Patents by Inventor Carlo Valzasina

Carlo Valzasina has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10591505
    Abstract: The accelerometric sensor has a suspended region, mobile with respect to a supporting structure, and a sensing assembly coupled to the suspended region and configured to detect a movement of the suspended region with respect to the supporting structure. The suspended region has a geometry variable between at least two configurations associated with respective centroids, different from each other. The suspended region is formed by a first region rotatably anchored to the supporting structure and by a second region coupled to the first region through elastic connection elements configured to allow a relative movement of the second region with respect to the first region. A driving assembly is coupled to the second region so as to control the relative movement of the latter with respect to the first region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.R.L.
    Inventors: Alessandro Tocchio, Francesco Rizzini, Carlo Valzasina, Giacomo Langfelder
  • Publication number: 20200064134
    Abstract: A micromechanical detection structure includes a substrate of semiconductor material and a driving-mass arrangement is coupled to a set of driving electrodes and driven in a driving movement following upon biasing of the set of driving electrodes. A first anchorage unit is coupled to the driving-mass arrangement for elastically coupling the driving-mass arrangement to the substrate at first anchorages. A driven-mass arrangement is elastically coupled to the driving-mass arrangement by a coupling unit and designed to be driven by the driving movement. A second anchorage unit is coupled to the driven-mass arrangement for elastically coupling the driven-mass arrangement to the substrate at second anchorages. Following upon the driving movement, the resultant of the forces and of the torques exerted on the substrate at the first and second anchorages is substantially zero.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2019
    Publication date: February 27, 2020
    Inventors: Gabriele Gattere, Luca Giuseppe Falorni, Carlo Valzasina
  • Publication number: 20200049505
    Abstract: A multi-axis MEMS gyroscope includes a micromechanical detection structure having a substrate, a driving-mass arrangement, a driven-mass arrangement with a central window, and a sensing-mass arrangement which undergoes sensing movements in the presence of angular velocities about a first horizontal axis and a second horizontal axis. A sensing-electrode arrangement is fixed with respect to the substrate and is set underneath the sensing-mass arrangement. An anchorage assembly is set within the central window for constraining the driven-mass arrangement to the substrate at anchorage elements. The anchorage assembly includes a rigid structure suspended above the substrate that is elastically coupled to the driven mass by elastic connection elements at a central portion, and is coupled to the anchorage elements by elastic decoupling elements at end portions thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2019
    Publication date: February 13, 2020
    Inventors: Gabriele Gattere, Carlo Valzasina, Luca Giuseppe Falorni
  • Publication number: 20200025567
    Abstract: A gyroscope includes a substrate, a first structure, a second structure and a third structure elastically coupled to the substrate and movable along a first axis. The first and second structure are arranged at opposite sides of the third structure with respect to the first axis A driving system is configured to oscillate the first and second structure along the first axis in phase with one another and in phase opposition with the third structure. The first, second and third structure are provided with respective sets of sensing electrodes, configured to be displaced along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis in response to rotations of the substrate about a third axis perpendicular to the first axis and to the second axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2019
    Publication date: January 23, 2020
    Inventors: Carlo Valzasina, Huantong Zhang, Matteo Fabio Brunetto, Gert Ingvar Andersson, Erik Daniel Svensson, Nils Einar Hedenstierna
  • Patent number: 10539420
    Abstract: A microelectromechanical gyroscope includes: a substrate; a stator sensing structure fixed to the substrate; a first mass elastically constrained to the substrate and movable with respect to the substrate in a first direction; a second mass elastically constrained to the first mass and movable with respect to the first mass in a second direction; and a third mass elastically constrained to the second mass and to the substrate and capacitively coupled to the stator sensing structure, the third mass being movable with respect to the substrate in the second direction and with respect to the second mass in the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.
    Inventors: Daniele Prati, Carlo Valzasina, Luca Giuseppe Falorni, Matteo Fabio Brunetto
  • Patent number: 10501310
    Abstract: A MEMS resonator is equipped with a substrate, a moving structure suspended above the substrate in a horizontal plane formed by first and second axes, having first and second arms, parallel to one another and extending along the second axis, coupled at their respective ends by first and second transverse joining elements, forming an internal window. A first electrode structure is positioned outside the window and capacitively coupled to the moving structure. A second electrode structure is positioned inside the window. One of the first and second electrode structures causes an oscillatory movement of the flexing arms in opposite directions along the first horizontal axis at a resonance frequency, and the other electrode structure has a function of detecting the oscillation. A suspension structure has a suspension arm in the window. An attachment arrangement is coupled to the suspension element centrally in the window, near the second electrode structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Gabriele Gattere, Alessandro Tocchio, Carlo Valzasina
  • Patent number: 10488200
    Abstract: A MEMS device including a main die that may be coupled to a secondary die, which forms a frame, and at least one first mobile mass elastically coupled to the frame, the main die forming: a driving stage that drives the first mobile mass so that it oscillates, parallel to a first direction, with frequency-modulated displacements; and a processing stage, which generates an output signal indicating an angular velocity of the MEMS device as a function of displacements parallel to a second direction that are made by the first mobile mass, when driven by the driving stage, on account of a Coriolis force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.
    Inventors: Gabriele Gattere, Alessandro Tocchio, Carlo Valzasina
  • Patent number: 10480942
    Abstract: A multi-axis MEMS gyroscope includes a micromechanical detection structure having a substrate, a driving-mass arrangement, a driven-mass arrangement with a central window, and a sensing-mass arrangement which undergoes sensing movements in the presence of angular velocities about a first horizontal axis and a second horizontal axis. A sensing-electrode arrangement is fixed with respect to the substrate and is set underneath the sensing-mass arrangement. An anchorage assembly is set within the central window for constraining the driven-mass arrangement to the substrate at anchorage elements. The anchorage assembly includes a rigid structure suspended above the substrate that is elastically coupled to the driven mass by elastic connection elements at a central portion, and is coupled to the anchorage elements by elastic decoupling elements at end portions thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.
    Inventors: Gabriele Gattere, Carlo Valzasina, Luca Giuseppe Falorni
  • Patent number: 10466052
    Abstract: A microelectromechanical gyroscope, includes: a supporting body; a first movable mass and a second movable mass, which are oscillatable according to a first driving axis and tiltable about respective a first and second sensing axes and are symmetrically arranged with respect to a center of symmetry; first sensing electrodes and a second sensing electrodes associated with the first and second movable masses and arranged on the supporting body symmetrically with respect to the first and second sensing axis, the first and second movable masses being capacitively coupled to the respective first sensing electrode and to the respective second sensing electrode, a bridge element elastically coupled to respective inner ends of the first movable mass and of the second movable mass and coupled to the supporting body so as to be tiltable about an axis transverse to the first driving axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.R.L.
    Inventors: Carlo Valzasina, Luca Giuseppe Falorni
  • Patent number: 10458794
    Abstract: A micromechanical detection structure includes a substrate of semiconductor material and a driving-mass arrangement is coupled to a set of driving electrodes and driven in a driving movement following upon biasing of the set of driving electrodes. A first anchorage unit is coupled to the driving-mass arrangement for elastically coupling the driving-mass arrangement to the substrate at first anchorages. A driven-mass arrangement is elastically coupled to the driving-mass arrangement by a coupling unit and designed to be driven by the driving movement. A second anchorage unit is coupled to the driven-mass arrangement for elastically coupling the driven-mass arrangement to the substrate at second anchorages. Following upon the driving movement, the resultant of the forces and of the torques exerted on the substrate at the first and second anchorages is substantially zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Gabriele Gattere, Luca Giuseppe Falorni, Carlo Valzasina
  • Publication number: 20190318885
    Abstract: A microelectromechanical device, in particular a non-volatile memory module or a relay, comprising: a mobile body including a top region and a bottom region; top electrodes facing the top region; and bottom electrodes, facing the bottom region. The mobile body is, in a resting condition, at a distance from the electrodes. The latter can be biased for generating a movement of the mobile body for causing a direct contact of the top region with the top electrodes and, in a different operating condition, a direct contact of the bottom region with the bottom electrodes. In the absence of biasing, molecular-attraction forces maintain in stable mutual contact the top region and the top electrodes or, alternatively, the bottom region and the bottom electrodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2019
    Publication date: October 17, 2019
    Inventors: Giovanni CAMPARDO, Carlo VALZASINA
  • Patent number: 10444013
    Abstract: A MEMS gyroscope, wherein a suspended mass is mobile with respect to a supporting structure. The mobile mass is affected by quadrature error caused by a quadrature moment; a driving structure is coupled to the suspended mass for controlling the movement of the mobile mass in a driving direction at a driving frequency. Motion-sensing electrodes, coupled to the mobile mass, detect the movement of the mobile mass in the sensing direction and quadrature-compensation electrodes are coupled to the mobile mass to generate a compensation moment opposite to the quadrature moment. The gyroscope is configured to bias the quadrature-compensation electrodes with a compensation voltage so that the difference between the resonance frequency of the mobile mass and the driving frequency has a preset frequency-mismatch value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.
    Inventors: Daniele Prati, Carlo Valzasina, Tiziano Chiarillo, Pasquale Franco
  • Patent number: 10433068
    Abstract: A MEMS acoustic transducer provided with: a substrate of semiconductor material, having a back surface and a front surface opposite with respect to a vertical direction; a first cavity formed within the substrate, which extends from the back surface to the front surface; a membrane which is arranged at the upper surface, suspended above the first cavity and anchored along a perimeter thereof to the substrate; and a combfingered electrode arrangement including a number of mobile electrodes coupled to the membrane and a number of fixed electrodes coupled to the substrate and facing respective mobile electrodes for forming a sensing capacitor, wherein a deformation of the membrane as a result of incident acoustic pressure waves causes a capacitive variation of the sensing capacitor. In particular, the combfingered electrode arrangement lies vertically with respect to the membrane and extends parallel thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Matteo Perletti, Igor Varisco, Luca Lamagna, Silvia Adorno, Gabriele Gattere, Carlo Valzasina, Sebastiano Conti
  • Patent number: 10381173
    Abstract: A microelectromechanical device, in particular a non-volatile memory module or a relay, comprising: a mobile body including a top region and a bottom region; top electrodes facing the top region; and bottom electrodes, facing the bottom region. The mobile body is, in a resting condition, at a distance from the electrodes. The latter can be biased for generating a movement of the mobile body for causing a direct contact of the top region with the top electrodes and, in a different operating condition, a direct contact of the bottom region with the bottom electrodes. In the absence of biasing, molecular-attraction forces maintain in stable mutual contact the top region and the top electrodes or, alternatively, the bottom region and the bottom electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.
    Inventors: Giovanni Campardo, Carlo Valzasina
  • Patent number: 10329141
    Abstract: An encapsulated device of semiconductor material wherein a chip of semiconductor material is fixed to a base element of a packaging body through at least one pillar element having elasticity and deformability greater than the chip, for example a Young's modulus lower than 300 MPa. In one example, four pillar elements are fixed in proximity of the corners of a fixing surface of the chip and operate as uncoupling structure, which prevents transfer of stresses and deformations of the base element to the chip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Alessandro Tocchio, Carlo Valzasina, Luca Guerinoni, Giorgio Allegato
  • Publication number: 20190131952
    Abstract: A MEMS resonator system has a micromechanical resonant structure and an electronic processing circuit including a first resonant loop that excites a first vibrational mode of the structure and generates a first signal at a first resonance frequency. A compensation module compensates, as a function of a measurement of temperature variation, a first variation of the first resonance frequency caused by the temperature variation to generate a clock signal at a desired frequency that is stable relative to temperature. The electronic processing circuit further includes a second resonant loop, which excites a second vibrational mode of the structure and generates a second signal at a second resonance frequency. A temperature-sensing module receives the first and second signals and generates the measurement of temperature variation as a function of the first variation of the first resonance frequency and a second variation of the second resonance frequency caused by the temperature variation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2018
    Publication date: May 2, 2019
    Inventors: Carlo Valzasina, Gabriele Gattere, Alessandro Tocchio, Giacomo Langfelder
  • Publication number: 20190064205
    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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2018
    Publication date: February 28, 2019
    Inventors: Alessandro TOCCHIO, Francesco RIZZINI, Carlo VALZASINA, Giacomo LANGFELDER, Cristiano Rocco MARRA
  • Patent number: 10180324
    Abstract: A gyroscope includes a substrate, a first structure, a second structure and a third structure elastically coupled to the substrate and movable along a first axis. The first and second structure are arranged at opposite sides of the third structure with respect to the first axis A driving system is configured to oscillate the first and second structure along the first axis in phase with one another and in phase opposition with the third structure. The first, second and third structure are provided with respective sets of sensing electrodes, configured to be displaced along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis in response to rotations of the substrate about a third axis perpendicular to the first axis and to the second axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignees: STMicroelectronics S.r.l., STMicroelectronics, Inc., STMicroelectronics International NV
    Inventors: Carlo Valzasina, Huantong Zhang, Matteo Fabio Brunetto, Gert Ingvar Andersson, Erik Daniel Svensson, Nils Einar Hedenstierna
  • Publication number: 20180342998
    Abstract: A microelectromechanical device having a mobile structure including mobile arms formed from a composite material and having a fixed structure including fixed arms capacitively coupled to the mobile arms. The composite material includes core regions of insulating material and a silicon coating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2018
    Publication date: November 29, 2018
    Inventors: Gabriele Gattere, Lorenzo Corso, Alessandro Tocchio, Carlo Valzasina
  • Publication number: 20180339898
    Abstract: A MEMS resonator is equipped with a substrate, a moving structure suspended above the substrate in a horizontal plane formed by first and second axes, having first and second arms, parallel to one another and extending along the second axis, coupled at their respective ends by first and second transverse joining elements, forming an internal window. A first electrode structure is positioned outside the window and capacitively coupled to the moving structure. A second electrode structure is positioned inside the window. One of the first and second electrode structures causes an oscillatory movement of the flexing arms in opposite directions along the first horizontal axis at a resonance frequency, and the other electrode structure has a function of detecting the oscillation. A suspension structure has a suspension arm in the window. An attachment arrangement is coupled to the suspension element centrally in the window, near the second electrode structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2018
    Publication date: November 29, 2018
    Inventors: Gabriele Gattere, Alessandro Tocchio, Carlo Valzasina