公开(公告)号：US11965906B2

公开(公告)日：2024-04-23

申请号：US17866378

申请日：2022-07-15

Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.

Inventor： Gabriele Gattere ,  Jean Marie Darmanin ,  Francesco Rizzini ,  Carlo Valzasina

IPC: G01P15/125 ,  G01P1/00 ,  G01P15/08 ,  G01P15/13

CPC classification number: G01P15/125 ,  G01P1/00 ,  G01P15/0802 ,  G01P15/131 ,  G01P2015/0831

Abstract: A closed-loop microelectromechanical accelerometer includes a substrate of semiconductor material, an out-of-plane sensing mass and feedback electrodes. The out-of-plane sensing mass, of semiconductor material, has a first side facing the supporting body and a second side opposite to the first side. The out-of-plane sensing mass is also connected to the supporting body to oscillate around a non-barycentric fulcrum axis parallel to the first side and to the second side and perpendicular to an out-of-plane sensing axis. The feedback electrodes are capacitively coupled to the sensing mass and are configured to apply opposite electrostatic forces to the sensing mass.

公开(公告)号：US11519932B2

公开(公告)日：2022-12-06

申请号：US17192465

申请日：2021-03-04

Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.

Inventor： Francesco Rizzini ,  Gabriele Gattere ,  Sarah Zerbini

IPC: G01P15/03 ,  B81B3/00 ,  G01P15/18 ,  G01P15/08 ,  G01P15/125

Abstract: A MEMS inertial sensor includes a supporting structure and an inertial structure. The inertial structure includes at least one inertial mass, an elastic structure, and a stopper structure. The elastic structure is mechanically coupled to the inertial mass and to the supporting structure so as to enable a movement of the inertial mass along a first direction, when the supporting structure is subjected to an acceleration parallel to the first direction. The stopper structure is fixed with respect to the supporting structure and includes at least one primary and one secondary stopper elements. If the acceleration exceeds a first threshold value, the inertial mass abuts against the primary stopper element and subsequently rotates about an axis of rotation defined by the primary stopper element. If the acceleration exceeds a second threshold value, rotation of the inertial mass terminates when the inertial mass abuts against the secondary stopper element.

公开(公告)号：US20210285981A1

公开(公告)日：2021-09-16

申请号：US17192465

申请日：2021-03-04

Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.

Inventor： Francesco Rizzini ,  Gabriele Gattere ,  Sarah Zerbini

IPC: G01P15/03 ,  B81B3/00

Abstract: A MEMS inertial sensor includes a supporting structure and an inertial structure. The inertial structure includes at least one inertial mass, an elastic structure, and a stopper structure. The elastic structure is mechanically coupled to the inertial mass and to the supporting structure so as to enable a movement of the inertial mass in a direction parallel to a first direction, when the supporting structure is subjected to an acceleration parallel to the first direction. The stopper structure is fixed with respect to the supporting structure and includes at least one primary stopper element and one secondary stopper element. If the acceleration exceeds a first threshold value, the inertial mass abuts against the primary stopper element and subsequently rotates about an axis of rotation defined by the primary stopper element. If the acceleration exceeds a second threshold value, rotation of the inertial mass terminates when the inertial mass abuts against the secondary stopper element.

公开(公告)号：US11993509B2

公开(公告)日：2024-05-28

申请号：US17179157

申请日：2021-02-18

Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.

Inventor： Gabriele Gattere ,  Francesco Rizzini

IPC: B81B3/00 ,  G01P15/00 ,  G01P15/08

CPC classification number: B81B3/0018 ,  G01P15/001 ,  B81B2201/0235 ,  G01P2015/0862

Abstract: A MEMS inclinometer includes a substrate, a first mobile mass and a sensing unit. The sensing unit includes a second mobile mass, a number of elastic elements, which are interposed between the second mobile mass and the substrate and are compliant in a direction parallel to a first axis, and a number of elastic structures, each of which is interposed between the first and second mobile masses and is compliant in a direction parallel to the first axis and to a second axis. The sensing unit further includes a fixed electrode that is fixed with respect to the substrate and a mobile electrode fixed with respect to the second mobile mass, which form a variable capacitor.

公开(公告)号：US11971284B2

公开(公告)日：2024-04-30

申请号：US17204664

申请日：2021-03-17

Applicant: STMICROELECTRONICS S.r.l.

Inventor： Gabriele Gattere ,  Francesco Rizzini ,  Luca Guerinoni ,  Lorenzo Corso ,  Domenico Giusti

IPC: G01F1/84

CPC classification number: G01F1/8472 ,  G01F1/8404

Abstract: Embodiments of a Coriolis-force-based flow sensing device and embodiments of methods for manufacturing embodiments of the Coriolis-force-based flow sensing device, comprising the steps of: forming a driving electrode; forming, on the driving electrode, a first sacrificial region; forming, on the first sacrificial region, a first structural portion with a second sacrificial region buried therein; forming openings for selectively etching the second sacrificial region; forming, within the openings, a porous layer having pores; removing the second sacrificial region through the pores of the porous layer, forming a buried channel; growing, on the porous layer and not within the buried channel, a second structural portion that forms, with the first structural region, a structural body; selectively removing the first sacrificial region thus suspending the structural body on the driving electrode.

公开(公告)号：US11852650B2

公开(公告)日：2023-12-26

申请号：US17675501

申请日：2022-02-18

Applicant: STMICROELECTRONICS S.r.l.

Inventor： Francesco Rizzini ,  Nicolo' Manca ,  Cristian Dall'Oglio

IPC: G01P15/125 ,  B81B7/02 ,  G01P15/08 ,  G01P15/18

CPC classification number: G01P15/125 ,  B81B7/02 ,  G01P15/18 ,  B81B2201/0235 ,  G01P2015/082

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) accelerometers that are configured for a user interface mode and a true wireless stereo (TWS) mode of an audio device. The accelerometers are fabricated with specific electromechanical parameters, such as mass, stiffness, active capacitance, and bonding pressure. As a result of the specific electromechanical parameters, the accelerometers have a resonance frequency, quality factor, sensitivity, and Brownian noise density that are suitable for both the user interface mode and the TWS mode.

公开(公告)号：US11650221B2

公开(公告)日：2023-05-16

申请号：US16986056

申请日：2020-08-05

Applicant: STMICROELECTRONICS S.r.l.

Inventor： Alessandro Tocchio ,  Francesco Rizzini

IPC: G01P15/18 ,  G01P15/097 ,  G01P15/125 ,  G01P15/08

CPC classification number: G01P15/18 ,  G01P15/097 ,  G01P15/125 ,  G01P2015/0845 ,  G01P2015/0848

Abstract: A MEMS tri-axial accelerometer is provided with a sensing structure having: a single inertial mass, with a main extension in a horizontal plane defined by a first horizontal axis and a second horizontal axis and internally defining a first window that traverses it throughout a thickness thereof along a vertical axis orthogonal to the horizontal plane; and a suspension structure, arranged within the window for elastically coupling the inertial mass to a single anchorage element, which is fixed with respect to a substrate and arranged within the window, so that the inertial mass is suspended above the substrate and is able to carry out, by the inertial effect, a first sensing movement, a second sensing movement, and a third sensing movement in respective sensing directions parallel to the first, second, and third horizontal axes following upon detection of a respective acceleration component. In particular, the suspension structure has at least one first decoupling element for decoupling at least one of the first, second, and third sensing movements from the remaining sensing movements.

公开(公告)号：US10809280B2

公开(公告)日：2020-10-20

申请号：US16116467

申请日：2018-08-29

Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.

Inventor： Alessandro Tocchio ,  Francesco Rizzini ,  Carlo Valzasina ,  Giacomo Langfelder ,  Cristiano Rocco Marra

IPC: G01P15/125 ,  G01C19/5719 ,  G01P15/08 ,  G01P15/18 ,  G01P15/097

Abstract: An inertial sensor for sensing an external acceleration includes: a first and a second proof mass; a first and a second capacitor formed between first and second fixed electrodes and the first proof mass; a third and a fourth capacitor formed between third and fourth fixed electrodes and the second proof mass; a driving assembly configured to cause an antiphase oscillation of the first and second proof masses; a biasing circuit configured to bias the first and third capacitors, thus generating first variation of the oscillation frequency in a first time interval, and to bias the second and fourth capacitors, thus generating first variation of the oscillation frequency in a second time interval; a sensing assembly, configured to generate an differential output signal which is a function of a difference between a value of the oscillating frequency during the first time interval and a value of the oscillating frequency during the second time interval. Such differential output signal can be correlated to the value and direction of the external acceleration.