Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110152632 | Universal Body Sensor Network - A sensor module ( | 06-23-2011 |
20110156175 | METHOD OF FORMING A DIE HAVING AN IC REGION ADJACENT A MEMS REGION - A method that includes forming a first layer having a first dopant concentration, the first layer having an integrated circuit region and a micro-electromechanical region and doping the micro-electromechanical region of the first layer to have a second dopant concentration is presented. The method includes forming a second layer having a third dopant concentration overlying the first layer, doping the second layer that overlies the micro-electromechanical region to have a fourth dopant concentration, forming a micro-electromechanical structure in the micro-electromechanical region using the first and second layers, and forming active components in the integrated circuit region using the second layer. | 06-30-2011 |
20110210808 | SWITCH WITH INCREASED MAGNETIC SENSITIVITY - Switches that are actuated through exposure to a magnetic field are described. Such switches include conductive portions that are electrically separate from one another when in an open switch configuration. A mobile element of a switch includes one or more anchoring members that are in electrical contact with one of the conductive portions. The mobile element also has a beam that is attached to the one or more anchoring members. The beam can be attached to the one or more anchoring members by flexures. In some cases, the beam includes a plurality of strips. The beam has an end portion that is configured to move toward the other conductive portion when exposed to an external force, such as a magnetic field. When the mobile element electrically contacts the other conductive portion of the substrate, an electrical pathway is established between the conductive portions, giving rise to a closed switch configuration. Various configurations of anchoring members may significantly decrease initial upward beam deformation upon manufacture of the mobile element, resulting in an increased sensitivity upon exposure to a magnetic field. Methods for manufacturing switches that exhibit increased sensitivity to magnetic fields are also disclosed. Switches described can be formed using semiconductor manufacturing techniques. Methods described also include forming a beam that is attached to one or more anchoring members where an end portion of the beam moves in a substantially downward direction upon exposure to a magnetic field of sufficient intensity. | 09-01-2011 |
20120085748 | CLOSED LOOP TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED CIRCUIT TO IMPROVE DEVICE STABILITY - An integrated circuit is provided having an active circuit. A heating element is adjacent to the active circuit and configured to heat the active circuit. A temperature sensor is also adjacent to the active circuit and configured to measure a temperature of the active circuit. A temperature controller is coupled to the active circuit and configured to receive a temperature signal from the temperature sensor. The temperature controller operates the heating element to heat the active circuit to maintain the temperature of the active circuit in a selected temperature range. | 04-12-2012 |
20120112873 | VIALESS INTEGRATION FOR DUAL THIN FILMS - THIN FILM RESISTOR AND HEATER - A process is described for integrating two closely spaced thin films without deposition of the films through deep vias. The films may be integrated on a wafer and patterned to form a microscale heat-trimmable resistor. A thin-film heating element may be formed proximal to a thin-film resistive element, and heat generated by the thin-film heater can be used to permanently trim a resistance value of the thin-film resistive element. Deposition of the thin films over steep or abrupt topography is minimized by using a process in which the thin films are deposited in a sequence that falls between depositions of thick metal contacts to the thin films. | 05-10-2012 |
20120119872 | Heater design for heat-trimmed thin film resistors - A heater design for post-process trimming of thin-film transistors is described. The heater incorporates low sheet-resistance material deposited in non-active connecting regions of the heater to reduce heat generation and power consumption in areas distant from active heating members of the heater. The heating members are proximal to a thin-film resistor. The resistance of the thin-film resistor can be trimmed permanently to a desired value by applying short current pulses to the heater. Optimization of a heater design is described. Trimming currents can be as low as 20 mA. | 05-17-2012 |
20120139075 | THERMOELECTRIC COOLER SYSTEM, METHOD AND DEVICE - A semiconductor thermoelectric cooler is configured to direct heat through channels of the cooler. The thermoelectric cooler has multiple electrodes and a first dielectric material positioned between side surfaces of the electrodes. A second dielectric material, different from the first dielectric material, is in contact with top surfaces of the electrodes. The first dielectric material extends above the top surface of the electrodes, separating portions of the second dielectric material, and is in contact with a portion of the top surfaces of the electrodes. The first dielectric material has a thermal conductivity different than a thermal conductivity of the second dielectric material. A ratio of the first dielectric material to the second dielectric material in contact with the top surface of the electrodes may be selected to control the heat retention. The semiconductor thermoelectric cooler may be manufactured using thin film technology. | 06-07-2012 |
20120139076 | THERMOELECTRIC COOLER SYSTEM, METHOD AND DEVICE - A semiconductor thermoelectric cooler includes P-type and N-type thermoelectric cooling elements. The P-type and N-type thermoelectric elements have a first portion having a first cross-sectional area and a second portion having a second cross-sectional area larger than the first cross-sectional area. The P-type and N-type thermoelectric cooling elements may, for example, be T-shaped or L-shaped. In another example, the thermoelectric cooling elements have a first surface having a first shape configured to couple to a first electrical conductor and a second surface opposite the first surface and having a second shape, different from the first shape, and configured to couple to a second electrical conductor. For example, the first surface may have a rectilinear shape of a first area and the second surface may have a rectilinear shape of a second area different from the first area. The semiconductor thermoelectric cooler may be manufactured using thin film technology. | 06-07-2012 |
20120153358 | INTEGRATED HEAT PILLAR FOR HOT REGION COOLING IN AN INTEGRATED CIRCUIT - The thermal energy transfer techniques of the disclosed embodiments utilize passive thermal energy transfer techniques to reduce undesirable side effects of trapped thermal energy at the circuit level. The trapped thermal energy may be transferred through the circuit with thermally conductive structures or elements that may be produced as part of a standard integrated circuit process. The localized and passive removal of thermal energy achieved at the circuit level rather just at the package level is both more effective and more efficient. | 06-21-2012 |
20120167392 | RAZOR WITH CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL SENSOR - A razor has an electrochemical sensor for sensing various characteristics, such as biological, chemical, temperature, humidity, and pressure. The electrochemical sensor is positioned within a razor head of the razor, but may be attached to and enclosed in the razor head housing or attached to a razor blade of the razor. The electrochemical sensor may be positioned at different locations within the housing and on the razor blades. The electrochemical sensor may be positioned such that a sensing surface is exposed to a shaving surface of a patient. The razor may also have various electrical components for processing signals generated by the electrochemical sensor and determining the presence or concentration of a chemical or biological marker. The data associated with the signals may be displayed, transmitted to a separate computing device, or stored in a memory. | 07-05-2012 |
20120168754 | THIN FILM METAL-DIELECTRIC-METAL TRANSISTOR - A transistor is formed having a thin film metal channel region. The transistor may be formed at the surface of a semiconductor substrate, an insulating substrate, or between dielectric layers above a substrate. A plurality of transistors each having a thin film metal channel region may be formed. Multiple arrays of such transistors can be vertically stacked in a same device. | 07-05-2012 |
20120168882 | INTEGRATED CHEMICAL SENSOR - A integrated circuit die includes a chemical sensor, a thermal sensor, and a humidity sensor formed therein. The chemical sensor, thermal sensor, and humidity sensor include electrodes formed in a passivation layer of the integrated circuit die. The integrated circuit die further includes transistors formed in a monocrystalline semiconductor layer. | 07-05-2012 |
20120170352 | THERMO PROGRAMMABLE RESISTOR BASED ROM - An integrated circuit is formed having an array of memory cells located in the dielectric stack above a semiconductor substrate. Each memory cell has an adjustable resistor and a heating element. A dielectric material separates the heating element from the adjustable resistor. The heating element alters the resistance of the resistor by applying heat thereto. The magnitude of the resistance of the adjustable resistor represents the value of data stored in the memory cell. | 07-05-2012 |
20120171713 | SINGLE CHIP HAVING THE CHEMICAL SENSOR AND ELECTRONICS ON THE SAME DIE - A semiconductor die includes a chemical sensor, a digital to analog converter, and microcontroller formed therein. The chemical sensor detects the presence of a chemical and outputs an analog signal to the digital to analog converter. The analog to digital converter converts the analog signal to a digital signal. The analog to digital converter outputs the digital signal to the microcontroller. Microcontroller calculates a value of the concentration of the selected chemical. | 07-05-2012 |
20120171774 | CHEMICAL SENSOR WITH REPLACEABLE SAMPLE COLLECTION CHIP - A chemical sensor is provided on a first semiconductor die. A potentiostat is provided on a second semiconductor die. An analog to digital converter and a microcontroller are provided on a third semiconductor die. The first die is configured to be connected to the second die. The second die is configured to be connected to the third die. The chemical sensor detects a chemical in the surrounding environment and outputs a signal to the analog to digital converter. The analog to digital converter converts the signal to a digital signal and outputs the digital signal to the microcontroller. The microcontroller provides a measurement of the concentration of the chemical in the surrounding environment. | 07-05-2012 |
20120235254 | METHOD OF FORMING A DIE HAVING AN IC REGION ADJACENT A MEMS REGION - A method that includes forming a first layer having a first dopant concentration, the first layer having an integrated circuit region and a micro-electromechanical region and doping the micro-electromechanical region of the first layer to have a second dopant concentration is presented. The method includes forming a second layer having a third dopant concentration overlying the first layer, doping the second layer that overlies the micro-electromechanical region to have a fourth dopant concentration, forming a micro-electromechanical structure in the micro-electromechanical region using the first and second layers, and forming active components in the integrated circuit region using the second layer. | 09-20-2012 |
20120266452 | DUAL THIN FILM PRECISION RESISTANCE TRIMMING - A trimmable resistor for use in an integrated circuit is trimmed using a heater. The heater is selectively coupled to a voltage source. The application of voltage to the heater causes the heater temperature to increase and produce heat. The heat permeates through a thermal separator to the trimmable resistor. The resistance of the trimmable resistor is permanently increased or decreased when the temperature of the resistor is increased to a value within a particular range of temperatures. | 10-25-2012 |
20130010826 | MICROSENSOR WITH INTEGRATED TEMPERATURE CONTROL - Microsensors that include an integrated thermal energy source and an integrated temperature sensor are capable of providing localized heating and temperature control of individual sensing regions within the microsensor. Localized temperature control allows analyte detection to be carried out at the same temperatures or substantially the same temperatures at which the sensor is calibrated. By carrying out the sensing near the calibration temperature, more accurate results can be obtained. In addition, the temperature of the sensing region can be controlled so that chemical reactions involving the analyte in the sensing region occur near their peak reaction rate. Carrying out the sensing near the peak reaction rate improves the sensitivity of the sensor which is important as sensor dimensions decrease and the magnitude of the generated signals decreases. | 01-10-2013 |
20130121057 | RESISTOR THIN FILM MTP MEMORY - An integrated circuit is formed having an array of memory cells located in the dielectric stack above a semiconductor substrate. Each memory cell has two adjustable resistors and two heating elements. A dielectric material separates the heating elements from the adjustable resistors. One heating element alters the resistance of one of the resistors by applying heat thereto to write data to the memory cell. The other heating element alters the resistance of the other resistor by applying heat thereto to erase data from the memory cell. | 05-16-2013 |
20130139587 | TUNABLE HUMIDITY SENSOR WITH INTEGRATED HEATER - A capacitive humidity sensor includes a first electrode, a humidity sensitive dielectric layer, and a second electrode. The humidity sensitive dielectric layer is between the first and the second electrodes. The humidity sensitive dielectric layer is etched at selected regions to form hollow regions between the first and second electrodes. | 06-06-2013 |
20130141834 | CAPACITANCE TRIMMING WITH AN INTEGRATED HEATER - The present disclosure is directed to a device and a method for achieving a precise capacitance of a capacitor. The method includes trimming a first capacitance of the capacitor to a second capacitance, the capacitor having a first conductive layer separated from a second conductive layer by a dielectric layer. Changing a first dielectric constant of the dielectric layer to a second dielectric constant, where the first dielectric constant corresponding to the first capacitance and the second dielectric constant corresponding to the second dielectric constant includes heating the dielectric layer above a threshold temperature for a time period. The heat is provided by either one of the plates of the capacitor or from a separate heater. | 06-06-2013 |
20130168815 | TEMPERATURE SWITCH WITH RESISTIVE SENSOR - The present disclosure is directed to a device and a method for forming a precision temperature sensor switch with a Wheatstone bridge configuration of four resistors and a comparator. When the temperature sensor detects a temperature above a threshold, the switch will change states. The four resistors in the Wheatstone bridge have the same resistance, with three of the resistors having a low temperature coefficient of resistance and the fourth resistor having a high temperature coefficient of resistance. As the temperature increases, the resistance of the fourth resistor will change. The change in resistance of the fourth resistor will change a voltage across the bridge. The voltage across the bridge is coupled to the comparator and compares the voltage with the threshold temperature, such that when the threshold temperature is exceeded, the comparator switches the output off. | 07-04-2013 |
20130314972 | RESISTOR THIN FILM MTP MEMORY - An integrated circuit is formed having an array of memory cells located in the dielectric stack above a semiconductor substrate. Each memory cell has two adjustable resistors and two heating elements. A dielectric material separates the heating elements from the adjustable resistors. One heating element alters the resistance of one of the resistors by applying heat thereto to write data to the memory cell. The other heating element alters the resistance of the other resistor by applying heat thereto to erase data from the memory cell. | 11-28-2013 |
20140133215 | RESISTOR THIN FILM MTP MEMORY - An integrated circuit is formed having an array of memory cells located in the dielectric stack above a semiconductor substrate. Each memory cell has two adjustable resistors and two heating elements. A dielectric material separates the heating elements from the adjustable resistors. One heating element alters the resistance of one of the resistors by applying heat thereto to write data to the memory cell. The other heating element alters the resistance of the other resistor by applying heat thereto to erase data from the memory cell. | 05-15-2014 |
20140252507 | SELF-SEALING MEMBRANE FOR MEMS DEVICES - Embodiments of the present disclosure are related to MEMS devices having a suspended membrane that are secured to and spaced apart from a substrate with a sealed cavity therebetween. The membrane includes openings with sidewalls that are closed by a dielectric material. In various embodiments, the cavity between the membrane and the substrate is formed by removing a sacrificial layer through the openings. In one or more embodiments, the openings in the membrane are closed by depositing the dielectric material on the sidewalls of the openings and the upper surface of the membrane. | 09-11-2014 |
20140291677 | INTEGRATED MULTI-SENSOR MODULE - A semiconductor-based multi-sensor module integrates miniature temperature, pressure, and humidity sensors onto a single substrate. Pressure and humidity sensors can be implemented as capacitive thin film sensors, while the temperature sensor is implemented as a precision miniature Wheatstone bridge. Such multi-sensor modules can be used as building blocks in application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Furthermore, the multi-sensor module can be built on top of existing circuitry that can be used to process signals from the sensors. An integrated multi-sensor module that uses differential sensors can measure a variety of localized ambient environmental conditions substantially simultaneously, and with a high level of precision. The multi-sensor module also features an integrated heater that can be used to calibrate or to adjust the sensors, either automatically or as needed. Such a miniature integrated multi-sensor module that features low power consumption can be used in medical monitoring and mobile computing, including smart phone applications. | 10-02-2014 |
20140291829 | ADHESIVE BONDING TECHNIQUE FOR USE WITH CAPACITIVE MICRO-SENSORS - A micro-sensor device that includes a passivation-protected ASIC module and a micro-sensor module bonded to a patterned cap provides protection for signal conditioning circuitry while allowing one or more sensing elements in the micro-sensor module to be exposed to an ambient environment. According to a method of fabricating the micro-sensor device, the patterned cap can be bonded to the micro-sensor module using a planarizing adhesive that is chemically compatible with the sensing elements. In one embodiment, the adhesive material is the same material used for the dielectric active elements, for example, a photo-sensitive polyimide film. | 10-02-2014 |
20140292317 | DURABLE MINIATURE GAS COMPOSITION DETECTOR HAVING FAST RESPONSE TIME - A miniature oxygen sensor makes use of paramagnetic properties of oxygen gas to provide a fast response time, low power consumption, improved accuracy and sensitivity, and superior durability. The miniature oxygen sensor disclosed maintains a sample of ambient air within a micro-channel formed in a semiconductor substrate. O | 10-02-2014 |
20140292344 | ACCUMULATED POWER CONSUMPTION SENSOR: APPLICATION IN SMART BATTERIES SYSTEMS - A device is provided for monitoring the total current discharged from a battery. The device includes a bridge circuit of resistors in which one of the resistors has a resistance which varies according to the current which has passed through it. Whenever the battery passes a current to a load, a small portion of the current is passed through the bridge circuit. | 10-02-2014 |
20140294046 | MICROELECTRONIC ENVIRONMENTAL SENSING MODULE - Sensors for air flow, temperature, pressure, and humidity are integrated onto a single semiconductor die within a miniaturized Venturi chamber to provide a microelectronic semiconductor-based environmental multi-sensor module that includes an air flow meter. One or more such multi-sensor modules can be used as building blocks in dedicated application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) for use in environmental control appliances that rely on measurements of air flow. Furthermore, the sensor module can be built on top of existing circuitry that can be used to process signals from the sensors. By integrating the Venturi chamber with accompanying environmental sensors, correction factors can be obtained and applied to compensate for temporal humidity fluctuations and spatial temperature variation using the Venturi apparatus. | 10-02-2014 |
20140353773 | METHOD FOR FORMING A SUSPENDED MEMBRANE - The present disclosure is directed to a device that includes a substrate and a sensor formed on the substrate. The sensor includes a chamber formed from a plurality of integrated cavities, a membrane above the substrate, the membrane having a plurality of openings, each opening positioned above one of the cavities, and a plurality of diamond shaped anchors positioned between the membrane and the substrate, the anchors positioned between each of the cavities. A center of each opening is also a center of one of the cavities. | 12-04-2014 |