US 11,880,165 B2
Method for manufacturing silicon timepiece components
Sylvain Jeanneret, Colombier (CH)
Assigned to PATEK PHILIPPE SA GENEVE, Geneva (CH)
Appl. No. 16/980,126
Filed by PATEK PHILIPPE SA GENEVE, Genèva (CH)
PCT Filed Mar. 19, 2019, PCT No. PCT/IB2019/052198
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 11, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/180596, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 26, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 18162729 (EP), filed on Mar. 20, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0026299 A1, Jan. 28, 2021
Int. Cl. H01L 21/311 (2006.01); B81C 1/00 (2006.01); G04B 17/06 (2006.01); C23C 14/08 (2006.01); C23C 16/40 (2006.01); G04B 17/22 (2006.01); G04D 3/00 (2006.01)
CPC G04B 17/066 (2013.01) [C23C 14/08 (2013.01); C23C 16/401 (2013.01); G04B 17/22 (2013.01); G04B 17/227 (2013.01); G04D 3/00 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of manufacturing timepiece components comprising the following steps:
a) providing a substrate comprising a first silicon layer, a second silicon layer and, in between, an intermediate silicon oxide layer,
b) etching the first silicon layer to form therein the timepiece components,
c) releasing from the substrate a wafer formed by at least all or part of the etched, first silicon layer and comprising the timepiece components,
d) thermally oxidizing and then deoxidizing the timepiece components,
e) forming by thermal oxidation or deposition a silicon oxide layer on the timepiece components, and
f) detaching the timepiece components from the wafer.
 
17. A method of manufacturing timepiece components comprising the following steps:
a) providing a substrate comprising silicon layers interleaved with silicon oxide layers,
b) etching a group of layers of the substrate to form therein the timepiece components,
c) releasing from the substrate a wafer formed by at least all or part of the group of layers and comprising the timepiece components,
d) thermally oxidizing and then deoxidizing the timepiece components,
e) forming by thermal oxidation or deposition a silicon oxide layer on the timepiece components, and
f) detaching the timepiece components from the wafer.