US 11,796,396 B2
Micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) thermal sensor
Tsai-Hao Hung, Hsinchu (TW); and Shih-Chi Kuo, Yangmei (TW)
Assigned to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed on Mar. 29, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/216,047.
Application 17/216,047 is a division of application No. 16/408,769, filed on May 10, 2019, granted, now 10,962,424.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/737,439, filed on Sep. 27, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0215550 A1, Jul. 15, 2021
Int. Cl. B81B 5/00 (2006.01); G01K 7/32 (2006.01); B81B 3/00 (2006.01); B81C 1/00 (2006.01)
CPC G01K 7/32 (2013.01) [B81B 3/0008 (2013.01); B81C 1/00944 (2013.01); B81B 2201/0278 (2013.01); B81B 2203/0136 (2013.01); B81B 2203/04 (2013.01); B81C 2201/013 (2013.01); B81C 2201/0105 (2013.01); B81C 2201/0116 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) device, comprising:
a first sensing electrode with a plurality of first electrode fingers;
a second sensing electrode with a plurality of second electrode fingers, wherein the pluralities of first and second electrode fingers are arranged in an interdigitated configuration and suspended over a substrate;
a curved sensing element coupled to adjacent first electrode fingers of the plurality of first electrode fingers, wherein the curved sensing element is configured to move the adjacent first electrodes and change a capacitance between the first and second sensing electrodes in response to a temperature sensed by the curved sensing element; and
a circuitry, coupled to the first and second sensing electrodes, configured to measure the temperature based on the capacitance between the first and second sensing electrodes.