公开(公告)号：US20240044932A1

公开(公告)日：2024-02-08

申请号：US18364847

申请日：2023-08-03

Applicant: STMICROELECTRONICS S.r.l.

Inventor： Gabriele GATTERE ,  Jean Marie DARMANIN ,  Francesco RIZZINI

IPC: G01P15/125

CPC classification number: G01P15/125

Abstract: A microelectromechanical sensor device having a sensing structure with: a substrate; an inertial mass, suspended above the substrate and elastically coupled to a rotor anchoring structure by elastic coupling elements, to perform at least one inertial movement due to a quantity to be sensed; first sensing electrodes, integrally coupled to the inertial mass to be movable due to the inertial movement; and second sensing electrodes, fixed with respect to the quantity to be sensed, facing and capacitively coupled to the first sensing electrodes to form sensing capacitances having a value that is indicative of the quantity to be sensed. The second sensing electrodes are arranged in a suspended manner above the substrate and a compensation structure is configured to move the second sensing electrodes with respect to the first sensing electrodes and vary a facing distance thereof, in the absence of the quantity to be sensed, in order to compensate for a native offset of the sensing structure.

公开(公告)号：US20230184806A1

公开(公告)日：2023-06-15

申请号：US18147629

申请日：2022-12-28

Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.

Inventor： Gabriele GATTERE ,  Francesco RIZZINI ,  Alessandro TOCCHIO

IPC: G01P15/125

CPC classification number: G01P15/125 ,  G01P2015/0874

Abstract: An inertial structure is elastically coupled through a first elastic structure to a supporting structure so as to move along a sensing axis as a function of a quantity to be detected. The inertial structure includes first and second inertial masses which are elastically coupled together by a second elastic structure to enable movement of the second inertial mass along the sensing axis. The first elastic structure has a lower elastic constant than the second elastic structure so that, in presence of the quantity to be detected, the inertial structure moves in a sensing direction until the first inertial mass stops against a stop structure and the second elastic mass can move further in the sensing direction. Once the quantity to be detected ends, the second inertial mass moves in a direction opposite to the sensing direction and detaches the first inertial mass from the stop structure.

公开(公告)号：US20230160921A1

公开(公告)日：2023-05-25

申请号：US18055804

申请日：2022-11-15

Applicant: STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.

Inventor： Gabriele GATTERE ,  Francesco RIZZINI ,  Cristian DALL'OGLIO

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

CPC classification number: G01P15/18 ,  G01P15/125 ,  G01P15/0802

Abstract: A microelectromechanical sensor device has a detection structure, having: a substrate, with a top surface; an inertial mass, suspended above the top surface of the substrate and elastically coupled to a rotor anchor so as to perform an inertial movement relative to the substrate as a function of a quantity to be detected; and stator electrodes, integrally coupled to the substrate at respective stator anchors and capacitively coupled to the inertial mass so as to generate a differential capacitive variation in response to, and indicative of, the quantity to be detected. In particular, the inertial mass performs, as the inertial movement, a translation movement along a vertical axis orthogonal to the top surface of the substrate; and the stator electrodes are arranged in a suspended manner above the top surface of the substrate.

公开(公告)号：US20230128205A1

公开(公告)日：2023-04-27

申请号：US17509247

申请日：2021-10-25

Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.r.l. ,  STMicroelectronics, Inc.

Inventor： Marco GARBARINO ,  Davy CHOI ,  Francesco RIZZINI ,  Yamu HU

IPC: G01P21/00 ,  G01P1/00 ,  G01P15/125

Abstract: A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) accelerometer sensor has a mobile mass and a sensing capacitor. To self-test the sensor, a test signal having a variably controlled excitation voltage and a fixed pulse width is applied to the sensing capacitor. The leading and trailing edges of the test signal are aligned to coincide with reset phases of a sensing circuit coupled to the sensing capacitor. The variably controlled excitation voltage of the test signal is configured to cause an electrostatic force which produces a desired physical displacement of the mobile mass. During a read phase of the sensing circuit, a variation in capacitance of sensing capacitor due to the actual physical displacement of the mobile mass is sensed for comparison to the desired physical displacement.

公开(公告)号：US20230083632A1

公开(公告)日：2023-03-16

申请号：US18056203

申请日：2022-11-16

Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.

Inventor： Francesco RIZZINI ,  Gabriele GATTERE ,  Sarah ZERBINI

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

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：US20230028797A1

公开(公告)日：2023-01-26

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

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：US20210293597A1

公开(公告)日：2021-09-23

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

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：US20170108530A1

公开(公告)日：2017-04-20

申请号：US15182317

申请日：2016-06-14

Applicant: STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.

Inventor： Alessandro TOCCHIO ,  Francesco RIZZINI ,  Luca GUERINONI

IPC: G01P15/125 ,  G01P1/00

CPC classification number: G01P15/125 ,  B81B3/0072 ,  G01C19/5755 ,  G01P1/00 ,  G01P2015/0814

Abstract: A MEMS sensor device provided with a sensing structure, having: a substrate with a top surface extending in a horizontal plane; an inertial mass, suspended over the substrate; elastic coupling elements, elastically connected to the inertial mass so as to enable inertial movement thereof with respect to the substrate as a function of a quantity to be detected along a sensing axis belonging to the horizontal plane; and sensing electrodes, capacitively coupled to the inertial mass so as to form at least one sensing capacitor, a value of capacitance of which is indicative of the quantity to be detected. The sensing structure moreover has a suspension structure, to which the sensing electrodes are rigidly coupled, and to which the inertial mass is elastically coupled through the elastic coupling elements; the suspension structure is connected to an anchorage structure, fixed with respect to the substrate, by means of elastic suspension elements.