Microelectromechanical thin-film device
View Patent ↗Processing and systems to create, and resulting products related to, very small-dimension singular, or monolithically arrayed, semiconductor mechanical devices. Processing is laser performed on selected semiconductor material whose internal crystalline structure becomes appropriately changed to establish the desired mechanical properties for a created device.
1. A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) thin-film device comprising:
a mechanical device having a mechanical body made from a thin-film material;
an electronic device formed within the mechanical body;
wherein the mechanical device is a cantilever beam, including a thin-film material with a first crystalline structure; and,
wherein the electrical device is a transistor, including a semiconductor material having a second crystalline structure.
2. The thin-film device of claim 1 wherein the wherein the first crystalline structure is different from the second crystalline structure.
3. The thin-film device of claim 1 wherein the cantilever beam thin-film material is the same as the transistor semiconductor material; and
wherein the first crystalline structure is different from the second crystalline structure.
4. The thin-film device of claim 1 wherein the cantilever beam thin-film material has a laser-annealed first crystalline structure; and
wherein the transistor semiconductor material has a laser-annealed second crystalline structure.
5. The thin-film device of claim 1 wherein the cantilever beam thin-film material has a temporary pre-annealed third crystalline structure and a post-annealed first crystalline structure; and
wherein the transistor semiconductor material has a temporary pre-annealed fourth crystalline structure and a post-annealed second crystalline structure.
6. The thin-film device of claim 1 wherein the cantilever beam thin-film includes both a fifth crystalline structure region and a first crystalline structure region; and
wherein the transistor semiconductor material includes both a sixth crystalline structure region and a second crystalline structure region.
7. The thin-film device of claim 1 wherein the cantilever beam thin-film first crystalline structure is associated with a first mechanical property.
8. The thin-film device of claim 1 further comprising:
a substrate; and
wherein the cantilever beam has a mechanical body with a first end connected to the substrate, and an extended second end.
9. The thin-film device of claim 8 wherein the substrate is a material selected from the group including glass, quartz, plastic, metal, flex materials, fabrics, copper foil, metal foil, and Low-melting temperature materials.
10. The thin-film device of claim 8 wherein the cantilever beam mechanical body and the electronic device are formed from materials selected from the group including silicon, germanium, silicon-germanium, dielectrics, copper, silicon dioxide, aluminum, tantalum, titanium, and piezoelectric materials.
11. The thin-film device of claim 10 wherein the combination of the cantilever beam and the transistor form an environmental sensor.
12. The thin-film device of claim 11 wherein the environmental sensor is sensitized to react to a stimulus selected from the group including motion, chemical, and biological.
13. A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) thin-film device comprising:
a mechanical device having a mechanical body made from a thin-film material;
an electronic device formed within the mechanical body;
wherein the mechanical device is a thin-film material with a first crystalline structure; and,
wherein the electrical device is a transistor, including a semiconductor material having a second crystalline structure.
14. The thin-film device of claim 13 wherein the mechanical device is selected from a group consisting of a cantilever beam, an oscillating element, an actuator, and a relay switch.