Abstract: Provided are a structure for detecting a vertical displacement and its manufacturing method. The structure for detecting a vertical displacement includes a body, an inertial mass floated over the body, a plurality of support beams extending from the inertial mass so as to suspend the inertial mass over the body, movable electrodes integrally formed with the inertial mass, and fixed electrodes floated over the body, each being positioned between the neighboring movable electrodes, wherein a vertical length of the movable electrode is different from a vertical length of the fixed electrode. Therefore, the structure and the electrodes can be simultaneously manufactured, thereby making the fabrication process simple. Also, it is possible to manufacture a three-axis accelerometer and a three-axis gyroscope on a single wafer by the same process, to be integrated as a six-axis inertial sensor.

Abstract: A method of reducing notching during reactive ion etching (RIE) is provided. The method is useful when RIE is performed to pass through a silicon layer on a multi-layered structure on which the silicon layer, an insulating layer and a silicon substrate are sequentially deposited. The method includes the steps of: forming an insulating layer on a silicon substrate; forming trenches on the insulating layer to expose the silicon substrate; forming a silicon layer on the insulating layer to fill the trenches; and patterning the silicon layer to form first etch regions, which pass through the silicon layer, to include the trenches. According to the method, it is possible to remarkably reduce notching without depositing a metal layer, when a multi-layered structure including a silicon layer which is etched to be passed through during RIE is fabricated.

Abstract: A rotation-type decoupled MEMS gyroscope including a drive body movable about the X-axis, a sensing body movable about the Z-axis, a medium body moving together with the drive body about the X-axis and the sensing body about the Z-axis. The drive body is fixed on a substrate by a first torsion spring torsion-deformed about the X-axis, and the medium body is connected to the drive body by a first bending spring bending-deformed about the Z-axis. The sensing body is connected to the medium body by a second torsion spring torsion-deformed about the X-axis and fixed to the substrate by a second bending spring bending-deformed about the Z-axis. If angular velocity is applied relative to the Y-axis while the drive body vibrates in a certain range about the X-axis by a driving electrode, the sensing body rotates about the Z-axis by the Coriolis force and a sensing electrode senses the rotation.

Abstract: Provided are a structure for detecting a vertical displacement and its manufacturing method. The structure for detecting a vertical displacement includes a body, an inertial mass floated over the body, a plurality of support beams extending from the inertial mass so as to suspend the inertial mass over the body, movable electrodes integrally formed with the inertial mass, and fixed electrodes floated over the body, each being positioned between the neighboring movable electrodes, wherein a vertical length of the movable electrode is different from a vertical length of the fixed electrode. Therefore, the structure and the electrodes can be simultaneously manufactured, thereby making the fabrication process simple. Also, it is possible to manufacture a three-axis accelerometer and a three-axis gyroscope on a single wafer by the same process, to be integrated as a six-axis inertial sensor.

Abstract: A method of reducing notching during reactive ion etching (RIE) is provided. The method is useful when RIE is performed to pass through a silicon layer on a multi-layered structure on which the silicon layer, an insulating layer and a silicon substrate are sequentially deposited. The method includes the steps of: forming an insulating layer on a silicon substrate; forming trenches on the insulating layer to expose the silicon substrate; forming a silicon layer on the insulating layer to fill the trenches; and patterning the silicon layer to form first etch regions, which pass through the silicon layer, to include the trenches. According to the method, it is possible to remarkably reduce notching without depositing a metal layer, when a multi-layered structure including a silicon layer which is etched to be passed through during RIE is fabricated.