMS device, in accordance with some embodiments.

Figures 42A-42D show cross-sectional schematic views illustrating various stages of passivating a film crossbar on a mold.

43-52 show cross-sectional schematic views illustrating various stages of fabricating an example MEMS device, in accordance with some other embodiments.

53A and 53B show system block diagrams of an example display device including a plurality of display elements.

Similar reference numerals and names in the various figures indicate similar elements.

The following description is of certain embodiments for the purpose of describing the inventive aspects of the invention. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in a multitude of different ways. The described embodiments can be implemented in any device, device, or system capable of displaying an image, whether in motion (such as video) or stationary (such as still image), whether text, graphics, or images. In addition to displays having features from one or more display technologies, the concepts and examples provided in the present invention are also applicable to, for example, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays, field emission displays, and the like. A variety of displays based on electromechanical systems (EMS) and microelectromechanical (MEMS) displays.

The described implementations can be included in or associated with a variety of electronic devices such as, but not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones with multimedia internet capabilities, mobile television receivers, wireless devices Smart phone, Bluetooth® device, personal data assistant (PDA), wireless email receiver, handheld or portable computer, mini-notebook, notebook, smart notebook, tablet, printer, photocopier, scanner , fax devices, global positioning system (GPS) receivers / navigators, cameras, digital media players (such as MP3 players), camcorders, game consoles, watches, wearable devices, clocks, computing , television monitors, flat panel displays, electronic reading devices (such as e-readers), computer monitors, car displays (such as odometers and speedometer displays), cockpit controls and/or displays, camera landscape displays (such as in vehicles) Rear view camera display), electronic photo, electronic billboard or billboard, projector, building structure, microwave oven, refrigerator, stereo system, cassette recorder or player, DVD player, CD player, VCR, radio, Portable memory chips, washers, dryers, washers/dryers, parking meters, packages (such as in the MEMS (MEMS) Application of the electromechanical systems (EMS) application, and the application of non-EMS), aesthetic structures (such as the display of the images on a piece of jewelry or clothing), the EMS and a variety of devices.

The teachings herein may also be used in non-display applications such as, but not limited to, electronic switching devices, RF filters, sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, motion sensing devices, magnetometers, for consumer use. Inertial components for electronic components, parts for consumer electronics, varactors, liquid crystal devices, electrophoretic devices, drive solutions, manufacturing procedures, and electronic test equipment. Therefore, the teachings are not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown in the drawings, but instead have broad applicability, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

In one aspect, the devices, systems, and methods described herein include a MEMS device having two crossbars disposed over a surface of a substrate. The film crossbar has a passivating coating on the outer surface of the crossbar. Typically, the crossbar is configured to have a first crossbar positioned above a surface of the substrate, and the second crossbar is positioned above the first crossbar. The term "above" or "below" is a relative term, since the crossbar is considered to be above or below Orientation of large MEMS devices. In either case, the two crossbars are spaced apart from the surface of the substrate, and the first crossbar is disposed between the substrate and the second crossbar. In some embodiments, the first crossbar and the second crossbar can be planes of the film, such as amorphous germanium (aSi). In some embodiments, the crossbar is a film that is formed as a microelectromechanical component. Typically, such components are movable structures that respond to electrical control signals.

Components in MEMS devices can have dimensions measured in micrometers and measured from a few microns to millions of microns. The components can be any mechanical or electrical component such as a shutter, mirror, actuator, aperture, motor, cantilever, or any component of a mechanical and/or electrical system.

In some embodiments, the MEMS device can include forming one or more passivation layers prior to demolding, and forming one or more additional passivation layers after demolding.

Particular embodiments of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to realize one or more of the following potential advantages. In one aspect, the program can eliminate or reduce the need for a passivation procedure after demolding of the crossbar. Additionally, by using a deposition and etching process to shape the passivation coating, the procedure eliminates or reduces the need for a pad open process to expose the covered pad or aperture. In addition, the program can improve yield by reducing the generation of loose particles caused by complex passivation procedures. Additionally, providing a passivation layer after demolding can eliminate or otherwise reduce the occurrence of a leak path that can be caused by the exposed surface of the first film crossbar or the second film crossbar.

FIG. 1A shows a schematic diagram of an example intuitive MEMS based display device 100. The display device 100 includes a plurality of optical modulators 102a to 102d (integrally, the optical modulator 102) arranged in columns and rows. In the display device 100, the light modulators 102a and 102d are in an open state, thereby allowing light to pass therethrough. The light modulators 102b and 102c are in a closed state, thereby blocking the passage of light. By selectively setting the state of the light modulators 102a through 102d, the display device 100 can be used to form an image 104 for backlight display (if illuminated by one or more lamps 105). In another embodiment, the device 100 can be derived from the surroundings of the front of the device by reflection Light forms an image. In another embodiment, device 100 can form an image by reflecting light from one or more lamps positioned in front of the display (ie, by using front light).

In some embodiments, each light modulator 102 corresponds to one of the pixels 106 in the image 104. In some other implementations, display device 100 can utilize a plurality of light modulators to form a pixel 106 in image 104. For example, display device 100 can include three color-specific light modulators 102. Display device 100 may generate a color pixel 106 in image 104 by selectively opening one or more of color-specific light modulators 102 corresponding to a particular pixel 106. In another example, display device 100 includes two or more light modulators 102 per pixel 106 to provide a brightness level in image 104. Regarding an image, one pixel corresponds to the smallest pixel defined by the resolution of the image. With respect to the structural components of display device 100, the term pixel refers to a combined mechanical and electrical component used to modulate the light of a single pixel that forms an image.

Display device 100 is an intuitive display in that it may not include imaging optics found in projection applications. In a projection display, an image formed on the surface of a display device is projected onto a screen or projected onto a wall. The display device is substantially smaller than the projected image. In an intuitive display, the image can be viewed by directly viewing the display device, which includes a light modulator and optionally a backlight or front light for enhancing the brightness and/or contrast seen on the display.

The intuitive display can operate in either a transmissive mode or a reflective mode. In a transmissive display, the light modulator filters or selectively blocks light originating from one or more lamps positioned behind the display. Light from the lamp is injected into the light guide or backlight as appropriate so that each pixel can be uniformly illuminated. Transmissive visual displays are often built onto a transparent substrate to facilitate a sandwich assembly configuration in which a substrate containing a light modulator is positioned above the backlight. In some embodiments, the transparent substrate can be a glass substrate (sometimes referred to as a glass plate or panel), or a plastic substrate. The glass substrate can be or include, for example, borosilicate glass, wine glass, molten vermiculite, soda lime glass, quartz, artificial quartz, Pyros glass (Pyrex), or other suitable glass material.

Each of the light modulators 102 can include a shutter 108 and an aperture 109. To illuminate the pixels 106 in the image 104, the shutter 108 is positioned such that it allows light to pass through the aperture 109. In order to keep the pixels 106 from being illuminated, the shutter 108 is positioned such that it blocks light transmission through the apertures 109. The apertures 109 are defined by openings that are patterned by the reflective or light absorbing material in each of the light modulators 102.

The display device also includes a control matrix coupled to the substrate and the optical modulator for controlling movement of the shutter. The control matrix includes a series of electrical interconnects, such as interconnects 110, 112, and 114, including: at least one write enable interconnect 110 per pixel column (also referred to as scan line interconnect) a data interconnect 112 for each pixel row; and a common interconnect 114 that provides a common voltage to all pixels or at least to multiple rows and columns from the display device 100 The pixels of both. In response to the application of an appropriate voltage (write enable voltage, V _WE ), the write enable interconnect 110 for a given column of pixels causes the pixels in the column to be ready to accept a new shutter move command. The data interconnect 112 communicates the new move command in the form of a data voltage pulse. In some embodiments, the data voltage pulse applied to the data interconnect 112 directly contributes to electrostatic movement of the shutter. In some other implementations, the data voltage pulse controls a switch, such as a transistor or other non-linear circuit element that controls the application of a separate drive voltage to the optical modulator 102, the individual drive voltages being typically higher in magnitude than the data voltage. The application of these drive voltages causes electrostatic drive movement of the shutter 108.

Control matrices may also include, but are not limited to, circuitry, such as transistors and capacitors associated with each shutter assembly. In some embodiments, the gate of each transistor can be electrically connected to the scan line interconnect. In some embodiments, the source of each transistor can be electrically connected to a corresponding data interconnect. In some embodiments, the drain of each transistor can be electrically connected in parallel to the electrodes of the corresponding capacitor and the electrodes of the corresponding actuator. In some embodiments, the capacitor associated with each shutter assembly and the other electrode of the actuator can be connected to a total Same or ground potential. In some other implementations, the transistor can be replaced with a semiconducting diode or a metal-insulator-metal switching element.

1B shows an example host device 120 (ie, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a PDA, an MP3 player, a tablet, an e-reader, a mini-notebook, a notebook, a watch, a wearable device, a laptop) Block diagram of a computer, television, or other electronic device. The host device 120 includes a display device 128 (such as the display device 100 shown in FIG. 1A), a host processor 122, an environmental sensor 124, a user input module 126, and a power source.

Display device 128 includes a plurality of scan drivers 130 (also referred to as write enable voltage sources), a plurality of data drivers 132 (also referred to as data voltage sources), controller 134, common drivers 138, lamps 140 through 146, lights Driver 148, and display element array 150, such as optical modulator 102 shown in FIG. 1A. The scan driver 130 applies a write enable voltage to the scan line interconnect 131. The data driver 132 applies a data voltage to the data interconnect 133.

In some implementations of the display device, the data driver 132 can provide an analog data voltage to the display element array 150, particularly where the brightness level of the image will be derived in an analogous manner. In analog operation, the display elements are designed such that when a series of intermediate voltages are applied through the data interconnect 133, a series of intermediate illumination states or brightness levels are obtained in the resulting image. In some other implementations, the data driver 132 can apply a reduced set (such as 2, 3, or 4) digital voltage levels to the data interconnect 133. In embodiments where the display element is a shutter-based light modulator (such as the light modulator 102 shown in FIG. 1A), the voltage levels are designed to be in an open, closed, or other discrete state in a digital manner. Each of the shutters 108 is set. In some embodiments, the driver is capable of switching between analog mode and digital mode.

Scan driver 130 and data driver 132 are coupled to digital controller circuit 134 (also referred to as controller 134). Controller 134 sends the data to the data drive in a primary serial The data is organized in a sequence, which in some embodiments can be predetermined, grouped by column, and grouped by image frame. Data driver 132 may include a serial to parallel data converter, level shifting, and (for some applications) a digital to analog voltage converter.

The display device optionally includes a set of common drivers 138, also referred to as a common voltage source. In some implementations, the common driver 138 provides a DC common potential to all of the display elements within the display element array 150, for example, by supplying a voltage to a series of common interconnects 139. In some other implementations, the common driver 138 issues a voltage pulse or signal to the display element array 150 following commands from the controller 134, for example, capable of driving and/or initiating all of the columns and rows of the array. Simultaneously actuated global actuation pulses of the components.

Each of the drivers for different display functions, such as scan driver 130, data driver 132, and common driver 138, can be time synchronized by controller 134. The timing commands from controller 134 coordinate the illumination of red, green, blue, and white lights (140, 142, 144, and 146, respectively) via lamp driver 148, and enable writing of particular columns within display element array 150. And sequencing, voltage output from data driver 132, and voltage output for providing display element actuation. In some embodiments, the lamps are light emitting diodes (LEDs).

Controller 134 determines a sequencing or addressing scheme that can be used by each of the display elements to reset to an illumination level suitable for new image 104. The new image 104 can be set at periodic intervals. For example, for a video display, the color image or video frame is renewed at a frequency ranging from 10 Hz to 300 Hz. In some embodiments, the setting of the image frame to display element array 150 is synchronized with the illumination of lamps 140, 142, 144, and 146 such that an alternating series of colors (such as red, green, blue, and white) is used to illuminate alternately. Image frame. The image frame for each individual color is called a color sub-frame. In this method (called the field sequential color method), if the color sub-frame is more than 20 Hz At alternate rates, the Human Visual System (HVS) averages the alternating frame images into perceptions of images with a wide and continuous range of colors. In some other implementations, the lamp can use primary colors other than red, green, blue, and white. In some embodiments, four or fewer lamps having primary colors can be used in display device 128.

In some embodiments in which the display device 128 is designed for digital switching between a shutter state (such as the shutter 108 shown in FIG. 1A) between an open state and a closed state, the controller 134 forms an image by means of a time division gray scale. . In some other implementations, display device 128 can provide grayscale via the use of multiple display elements per pixel.

In some embodiments, the information for the image state is loaded by controller 134 to display element array 150 by sequential addressing of individual columns (also referred to as scan lines). For each column or scan line in the sequence, scan driver 130 applies a write enable voltage to write enable interconnect 131 for the other of display element array 150, and then, data driver 132 selects a column for that array Each of the rows supplies a data voltage corresponding to the desired shutter state. This addressing procedure can be repeated until data has been loaded for all of the columns in display element array 150. In some embodiments, the sequence of selected columns for data loading is linear, from top to bottom in display element array 150. In some other implementations, the sequence of selected columns is pseudo-random in order to mitigate potential visual artifacts. And in some other implementations, the sequencing is organized in blocks, wherein for a block, data for a certain fraction of the image is loaded into display element array 150. For example, the sequences can be implemented to address each of the five columns of the array of elements 150 in a sequence.

In some embodiments, the addressing procedure for loading image data into display element array 150 is separated in time from the program that actuates the display elements. In this embodiment, display element array 150 can include a data memory element for each display element, and the control matrix can include a trigger signal for carrying from common driver 138 for storage in the memory elements. The data is used to initiate simultaneous actuation of the global actuation interconnects of the display elements.

In some embodiments, display element array 150 and control matrices that control the display elements can be configured in configurations other than rectangular columns and rows. For example, the display elements can be configured in a hexagonal array or a curved column and rows.

Host processor 122 typically controls the operation of host device 120. For example, host processor 122 can be a general purpose or special purpose processor for controlling portable electronic devices. With respect to display device 128 included in host device 120, host processor 122 outputs image material and additional information regarding host device 120. This information may include: information from the environmental sensor 124, such as ambient light or temperature; information about the host device 120, including, for example, the mode of operation of the host or the amount of power remaining in the power source of the host device; Information about the content; information about the type of image material; and/or instructions for displaying device 128 for selecting an imaging mode.

In some embodiments, the user input module 126 enables the user's personal preferences to be communicated to the controller 134 directly or via the host processor 122. In some embodiments, the user input module 126 is controlled by software where the user enters personal preferences, such as color, contrast, power, brightness, content, and other display settings and parameter preferences. In some other implementations, the user input module 126 is controlled by hardware where the user enters personal preferences. In some embodiments, the user can enter such preferences via voice commands, one or more buttons, switches or dials, or using touch capabilities. The plurality of data inputs to the controller 134 directs the controller to provide data to the various drivers 130, 132, 138, and 148 that correspond to the optimal imaging characteristics.

The environmental sensor module 124 can also be included as part of the host device 120. The environmental sensor module 124 can be capable of receiving information about the surrounding environment, such as temperature and/or ambient lighting conditions. The sensor module 124 can be programmed to, for example, identify whether the device is in an indoor or office environment, or in a bright daytime outdoor environment or in a nighttime outdoor environment. The sensor module 124 communicates this information to the display controller 134 such that the controller 134 can optimize the viewing conditions in response to the surrounding environment.

2A and 2B show views of an example dual actuator shutter assembly 200. As depicted in Figure 2A, the dual actuator shutter assembly 200 is in an open state. 2B shows the dual actuator shutter assembly 200 in a closed state. Shutter assembly 200 includes actuators 202 and 204 on either side of shutter 206. Each actuator 202 and 204 is independently controlled. A first actuator (shutter open actuator 202) is used to open the shutter 206. A second opposing actuator (shutter closing actuator 204) is used to close the shutter 206. Each of the actuators 202 and 204 can be implemented as a compliant crossbar electrode actuator. The actuators 202 and 204 open and close the shutter 206 by driving the shutter 206 substantially in a plane parallel to the aperture layer 207, which is suspended above the aperture layer 207. The shutter 206 is suspended a short distance above the aperture layer 207 by anchors 208 attached to the actuators 202 and 204. Attaching the actuators 202 and 204 along the axis of movement of the shutter 206 to the opposite end of the shutter 206 reduces the out-of-plane motion of the shutter 206 and substantially limits the motion to a plane parallel to the substrate (not depicted).

In the depicted embodiment, the shutter 206 includes two shutter apertures 212 through which light can pass. The void layer 207 includes a set of three apertures 209. In FIG. 2A, the shutter assembly 200 is in an open state, and thus, the shutter open actuator 202 has been actuated, the shutter close actuator 204 is in its relaxed position, and the centerline of the shutter aperture 212 is in the aperture layer aperture 209. The centerlines of the two coincide. In FIG. 2B, the shutter assembly 200 has moved to the closed state, and thus, the shutter open actuator 202 is in its relaxed position, the shutter close actuator 204 has been actuated, and the light blocking portion of the shutter 206 is now in place. The blocking light is transmitted through the aperture 209 (depicted as a dotted line).

Each aperture has at least one edge around its perimeter. For example, the rectangular aperture 209 has four edges. In some embodiments in which a circular, elliptical, oval or other curved aperture is formed in the void layer 207, each aperture can have a single edge. In some other embodiments, the pores need not be separated or do not intersect in a mathematical sense, but instead may be joined. In other words, although portions of the aperture or shaped segments can maintain correspondence with each shutter, several of these segments can be connected such that a single continuous perimeter of the aperture is Shutter sharing.

To allow light having multiple exit angles to pass through the apertures 212 and 209 in an open state, the width or size of the shutter apertures 212 can be designed to be larger than the corresponding width or size of the apertures 209 in the aperture layer 207. In order to effectively block light from escaping in the closed state, the light blocking portion of the shutter 206 can be designed to overlap the edge of the aperture 209. 2B shows an overlap 216 between the edge of the light blocking portion in the shutter 206 and one edge of the aperture 209 formed in the aperture layer 207, which may be predefined in some embodiments.

The electrostatic actuators 202 and 204 are designed such that their voltage displacement behavior provides a bistable characteristic to the shutter assembly 200. For each of the shutter open actuator and the shutter close actuator, there is a series of voltages below the actuation voltage that is applied when the actuator is in the closed state (where the shutter is open or closed) This will keep the actuator closed and hold the shutter in place, even after applying the drive voltage to the opposing actuator. The minimum voltage required to maintain the position of the shutter opposing force against this is referred to as the sustain voltage V _m.

The systems and methods described herein can be used to form any type of microelectromechanical device, including dimensions having dimensions and procedures for forming semiconductor devices, such as those used to form patterns of semiconductor materials on a surface. Equivalent to any device. MEMS devices may include, but are not limited to, optical modulators, microphones, sensors, piezoresistors, piezoelectric crystals, devices for electromechanical actuation, filters, devices for signal transduction, and generally and based Any other type of component used with electronic devices of semiconductors. For purposes of illustration only, the systems and methods described herein will be discussed with reference to a MEMS shutter assembly for use in a display. 3A and 3B show a MEMS shutter assembly formed on a substrate. In particular, Figure 3A is an isometric view of a portion of the shutter assembly array 300, wherein each shutter assembly provides a pixel within an image of one of the displays. The shutter assembly array 300 includes four pixels 301 arranged in columns and rows, but a typical display will have thousands of pixels. Each pixel 301 is a semiconductor fabricated on the surface of the substrate 304 Pieces. In detail, each pixel 301 is a semiconductor device that includes an aperture 354 and a shutter assembly 302, both of which have been fabricated on the substrate 304. Pixel 301 includes components such as shutter assembly 302, actuator 303, aperture 354, and electrical interconnection components, such as the depicted data interconnect 308. The individual components of each pixel 301, such as actuator 303 or shutter assembly 302, include semiconductor components fabricated using the program flow of forming the components into components carried on the surface of aperture layer 350. The void layer 350 is also an assembly and is deposited and patterned onto the substrate 304. The aperture layer 350 provides aperture through which light can pass to create an image. In some embodiments, the substrate 304 can be a transparent substrate, such as glass, vermiculite, plastic, or some suitable for housing a layer of semiconductor material that can act as a void layer 350 and that can be processed to form different components that make up each pixel 301. One other material. Optionally, a control matrix as described with reference to Figures 1A and 1B can be fabricated on the aperture layer 350, and different components such as membrane switches, transistors and capacitors, and interconnects (such as the data interconnect 308) can be formed on On the pore layer 350. The program used to fabricate these components can be a typical procedure known in the art for use in the fabrication of active matrix arrays for use in displays.

The void layer 350 can be comprised of a thin film material that is compatible with the active matrix process fabricated on the pore layer 350. The void layer can have pores, such as pores 355 that can be formed by etching portions of the void layer 350 until the substrate 304 is exposed. The procedure for fabricating holes such as apertures 355 can be the same thin film processing technique used to fabricate the active matrix on the void layer 350, and only the mask design or pixel layout needs to be changed to accommodate the formation of pores.

Typically, the void layer 350 is deposited onto the substrate 304 as a single film. Deposition can be accomplished by evaporation, sputtering, chemical vapor deposition, or any suitable technique. The void layer 350 can be any suitable semiconductor material, such as amorphous or polycrystalline germanium (Si), germanium (Ge), gallium arsenide (GaAs) materials, or any other suitable material that can be deposited with a film over 500 nm.

FIG. 3A further depicts that pixel 301 is a machine that includes movement relative to aperture layer 350. Component MEMS device. In one process, a module that supports deposition of a semiconductor material is used to form components of a pixel 301 that can be patterned and formed to produce individual components of pixel 301. For example, a mold can be used to create a flat line region that will support deposition of a semiconductor material, such as amorphous germanium (aSi). aSi can be placed on the flat line as a film. The deposited film can be hardened and the mold supporting the film can be etched, washed or otherwise removed to leave the film in place to act as the shutter 302. The shutter 302 is spaced apart from the surface of the aperture layer 350 by a distance. For this purpose, an anchor 311 is formed on the surface of the aperture 350 and extends from the surface of the aperture layer 350. A sidewall rail 313 is coupled between the anchor 311 and the shutter 302 to hold the shutter 302 in place and away from the surface of the aperture layer 350. The sidewall rails can be movable rails having an aspect ratio greater than about 4 to 1 and possibly greater than 16 to 1 to provide a narrow profile and a flexible crossbar that can be moved by the application of an electromotive force. The anchor 311 can be attached to the substrate 304 to provide a stable and secure attachment for components supported by the anchor 311, such as the shutter 302. The anchor 311 can be coupled to a conductive surface on the substrate 304. The electrically conductive surface can couple the anchor 311 in electrical communication with a driver circuit and other components that can apply an electrical signal to the pixel 301 via the anchor 311.

FIG. 3A illustrates one embodiment of a MEMS device, and the MEMS device described herein has two component layers. A first layer (void layer 350) is placed over substrate 304 and provides a layer of semiconductor material including apertures 355.

The second layer is positioned above the void layer 350 and overlaps portions of the void layer. This second layer includes a shutter 302 and an actuator 303, as well as other components that are held in place and spaced apart from the aperture layer 350. In some embodiments, the first layer and the second layer are formed by depositing a first material layer or a set of material layers on a mold and then constructing a second mold on the other layer or layers. A material can be deposited on the second mold to form a second component layer. The two component layers are demolded by removing the first mold and the second mold to leave the void layer 350 as the substrate 304 and the shutter 302 and actuator 303 immediately above the substrate layer 350.

In some embodiments, the outer surfaces of the components in the first layer and the second layer have a passivating coating. A passivating coating is deposited onto the first mold and/or the second mold to form an exterior surface of one of the component layers. After demolding, the first component layer and the second component layer have a passivated exterior and no passivation process is required. This can reduce the likelihood that deposition of the passivating material over the movable components, such as actuator 303, will interfere with the operation of their components.

FIG. 3B shows a shutter assembly 302 in cross section. The shutter assembly 302 includes a first component layer 361 that includes an actuator 303, a spring 313, and a shutter 302, and a second component layer 363 that includes an aperture 355. Both layers 361 and 363 are coupled to anchor 311. Both layers 361 and 363 have a layer of passivation material covering at least a portion of the outer surface of the layer. As discussed above, layers 361 and 363 can be formed from one or more thin films of semiconductor material. Layer 361 includes an arm 371 formed from a thin film of semiconductor material and extending toward the surface of substrate 304. The arm 371 forms part of the side wall of the anchor 311. Layer 363 has an arm 373 formed of a thin film of semiconductor material and extending toward the surface of substrate 304. The film of arm 373 is overlaid and attached to the film of arm 371 and forms part of the sidewall of anchor 311. The bottom wall of the anchor 311 contacts the conductive surface of the interconnect 308. The anchor 311 holds the layers 361 and 363 away from the surface of the substrate 304 and is in an overlapping configuration.

To form the components of the pixel 301, a resist material is deposited on the surface of the substrate 304 to form a mold. The mold can be used to cast different components of the pixel 301 and can provide at least a portion of the shape or shape of each component of the pixel 301. A layer of passivation material can be deposited over the mold, and an additional thin film layer can be deposited to build a layer on the passivation layer and form a component within the layer. The result of such deposition is a thin film structure, typically a crossbar, built on top of a mold having an outer layer of passivation material.

Another mold can be formed over the first crossbar, and the mold can allow for the formation of another crossbar that includes the aperture 355 of the pixel 301. For this purpose, one or more layers of material may be deposited on this other mold, and a layer of passivating material may be applied to cover the layers. Washing, etching, or otherwise removing mold material once the component has been formed on the mold by the deposited layer Leave the components in place with a passivated exterior surface and attached to the substrate.

Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a substrate having a conductive surface. 4 shows a device fabrication stage of some embodiments of devices of the type described herein, including, for example, a device having a substrate having a conductive surface and having two film crossbars, the films Both of the crossbars are spaced from the substrate and are held away from the substrate by anchors. The two crossbars can be configured such that one crossbar overlaps the other crossbar. In some embodiments, the anchor has a side wall formed by arms extending from the two crossbars. The arms can be joined and overlap to form a film crossbar that provides one side wall of the anchor. In detail, FIG. 4 shows a substrate 350 having a metal layer 352 deposited on the substrate 350 and a passivation material layer 354 deposited on the metal layer 352. In one embodiment, the substrate is formed from glass. The glass substrate can be formed from display grade glass, soda lime glass, and other examples. In some embodiments, the glass substrate has a thickness greater than or equal to about 0.2 millimeters (mm) to provide the desired amount of stiffness. In an alternative embodiment, instead of or in addition to the glass as the material of the rigid substrate, other materials such as tantalum, plastic or metal may be used. In some embodiments, the glass substrate comprises a coating such as SiO ₂ , SiNx, and/or various metals. The substrate may also be formed of a ceramic such as AlOx, YOx, BNx, SiCx, AlNx or GaNx. In other embodiments, the substrate is formed from a synthetic semiconductor such as GaAs, GaP, or GaN. In other embodiments, the substrate is, for example, a Si wafer having a thickness greater than or equal to about 0.1 mm or 0.2 mm. One or more coatings such as SiO ₂ , SiNx, and/or some materials may be applied to the Si wafer. In other embodiments, various metals such as stainless steel, Al, Ti, Cr, Cu, W, Ni, V, Mo, Co, Ta, Fe, Pt, Au, Zn, Sn, and/or such metals may be used. Alloys (for example, AlCu, AlSi, AlCu, AlTi, AlSc, AlNd, AlCr, AlCo, AlTiSi, AlCuSi, AlSc, AlY, CrCu, CrMo, CrRu, CrTa, CrTi, CrV, CoNi, NiV, AlFe, NiFe, WSi And a metal substrate formed by WTi). In some embodiments, the various substrates described herein can be laminated. The metal layer 352 has a recess 356 that is filled with a material from the passivation layer 354. Passivation layer 354 also has a recess that is filled with conductive material 358. Conductive material 358 forms a pad that contacts metal layer 352. In one embodiment, the electrically conductive material 358 is indium tin oxide (ITO) or some other suitable material for providing electrical connection to the metal layer 352 and providing a conductive surface within the passivation layer 354. In other embodiments, the conductive material 358 can be zinc oxide (ZnOx), titanium (Ti), titanium nitride (TiNx), molybdenum nitride (MoNx), tantalum and tantalum nitride (Ta, TaNx), and diffusion barriers. And a multilayer of aluminum (Al). The diffusion barriers may be Ti, Mo, TiNx, MoNx, Ta, and TaNx. The metal layer 352 may be a metal material layer such as aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), tantalum (Ta), titanium (Ti), molybdenum (Mo), gold (Au), silver (Ag), Multiple layers of such materials, combinations of such materials, and alloys of such materials, or some other material that conducts electrical signals sufficiently well to provide electrical signals to components of pixel 301. Metal layer 352 can be a single material layer or material composite, including materials that are typically provided to control diffusion and improve the electrical conductivity of metal layer 352.

As mentioned above, the substrate 350 can be glass, plastic, vermiculite-containing material, single crystal or amorphous germanium (aSi), other single crystal materials such as quartz or gallium arsenide (GaAs), or can contain deposited materials. Any other suitable substrate material for the film. In some embodiments, substrate 350 is formed from a transparent material such as alumina (Al ₂ O ₃ ), yttrium oxide (SiO ₂ ), tantalum nitride (Si ₃ N ₄ ), or other suitable material, in optically transmissive form. Passivation layer 354 can be any suitable passivation material. Typically, the passivation layer is tantalum nitride (SiNx). The SiNx may form a nitride layer on the surface of the metal layer 352 and may serve as a protective layer on the surface of the metal. In some embodiments, passivation layer 354 can also include SiO ₂ , SiOxNy, and spin on glass (SOG). Polymer coatings can be used as appropriate. In some embodiments, the polymeric coating can include high temperature polymers such as polyimine, benzocyclobutene (BCB), and multilayers of polymers such as SiNx and dielectric films. Further optionally, in some embodiments, this dielectric layer can be formed on the passivation layer to provide resistance to ashing such as oxygen ashing. In some embodiments, the dielectric layer can comprise SiNx, SiO ₂ or SiONx. Passivation layer 354 typically provides electrical stability by isolating components of the MEMS device from electrical and chemical conditions that may be present in the environment in which the MEMS device is operating. The thickness of metal layer 352 and passivation layer 354 can be selected according to techniques known in the art, and any suitable thickness can be used without departing from the scope of the invention. Metal layer 352 provides a conductive surface that is in contact with conductive material 358. The thickness of the metal layer can be typically from 1000 Å to 1 um, and in some instances from 300 Å to 3 um. Conductive material 358 can be an indium tin oxide (ITO) material, typically tin-doped indium oxide, which is a highly doped semiconductor material that provides a transparent electrical conductor.

Figure 5 shows the substrate of Figure 4 with a photoresist layer. In particular, FIG. 5 shows a photoresist layer 362 overlying portions of passivation layer 355 on substrate 350. The photoresist 362 can be spin coated onto the substrate 350 and patterned to provide a mold for the features of the first component layer. Photoresist layer 362 includes vias 364 that expose conductive material 358. Additionally, photoresist layer 362 includes vias 366 that expose passivation layer 355. Vias 366 and 364 allow material to be deposited onto the layer that is connected to substrate 350. This provides a location for an assembly such as an anchor that can be attached to the substrate 350. These anchors can be used to support a crossbar that will overlie the surface of the substrate 350 and will contain other components of the device, such as shutters, actuators, and apertures. In some embodiments, the thickness of the photoresist layer 362 is selected to define the distance between the substrate 350 and components (such as shutters and actuators) that will be suspended in the crossbar above the surface of the substrate 350. To this end, the through holes 366 and 364 can be considered as molds forming anchors that can be coupled to and extend from the substrate 350 and hold components such as the shutter 302 away from the substrate 350.

Figure 6 shows the mold layer formed on the photoresist of Figure 5. In detail, FIG. 6 shows a mold layer 370 deposited on the photoresist layer 362. Mold layer 370 can be formed from a photoresist material that is spin coated over the substrate, cured and patterned. Pattern support can be used to form components in MEMS devices. The pattern is partially caused by the through holes formed in the mold layer 370. In FIG. 6, the via includes a via 372 exposing the passivation layer 355, a via 374 exposing the photoresist layer 362, and a via 378 exposing the conductive material 358. The vias 372 and 374 and the upper surface of the mold layer 370 provide features of the mold formed by the vias 366 and 364 in the layer 362 that will shape the components of the pixel 301 (such as the shutter 302) and can be attached to the anchor Fixings (such as shown in Figure 3A) Anchor 311).

Figure 7 shows the passivation layer over the mold. In detail, FIG. 7 shows a passivation layer 382 formed over mold layer 370. In one embodiment, passivation layer 382 is a conformal SiNx layer that extends over mold layer 370 and abuts sidewalls of vias 372, 378, and 374. In some other embodiments, the passivation layer can be SiO ₂ , lanthanum oxynitride (SiNxOy), and AlOx. In some embodiments, the passivation layer comprises SiOxNy and the deposition procedure and composition of SiOxNy can be adjusted to achieve different ranges of mechanical stress. Passivation layer 382 is typically an electrical insulator that can serve as an exterior surface of a component of a MEMS device. To configure passivation layer 382 as an external surface for components in a MEMS device, such as pixel 301, the process deposits passivation layer 382 as a layer that is in direct contact with mold layer 370. Since the mold layer 370 will be removed from the substrate 350 during the demolding process, the passivation layer 382 will be exposed to the environment of the MEMS device and will be used for the exterior surface of the MEMS device. Typically, the program will deposit additional materials that can form a film that forms a component of the MEMS device, such as shutter 302 and aperture layer 304 depicted in FIG.

Figure 8 shows an additional layer deposited over the mold. The additional layers 384 and 386 can be thin films of semiconductor material such as aSi, titanium (Ti), aluminum (Al), or some other material suitable for forming components of MEMS devices. In one embodiment, layer 384 is an aSi layer deposited as a conformal layer over passivation layer 382. The aSi layer 384 may be baked or otherwise cured to take the shape of the mold 370, and thereby take the shape of the components in the pixel 301. In one embodiment, layer 386 is a conformal deposition of Ti. The Ti layer 386 can be an opaque layer for use with optical components such as shutters that block light traveling through the apertures 354. Both the aSi layer 384 and the Ti layer 386 can be a conductive layer capable of carrying electrical signals within the MEMS component formed over the mold 370. In some embodiments in which layers 384 and 386 form part of a shutter for blocking light, one or both of the layers may be opaque and capable of blocking light.

Figure 9 depicts a pattern of resist on the deposited layer. In particular, Figure 9 depicts a resist material deposited as a pattern of resist 390. Resist 390 fills the vias in mold 370 except for vias 378, which are half filled with resist material 392, which covers one sidewall of via 378 and portions of the bottom wall. In one embodiment, the semi-filled vias 378 are formed by the use of a resist 390 to completely fill the vias 378 and using a patterned mask to select the resist in a photolithographic manner. Half of 390 is removed by solvent or isotropic selective dry etching. For a positive resist that is soluble by exposure to light, a developer such as, but not limited to, KOH or tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) can be applied. Once the selected resist 390 is removed, the vias 378 are half filled as explained. The resist material 390 may be a conventional resist material, and may be a resist material such as polyamine which has been hard baked. In one embodiment, the etch process to remove portions of deposited layers 386, 384, and 382 can be an anisotropic dry etch process that etches titanium and amorphous germanium using a chlorine group, and can include The SiNx passivation layer is dry etched based on sulfur fluoride (SF ₆ ) or carbon fluoride (CF ₄ ). In any event, an etching process can be used for the purpose of etching away portions of the film deposited on mold layer 370 and through holes 372, 374, and 378.

Figure 10 depicts the etched surface of the substrate. In particular, FIG. 10 illustrates that layers 386, 384, and 382 have been removed from mold layer 370 at portions that are not protected by resist material 390. The bottom wall of via 378 has been etched to remove exposed portions of layers 386, 384, and 382 and expose conductive surface 358. This procedure essentially cuts the film layers 382, 384, and 386 to the correct size and shape such that the film is shaped into a crossbar that should have the shape to form the components in the pixel 301.

Figure 11 depicts the substrate with resists 390 and 392 removed. Figure 11 illustrates components 383 and 385 formed over layers 370 and 362 which are components of the anchor of the MEMS device. The components 383 and 385 are spaced from the surface of the substrate 350 by a distance equal to the thickness of the metal layer 352 and the passivation layer 354. 12 through 15 show a procedure for depositing a passivation layer over a component formed by the earlier procedure shown in Figures 1-11. In general, Figures 12 through 15 illustrate depositing a passivation layer and then etching the other layer to have a positive for a second crossbar (such as crossbar 363 of Figure 3B). The shape of the program.

Figure 12 depicts a substrate deposited with a second layer of passivation material. In particular, Figure 12 depicts a second passivation layer 394 deposited as a conformal passivation material layer. A passivation layer 394 covers the exposed surface of the mold layer 370, the surface of the film layer 386, and extends into the vias 372, 378, and 374 to provide a conformal layer that coats the sidewalls and bottom walls of the vias. Once the second passivation layer 394 is applied, the process can apply a resist.

FIG. 13 depicts a resist layer 396 deposited at a selected location to protect certain features of the device, such as a second passivation layer 394 formed over portions of vias 372, 378, and 374 within mold layer 370. The resist layer 396 is resistant to etching procedures to protect the material covered by the resist layer 396. Material exposed to the etching process can be removed from the substrate 350. The pattern of resist layer 396 is selected to allow the etch process to remove portions of passivation layer 382 from mold layer 370, and thereby passivation layer 382 is shaped to provide a component of pixel 301 having a passivated outer surface.

Figure 14 shows a portion of passivation layer 394 that is removed by an etch process. Figure 14 illustrates the exposed portion of the passivation layer 394 that has been removed by an etching process. In one embodiment, the etching process may be an anisotropic etch process, such as a removable silicon nitride (SiNx) CF ₄ plasma etching of the passivation layer program. FIG. 14 illustrates that the passivation layer 394 has been removed from all regions not covered by the resist 396. Figure 15 illustrates resist 396 stripped from the substrate.

Figure 15 shows anchor assemblies 383 and 385 of a MEMS device in which a passivation layer (layer 394) is deposited as an outer conformal coating. Components 383 and 385 also have a passivation material layer 382 disposed between components 383 and 385 and layer 370.

Figure 16 depicts a photoresist layer applied to a substrate. In particular, Figure 16 depicts a photoresist layer 400 deposited across the surface of the substrate having a pattern that allows elements of the subsequently deposited material layer to form components of the MEMS device.

Figure 17 depicts the substrate after the etching process. In particular, Figure 17 depicts the effect of an etch process for an isotropic dry etch process that removes a passivation layer such as a tantalum nitride (SiNx) passivation layer 394. In detail, Figure 17 shows the etched pass The hole 378 removes the passivation layer 394 from the sidewalls of the via 378 and portions of the bottom wall and exposes the conductive material 358. Other sections of the SiNx material have also been etched away leaving the layer 386 previously covered by the second passivation layer 394 and exposed.

Figure 18 depicts a mold layer used to form an assembly of a MEMS device. In particular, FIG. 18 depicts a mold layer 402 that has been deposited across a surface of photoresist 400 in a pattern. Mold layer 402 can provide a structure that will allow a set of subsequently deposited film materials to have a shape suitable for forming a crossbar suspended above substrate 350 and having components of a MEMS device, such as aperture 354 illustrated in Figure 3A. .

Figure 19 depicts the deposition of a photoresist material for the purpose of providing a spacer assembly. In particular, Figure 19 depicts the deposition of a spacer 408 that is part of the photoresist material on top of certain mold segments 402. The spacer 408 can provide an additional height to the formed via structure 372. In one embodiment, the MEMS device is placed in contact with the second substrate, and the spacer 408 can contact the second substrate and provide a portion of the mechanical support, and in some cases keep the second substrate separate from the first substrate 350.

Figure 20 depicts the deposition of several layers of semiconductor material over the mold and spacer. In particular, Figure 20 depicts the deposition of several layers of semiconductor material (typically an aSi layer, and a metal layer such as a Ti metal material) and a passivation layer (typically a tantalum nitride layer (SiNx)). The layers are depicted as being on top of one another and shown as elements 410, 412, and 414 in FIG. The layer depicted is a set of conformal layers in that the layers follow the pattern of mold 402 and spacer 408 and provide conformal deposition on the bottom and side walls of via 378. Layer 410 can be aSi and be electrically conductive. A conductive layer 410 is deposited on the bottom of the via 378 and in contact with the conductive surface 358. This allows the anchor 430 formed within the via 378 to make electrical contact with the interconnect layer of the MEMS device. The through hole 378 has a side wall 379 having an arm 391 from a first crossbar that is stacked against the arm 393 extending from the second crossbar of the assembly and overlaps the arm 393. The two arms 391 and 393 are each formed of three thin film layers of semiconductor material (as shown by the brackets at the ends of the reference lines for reference numbers 391 and 393). Arms 391 and 393 are overlapped The engagement is configured to form a sidewall 379 of the anchor 430. The arm 391 includes a conductive layer 410 extending from the substrate 350 along the sidewall 379 and covering a portion of the mold layer 400 used to form a second crossbar of an assembly, such as the aperture 354 of FIG. 3A. Conductive layer 410 is also in contact with conductive layer 384. Conductive layer 384 extends from substrate 350 along sidewall 379 and overlies portions of mold layer 370 that are used to form a first crossbar of a component, such as shutter 302 of Figure 3A.

Figure 21 depicts a resist material 418 deposited on a substrate. Resist material 418 is deposited in a pattern that includes a plurality of vias 420. The via 420 exposes portions of the deposited layers 414, 412, and 410.

Figure 22 depicts the etched surface of the substrate. In particular, Figure 22 depicts the exposed portions of material layers 410, 412, and 414 that have been removed from the substrate by an etching process. Thus, the exposed portions of the layers 410, 412, and 414 and the exposed portions of their layers in the vias 420 are removed and the underlayer 400 is exposed.

Figure 23 depicts a substrate 350 with a resist removed. In particular, Figure 23 depicts components of a MEMS device, such as a shutter and aperture, formed as having two film rails 415 and 417 of a MEMS component. The film rails 415 and 417 extend substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate 350. Both of the film rails 415 and 417 are coupled to the substrate 350, but are separated from the substrate 350 such that the film rails 415 and 417 are suspended away from the surface of the substrate 350. The film rails 415 and 417 are also separated from one another by a distance, and in the illustration, the rail 415 is suspended above the rail 417. Between the film modules is a layer of photoresist and mold material used to form the shape and pattern of the film layer and thus form the components of the MEMS device.

Figure 24 shows a MEMS device in which the photoresist material constituting the mold is peeled off, the devices being formed around the mold. 24 depicts a MEMS device including a first film rail 417 and then a second film rail 415. The crossbars are disposed between the substrates 350 and spaced apart from the substrate 350 by a distance. There is an anchor 430 having a portion (in some embodiments a conductive layer) of layer 384 that is in contact with conductive surface 358. Two rails 415 and 417 are attached to the anchor 430 and are held away from the substrate 350. In some embodiments, anchor 430 Crossbars 415 and 417 can be coupled to conductive surface 358.

The materials described above may be deposited by sputtering, chemical vapor deposition, or any other suitable technique, and may extend across the entire surface of the resist material or over portions of the surface, and how the material The deposition will depend on the application, the pattern, and the features produced. As mentioned above, deposition or any material on the substrate can be achieved by sputtering, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), electrodeposition, epitaxy, thermal oxidation, physical reaction, physical vapor deposition ( PVD), atomic layer deposition, sputtering, casting, or any other technique that chemically or physically moves material onto a substrate. Deposition may or may not be conformal, depending on the application and objectives of the program operation. The deposited material can be passivated to prevent problems such as static friction between the surfaces. Passivation can be carried out by fluorination, oximation, hydrogenation or any suitable procedure. Typically, the deposited material is a film having a thickness between a few nanometers and about 100 microns. The deposition of the pattern mold can be carried out by any suitable method. In some embodiments, the mold can be a formed hard mask or a suitable material, such as a layer of molybdenum (Mo) deposited by sputtering on the surface of the annealed resist. Patterning can be performed via any suitable procedure, such as chemical or dry etching, or any other suitable technique. The etching process can include a wet or dry etch process. The wet etch process can include any procedure that uses a solvent such as potassium hydroxide (KOH) to dissolve the material removed from the substrate. Dry etching can include sputtering or dissolving using reactive ions or vapor phase etching. Both the wet etch process and the dry etch process can be anisotropic and/or isotropic.

Figure 25 is a flow diagram of a procedure for forming a first rail and a second rail of a MEMS device. In particular, FIG. 25 shows a routine 2500 that begins at operation 2502 and provides a substrate having conductive pads on a substrate. In operation 2504, a mold is deposited on the substrate to form a first film crossbar. In some embodiments, the mold can be applied as a layer of resist material that is patterned to provide the shape and form of the various components that make up the device. In operation 2506, a layer of passivation material is deposited on the mold. In operation 2508, the program deposits at least one film layer on the passivation material to form at least a portion of the first film crossbar. The thickness of the deposited layer (whether used to form a mold or crossbar) can vary depending on the application being processed. In one embodiment, operation 2504 deposits a layer of resist material having a thickness between 2 microns and 5 microns, and in operations 2506 and 2508, depositing a layer of passivation material between about 25 angstroms and 125 angstroms or Other layers of semiconductor material. Can be by sputtering, CVD, PVD or for chemical or Physically moving the material to any other technique on the substrate, including the techniques mentioned earlier, to achieve deposition. The first film crossbar can be formed by depositing a series of layers of material, each layer being a film layer bonded to the layer in which it is deposited. The layers will follow the pattern of the mold and provide materials that will form the different components that are cast through the mold. The process 2500 then deposits a layer of passivation material over the first film crossbar in operation 2510. As described above, the passivating material can be any suitable passivating material that can provide a passivating coating to the crossbar formed by the layer deposited over the mold. The process 2500 deposits a mold for forming a second film crossbar over the passivation material layer in operation 2512. This second mold can have a pattern that will form an assembly that will be part of the second crossbar of the device. In operation 2514, the program deposits at least one film layer over the mold to form a second film crossbar, and in operation 2516, the program releases the first film crossbar and the second film crossbar from the mold to form externally a first crossbar having a passivating material on the surface and spaced apart from the substrate, and a second crossbar spaced from the first crossbar and overlapping the first crossbar.

Program 2500 illustrates a procedure for forming a MEMS device having two overlapping rails. However, the procedure 2500 is not limited to forming a device having two crossbars or having overlapping rails, and can be used to form a device having two or more crossbars and crossbars that do not overlap and are laterally spaced apart from one another.

Figure 26 is a flow diagram of a procedure for forming stacked vias. In particular, Figure 26 shows a fabrication of a MEMS device (such as a device fabricated using the procedure 2500 described with reference to Figure 25) and providing two or more crossbars to the MEMS device and having the crossbars A flow chart of a procedure for suspending stacked vias away from the surface of the substrate. The program 2600 has an operation 2602 that forms a through hole through the first film crossbar and the second film crossbar and extends the through hole to expose the conductive pad on the substrate. Operation 2602 provides a through hole to form an anchor for supporting the first film crossbar and the second film crossbar within the through hole. In operation 2604, the program forms a sidewall of the anchor with an arm coupled to the first film crossbar and an arm coupled to the second film crossbar. In operation 2606, the arm of the first film crossbar or the second film crossbar The arm provides a conductive material for attaching the first film crossbar or the second film crossbar to the conductive pad. In operation 2608, either one of the first film crossbar or the second film crossbar is attached to the conductive pad, and the other film crossbar is separated from the conductive pad and electrically connected to the film cross-section connected to the conductive pad. Rod. This provides an anchor that extends to the two rails and carries electrical signals to the two rails.

27A and 27B show an alternative embodiment of a stacked via. Figure 27A shows a through hole 2778 outlined in a square. The through hole 2778 can be formed using the program flow described with reference to FIG. 26, however, the through hole 2778 uses the top surface of the crossbar 2717 and the bottom surface of the crossbar 2715 as a means for connecting the components within the crossbars 2715 and 2717 to Electrical contacts of conductive layer 2758 on substrate 350. To this end, the via 2778 includes a series of conformal film layers comprising a layer of electrically conductive material 2710, such as aSi. The layer depicted is a set of conformal layers in that it follows the pattern formed by resist layers 2770 and 2762. Conductive layer 2710 is deposited on the bottom of via 2778 and placed in contact with conductive surface 2758. This allows the anchor to be formed within the via 2778 and to make electrical contact between the anchor and the interconnect layer of the MEMS device. The through hole 2778 is connected to and supports the first cross bar 2717 and is connected to and supports the second cross bar 2717. Layer 2710 extends into second crossbar 2715. Layer 2710 also contacts layer 2712 and is electrically coupled to layer 2712, which may also be a conductive material such as aSi and extends through first crossbar 2718. Figure 27B shows an anchor 2711 formed by demolding a conformal layer deposited over via 2778, which is formed in resist layers 2770 and 2762 and is shown in Figure 27A. The anchor 2711 has a layer of passivation material 2714 around its exterior. The anchor 2711 holds the two rails 2715 and 2717 away from the surface of the substrate and connects the two rails to the conductive layer 2758.

28 through 41 show cross-sectional schematic views illustrating various stages of fabricating an example MEMS device 502, in accordance with some embodiments. MEMS device 502 can form one or more light modulators within the display. For example, MEMS device 502 can include a first film crossbar 617 and a second film crossbar 615 that form one or more light modulators within the display. MEMS device Piece 502 can form one or more pixels within the display. The stages used to fabricate MEMS device 502 may include different, fewer, or additional operations than the stages illustrated in Figures 28-41.

28 shows an example of a partially fabricated MEMS device. The partially fabricated MEMS device can include a substrate 550, a metal layer 552 on the substrate 550, and an insulating layer 554 on the metal layer 552. In some embodiments, substrate 550 can comprise any suitable substrate material, such as glass. The insulating layer 554 can be recessed and filled with a conductive material 558, wherein the conductive material 558 forms a pad that contacts the metal layer 552. In some embodiments, conductive material 558 includes ITO, or some other suitable material for providing electrical connection to metal layer 552. Conductive material 558 can substantially conduct electrical signals to provide electrical signals to components of the pixels of the display. A first mold can be formed over a portion of the insulating layer 554, wherein the first mold can include a photoresist layer 562. Photoresist layer 562 can include vias 578 that can expose conductive material 558. Vias 578 permit deposition of material onto conductive material 558. The first mold may further include a mold layer 570, wherein the mold layer 570 may be formed of a photoresist material and formed over the photoresist layer 562. Mold layer 570 can include a trench 574 that exposes portions of photoresist layer 562. The trenches 574 and vias 578 provide features of the first mold of a component of the shapeable MEMS device, such as a shutter. The first mold can be patterned to form a first film crossbar of the MEMS device. A first passivation layer 582 is formed on the first mold and on the conductive material 558. The first passivation layer 582 is conformally deposited on the first mold, and the first mold includes a photoresist layer 562 and a mold layer 570. The first passivation layer 582 can be made of any suitable passivation material described earlier herein. The first passivation layer 582 can conform to the sidewalls of the trench 574 and the via 578 and also contact the conductive material 558. The first passivation layer 582 can be a passivation layer provided prior to demolding of the MEMS device. The partially fabricated MEMS device can be similar to the partially fabricated MEMS device described with respect to Figures 4-7.

In Figure 29, a first mask 590 can be formed over the first mold. The first mask 590 can be disposed over the selected portion to be formed over the mold layer 570 and the photoresist layer 562. In some embodiments, the first mask 590 can be formed in and above the trench 574, but is not formed in In the via hole 578, contact etching can be performed. A first mask 590 can be deposited over the first passivation layer 582. The first mask 590 can be made of a suitable resist material to allow an etch process to remove portions of the first passivation layer 582 within the vias 578.

FIG. 30 shows a partially fabricated MEMS device after removal of the first passivation layer 582 within via 578. An etch process such as a selective dry etch process may remove some of the first passivation layer 582 to expose the conductive material 558. Portions of the first passivation layer 582 that are not protected by the first mask 590 are etched away or otherwise removed. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that removal of portions of the first passivation layer 582 within the vias 578 can occur without the first mask 590. In some implementations, an anisotropic etch process can be used to remove portions of the first passivation layer 582 on the conductive material 558 without the first mask 590. In some embodiments, another portion of the first passivation layer 582 can remain on the sidewalls of the vias 578.

FIG. 31 shows a partially fabricated MEMS device after removal of the first mask 590. The resist material of the first mask 590 may be stripped such that the first passivation layer 582 is exposed. The first passivation layer 582 remains on the first mold but not along the sidewalls of the vias 578 or on the conductive material 558.

In Figure 32, an additional layer is deposited over the first mold. A conductive layer 584 is formed over the first mold, including over the photoresist layer 562 and the mold layer 570. Conductive layer 584 can include any suitable material for carrying electrical signals within the MEMS device, such as aSi, Ti, or Al. Conductive layer 584 can be conformally deposited on first passivation layer 582 and along sidewalls of vias 578 and on conductive material 558. Thus, conductive layer 584 can be in electrical contact with conductive material 558. A metal layer 586 can be formed on the conductive layer 584. Metal layer 586 can be conformally deposited on conductive layer 584. In some embodiments, metal layer 586 can also be electrically conductive and capable of carrying electrical signals within the MEMS device. In some implementations, metal layer 586 can be opaque or otherwise capable of substantially blocking the transmission of visible light. In some implementations, one or both of metal layer 586 and conductive layer 584 can be substantially opaque, wherein the metal layer One or both of 586 and conductive layer 584 can substantially block the transmission of visible light. For example, one or both of metal layer 586 and conductive layer 584 can block 80% or more, 90% or more, or 95% or more of visible light. Layers 584 and 586 can form the constituent layers of the first film crossbar of the MEMS device.

After deposition of layers 582, 584, and 586, a second mask 596 can be formed over layers 582, 584, and 586 for patterning and forming a first film crossbar. As illustrated in FIG. 34, a second mask 596 can be used to form a pattern of components of the first film crossbar of the MEMS device over layers 582, 584, and 586. In some embodiments, a second mask 596 can be formed over the vias 578 and the at least one trench 574. In some embodiments, the second mask 596 can comprise any suitable resist material.

In FIG. 34, an etch process is performed to remove portions of metal layer 586 and conductive layer 584 that are not covered by second mask 596. The etching process can include any suitable etching process, such as dry etching or wet etching. The etch process removes both the metal layer 586 and the conductive layer 584 over the top surface of the first mold. In some embodiments, the etch process can remove the metal layer 586 from the sidewalls of the trench 574 while leaving the conductive layer 584 on the sidewalls of the trench 574 intact. The etch process can be an anisotropic etch process to leave portions of conductive layer 584 and first passivation layer 582 on the sidewalls of trench 574.

FIG. 35 shows a partially fabricated MEMS device after removal of the second mask 596. The resist material of the second mask 596 can be stripped such that the layers 582, 584, and 586 are exposed. The remaining portions of conductive layer 584 and/or metal layer 586 can form a first film crossbar of the MEMS device.

A second passivation layer 594 is formed over the first film crossbar as illustrated in FIG. The second passivation layer 594 can be conformally deposited on the first film crossbar and over the first mold. In FIG. 36, the second passivation layer 594 covers the exposed surfaces of the photoresist layer 562, the mold layer 570, the conductive layer 584, and the metal layer 586. In some embodiments, the second passivation layer 594 conformally covers the sidewalls and bottom walls of the trenches 574. The second passivation layer 594 can be any suitable as described earlier herein. Made of passivation material.

In FIG. 37, a third mask 598 is formed for selectively removing portions of the second passivation layer 594. The third mask 598 can include a resist material and is formed at a selected location to protect the second passivation layer 594 on certain features of the MEMS device. A pattern of the third mask 598 can be formed to allow the etch process to remove portions of the second passivation layer 594 from the first mold. In this manner, the assembly of the first film crossbar can have at least a portion of the passivated exterior surface. In some embodiments, a third mask 598 can be formed over portions where a second passivation layer 594 is formed over both the metal layer 586 and the conductive layer 584.

In FIG. 38, portions of the second passivation layer 594 are removed by an etching process. The etch process can remove portions of the second passivation layer 594 that are not covered by the third mask 598. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that portions of the second passivation layer 594 can be removed without the third mask 598. In some implementations, such portions of the second passivation layer 594 can be removed by an anisotropic etch process without the third mask 598 such that the second passivation layer 594 can be in a partially fabricated MEMS The side walls of the device remain intact. In some embodiments, an anisotropic etching process may be a dry etching process, such as a CF ₄ plasma etch process.

39 shows a partially fabricated MEMS device having a first film crossbar, wherein the first film crossbar includes components 583 and 585 that are passivated by a first passivation layer 582 and a second passivation layer 594. The third mask 598 is removed in FIG. 39, wherein the resist material of the third mask 598 can be peeled off. Between components 583 and 585 is a passivating material. The passivation material prevents electrical shorts. In some embodiments, the first film crossbar assemblies 583 and 585 can include one or more actuators, shutters, and anchors. One or more anchors can be coupled to the substrate 550 at a conductive material 558 to provide a stable and secure attachment for the first film crossbar. The one or more shutters can be a moveable mechanical component configured to substantially prevent transmission of visible light, such as transmission of visible light through one or more apertures. The shutter is moveable between an open position and a closed position, wherein one or more actuators can be implemented for controlling movement of the shutter. One or more The actuator can include an electrode, wherein the electrode can carry an electrical signal for controlling the movement of the shutter.

40 shows an example of a MEMS device 502 having a first film crossbar 617 and a second film crossbar 615 above the first film crossbar 617. The MEMS device 502 can be demolded from the first mold and the second mold. The first film crossbar 617 includes one or more electrodes 503 and 513. In some embodiments, one or more of the electrodes 503 and 513 can include a movable sidewall rail having an aspect ratio greater than about 4 to 1 and possibly greater than 16 to 1 to provide a narrow profile and can be moved by applying an electromotive force Flexible crossbar. In some embodiments, the first film crossbar 617 further includes one or more shutters 502. The second film crossbar 615 is positioned above the first film crossbar 617, wherein the first film crossbar 617 is disposed between the substrate 550 and the second film crossbar 615, and is separated from the substrate 550 and the second film crossbar 615. . The second film crossbar 615 is shown spaced above the first film crossbar 617 and overlaps the first film crossbar 617. The second film crossbar 615 includes one or more apertures 555. The one or more shutters 502 can be configured to substantially prevent light from traveling through the one or more apertures 555. The inner passivation layer 530 partially covers the outer surface of the second film crossbar 615 and partially covers the outer surface of the first film crossbar 617.

In some embodiments, the first film crossbar 617 includes a first arm and the second film crossbar 615 includes a second arm, wherein each arm extends toward a surface of the substrate 550, wherein the first arm is joined to and overlaps the second The arms are configured to form anchors that hold the first film crossbar 617 and the second film crossbar 615 a distance from the substrate 550.

The fabrication of the second film rail 615 can be similar to the fabrication of the second film rail 415 of Figure 24, wherein the program flow can be similar to the program flow shown in Figures 15-23. After the first film crossbar 617 is formed over the first mold and the passivation layers 582 and 594 are used to cover the first film crossbar 617, the second film crossbar 615 can be formed over the first film crossbar 617. A second mold is formed over the first film crossbar 617. Next, at least additional conductive layers and additional metal layers are deposited and patterned over the second mold to form a second film crossbar 615. In some embodiments, the third passivation layer 614 is formed on the second film crossbar Above 615. The third passivation layer 614 can comprise any suitable passivation material as described earlier herein. The MEMS device 502 can be demolded by removing the first mold and the second mold, as shown in FIG. Passivation layers 582, 594, and 614 are formed prior to demolding. The inner passivation layer 530 can include passivation layers 582, 594, and 614.

In Figure 40, one or more of the electrodes 503, 513 can have one or more exposed surfaces. One or more exposed surfaces may not be passivated, which may result in a leakage path for the current. A leakage path can be caused attributable to a potential difference between the electrodes. Each of the one or more electrodes 503 and 513 can have a top surface, a bottom surface, and a sidewall. As shown in FIG. 40, the top surfaces of the electrodes 503 and 513 can be exposed while the sidewalls and bottom surfaces of the electrodes 503 and 513 are passivated by the first passivation layer 582 or the second passivation layer 594. To top the top surface of electrodes 503 and 513 and any other exposed surfaces in first film crossbar 617 and second film crossbar 615, an additional layer of passivation material may be provided to MEMS device 502 after demolding.

FIG. 41 shows a MEMS device 502 having a post-release passivation layer 500. After demolding of the MEMS device 502, a post-release passivation layer 500 can be formed to cover the outer surfaces of the first film crossbar 617 and the second film crossbar 615. Additionally, the post-release passivation layer 500 can constitute an external passivation layer that covers the inner passivation layer 530. The post-release passivation layer 500 can be conformally deposited on the exposed surface of the MEMS device 502 by CVD, such as plasma CVD. However, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that any suitable deposition technique can be applied. The post-release passivation layer 500 can comprise any suitable passivation material as described earlier herein. In some embodiments, MEMS device 502 can include a plurality of spacers for holding the plate away from second film crossbar 615.

Deposition of the post-release passivation layer 500 can occur on all surfaces of the MEMS device 502, as shown in FIG. In other words, the post-release passivation layer 500 coats the entire surface of the MEMS device 502. However, the coating may not be uniform across all surfaces of MEMS device 502. For example, combining one or more apertures 555 with one or more shutters 502 can present the difficulty of coating some surfaces over other surfaces. The precursor used in CVD may have to appear in a Or a plurality of apertures 555 and one or more shutters 502 below or around to coat some of the surface of the MEMS device 502. The post-release passivation layer 500 ensures coverage of the exposed surface of the MEMS device 500. As shown in FIG. 41, the post-release passivation layer 500 can cover the top surface of one or more of the electrodes 503 and 513. In some embodiments, the post-release passivation layer 500 can be relatively thin, such as less than about 1000 Å, less than about 500 Å, or between about 200 Å and about 400 Å. Therefore, even if the deposition of the post-release passivation layer 500 can be non-uniform, the effect of this non-uniformity may be small when the post-release passivation layer 500 is relatively thin. In contrast, internal passivation layer 530 can have a thickness of less than about 2000 Å, such as between about 300 Å and about 1000 Å.

Figure 41 shows a fully encapsulated and passivated MEMS device 502. 28 through 41 illustrate various stages of fabricating MEMS device 502 by applying both pre-release passivation layers 582, 594 and 614 and post-release passivation layer 500, rather than simply pre-offset in Figures 4-27. The mold passivation layer is applied to the outer surface. In some embodiments, some of the surfaces of MEMS device 502, such as the top surfaces of electrodes 503 and 513, may be exposed if only pre-release passivation layers 582, 594, and 614 are applied. In some embodiments, if only the post-release passivation layer 500 is applied, the non-uniformity of the coated MEMS device 502 can have a more substantial impact. To coat all of the MEMS device 502 without the pre-release passivation layers 582, 594, and 614, a thicker deposition of the post-release passivation layer 500 can be applied. However, thicker deposition of the post-release passivation layer 500 can cause, for example, distortion of one or more of the apertures 555. Additionally, thicker deposition of the post-release passivation layer 500 can result in device performance non-uniformity. For example, the edges of MEMS device 502 can be thicker, which can result in higher pull-in voltages and different shutter speeds. In addition, the non-uniform post-release passivation layer 500 can cause tip gap non-uniformities.

Figures 42A-42D show cross-sectional schematic views illustrating various stages of passivating a film crossbar on a mold. In FIG. 42A, a first passivation layer 582 is conformally deposited on the top surface and sidewalls of the mold layer 570 and conformally deposited on the top surface of the photoresist layer 562. In some implementations, the first passivation layer 582 can include SiN _x . Additionally, conductive layer 584 can be conformally deposited on first passivation layer 582. In some implementations, the conductive layer 584 can include aSi.

In FIG. 42B, portions of conductive layer 584 are removed, while first passivation layer 582 remains conformal along the top surface and sidewalls of mold layer 570 and photoresist layer 562. Another portion of conductive layer 584 remains intact, on first passivation layer 582 and adjacent to sidewalls of mold layer 570.

In FIG. 42C, a second passivation layer 594 is conformally deposited on the first passivation layer 582 and on the conductive layer 584. In some implementations, the second passivation layer 594 can have the same composition as the first passivation layer 582. The second passivation layer 594 can cover the exposed surface of the conductive layer 584 and increase the thickness of the first passivation layer 582.

In FIG. 42D, portions of the second passivation layer 594 and the first passivation layer 582 are removed from the top surfaces of the mold layer 570 and the photoresist layer 562. However, removal of portions of the second passivation layer 594 and the first passivation layer 582 may also expose portions of the conductive layer 584. This can cause some surfaces of the MEMS device to be unpassivated, which can cause leakage of current. In some embodiments, unpassivated components in MEMS devices can even cause electrical shorts. The exposed surface of conductive layer 584 can similarly be caused by the program flow shown in Figures 28-40. Thus, the post-release passivation layer 500 can provide a coating for covering any of these exposed surfaces to eliminate or otherwise reduce the leakage path in the MEMS device.

43-52 show cross-sectional schematic diagrams illustrating various stages of fabricating an example MEMS device 702, in accordance with some other embodiments. The program flow in Figures 43 through 52 can be similar to the program flow in Figures 28 through 41 except that there are fewer masks. MEMS device 702 can form one or more light modulators within the display. In some embodiments, MEMS device 702 can include a first film crossbar 817 and a second film crossbar 815 that form one or more light modulators within the display. MEMS device 702 can form one or more pixels within the display. The stages used to fabricate MEMS device 702 may include different, fewer, or additional operations than the stages illustrated in Figures 43-52.

Figure 43 shows an example of a partially fabricated MEMS device. Partially manufactured MEMS The device can include a substrate 750, a metal layer 752, an insulating layer 754, a conductive material 758, a photoresist layer 762, a mold layer 770, a first passivation layer 782, and a trench 774, and vias 778. Photoresist layer 762 and mold layer 770 can form a first mold, wherein the first mold includes features for shaping the components of the MEMS device. The partially fabricated MEMS device of Figure 43 can be similar to the partially fabricated MEMS device of Figure 28. Therefore, how to form and configure the substrate 750, the metal layer 752, the insulating layer 754, the conductive material 758, the photoresist layer 762, the mold layer 770, the first passivation layer 782 and the trench 774, and the via 778 can be similar to how to form and configure Substrate 550, metal layer 552, insulating layer 554, conductive material 558, photoresist layer 562, mold layer 570, first passivation layer 582 and trench 574, and vias 578.

In FIG. 44, portions of the first passivation layer 782 are removed from the partially fabricated MEMS device. No mask is applied when removing portions of the first passivation layer 782. Instead, an etch process such as an anisotropic dry etch process is applied to remove portions of the first passivation layer 782. The first passivation layer 782 can be etched from the top surface of the first mold (including the photoresist layer 762 and the top surface of the mold layer 770) and from the conductive material 758. Other portions of the first passivation layer 782 may remain intact on the sidewalls of the trench 774 and via 778.

In Figure 45, an additional layer is formed over the first mold. A conductive layer 784 is formed over the first mold and the first passivation layer 782, wherein the conductive layer 784 can be conformally deposited on the photoresist layer 762, the mold layer 770, the first passivation layer 782, and the conductive material 758. In some implementations, the conductive layer 784 can include aSi. Thus, conductive layer 784 can be in electrical contact with conductive material 758. Metal layer 786 can be formed over conductive layer 784, with metal layer 786 conforming along conductive layer 784. In some embodiments, the metal layer 786 can include Ti. Additionally, an etch stop layer 788 can be formed over the metal layer 786 with the etch stop layer 788 conforming along the metal layer 786. In some implementations, the etch stop layer 788 can be identical in composition to the conductive layer 784. For example, etch stop layer 788 can include aSi. Etch stop layer 788 may also be referred to as second conductive layer 788. Etch stop layer 788 can serve as an etch stop and protect metal layer 786. In some embodiments, one or more of layers 784, 786, and 788 can be opaque or Substantially opaque. For example, one or more of conductive layer 784, metal layer 786, and etch stop layer 788 can be capable of blocking 80% or more, 90% or more, or 95% or more of visible light. Layers 784, 786, and 788 can form the constituent layers of the first film crossbar of the MEMS device.

Figure 46 shows a partially fabricated MEMS device in which a first mask 790 is formed over layers 782, 784, and 786 for forming a first film crossbar. As illustrated in Figure 46, a first mask 790 for forming a first film crossbar can be provided over the selected portion. In some embodiments, a first mask 790 can be formed over the via 778 and the at least one trench 774. In some embodiments, the first mask 790 can comprise any suitable resist material.

Portions of layers 784, 786, and 788 are removed in FIG. 47, including portions that are not covered by first mask 790. The etching process can include any suitable etching process, such as dry etching or wet etching. An etch process can remove conductive layer 784, metal layer 786, and etch stop layer 788 from the top surface of the first mold. In some implementations, the etch process can remove metal layer 786 and etch stop layer 788 on the sidewalls of trench 774 while leaving conductive layer 784 on the sidewalls of trench 774 intact. In some implementations, the etch process can include an isotropic etch of the etch stop layer 788, an isotropic etch of the metal layer 786, and an anisotropic etch of the conductive layer 784. The anisotropic etch of conductive layer 784 can complete portions of conductive layer 784 and first passivation layer 782 on the sidewalls of trench 774.

FIG. 48 shows a partially fabricated MEMS device after removal of the first mask 790. The resist material of the first mask 790 can be stripped such that the layers 782, 784, 786, and/or 788 are exposed. The remaining portions of conductive layer 784, metal layer 786, and/or etch stop layer 788 form the components of the first film crossbar of the MEMS device.

In FIG. 49, a second passivation layer 794 is formed over the first film crossbar. The second passivation layer 794 can be conformally deposited on the first film crossbar and over the first mold. In some implementations, the second passivation layer 794 covers the exposed surfaces of the photoresist layer 762, the mold layer 770, the first passivation layer 782, the conductive layer 784, the metal layer 786, and the etch stop layer 788. In some real In the embodiment, the second passivation layer 794 conformally covers the sidewalls and the bottom wall of the trench 774. The second passivation layer 794 can be made of any suitable passivation material described earlier herein.

Figure 50 shows a partially fabricated MEMS device with portions of the second passivation layer 794 removed. No mask is applied when removing portions of the second passivation layer 794. Instead, an etch process such as an anisotropic dry etch process is applied to remove portions of the second passivation layer 794. The second passivation layer 794 can be etched from the top surface of the first film crossbar, including the etch stop layer 788 and the top surface of the conductive layer 784. A second passivation layer 794 can also be etched from the top surface of the photoresist layer 762 and the mold layer 770. Etch stop layer 788 can serve as an etch stop such that portions of second passivation layer 794 are removed without removing layers 784 and 786 of the first film crossbar. Other portions of the second passivation layer 794 may remain intact on the sidewalls of the trench 774 and via 778.

51 shows an example of a MEMS device 702 having a first film crossbar 817 and a second film crossbar 815 above the first film crossbar 817. The MEMS device 702 can be demolded from the first mold and the second mold. The first film crossbar 817 includes one or more electrodes 703 and 713. In some embodiments, one or more of the electrodes 703 and 713 can include a movable sidewall rail having an aspect ratio greater than about 4 to 1 and possibly greater than 16 to 1 to provide a narrow profile and can be moved by applying an electromotive force Flexible crossbar. In some embodiments, the first film crossbar 817 includes one or more shutters 702. The second film crossbar 815 is positioned above the first film crossbar 817, wherein the first film crossbar 817 is disposed between the substrate 750 and the second film crossbar 815, and is separated from the substrate 750 and the second film crossbar 815. . The second film crossbar 815 is shown spaced above the first film crossbar 817 and overlaps the first film crossbar 817. The second film crossbar 815 includes one or more apertures 755. The one or more shutters 702 can be configured to substantially prevent light from traveling through the one or more apertures 755. The inner passivation layer 730 partially covers the outer surface of the second film crossbar 815 and partially covers the outer surface of the first film crossbar 817.

In some embodiments, the first film crossbar 817 includes a first arm and a second film cross The rod 815 includes a second arm, wherein each arm extends toward a surface of the substrate 750, wherein the first arm is coupled to and overlaps the second arm to form a first film crossbar 817 and a second film crossbar 815 that are capable of holding The substrate 750 is separated by a distance anchor. A second film crossbar 815 can be attached to the etch stop layer 788 at the anchor.

The fabrication of the second film rail 815 can be similar to the fabrication of the film rail 415 of Figure 24, wherein the program flow can be similar to the program flow shown in Figures 15-23. After the first film crossbar 817 is formed over the first mold and the passivation layers 782 and 794 are used to cover the first film crossbar 817, the second film crossbar 815 can be formed over the first film crossbar 817. A second mold is formed over the first film crossbar 817. Next, at least additional conductive layers and additional metal layers are deposited and patterned over the second mold to form a second film crossbar 815. In some embodiments, a third passivation layer 814 is formed over the second film crossbar 815. The third passivation layer 814 can comprise any suitable passivation material discussed earlier herein. The MEMS device 702 can be demolded by removing the first mold and the second mold, as shown in FIG. Passivation layers 782, 794, and 814 are formed prior to demolding.

In Figure 51, one or more of the electrodes 703 and 713 can have one or more exposed surfaces. One or more exposed surfaces may not be passivated, which may result in a leakage path for the current. As shown in FIG. 51, the top and bottom surfaces of electrodes 703 and 713 can be exposed while the sidewalls of electrodes 703 and 713 are passivated by first passivation layer 782 or second passivation layer 794. Additionally, the top and bottom surfaces of one or more shutters 702 can be exposed. To passivate any exposed surfaces in the first film crossbar 817 and the second film crossbar 815, an additional layer of passivation material can be provided to the MEMS device 702 after demolding.

FIG. 52 shows MEMS device 702 having a post-release passivation layer 500. After demolding of the MEMS device 702, a post-release passivation layer 700 can be formed to cover the outer surfaces of the first film crossbar 817 and the second film crossbar 815. Additionally, the post-release passivation layer 700 can form an outer passivation layer that covers the inner passivation layer 730. The post-release passivation layer 700 can be conformally deposited on the exposed surface of the MEMS device 702 by CVD, such as plasma CVD. However, generally cooked It will be understood by those skilled in the art that any suitable deposition technique can be applied. The post-release passivation layer 700 can comprise any suitable passivation material as described earlier herein. In some embodiments, MEMS device 702 can include a plurality of spacers for holding the plate away from second film crossbar 815.

Deposition of the post-release passivation layer 700 can occur on all surfaces of the MEMS device 702, as shown in FIG. In other words, the post-release passivation layer 700 coats the entire surface of the MEMS device 702. The post-release passivation layer 700 can cover the top and bottom surfaces of the one or more electrodes 703 and 713 and the top and bottom surfaces of the one or more shutters 702. In some embodiments, the post-release passivation layer 700 can be relatively thin, such as less than about 1000 Å, less than about 500 Å, or between about 200 Å and about 400 Å. In contrast, internal passivation layer 730 can have a thickness of less than about 2000 Å, such as between about 300 Å and about 1000 Å. The pattern of the subsequent stripping passivation layer 700 in FIG. 52 can be similar to the subsequent stripping passivation layer 500 in FIG.

53A and 53B show system block diagrams of an example display device 5340 that includes a plurality of display elements. Display device 5340 can be, for example, a smart phone, a cellular phone, or a mobile phone. However, the same components of display device 5340, or slight variations thereof, also illustrate various types of display devices, such as televisions, computers, tablets, e-readers, handheld devices, and portable media devices.

Display device 5340 includes a housing 5341, a display 5330, an antenna 5343, a speaker 5345, an input device 5348, and a microphone 5346. The outer casing 5341 can be formed from any of a variety of manufacturing processes including injection molding and vacuum molding. Additionally, the outer casing 5341 can be made from any of a variety of materials including, but not limited to, plastic, metal, glass, rubber, and ceramic, or a combination thereof. The housing 5341 can include a removable portion (not shown) that can be interchanged with other removable portions having different colors or containing different logos, pictures, or symbols.

Display 5330 can be any of a variety of displays as described herein, including bistable or analog displays. The display 5330 can also include: a flat panel display such as a plasma, an electroluminescence (EL) display, an OLED, a super twisted nematic (STN) display, LCD or thin film transistor (TFT) LCD; or non-flat panel display, such as cathode ray tube (CRT) or other tubular device. Additionally, display 5330 can include a display based on a mechanical light modulator, as described herein.

The components of display device 5340 are schematically illustrated in Figure 53B. Display device 5340 includes a housing 5341 and can include additional components that are at least partially enclosed therein. For example, display device 5340 includes a network interface 5327 that includes an antenna 5343 that can be coupled to transceiver 5347. The network interface 5327 can be a source of image material that can be displayed on the display device 5340. Therefore, the network interface 5327 is an example of an image source module, but the processor 5321 and the input device 5348 can also function as an image source module. The transceiver 5347 is coupled to the processor 5321 and the processor 5321 is coupled to the conditioning hardware 5352. The conditioning hardware 5352 can be configured to condition a signal (such as filtering or otherwise manipulating the signal). The adjustment hardware 5352 can be connected to the speaker 5345 and the microphone 5346. The processor 5321 can also be coupled to the input device 5348 and the driver controller 5329. The driver controller 5329 can also be coupled to the frame buffer 5328 and coupled to the array driver 5322. The array driver 5322 can be coupled to the display array 5330. One or more of the components of display device 5340 (including those not specifically depicted in FIG. 53A) may be capable of acting as a memory device and capable of communicating with processor 5321. In some implementations, the power supply 5350 can provide power to substantially all of the components in a particular display device 5340 design.

The network interface 5327 includes an antenna 43 and a transceiver 5347 such that the display device 5340 can communicate with one or more devices via a network. Network interface 5327 may also have some processing power to mitigate, for example, the data processing requirements of processor 5321. The antenna 5343 can transmit and receive signals. In some embodiments, antenna 5343 transmits and receives RF signals in accordance with any of the IEEE 16.11 standards or any of the IEEE 802.11 standards. In some other implementations, the antenna 5343 transmits and receives RF signals in accordance with the Bluetooth® standard. In the case of a cellular telephone, the antenna 5343 can be designed to receive code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), GSM/General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), enhanced data GSM Environment (EDGE), Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA), Broadband CDMA (W-CDMA), Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO), 1xEV-DO, EV-DO Rev A, EV-DO Rev B, High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), Evolved High Speed Packet Access (HSPA+), Long Term Evolution (LTE), AMPS, or Other known signals communicated within a wireless network, such as a system utilizing 3G, 4G, or 5G technology or other embodiments thereof. Transceiver 5347 can preprocess the signals received from antenna 5343 such that the signals can be received and further manipulated by processor 5321. Transceiver 5347 can also process signals received from processor 5321 such that the signals can be transmitted from display device 5340 via antenna 5343.

In some embodiments, the transceiver 5347 can be replaced by a receiver. Additionally, in some embodiments, the network interface 5327 can be replaced by an image source that can store or generate image material to be sent to the processor 5321. The processor 5321 can control the overall operation of the display device 5340. The processor 5321 receives the data (such as compressed image data from the network interface 5327 or the image source) and processes the data into raw image data or processed into a format that can be easily processed into the original image data. The processor 5321 can send the processed data to the driver controller 5329 or to the frame buffer 5328 for storage. Raw material is usually information that identifies the image characteristics at each part of the image. For example, such image characteristics may include color, saturation, and gray scale.

The processor 5321 can include a microcontroller, CPU, or logic unit to control the operation of the display device 5340. The conditioning hardware 5352 can include amplifiers and filters for transmitting signals to the speaker 5345 and for receiving signals from the microphone 5346. The conditioning hardware 5352 can be a discrete component within the display device 5340 or can be incorporated within the processor 5321 or other components.

The driver controller 5329 can take the raw image material generated by the processor 5321 directly from the processor 5321 or from the frame buffer 5328 and can reformat the original image material for high speed transmission to the array driver 5322. In some embodiments, the driver controller 5329 can reformat the original image data into a dot-like format. The data stream is such that the data stream has a temporal order suitable for scanning across the display array 5330. Driver controller 5329 then sends the formatted information to array driver 5322. Although the driver controller 5329 is often associated with the system processor 5321 as a stand-alone integrated circuit (IC), such controllers can be implemented in a number of ways. For example, the controller may be embedded in the processor 5321 as a hardware, embedded in the processor 5321 as a software, or fully integrated into the hardware together with the array driver 5322.

Array driver 5322 can receive formatted information from driver controller 5329 and can reformat the video material into a set of parallel waveforms that are applied to the matrix of xy display elements from the display many times per second. And sometimes thousands (or more) of leads. In some embodiments, array driver 5322 and display array 5330 are part of a display module. In some embodiments, the driver controller 5329, the array driver 5322, and the display array 5330 are part of a display module.

In some implementations, the driver controller 5329, the array driver 5322, and the display array 5330 are suitable for any of the types of displays described herein. For example, the driver controller 5329 can be a conventional display controller or a bi-stable display controller (such as a mechanical light modulator display element controller). Additionally, array driver 5322 can be a conventional driver or a bi-stable display driver (such as a mechanical light modulator display element driver). Additionally, display array 5330 can be a conventional display array or a bi-stable display array (such as a display including an array of mechanical light modulator display elements). In some embodiments, the driver controller 5329 can be integrated with the array driver 5322. This embodiment can be used in highly integrated systems such as mobile phones, portable electronics, watches or small area displays.

In some embodiments, input device 5348 can be configured to allow, for example, a user to control the operation of display device 5340. Input device 5348 can include a keypad (such as a QWERTY keyboard or telephone keypad), buttons, switches, rocker arms, touch sensitive screens, a touch sensitive screen integrated with display array 5330, or a pressure sensitive or thermal diaphragm. Microphone 5346 can be configured as an input device for display device 5340. In some embodiments, Voice commands via microphone 5346 can be used to control the operation of display device 5340. Additionally, in some embodiments, voice commands can be used to control display parameters and settings.

Power supply 5350 can include a variety of energy storage devices. For example, the power supply 5350 can be a rechargeable battery, such as a nickel cadmium battery or a lithium ion battery. In embodiments in which a rechargeable battery is used, the rechargeable battery can be rechargeable using power from, for example, a wall socket or photovoltaic device or array. Alternatively, the rechargeable battery can be wirelessly chargeable. The power supply 5350 can also be a renewable energy source, a capacitor, or a solar cell, including a plastic solar cell or a solar cell lacquer. Power supply 5350 can also be configured to receive power from a wall outlet.

In some embodiments, the control can be programmatically resident in a driver controller 5329 that can be located at several places in the electronic display system. In some other implementations, control resides programmatically in array driver 5322. The optimizations described above can be implemented in any number of hardware and/or software components and implemented in a variety of configurations.

As used herein, a phrase referring to at least one of the list of items refers to any combination of items, including single members. As an example, "at least one of a, b or c" is intended to cover: a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, and a-b-c.

The various illustrative logic, logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithms described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented as an electronic hardware, a computer software, or a combination of both. The interchangeability of hardware and software has been described generally in terms of functionality and is described in the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and procedures described above. This functionality is implemented in hardware or software depending on the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system.

The hardware and data processing apparatus for implementing the various illustrative logic, logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may employ the following, which are designed to perform the functions described herein. Implemented or implemented: general purpose single or multi-chip processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), special application integrated circuits (ASICs), fields Programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general purpose processor can be a microprocessor, or any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. In some embodiments, specific procedures and methods may be performed by circuitry that is specific to a given function.

In one or more aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, digital electronic circuitry, computer software, firmware (including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents), or any combination thereof. Embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification can also be implemented as one or more computer programs (ie, one or more modules of computer program instructions) encoded on a computer storage medium for execution by a data processing device or Control the operation of the data processing device.

Various modifications to the described embodiments of the invention can be readily apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention, and the general principles defined herein are applicable to other embodiments. . Therefore, the scope of the invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but the broadest scope of the invention, the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

In addition, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the terms "upper" and "lower" are sometimes used to facilitate the description of the figures, and indicate the relative position of the orientation corresponding to the map on the appropriately oriented page, and It may not reflect the proper orientation of any device as implemented.

Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can be implemented in various embodiments, either individually or in any suitable sub-combination. Moreover, although the features may be described above as being in some combination It is used and even initially claimed, but one or more features from the claimed combination may be deleted from the combination under some circumstances, and the claimed combination may have variations with respect to sub-combinations or sub-combinations.

Similarly, although the operations are depicted in a particular order in the drawings, this is not to be construed as a limitation or a . Furthermore, the drawings may schematically depict one or more example programs in the form of flowcharts. However, other operations not depicted may be incorporated in the illustrative examples that are schematically illustrated. For example, one or more additional operations can be performed before, after, simultaneously, or between any of the illustrated operations. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. In addition, the separation of various system components in the embodiments described above should not be construed as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it is understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together into a single software product. Medium or packaged into multiple software products. In addition, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. In some cases, the actions described in the scope of the claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve the desired results.

700‧‧‧Down release passivation layer

702‧‧‧MEMS devices/shutter

Claims (26)

A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device comprising: a substrate; a first film crossbar above the substrate, wherein the first film crossbar includes one or more electrodes; above the first film crossbar a second film crossbar disposed between the substrate and the second film crossbar and spaced apart from the substrate and the second film crossbar, wherein the second film crossbar includes one or a plurality of apertures; an inner passivation layer partially covering an outer surface of the second film crossbar and partially covering an outer surface of one of the first film crossbars, wherein the first film crossbar and the second portion One portion of the film crossbar is not covered by the inner passivation layer; and an outer passivation layer over the inner passivation layer, the outer passivation layer covering the inner passivation layer and the uncovered portion of the first film crossbar and the The uncovered portion of the second film crossbar. The MEMS device of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more electrodes comprises a top surface, a bottom surface, and a sidewall, the inner passivation layer covering at least the sidewalls of the one or more electrodes, and An outer passivation layer covers at least the top and bottom surfaces of the one or more electrodes. The MEMS device of claim 1, wherein the first film crossbar comprises a first conductive layer, wherein the substrate comprises a conductive surface in contact with the first conductive layer. The MEMS device of claim 3, wherein the first film crossbar further comprises a second conductive layer that is identical in composition to the first conductive layer and to the second film crossbar. The MEMS device of claim 4, wherein the second conductive layer is an etch stop layer. The MEMS device of claim 4, wherein the first film crossbar further comprises a metal layer between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer, the first conductive layer, the metal layer and the second conductive One or more of the layers are substantially opaque. The MEMS device of claim 1, wherein the first film crossbar includes a shutter configured to substantially prevent light from traveling through the one or more apertures. The MEMS device of claim 1, wherein one of the second passivation layers has a thickness of less than about 1000 Å. The MEMS device of claim 1, wherein the first film crossbar includes a first arm and the second film crossbar includes a second arm, each arm extending toward the surface of the substrate, the first arm being coupled to And overlapping the second arm, the first arm and the second arm form an anchor capable of holding the first film crossbar and the second film crossbar at a distance from the substrate. The MEMS device of claim 1, wherein the one or more electrodes comprise a movable sidewall rail having an aspect ratio greater than about 4:1. The MEMS device of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a glass substrate. The MEMS device of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of spacers for holding a plate away from the second film crossbar. The MEMS device of claim 12, further comprising a processor operative to communicate with the display, the processor capable of processing the image material; and a memory device operative to communicate with the processor. The MEMS device of claim 13 further comprising a driver circuit capable of transmitting at least one signal to the display; and a controller capable of transmitting at least a portion of the image data to the driver circuit. The MEMS device of claim 13, further comprising an image source module, the image The source module can send the image data to the processor, wherein the image source module includes at least one of a receiver, a transceiver, and a transmitter. The MEMS device of claim 13 further comprising an input device capable of receiving input data and communicating the input data to the processor. A MEMS device comprising: a substrate; a first film crossbar above the substrate, wherein the first film crossbar includes one or more electrodes; and a second film cross over the first film crossbar a first film crossbar disposed between the substrate and the second film crossbar and spaced apart from the substrate and the second film crossbar, wherein the second film crossbar includes one or more apertures; a first member for covering the outer surface of one of the second film rails and partially covering an outer surface of one of the first film rails for passivating the MEMS device, wherein the first film rail portion and the portion One portion of the second film crossbar is not covered by the first passivation member; and a second member over the first passivation member for passivating the MEMS device, the second passivation member covering the first passivation member and the The uncovered portion of the first film crossbar and the uncovered portion of the second film crossbar. The MEMS device of claim 17, wherein each of the one or more electrodes comprises a top surface, a bottom surface, and a sidewall, the first passivation member covering at least the sidewalls of the one or more electrodes, and The second passivation member covers at least the top and bottom surfaces of the one or more electrodes. The MEMS device of claim 17, wherein the first film crossbar comprises a first conductive layer, wherein the substrate comprises a conductive surface in contact with the first conductive layer. A method of fabricating a MEMS device, the method comprising: providing a substrate; Forming a first mold for forming a first film crossbar over the substrate; forming a first passivation material pre-release layer on the first mold; pre-detaching the first mold and the first passivation material Forming a first film crossbar above the mold layer; forming a second passivation material pre-release layer over the first film crossbar; forming a second film cross-section over the second passivation material pre-release layer a second mold of the rod; forming the second film crossbar above the second mold; demolding the first film crossbar and the second film crossbar from the first mold and the second mold, such that The first passivation material pre-release layer and the second passivation material pre-release layer partially cover an outer surface of the first film crossbar, the first film crossbar is spaced apart from the substrate, and the second film is transverse The rod is spaced apart from the first film crossbar and overlaps the first film crossbar; and a passivation material is formed to release the mold layer to cover the second film crossbar and the outer surface of the first film crossbar. The method of claim 20, further comprising: forming a third passivation material pre-release layer over the second film crossbar prior to demolding the first film crossbar and the second film crossbar. The method of claim 20, wherein the forming the first film crossbar comprises: depositing a first mask over a portion of the first passivation material pre-release layer; etching at least some of the first passivation material pre-release layer Depositing a conductive layer over the first passivation material pre-release layer and over the first mold; and depositing a metal layer on the conductive layer. The method of claim 20, wherein forming the first film crossbar comprises: anisotropically etching at least some of the first passivation material pre-release layer; Depositing a first conductive layer over the first passivation material pre-release layer and the first mold; depositing a metal layer on the first conductive layer; and depositing a second conductive layer on the metal layer The two conductive layers are identical in composition to the first conductive layer. The method of claim 20, wherein after the first film crossbar and the second film crossbar are demolded, the first film crossbar includes one or more electrodes and the second film crossbar includes one or more A pore. The method of claim 24, wherein each of the one or more electrodes comprises a top surface, a bottom surface, and a sidewall, the first passivation material pre-release layer and the second passivation material pre-release layer at least The sidewalls of the one or more electrodes are covered, and the passivation material post-release layer covers at least the top and bottom surfaces of the one or more electrodes. A device comprising: a substrate; a conductive pad over the substrate; at least one first film layer contacting the conductive pad, wherein the at least one first film layer forms at least a portion of a first film crossbar; Forming at least a second film layer over the first film crossbar of at least a portion of the second film crossbar, wherein the first film crossbar is spaced from the substrate, and the second film crossbar is a first film crossbar spaced apart and overlapping the first film crossbar; a first pre-release passivation layer partially covering an outer surface of one of the first film crossbars, wherein at least a portion of the first film crossbar Exposing; releasing the passivation layer after one of the first pre-release passivation layers, wherein the post-release passivation layer covers at least the exposed portion of the first film cross-bar.