US2012099174A1PendingUtilityA1

METHOD OF FABRICATING MEMS DEVICES (SUCH AS IMod) COMPRISING USING A GAS PHASE ETCHANT TO REMOVE A LAYER

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Assignee: MILES MARK WPriority: Apr 8, 1998Filed: Dec 21, 2011Published: Apr 26, 2012
Est. expiryApr 8, 2018(expired)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:Mark W. Miles
G02B 26/0841G02B 26/02G09G 3/3466G09G 3/2014Y10T29/49002G02B 19/0019G09G 2300/088G02B 26/001G09G 2300/0809G02F 1/0128G09G 2300/08G02B 26/0833G09G 2300/0426G02B 26/0816G09G 3/22G02B 26/0825G02B 27/0068G02B 26/06G09G 2300/0842G02B 26/007Y10T29/4913G09G 2300/0469G09G 3/3433G02F 2203/12G02B 5/201G02B 26/00G02B 6/29335G02B 26/04
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Claims

Abstract

Improvements in an interferometric modulator that cavity defined by two walls.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified
1 . An apparatus comprising:
 an unreleased microelectromechanical device comprising at least one thin film disposed, at least in part, on a substrate, wherein the thin film is configured to contact a sacrificial component; wherein the sacrificial component is etchable by a non-plasma gas phase etchant; wherein the substrate is substantially non-etchable by the non-plasma gas phase etchant, and wherein the sacrificial component comprises at least one of molybdenum, tungsten, or tantalum.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the gas phase etchant comprises at least one of XeF 2 , BrF 3 , ClF 3 , BrF 5 , and IF 5 . 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the microelectromechanical device comprises an interferometric modulator. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the sacrificial component comprises molybdenum. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the sacrificial component comprises tungsten. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the sacrificial component comprises tantalum. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the non-plasma gas phase etchant comprises XeF 2 . 
     
     
         8 . An apparatus comprising:
 a substrate configured to be non-etchable by non-plasma gas phase etching; and   an interferometric modulator disposed, at least in part, on the substrate, wherein the interferometric modulator comprises at least one thin film, wherein the thin film is configured to contact a sacrificial component, and wherein the sacrificial component is configured to define the optical properties of the interference modulator and is etchable with a non-plasma gas phase etchant.   
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the sacrificial component comprises at least one of molybdenum, tungsten, and tantalum. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the non-plasma gas phase etchant comprises at least one of XeF 2 , BrF 3 , ClF 3 , BrF 5 , and IF 5 . 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the substrate is configured to be chemically isolated from the interferometric modulator. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the substrate is chemically isolated from the interferometric modulator by a thin film coating. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the sacrificial component comprises molybdenum. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the sacrificial component comprises tungsten. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the sacrificial component comprises tantalum. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the non-plasma gas phase etchant comprises XeF 2 .

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