Abstract: A method for fabricating an integrated electronic compass and circuit system. The fabrication method begins with providing a semiconductor substrate comprising a surface region. One or more CMOS integrated circuits are then formed on one or more portions of the semiconductor substrate. Once the CMOS circuits are formed, a thickness of dielectric material is formed overlying the one or more CMOS integrated circuits. A substrate is then joined overlying the thickness of the dielectric material. Once joined, the substrate is thinned to a predetermined thickness. Following the thinning process, an electric compass device is formed within one or more regions of the predetermined thickness of the substrate. Other mechanical devices or MEMS devices can also be formed within one or more regions of the thinned substrate.

Abstract: The present invention relates to integrating an inertial mechanical device on top of a CMOS substrate monolithically using IC-foundry compatible processes. The CMOS substrate is completed first using standard IC processes. A thick silicon layer is added on top of the CMOS. A subsequent patterning step defines a mechanical structure for inertial sensing. Finally, the mechanical device is encapsulated by a thick insulating layer at the wafer level. Comparing to the incumbent bulk or surface micromachined MEMS inertial sensors, the vertically monolithically integrated inertial sensors have smaller chip size, lower parasitics, higher sensitivity, lower power, and lower cost.

Abstract: The present invention is related shielding integrated devices using CMOS fabrication techniques to form an encapsulation with cavity. The integrated circuits are completed first using standard IC processes. A wafer-level hermetic encapsulation is applied to form a cavity above the sensitive portion of the circuits using IC-foundry compatible processes. The encapsulation and cavity provide a hermetic inert environment that shields the sensitive circuits from EM interference, noise, moisture, gas, and corrosion from the outside environment.

Abstract: A three-dimensional integrated circuit device includes a first substrate having a first crystal orientation comprising at least one or more PMOS devices thereon and a first dielectric layer overlying the one or more PMOS devices. The three-dimensional integrated circuit device also includes a second substrate having a second crystal orientation comprising at least one or more NMOS devices thereon; and a second dielectric layer overlying the one or more NMOS devices. An interface region couples the first dielectric layer to the second dielectric layer to form a hybrid structure including the first substrate overlying the second substrate.

Abstract: A computer implemented method for processing data stored on a magnetic stripe of a user medium performed by a hand-held computer system includes displaying an alignment GUI on a display of the computer system, wherein the GUI includes a visual alignment mark on the display at a first offset relative to a MEMS magnetic field sensor in the computer system, wherein when a user aligns the user medium to the alignment mark GUI, a portion of a first track of the magnetic stripe is disposed above the MEMS magnetic field sensor, sensing, by the MEMS magnetic field sensor, magnetic data stored on the first track when the user aligns the user medium to the visual alignment mark, and moves the user medium along the visual alignment mark, and determining user data stored on the first track from the magnetic data stored on the first track.

Abstract: This present invention relates in general to protection of integrated circuit chips, and more particularly, to a micromachined suppression device for protecting integrated circuit chips from electrostatic discharges. The proposed ESD suppression device consists of conductive pillars are dispersed in a dielectric material. The gaps between each pillar behave like spark gaps when a high voltage ESD pulse occurs. When the voltage of the pulse reaches the “trigger voltage” these gaps spark over, creating a very low resistance path. In normal operation, the leakage current and the capacitance is very low, due to the physical gaps between the conductive pillars. The proposed ESD suppression device is fabricated using micromachining techniques to be on-chip with device ICs.

Abstract: The present invention relates to integrating an inertial mechanical device on top of an IC substrate monolithically using IC-foundry compatible processes. The IC substrate is completed first using standard IC processes. A thick silicon layer is added on top of the IC substrate. A subsequent patterning step defines a mechanical structure for inertial sensing. Finally, the mechanical device is encapsulated by a thick insulating layer at the wafer level. Compared with the incumbent bulk or surface micromachined MEMS inertial sensors, vertically monolithically integrated inertial sensors provided by embodiments of the present invention have one or more of the following advantages: smaller chip size, lower parasitics, higher sensitivity, lower power, and lower cost.

Abstract: A computer implemented method for determining an intensity of user input to a computer system, performed by the computer system that is programmed to perform the method includes determining by a display, an indication of a finger position a user in response to a change in finger position relative to the computer system, wherein change in fin position is also associated with a magnitude of change, determining by a physical sensor of the computer system, the magnitude of change in response to the change in finger position, determining by the computer system, a user selection of a function to perform in response to the indication of the finger position, determining by the computer system, an input parameter associated with the function in response to the magnitude of change, and initiating performance by the computer system, of the function in response to the input parameter.

Abstract: A computer implemented method for performing a user-defined function in a computer system, performed by the computer system that is programmed to perform the method includes determining by a display a display position in response to a change and a rate change in state of a user-controlled user input device, determining by a physical sensor a magnitude of change in sensed physical in response to the rate of change in the state, determining whether the magnitude of change exceeds a threshold level, determining a function to perform in response to display position when magnitude of change in sensed physical properties exceeds the threshold level, initiating performance of the function in response to the function, and inhibiting performance of the function when the magnitude of change in sensed physical properties does not exceed the threshold level.

Abstract: An integrated MEMS system in which CMOS and MEMS devices are provided to form an integrated CMOS-MEMS system. The system can include a silicon substrate layer, a CMOS layer, MEMS and CMOS devices, and a wafer level packaging (WLP) layer. The CMOS layer can form an interface region, one which any number of CMOS MEMS devices can be configured.

Abstract: This present invention relates generally to manufacturing objects. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and structure for fabricating an out-of-plane compliant micro actuator. The compliant actuator has large actuation range in both vertical and horizontal planes without physical contact to the substrate. Due to fringe field actuation, the compliant actuator has no pull-in phenomenon and requires low voltage by a ‘zipping’ movement compared to conventional parallel plate electrostatic actuators. The method and device can be applied to micro actuators as well as other devices, for example, micro-electromechanical sensors, detectors, fluidic, and optical systems.