US Patent 7285897 - Micromachined sensors on curved surface

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7285897.html

Micromachined ultrasonic transducer arrays are a recently developed component of some medical imaging devices. This patent from General Electric proposes a construction of such arrays on curved surfaces to improve field of view. Claim 1 reads:

1. A sensor device comprising: a support structure comprising a spine having a profile that is generally curved and a multiplicity of teeth extending from one side of said curved spine; and a multiplicity of micromachined sensors supported by said support structure in positions whereby a curved aperture is provided.

US 7274118 - MEMS accelerometer battery switch

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This patent teaches a fairly interesting application of MEMS accelerometers. For a variety of portable devices it can be a hassle to turn the device on (or even find the ON button). In order to solve this problem a cantilevered accelerometer is incorporated as a switch to turn on the portable device by providing a sufficient jerk. Claim 1 reads:

1. A system comprising: a substrate; a circuit connected to the substrate; a thin-film battery formed on the substrate and connected to the circuit, the thin-film battery operable to power the circuit; and an acceleration-enabled switch connected to the substrate and operably coupled to electrically activate the circuit, wherein the acceleration-enabled switch is a cantilevered-beam MEMS device.

US Patent 7264167 - Bar code scanner using MEMS array

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This patent from NCR Corporation teaches an array of micromirrors which are cooperatively adjusted to change a focal point in barcode readers which makes the reader less sensitive to variations in bar code distances or orientations. Claim 1 reads:

1. An optical scanner comprising a scanner housing including a scan window, a laser light source, reflected light detector and a Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) mirror array arranged to produce a scan line pattern, wherein the light from the laser light source is adjustably focused by the MEMS mirror array so as to enable auto-focusing of the laser light during the scanning of a bar code.

US Patent 7263838 - MEMS flow control for refrigerator

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This patent from Raytheon teaches using microelectromechanical actuators for more dynamic flow control in refrigerator operation. Claim 1 reads:

1. A regenerative refrigerator comprising: a compressor; a regenerator coupled to a downstream end of the compressor; a pulse tube coupled to a downstream end of the regenerator; and a MEMS flow controller for controlling flow within the refrigerator.

US Patent 7253941 - Sinusoidal hinge for MEMS

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Deflectable mirror devices (DMDs) are micromechanical elements developed by Texas Instruments usefully applied in a variety of areas such as fiber optic switching and projection displays. This patent focuses on a new hinge structure resulting in fewer manufacturing defects. Claim 8 reads:

8. An apparatus comprising: a hinge structure having an approximately sinusoidal profile; and a deflectable member supported by said hinge structure.

While the breadth of the claims may be reasonable if limited to DMDs the Examiner may have overlooked some more traditional hinge structure prior art such as

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5487207.pdf

US Patent 7244367 - Platinum/Palladium MEMS

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Micromechanical structures have been fabricated from a variety of materials including silicon, polysilicon, metals, and polymers. However, for a variety of applications these materials may not have sufficient electrical conductivity and mechanical durability. This patent teaches a metal alloy with some improved mechanical characteristics for micromechanical structures. Claim 1 reads:

1. A microelectromechanical device, comprising: at least one freestanding flexible member that bends, flexes, twists, or is deformed during operation of the microelectromechanical device and is formed from an alloy consisting essentially of about 40 to 80 wt% platinum and about 20 to 60 wt% palladium, said member exhibiting at least one performance characteristic at least 50% greater than either noble metal alone, said performance characteristic selected from the group consisting of yield strength, tensile strength and hardness.

US Patent 7242512- Resistance based addressing in MEMS display

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Interferometric based micromechanical displays is a technology being developed by companies such as Iridigm Display and Silicon Light Machines with improved energy efficiency. As opposed to LCDs or other flat panel displays no special material is needed and the pixel reflection is determined in terms of the mechanical state of reflective microribbons. This patent from Iridigm teaches a more efficient method of addressing such displays by assigning different resistance values to subrows in a row thereby allowing a greater number of pixels and larger displays. Claim 1 reads:

1. A display comprising: a plurality of MEMS elements arranged in rows, wherein the MEMS elements of each of the rows are further arranged in subrows and wherein the subrows of each row are electrically connected; and a plurality of resistors, each of the resistors connected to a respective one of the subrows, the respective one of the resistors for each of the subrows of each row having a different resistance from the resistors connected to the other subrows of the row.

US Patent 7242129 - Piezoelectric/electrostatic MEMS actuator

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MEMS actuators have a variety of uses including read head drive controllers for optical disk drives or atomic force microscopes. As portable electronic devices continue to shrink MEMS becomes even more important in these types of memory drives. One problem however is the range of movement can be limited depending on the type of actuator used. This patent teaches using both piezoelectric and electrostatic combtooth actuation to enhance the range. Claim 1 reads:

1. A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) actuator comprising: a stationary comb fixed on a substrate; a movable comb disposed separately from the substrate; and a spring connected to the movable comb and the substrate to resiliently support the movable comb, wherein the movable comb includes a piezoelectric material layer in a laminated manner to be perpendicularly moved by a piezoelectric phenomenon and laterally moved by an electrostatic force to the stationary comb.

US Patent 7230306 - Integrated cantilever/transistor for MEMS

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IMEMS is an acronym often used referring to integrated microelectromechanical systems and refers to devices in which both micromechanical structures and the electronics used to control the micromechanical structures are formed on the same substrate. This is often easier said then done since very different process steps and materials may be involved in the fabricating of the control circuit versus the fabrication of the micromechanical component. This patent teaches one method of integration in which a transistor is formed within a microcantilever by using different crystalline structures. Claim 1 reads:

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.

US Patent 7210337 - MEMS leak detector

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One of the largest markets for MEMS is motion sensors which utilize the resonant response of a proof mass to detect movement. However, the pressure of the environment in which the MEMS device is encapsulated can alter the resonant response. This patent from Honeywell seeks to detect leaks in a MEMS package to detect pressure changes having unwanted effects on the sensors operation.

1. A method for detecting a leak in a MEMS sensor package, wherein the MEMS sensor package includes a sensor cavity that encloses a MEMS sensor, wherein the MEMS sensor includes a mechanical oscillating element with a Quality (Q) value, the method comprising: measuring a first Q value of the MEMS sensor at a first time; applying a pressure differential between the sensor cavity and the exterior of the MEMS sensor package; and measuring a second Q value of the MEMS sensor at a second time, wherein the second time is later than the first time.

US Patent 7202763 - MEMS inductive switch

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Due to the difficulty of microfabricating inductive elements such as coils in comparison to capacitive elements such as parallel plates, micromechanical inductive switches are rare. However, this patent teaches one way of achieving such as inductive switch by microfabrication. Claim 1 reads:

1. A micro-electromechanical switching device including at least one pair of inductive elements electrically connected in series, said inductive elements being intended to generate two magnetic fields when current is flowing through said inductive elements, the interaction between these two fields resulting in a displacement of at least one of the inductive elements and a displacement of a mobile contact element linked to said at least one inductive element and intended to switch between two positions, at least one of said positions enabling an electrical connection between at least two conductive elements.

US Patent 7202552 - Flexible packaging for MEMS

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The housings for MEMS devices have traditionally been formed from a limited number of materials including metals or ceramics. However, in order to take advantage of MEMS in diverse applications such as biotechnology and flexible electronics a wider variety of packaging is desired. This patent from Silicon Matrix discloses a polymer material substrate for a MEMS device. Claim 1 reads:

1. A MEMS package comprising: at least one MEMS device located on a flexible substrate; and a metal structure surrounding said at least one MEMS device wherein a bottom surface of said metal structure is attached to said flexible substrate and wherein said flexible substrate is folded over a top surface of said metal structure and attached to said top surface of said metal structure thereby forming said MEMS package.

US Patent 7190092 - Scrubbing MEMS contacts

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7190092.pdf

Stiction is a problem commonly associated with micromechanical structures and results from chemical residue or electrostatic charges which can build up and leave a microstructure stuck in a particular position. This patent fro a company called Teravicta proposes a fairly basic solution involving controlled scrubbing of the MEMS surfaces to reduce the stiction effect. Claim 1 reads:

1. A micro-electromechanical switch module, comprising: a micro-electromechanical switch having a control element and a contact surface; and signal generation circuitry adapted to electrically, thermally or magnetically actuate the switch sufficient to provide repetitive scrubbing action between contacts of the switch during at least a portion of time when the switch is closed.

US Patent 7184717 - MEMS antenna switch

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7184717.pdf

One of the key advantages of mechanical switches over electrical switches is that when a mechanical switch is off there is a physical disconnection which prevents current flow while transistors or other electrical switches have a degree of leakage current. While typical mechanical switches are large compared to transistors, MEMS switches can be fabricated at a sufficiently small scale to be competitive. This patent from Intel presents a broad claim for a MEMS switch for a wireless communication system. Claim 1 reads:

1. A portable communication device comprising: a first transceiver; a first microelectromechanical system (MEMS) switch to couple the first transceiver to an antennae, wherein the first MEMS switch has an input node directly connected to the antennae; and a field effect transistor switch coupled to an output of the first MEMS switch.

US Patent 7170667 - Lifetime improvement in MEMS devices

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7170667.pdf

Micromachined devices with movable members are often dependent upon resonant or other mechanical characteristics that can undesirably change over time due to deformation of the movable member. This patent from Texas Instruments teaches a method of reducing the rate of such deformation using an illumination pretreatment. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method comprising: packaging a microelectromechanical device (MEMS) having a deformable element; reducing a rate of developing residual plastic deformation in the deformable element by illuminating the device with a beam of illumination light, wherein the rate of developing residual plastic deformation is defined as an amount of the residual plastic deformation developed over a time period divided by the time period; and delivering the device to a customer.