Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a MEMS device that is easy to set a cavity inner pressure to a desired value by utilizing normally-used MEMS device manufacturing processes and process materials without increase in the number of processes of manufacturing the MEMS device. In order to solve the problem, as a typical MEMS device of the present invention, a MEMS device having a cavity includes an insulating film containing hydrogen in vicinity of the cavity and a hydrogen barrier film covering the insulating film.

Abstract: Provided are acceleration sensor, geophone and seismic prospecting system with high sensitivity and low power consumption. The acceleration sensor includes a mass body displaceable with respect to a rotation shaft. The acceleration sensor includes a first AC servo control facing a first symmetrical region of the first movable portion, a second AC servo control electrode facing a second symmetrical region of the second movable portion, and a DC servo control electrode facing an asymmetrical region of the second movable portion. A first AC servo capacitive element is formed by the first movable portion and the first AC servo control electrode, a second AC servo capacitive element is formed by the second movable portion and the second AC servo control electrode, and a DC servo capacitive element is formed by the second movable portion and the DC servo control electrode.

Abstract: Provided is a technology that enables the shortening of the designing period. A device designing method includes a step of extracting a structure compatible with requested characteristics from a database in which each structure of a device is associated with characteristics and a step of outputting the extracted structure and a tuning parameter for adjusting the structure into ranges of the requested characteristics. In regard to each structure parameter determining the structure of the device, characteristics obtained by performing a simulation while exhaustively changing the structure parameter in a manufacturable range and the structure parameter used for the simulation are stored in the database while being associated with each other.

Abstract: Provided is an acceleration sensor having a large mass in a movable portion, and realizing high impact resistance. An acceleration sensor element 10a includes an upper substrate 20, a lower substrate 21 spaced apart from the upper substrate 20, and an intermediate substrate 19 provided between the upper substrate 20 and the lower substrate 21. Each of a first movable portion 16, a second movable portion 17, a frame portion 12, a fixed portion 13, and a spring portion 14 constituting the intermediate substrate 19 is configured with two layers of an upper layer and a lower layer, and a stopper portion 18 is provided at one end of the frame portion 12. A distance 31 between an end portion of the first movable portion 16 or the second movable portion 17 and an end portion of the stopper portion 18 in the upper layer and a distance 32 between an end portion of the first movable portion 16 or the second movable portion 17 and an end portion of the stopper portion 18 in the lower layer are different from each other.

Abstract: There is provided an acceleration sensor with low noise and high sensitivity. Specifically, a first number of opening portions are formed in a region corresponding to a heavyweight section of a mass body, on a surface of a membrane layer, and a second number of opening portions are formed in a region corresponding to the heavyweight section of the mass body, on a back surface of the membrane layer. The opening portion and the opening portion are connected to each other to form a plurality of through portions on the membrane layer, and the first number is larger than the second number.

Abstract: A membrane (mass body) included in an acceleration sensor includes a moving portion, a moving portion electrically separated from the moving portion, and a mechanical junction portion that mechanically connects the moving portion and the moving portion in a y-axis direction. The mechanical junction portion includes a first portion extending in a direction having a first angle with respect to the y-axis direction and a second portion extending in a direction having a second angle different from the first angle with respect to the y-axis direction in an xy plane, and is formed to have a non-linear shape in an x-axis direction.

Abstract: Airtightness in a cavity of an inertial sensor (acceleration sensor) is increased to achieve high sensitivity. In the acceleration sensor having movable electrodes VE1, VE2 and fixed electrodes FE1, FE2, the fixed electrodes are formed by portions surrounded by a through hole TH1 provided in a cap layer CL, and the through hole is filled with an insulating film IF1 and polysilicon P and has a wide portion (WP). The wide portion has a gap SP that is not filled with the insulating film IF1 and the polysilicon P, and the gap SP is filled with the interlayer insulating film ID. With such a configuration, degassing can be exhausted through the gap (airway) SP in a pressure reducing step.

Abstract: There is provided an inertia sensor with low noise and high sensitivity. The inertia sensor captures a physical quantity as a change of electrostatic capacitance and detects the physical quantity based on a servo voltage generating electrostatic force that cancels the change of the electrostatic capacitance. The inertia sensor includes a detection capacitor unit that captures the physical quantity as the change of the electrostatic capacitance and a servo capacitor unit to which the servo voltage is applied. Here, the detection capacitor unit and the servo capacitor unit are connected mechanically through an insulation material.

Abstract: The present invention provides a technique for determining the circuit configuration and device structure that meet required specifications in a short time. A device design support method includes: a step (S2) of receiving an input of specifications of a sensor, and extracting the circuit configuration and device specification range corresponding to the received specifications of the sensor, by referring to a circuit design database in which the circuit configuration configuring the sensor, the range of the specifications of the device configuring the sensor, and the specifications of the sensor are associated with each other; and a step (S3) of extracting the device structure corresponding to the extracted device specification range by referring to a device design database in which the specifications of the device and the structure of the device are associated with each other.

Abstract: A low-noise and high-sensitivity inertial sensor is provided. On the assumption that a movable portion VU1 and a movable portion VU2 are formed in the same SOI layer, the movable portion VU1 and the movable portion VU2 are mechanically connected to each other by a mechanical coupling portion MCU even while these movable portions are electrically isolated from each other. Thereby, according to a sensor element SE in the invention, it is possible to further suppress a shift between the capacitance of a MEMS capacitor 1 and the capacitance of a MEMS capacitor 2.

Abstract: An acceleration sensor (1) includes a fixed portion (33), a movable portion (31) connected to the fixed portion (33), a lower electrode (11) that is disposed to face a lower surface of the movable portion (31), and an upper electrode (21) that is disposed to face an upper surface of the movable portion (31). A distance in an x-axis direction between an end portion (41) of the lower electrode (11) and the fixed portion (33) is shorter than a distance in the x-axis direction between an end portion (51) of the upper electrode (21) and the fixed portion (33). Further, a distance in the x-axis direction between an end portion (42) of the lower electrode (11) and the fixed portion (33) is shorter than a distance in the x-axis direction between an end portion (52) of the upper electrode (21) and the fixed portion (33).

Abstract: To provide a physical quantity sensor in which the influence of deformation of a package substrate on the measuring accuracy of a sensor element can be suppressed. A physical quantity sensor includes a sensor element that detects a predetermined physical quantity and outputs an electrical signal, a plurality of lead portions that are connected to the sensor element, and a package substrate that accommodates the sensor element and the plurality of lead portions. The plurality of lead portions are connected at proximal end sides thereof to the package substrate side, and connected at distal end sides thereof to the sensor element side, and the plurality of lead portions support the sensor element in such a manner that the sensor element does not contact the package substrate and that the transmission of deformation of the package substrate side to the sensor element is suppressed.

Abstract: A magnetic measurement device has a magnetic sensor including a glass cell having alkali metal gas encapsulated therein that is configured to detect a magnetic field using a magneto-optical characteristic of spin-polarized alkali metal. A laser light source is configured to generate pump light introduced into the magnetic sensor and a coil provided in the same magnetically shielded space as the magnetic sensor is configured to apply a static magnetic field and a RF magnetic field to the magnetic sensor. A signal processor is configured to perform lock-in detection of a light detection signal transmitted through the glass cell of the magnetic sensor, control an intensity of the static magnetic field and a frequency of the RF magnetic field generated by the coil according to a lock-in detection output, and obtain a measurement signal reflecting a magnetic field intensity of an object to be measured in the magnetically shielded space.

Abstract: A low-noise and high-sensitivity inertial sensor is provided. On the assumption that a movable portion VU1 and a movable portion VU2 are formed in the same SOI layer, the movable portion VU1 and the movable portion VU2 are mechanically connected to each other by a mechanical coupling portion MCU even while these movable portions are electrically isolated from each other. Thereby, according to a sensor element SE in the invention, it is possible to further suppress a shift between the capacitance of a MEMS capacitor 1 and the capacitance of a MEMS capacitor 2.

Abstract: An acceleration sensor that achieves a simultaneous operation method of a signal detection and a servo control is provided as an alternative to a time-division processing method. The acceleration sensor is a MEMS capacitive acceleration sensor. The acceleration sensor includes signal detection capacitor pairs 12, 15, and DC servo control capacitor pairs 13, 16, and AC servo control capacitor pairs 14, 17, which are different from the signal detection capacitor pairs 12, 15. A voltage that generates a force in a direction opposite to a detection signal of acceleration detected by the signal detection capacitor pairs 12, 15 is applied to the DC servo control capacitor pairs 13, 16 and the AC servo control capacitor pairs 14, 17.