MERGED-MASK MICRO-MACHINING PROCESS

• Main Authors: RIED, ROBERT P, GOLDBERG, HOWARD D, YU, DULI, YU, LIANZHONG
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 12.11.2013
• Subjects: APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; CALCULATING; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; CHEMISTRY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATIONOR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COMPUTING; COUNTING; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY; INDICATING PRESENCE, ABSENCE, OR DIRECTION, OF MOVEMENT; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION INGENERAL; MATERIALS THEREFOR; MEASURING; MEASURING LINEAR OR ANGULAR SPEED, ACCELERATION, DECELERATION,OR SHOCK; METALLURGY; MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS, e.g. MICROMECHANICALDEVICES; MICROSTRUCTURAL TECHNOLOGY; MULTI-STEP PROCESSES FOR SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLICMATERIAL INVOLVING AT LEAST ONE PROCESS PROVIDED FOR IN CLASSC23 AND AT LEAST ONEPROCESS COVERED BY SUBCLASS C21D OR C22F OR CLASS C25; NON-MECHANICAL REMOVAL OF METALLIC MATERIAL FROM SURFACE; OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS, OR APPARATUS; OPTICS; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHOTOGRAPHY; PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES,e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTORDEVICES; PHYSICS; PROCESSES OR APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTUREOR TREATMENT OF MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS; TESTING; TRANSPORTING

The present invention provides merged-mask processes for fabricating micro-machined devices in general and mirrored assemblies for use in optical scanning devices in particular. The process includes (a) providing a substrate having a predetermined thickness; (b) applying a first masking layer on a first portion of the substrate and a second masking layer on a second portion of the substrate, said second masking layer being at least as thick as the first masking layer; (c) etching a portion of the second masking layer to provide a first exposed portion of the substrate; (d) etching the first exposed portion of the substrate to a first depth; (e) etching the second masking layer to provide a second exposed portion of the substrate; and (f) etching simultaneously the first exposed portion of the substrate to a second depth and the second exposed portion of the substrate to a first depth. The process further comprises patterning the first masking layer before applying the second masking layer to provide the second portion of the substrate for etching and etching the first masking layer to expose the second portion of the substrate. The first and second masking layers are applied prior to etching the substrate.