Abstract: A capacitance type physical quantity sensor includes a sensor chip and a circuit chip. The sensor chip includes: a support substrate; a semiconductor layer; a movable electrode; and a fixed electrode. The sensor chip is stacked on the circuit chip such that the movable electrode and the fixed electrode face the circuit chip. The movable electrode has a thickness in a stacking direction. The sensor chip has a first distance between the movable electrode and the circuit chip and a second distance between the movable electrode and the support substrate. The thickness of the movable electrode is larger than the first distance and the second distance.

Abstract: A method for positioning a dicing line includes the steps of: bonding an adhesive tape on a semiconductor layer of a wafer; detecting an image of the wafer by an imaging device on the basis of a light transmitted through the wafer; and determining the dicing line of the wafer on the basis of a position of an image of a marker, which is disposed on the semiconductor layer of the wafer. The image of the marker is obtained by image recognition from the detected image of the wafer.

Abstract: A sensor chip (100) includes comb-toothed movable electrodes (24) displaceable in a Y-direction, and comb-toothed stationary electrodes (30, 31, 40, 41) arranged to confront those movable electrodes (24), on one face side of a semiconductor substrate (10). The sensor chip (100) detects acceleration on the basis of a capacity change accompanying an acceleration application in the Y-direction between the movable electrodes (24) and the stationary electrodes (30, 31, 41, 42). The stationary electrodes (30, 31, 41, 42) are individually disposed to confront each other on one and other sides of the direction taken along the Y-direction in the individual movable electrodes (24). The individual electrode pads (25a, 30a, 31a, 40a, 41a) and the circuit chip (200) are electrically connected by bump electrodes (300) so that one face of the substrate (10) confronts the circuit chip (200).

Abstract: A method of inspecting a semiconductor dynamic quantity includes varying a potential applied to a peripheral fixed portion while applying predetermined potentials to fixed electrodes and to movable electrodes to vary the potential difference between the movable electrodes and the support substrate and to displace the movable electrodes in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate.

Abstract: A physical quantity sensor includes: a circuit chip; and a sensor chip disposed on the circuit chip through an adhesive layer. The sensor chip includes: a support substrate; a movable electrode; and a pair of fixed electrodes facing the movable electrode with a detection distance therebetween. The movable electrode and the fixed electrodes are disposed on the substrate. The adhesive layer includes a non-adhesive region and a conductive member. The non-adhesive region is disposed on a region obtained by projecting the sensor chip to the circuit chip. The conductive member is disposed in the non-adhesive region for electrically connecting between the circuit chip and the substrate.

Abstract: A capacitance type dynamic quantity sensor device includes a sensor chip having movable electrodes and sensor-chip side fixed electrodes disposed to confront the movable electrodes in a substrate surface horizontal direction X and a circuit chip disposed to confront the sensor chip. The movable electrodes are joined to the substrate through spring portions having degrees of freedom in the substrate surface horizontal direction X and the substrate surface vertical direction Z, so that the movable electrodes are displaceable in both the directions X and Z. A circuit-chip side fixed electrode is equipped at the site corresponding to the movable electrodes. The sensor chip and the circuit chip are electrically connected to each other through bump electrodes.

Abstract: In a capacitance type acceleration sensor comprising a movable portion which is equipped with movable electrodes, a poise portion and spring portions formed on a semiconductor substrate and is displaced under application of acceleration, and fixed portions each of which is equipped with fixed electrodes having detection faces confronting the detection faces of the movable electrodes, the movable portion is forcedly displaced by applying a predetermined driving voltage between the movable portion and each of the fixed portions, whereby foreign material hidden in a hollow portion between the movable portion and the semiconductor substrate below the movable portion is exposed and removed by a suction unit.

Abstract: A capacitance type dynamic quantity sensor device includes a sensor chip having movable electrodes and sensor-chip side fixed electrodes disposed to confront the movable electrodes in a substrate surface horizontal direction X and a circuit chip disposed to confront the sensor chip. The movable electrodes are joined to the substrate through spring portions having degrees of freedom in the substrate surface horizontal direction X and the substrate surface vertical direction Z, so that the movable electrodes are displaceable in both the directions X and Z. A circuit-chip side fixed electrode is equipped at the site corresponding to the movable electrodes. The sensor chip and the circuit chip are electrically connected to each other through bump electrodes.

Abstract: A capacitive dynamic quantity sensor includes a semiconductor substrate, a weight, a movable electrode, and two fixed electrodes. The weight is movably supported by the semiconductor substrate. The movable electrode is integrated with the weight. The fixed electrodes are stationarily supported by the semiconductor substrate. The fixed electrodes face the movable electrode to provide a narrow gap and a wide gap and form a detection part having a capacitance. The weight and the movable electrode are displaced relative to the fixed electrodes in response to a dynamic quantity to be detected such that one of the gaps increases while the other decreases. The dynamic quantity is detected on the basis of the variation in the capacitance. One of wide gap electrode surfaces, which define the wide gap, is smaller than narrow gap electrode surfaces, which define the narrow gap, to improve sensor sensitivity.

Abstract: A DLL circuit includes a delay circuit, a phase comparing circuit and a delay control circuit. The delay circuit is connected to first and second nodes, and delays an original clock signal supplied to the first node based on a delay control signal and generates first to n-th (n is an integer more than 1) internal clock signals. The first internal clock signal is outputted from the second node. Also, the internal clock signals other than the first internal clock signal are outputted from the delay circuit without passing through the second node, and lead the first internal clock signal in phase. The phase comparing circuit compares the original clock signal supplied from the first node and the first internal clock signal supplied from the second node, and outputs a phase difference of the original clock signal and the first internal clock signal. The delay control circuit outputs the delay control signal to the delay circuit based on the phase difference outputted from the phase comparing circuit.

Abstract: A sensor chip (100) includes comb-toothed movable electrodes (24) displaceable in a Y-direction, and comb-toothed stationary electrodes (30, 31, 40, 41) arranged to confront those movable electrodes (24), on one face side of a semiconductor substrate (10). The sensor chip (100) detects acceleration on the basis of a capacity change accompanying an acceleration application in the Y-direction between the movable electrodes (24) and the stationary electrodes (30, 31, 41, 42). The stationary electrodes (30, 31, 41, 42) are individually disposed to confront each other on one and other sides of the direction taken along the Y-direction in the individual movable electrodes (24). The individual electrode pads (25a, 30a, 31a, 40a, 41a) and the circuit chip (200) are electrically connected by bump electrodes (300) so that one face of the substrate (10) confronts the circuit chip (200).

Abstract: A sensor chip for a semiconductor sensor includes, fixed electrodes, movable electrodes facing the fixed electrodes, and beams connected to the movable electrodes. Additional movable electrodes are provided between the beams and the fixed electrodes, which are closest to the beams. Thus, even when acceleration is applied, only the additional movable electrodes are brought into contact with the beams and hence no circuit shorting between the fixed electrodes and the beams is caused. As a result, a shield effect can be realized even though shield electrodes are not provided.

Abstract: In a capacitive-type semiconductor sensor, a pad for fixed electrodes of a sensor chip operable in one direction is also used in common as a pad for the other fixed electrodes of the other sensor chip operable in another direction. Further, a wiring from the common pad for the one sensor chip and a wiring from the common pad for the other sensor chip are symmetrically formed. The sensor chips may be arranged to be operable in two perpendicularly crossing directions or in two reverse directions.

Abstract: A capacitive dynamic quantity sensor includes a semiconductor substrate, a weight, a movable electrode, and two fixed electrodes. The weight is movably supported by the semiconductor substrate. The movable electrode is integrated with the weight. The fixed electrodes are stationarily supported by the semiconductor substrate. The fixed electrodes face the movable electrode to provide a narrow gap and a wide gap and form a detection part having a capacitance. The weight and the movable electrode are displaced relative to the fixed electrodes in response to a dynamic quantity to be detected such that one of the gaps increases while the other decreases. The dynamic quantity is detected on the basis of the variation in the capacitance. One of wide gap electrode surfaces, which define the wide gap, is smaller than narrow gap electrode surfaces, which define the narrow gap, to improve sensor sensitivity.

Abstract: A DLL circuit includes a delay circuit, a phase comparing circuit and a delay control circuit. The delay circuit is connected to first and second nodes, and delays an original clock signal supplied to the first node based on a delay control signal and generates first to n-th (n is an integer more than 1) internal clock signals. The first internal clock signal is outputted from the second node. Also, the internal clock signals other than the first internal clock signal are outputted from the delay circuit without passing through the second node, and lead the first internal clock signal in phase. The phase comparing circuit compares the original clock signal supplied from the first node and the first internal clock signal supplied from the second node, and outputs a phase difference of the original clock signal and the first internal clock signal. The delay control circuit outputs the delay control signal to the delay circuit based on the phase difference outputted from the phase comparing circuit.

Abstract: In order to define the contour of an ellipse, it is necessary to determine five unknown parameters in the general equation representative of centered conics. When directly applying Hough transformation method to the above equation, since a five-dimensional space is required, it is practically impossible to detect an ellipse because a long processing time and a great amount of memory capacity are inevitably required. To overcome these problems, the geometric properties of an ellipse are determined separately on three parameter sub-spaces obtained on the basis of edge vector field: two-dimensional center histogram and two-dimensional (H, B) histogram, one-dimensional C histogram. A peak value on the center histogram represents a group of ellipse having the same center locations; a peak value on the (H, B) histogram represents a group of concentric ellipse having the same eccentricity and axis slope; a peak value on the C histogram defines a single ellipse.