The present invention relates to the field of micromechanics. It more particularly relates to a method for manufacturing a micromechanical part. It is particularly applicable in the field of machining parts by deep etching, in particular fragile parts, made from silicon, glass or metal alloys. It also applies to other machining processes such as: laser machining, water jet machining, electro-erosion machining, LIGA machining, chemical machining of glass, etc.
The invention also relates to a part that may be obtained using this method.
Currently, as shown in
To avoid these problems, the parts have sometimes been broken using laser cutting of the bridges. This approach is complex and expensive and leaves bridge stubs, the appearance of which is generally not well received.
Furthermore, the deformations undergone by the substrate or the part being manufactured or assembled also generate stresses on the part, which sometimes cause damage or breakage.
The present invention aims to resolve these problems simply, effectively and economically.
More specifically, the invention relates to a method for manufacturing a micromechanical part from a substrate in which the part is manufactured by forming a plurality of fasteners between the part and the substrate, said fasteners being sacrificial. The fasteners comprise at least one hinge at the end of each fastener situated on the part side. The method comprises a step for breaking the sacrificial fasteners.
The invention also pertains to a part comprising a frame and a portion that is hinged relative to the frame, at least one guiding between the portion and the frame with at least one degree of freedom and at least one sacrificial connection between the hinged portion and the frame in the form of a released bolt capable of occupying two states, a singular state that makes it possible to block at least one degree of freedom of the articulated portion and a second state that makes it possible to set said portion in motion according to the degree of freedom of the guiding blocked in the singular state, until sacrificial connection is broken, the movement caused by the unlocking being tolerated by the guiding.
Other details of the invention will appear more clearly upon reading the following description, done in reference to the appended drawing, in which:
One of the basic principles of the invention is to connect a part machined from a substrate using sacrificial fasteners which, particularly advantageously, comprise at least one hinge at one of their ends situated between the fastener and the part. It is advantageously possible to provide a second hinge at the end situated between the fastener and the substrate. By suitably combining the different types of connection that will be described below, it is possible to control the degrees of freedom of the part relative to the substrate, and thus to allow the movements of the part in certain directions, so as to limit the stresses experienced by the part, while maintaining it rigidly in other directions.
Neck Profiles
The hinges of the fasteners are made by thin areas formed in beams or blades that form the fasteners. Typically, the thin area is approximately 10 times weaker than the fastener. It has a sectional size approximately 10 times smaller than that of the fastener, and a longitudinal size smaller than 1/10th the length of the fastener. If the thin area only pertains to one dimension of the section of the beam, the neck is said to be 2D (
Different neck profiles 87 can be used (
Different Connection Types
Eleven different connection chains can be used in the context of this invention.
1. The “simple connecting rod” (
2. The “connecting rod with an intermediate hinge” (
3. The “L shaped simple connecting rod” (
4. The “L shaped simple rod with an intermediate hinge” (
5. It is also possible to use connections of the spatial rod type (
6. The spatial connecting rod with intermediate hinge 101, like the spatial rod, includes a ball joint at each of its ends. It also includes an intermediate hinge, which may be a spatial intermediate hinge (
a.
It will be noted that the necks may be adapted by creating, as shown by
7. As the seventh type of connecting chain,
It is also possible to have torsion bars using simple connecting rods (references 5, 6), horizontal or vertical, which block 3 degrees of freedom. Two of these rods may be placed in series so as, based on their respective arrangements, to obtain hinges blocking 3, 4 or 5 degrees of freedom. Thus, it is for example possible to implement two simple connecting rods arranged perpendicular to one another, so as to form an L, T or V.
This type of fastener is particularly suitable for applications in which little surface area of the substrate is available, for which a break of the fastener by torsion is ideal. It is also possible to position two links in series, the axes of which coincide. This makes it possible to obtain a hinge blocking 3 degrees of freedom. By combining these two alternatives, a hinge blocking 4 degrees of freedom is obtained.
The part may be provided with an actuating portion, off-centered relative to the axis of the hinge and making it possible to bias it more easily in torsion. This portion may be a beam, provided with a hole with which a tool can cooperate.
8 and 9. It is also possible to connect the part to the substrate directly using a 2D neck 205, 207 (
10. It is possible to produce a 2D blade with 3 necks as proposed in
11. It is also possible to produce a 3D blade 232 with 3 necks as proposed in
The fasteners of type 10 and 11 may include means for pushing the central hinged zone along the axis Z, until it breaks, in particular for applications described later. Fragile zones as proposed in
Thus, by having fasteners chosen from among the different possible connections proposed above, one skilled in the art can release or restrain a given degree of freedom, based on the mobility that one wishes to impart to the part in reference to its substrate, during its manufacture and relative to its application. The part may be blocked rigidly on the substrate, or it is for example possible to release flexion in either direction.
Simplified Illustration
For simplification reasons,
Principle of the Basic Connection
As will be described below, a first aspect of the invention lies in the use of the connections described above to connect a part to the substrate in which it has been machined. The connections formed between the part and its substrate must be broken so as to release the part to allow it to be used. Thus, the connections are used in a sacrificial manner. Advantageously, the connections are used in order to control the energy produced during the release of the part and avoid, or at least limit, the risks of breaking of the part.
To release the part (
Once the connecting rod with an intermediate hinge has been removed, a tool (f) (
Kinematic Conditions for Proper Operation
For the connection principle to work (
As an example,
The arrangements that produce the greatest rigidity in the plane, two advantageous examples of which are proposed in
In the cases where the two simple connecting rods are parallel, the arrangements that produce the greatest rigidity in the plane are those where the connecting rod with an intermediate hinge is perpendicular to the other two rods.
Kinematic Analysis
In a planar kinematic analysis, the connection principle is based on the structure of
The insertion of a neck designed to form a unlocking mechanism on one of the links (
In its physical implementation (for example, a monolithic cutout in a wafer), the stability of the rod with intermediate hinge around its alignment singularity is guaranteed by the elastic return torques of the three necks making it up. In fact, these three necks are machined in their neutral state (i.e., without elastic bias), in the aligned positioning. The minimum elastic energy therefore corresponds to the alignment configuration. Thus, below a certain critical compression load of the knee joint, the latter remains axially rigid. If a compression load exceeding that critical load occurs, then the elastic equilibrium of the knee joint initially aligned breaks and the structure buckles. It is preferable to avoid buckling of the rod with intermediate hinge throughout the entire manufacturing process. If it is provided that strong forces bias the part during certain production steps (for example, during polishing phases), then the rigidity of the necks of the rod with intermediate hinge must be chosen to be high enough to guarantee that the critical buckling load is greater than the maximum compression loads expected on the knee joint.
Supernumerary Fasteners
In the case of parts that are strongly mechanically biased in the out-of-plane direction during machining (for example, during polishing, drilling or milling steps), it may prove necessary to use more than three connecting chains to fasten the part to the wafer. The present invention proposes the use of “L shaped simple connecting rod” connecting chains. The latter provide a connection that is only rigid in the out-of-plane direction and therefore does not interfere with the planar kinematic functions of the 3 base links. These chains, called supernumerary (i.e., not essential to the definition of the position of the part relative to the substrate and imparting the hyperstatic nature), increase the rigidity and mechanical strength in the out-of-plane direction.
The “L shaped simple connecting rods” can be replaced by “L shaped simple rods with an intermediate hinge” (
Embedded Necks
Irrespective of the type of connecting chain used, there is always a neck 307 that is fastened to the part itself. After release, half of that neck remains on the part. The presence of that small protuberance may, in some cases, hinder the proper operation of the part. One solution to partially offset this drawback consists of embedding that neck, i.e., placing it withdrawn from the surface of the part (
Use of Connecting Rods with an Intermediate Hinge to Block Flexible Guides
Sometimes, the machined part includes, monolithically, a portion designed to be hinged on a frame using a guide, for example a flexible guide, and the frame. The fasteners as proposed in the present invention, in particular the connecting rods with an intermediate hinge, can also be used to block the movement of the hinged portion relative to the frame, typically for manufacturing or assembly. Thus, there is at least one sacrificial connection between the hinged portion and the frame in the form of an unlocking mechanism capable of occupying two states: a singular state that makes it possible to block at least one degree of freedom of the guide, and a second state that makes it possible to set said portion in motion according to one degree of freedom of the guide blocked in the singular state, until the sacrificial connection breaks, the movement induced by the unlocking corresponding to one of the degrees of freedom of the guide. The latter thus tolerates that movement, without significant forces or stresses appearing in the part, i.e., capable of damaging it.
Examples
Lastly, whether for the connection of a part to its substrate or the maintenance of a portion that is hinged relative to its frame, a sacrificial fastener hinged at least at its end situated on the side of the micromechanical part is used to immobilize a micromechanical part temporarily. The sacrificial fastener is arranged so as to immobilize the micromechanical part, and it can be broken by actuation around the hinge.
The hinged sacrificial fastener can be an unlocking mechanism capable of occupying two states: a singular state that corresponds to a limited kinematic state of the part, and a second state in which the part has at least one additional degree of freedom relative to the singular state, the movement of the part according to that additional degree of freedom being able to cause a break of the hinged sacrificial fastener. In the event the part is made up of a frame and a portion hinged on the frame, the sacrificial fastener can also be a 2D neck or a 3D neck located precisely on one of the axes of rotation of the hinged portion. The movement of the part according to that degree of freedom can cause the sacrificial fastener to break. For example, in
The present invention is particularly advantageously applicable to produce micromechanical parts by deep etching, with a base of silicon from a wafer, but it can also be implemented for parts made with a base of glass or metal alloys, from a substrate. Depending on the considered material, it is possible to machine the part by laser machining, water jet machining, electro-erosion machining, LIGA machining, chemical machining of glass, etc. Relative to simple fasteners, formed from simple beams, the hinged fasteners according to the invention make it possible to functionalize the connection between the part and its substrate to give it a rigidity or freedom in the desired degrees of freedom based on a given application, and further making it possible to control the release of energy in the substrate and the part during breaking of the fasteners. A considerable decrease has been observed in the number of parts damaged or broken during manufacturing or during release from their substrate.
It will also be noted that the various examples proposed above may be oriented indifferently relative to the substrate, including by rotation of the fasteners around themselves, around their axes, in reference to the substrate.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2033/11 | Dec 2011 | CH | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2012/076860 | 12/21/2012 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO2013/093108 | 6/27/2013 | WO | A |
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