Method of forming membranes with modified stress characteristics

1. A method of modifying stress characteristics of a membrane comprising:

providing a membrane layer;

determining a desired stress modification of a portion of the membrane layer; and

forming at least one trough in the membrane layer based upon the determined desired stress modification, wherein forming at least one trough comprises:

determining a trough pattern based upon the determined desired stress modification;

forming a first trough in the membrane layer through an upper surface of the membrane layer based upon the determined trough pattern; and

forming a second trough in the membrane layer through a lower surface of the membrane layer based upon the determined trough pattern.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

releasing a membrane portion of the membrane layer from an underlying handle layer.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining a trough pattern comprises:

determining a width, a depth, and a shape of the at least one trough based upon the determined desired stress modification.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

determining a desired stress modification comprises determining a stress focusing area of the membrane; and

forming at least one trough comprises

determining the trough pattern based on the determined stress focusing.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

determining a desired stress modification comprises determining a stress isolating area of the membrane; and

forming at least one trough comprises

determining a trough pattern based on the determined stress isolating area.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming at least one trough comprises forming at least one trough in the membrane layer at a location adjacent to a membrane portion of the membrane layer.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming at least one trough comprises forming at least one trough in the membrane layer at a location within a membrane portion of the membrane layer.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming at least one trough comprises forming at least one trough in the membrane layer parallel to an edge of a membrane portion of the membrane layer.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming at least one trough comprises:

forming the first trough in the membrane layer with a first trough depth; and

forming the second trough in the membrane layer with a second trough depth, wherein the first trough depth is deeper than the second trough depth.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming at least one trough comprises:

forming at least a portion of the first trough in the membrane layer parallel to an edge of a membrane portion of the membrane layer; and

forming at least a portion of the second trough in the membrane layer parallel to the edge of the membrane portion of the membrane layer.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least a portion of the first trough in the membrane layer is parallel to the at least a portion of the second trough in the membrane layer.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first trough in the membrane layer only partially overlaps the second trough in the membrane layer.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming at least one trough comprises forming at least one curved trough in the membrane layer.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

providing a membrane layer comprises forming a membrane layer on an upper surface of a substrate layer; and

forming at least one trough in the membrane layer comprises forming the first trough in the membrane layer, the first trough extending from an upper surface of the membrane layer and terminating within the membrane layer, the first trough positioned such that when a membrane portion of the membrane layer is released from the substrate layer, the first trough is directly above a portion of the substrate layer.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein:

forming at least one trough in the membrane layer comprises forming the second trough through the membrane layer, the second trough extending from the lower surface of the membrane layer to an upper surface of the membrane layer, the second trough positioned such that when the membrane portion of the membrane layer is released from the substrate layer, the second trough is directly above a portion of the substrate layer.

16. A method of modifying stress characteristics of a membrane comprising:

forming a membrane layer on an upper surface of a substrate layer;

determining a desired stress modification of a portion of the membrane layer; and

forming a first trough in the membrane layer based upon the desired stress modification, the first trough extending from an upper surface of the membrane layer and terminating within the membrane layer, the first trough positioned such that when a membrane portion of the membrane layer is released from the substrate layer, the first trough is directly above a portion of the substrate layer;

forming a second trough through the membrane layer based upon the desired stress modification, the second trough extending from the upper surface of the membrane layer to a lower surface of the membrane layer, the second trough positioned such that when the membrane portion of the membrane layer is released from the substrate layer, the second trough is directly above a portion of the substrate layer.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

determining a trough geometry for the second trough based upon the determined desired stress modification.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein determining a trough geometry comprises:

determining a width, a depth, and a shape of the second trough based upon the determined desired stress modification.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein:

determining a desired stress modification comprises determining a stress focusing area of the membrane; and

forming the first trough comprises forming the first trough based on the determined stress focusing area.

20. The method of claim 16 , wherein:

determining a desired stress modification comprises determining a stress isolating area of the membrane; and

forming the first trough comprises forming the first trough based on the determined stress isolating area.