EP4283408A1 - Verfahren zur herstellung einer uhrenkomponente - Google Patents

Verfahren zur herstellung einer uhrenkomponente Download PDF

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Publication number
EP4283408A1
EP4283408A1 EP22174885.8A EP22174885A EP4283408A1 EP 4283408 A1 EP4283408 A1 EP 4283408A1 EP 22174885 A EP22174885 A EP 22174885A EP 4283408 A1 EP4283408 A1 EP 4283408A1
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EP
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Prior art keywords
level
wafer
component
mask
etching
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EP22174885.8A
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English (en)
French (fr)
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EP4283408B1 (de
Inventor
Marc-André Glassey
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Sigatec SA
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Sigatec SA
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Priority to EP22174885.8A priority Critical patent/EP4283408B1/de
Priority to EP25224257.3A priority patent/EP4707957A2/de
Publication of EP4283408A1 publication Critical patent/EP4283408A1/de
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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G04—HOROLOGY
    • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
    • G04B15/00—Escapements
    • G04B15/14—Component parts or constructional details, e.g. construction of the lever or the escape wheel
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G04—HOROLOGY
    • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
    • G04B15/00—Escapements
    • G04B15/06—Free escapements
    • G04B15/08—Lever escapements
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G04—HOROLOGY
    • G04D—APPARATUS OR TOOLS SPECIALLY DESIGNED FOR MAKING OR MAINTAINING CLOCKS OR WATCHES
    • G04D3/00—Watchmakers' or watch-repairers' machines or tools for working materials
    • G04D3/0069—Watchmakers' or watch-repairers' machines or tools for working materials for working with non-mechanical means, e.g. chemical, electrochemical, metallising, vapourising; with electron beams, laser beams

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to the field of watchmaking. More precisely, it relates to a process for manufacturing a watch component, in particular a silicon watch component.
  • this assembly was carried out by a so-called driving technique, which consists of forcefully inserting an axis of an element to be assembled into a hole in the other element.
  • a majority of watch components produced today come from an SOI type substrate comprising a first layer based on silicon in which the components must be formed, a second layer called “support” also based on silicon and used to stiffen the substrate and, between these two layers, an intermediate layer also called a “stop layer”, made of silicon oxide.
  • the components are cut from the first layer by deep ion reactive etching (DRIE) through a photosensitive resin mask formed by photolithography on said first layer.
  • DRIE deep ion reactive etching
  • the stopping layer located behind the first layer being less sensitive to etching, it is not not started or to a very small extent, during DRIE engraving.
  • the support and the barrier layer are then removed locally, or completely removed, by chemical etching, so that a wafer from the first layer of the substrate and carrying the components or parts of components is released.
  • Silicon being a fragile material, it is difficult to compatible with the punch assembly method mentioned above. Such a method is particularly unsuitable for the industrial production of silicon components, the proportion of elements broken during assembly and discarded remaining too high.
  • An aim of the present invention is to propose a process for manufacturing a silicon watch component, which makes it possible to overcome the disadvantages of the aforementioned prior art and which can in particular be implemented on an industrial scale.
  • the method according to the invention makes it possible to produce one or more multilevel components in a simple manner, avoiding the assembly step of the prior art which, on the one hand, is laborious when it comes to manufacturing large series of components, and on the other hand can be complex due to the fragile nature of silicon.
  • the process makes it possible to quickly manufacture a large number of components: Although the process aims to manufacture at least one component, in practice a plurality of components (identical or different) will generally be formed simultaneously in the same silicon wafer.
  • the component obtained being otherwise monolithic, the problems of possible separation of the different levels are avoided.
  • the method according to the invention can in particular, but not limited to, be implemented for the manufacture of anchors or wheels or plates or hands or hairsprings or an element with flexible blade(s).
  • complex or multilevel component is meant, in the present application, a component on which it is possible to identify at least two superimposed parts in a so-called transverse direction (corresponding to the direction of the engraving having made it possible to form said component or to the direction of wafer thickness in which the component is formed).
  • the components obtained can only have two levels.
  • they can also have an intermediate level between the first and second levels: in this case, the intermediate level has a common limit plane with each of the other two levels.
  • the first and second sides of the wafer are opposite in the transverse direction.
  • the engraving made on the first side of the wafer is referred to as primary engraving and that made on the second side is secondary engraving. More generally, the adjectives primary and secondary are used in reference to the first and second side of the wafer respectively.
  • a primary surface is oriented towards the first side of the wafer and a secondary surface is oriented towards its second side.
  • a primary surface or a secondary surface of a level of the component extends in a plane orthogonal to the transverse direction.
  • An edge is generally orthogonal to these primary and/or secondary surfaces (taking into account the inclination of the sides resulting from the engraving process).
  • edges of the first and second level is meant the edges of said levels, possibly excluding a zone forming a fastener retained to maintain a link between the component and the rest of the wafer during manufacturing and which may be broken at the end of the process to release the component.
  • Said zone can be provided on the first level, on the second level, or can extend over the entire thickness of the component and therefore on its two levels, as long as it ultimately allows the detachment of the component (for this it must normally be on the very outer contour of the component).
  • monolithic means an element (in particular a plate or a component) made of a single material.
  • a silicon wafer which is monolithic is a wafer made of a single material, said material being silicon.
  • Such a wafer is therefore a massive block, forming in particular a single layer of silicon.
  • the wafer is preferably polished on both sides.
  • the monolithic silicon wafer is etched through the openings of a first primary etch mask on the first side and a second secondary etch mask on the second side of the wafer.
  • the primary and/or secondary etching is typically deep reactive ion etching (DRIE).
  • DRIE deep reactive ion etching
  • the primary engraving carried out through said at least one opening of the first mask is intended to form at least edges, preferably the edges, of the first level of the (or each) component. In certain cases it can, in addition, form certain edges of an intermediate level, and/or a primary surface of the second level oriented towards the first side of the wafer. In other words, the cavities resulting from this primary engraving are at least partially delimited by what must be the edges of the first level and possibly certain edges of an intermediate level and/or a primary surface of the second level.
  • the primary surface of the second level of the component formed by primary etching is, at least on a boundary part, delimited by an edge of the second level, and the opening of the first mask covers said enlarged provisional primary surface, at the right of said boundary part, with a safety distance greater than 10 microns, preferably between 10 and 100 microns.
  • the widening of the opening of the first mask prevents the edge of the secondary engraving - forming said edge of the second level - coincides with the edge of the primary engraving.
  • the safety distance ensures that the secondary etching edge forming the edge of the second level intersects the stop layer at the desired depth and avoids the formation of an unwanted material residue at this edge.
  • the secondary engraving carried out through said at least one opening of the second mask is intended to form at least edges, preferably the edges, of the second level of the (or each) component. In certain cases it can, in addition, form certain edges of an intermediate level, and/or a secondary surface of the first level oriented towards the second side of the wafer. In other words, the cavities resulting from this secondary engraving are at least partially delimited by what must be the edges of the second level and possibly certain edges of an intermediate level and/or a secondary surface of the first level.
  • said secondary surface of the first level of the component formed by secondary etching is, at least on a boundary part, delimited by an edge of the first level, and the opening of the second mask covers said enlarged secondary surface, to the right of said boundary part, with a safety distance greater than 10 microns, preferably between 10 and 100 microns.
  • the widening of the opening over a safety distance prevents material residues from being retained at the edge of the secondary surface of the first level and later prevents the component from detaching and/or from secondary etching damaging the first. component level.
  • At least part of an opening of the first mask, respectively of the second mask, defining a contour of the first level, respectively of the second level has a width of between 20 and 200 microns, preferably constant.
  • the inclination of the engraving sides depends on the width of the engraved surface, it is preferable, to ensure that the inclination (relative to the transverse direction) of the edges or of a maximum of edges of the component is constant, that the width of a border engraving around a level of said component is constant where this is possible.
  • Each mask can be formed from a single layer or from several layers of different materials. In the case where a mask is made from or includes several layers, these layers are not necessarily produced or deposited at the same stage of the process.
  • the secondary etching mask can either be produced, in whole or in part, before the primary etching, or after it.
  • the secondary etching mask can also be produced either before or after the primary etching mask.
  • the secondary etching mask can be produced before or after the deposition/production of at least one stop layer, or be produced jointly with such a stop layer.
  • the method may comprise, when producing one of the first and second masks, identifying a position of an engraving already made on the opposite side, and indexing the mask to be made. on said position.
  • alignment marks are made on one side of the wafer and these are made to coincide with marks of a photolithography mask used for engraving on the other side, possibly by means of a referencing system. by camera.
  • the production of the primary etching mask and/or the production of the secondary etching mask comprises the structuring by photolithography of a layer of resin deposited on the first side, respectively the second side, of the wafer, to form openings defining the edges of the first level, respectively the second level, of the component.
  • the resin layer can be deposited directly on the silicon wafer (i.e. on the primary surface, respectively the secondary surface of the wafer).
  • a layer of silicon oxide can be deposited on the silicon wafer (in particular by Physical Vapor Deposition) or obtained by growth of silicon oxide (in other words by thermal oxidation of the wafer).
  • the oxidation carried out in a thermal oxidation oven, is carried out equally over the entire wafer and a fortiori jointly on the first and the second side of the plate.
  • the method comprises, after etching the wafer through the primary etching mask, oxidizing the wafer so that the oxide layer resulting from this oxidation forms a stopping layer on the first etched side of the wafer, then forming the secondary etching mask from said oxide layer on the second side of the wafer.
  • At least one additional stopping layer can be produced in addition on the first engraved side of the wafer, after the oxidation of the wafer: in this case, we finally have two stopping layers on the first side at the time of secondary etching: an oxide layer and the additional stop layer.
  • the at least one stop layer deposited or formed on the first side of the wafer matches the surfaces and parts of the component defined during the primary etching.
  • a stopping layer is made of a material less sensitive to etching, in particular DRIE etching, so that it is suitable for stopping secondary etching (by itself being little or not damaged) if it succeeds. in contact with him.
  • the barrier layer prevents the passage of process gases between the two sides of the wafer, which would cause degradation of the engraving.
  • the at least one barrier layer may comprise a silicon oxide layer and/or an aluminum layer and/or a parylene layer.
  • It may for example comprise a layer of parylene with a thickness of between 1 and 5 microns and/or a layer of silicon oxide. with a thickness of between 0.5 and 5 microns, and/or a layer of aluminum with a thickness of between 0.1 and 5 microns.
  • a single stopping layer can be provided.
  • the target engraving depths on the first and second sides are the depths that one theoretically aims for engraving.
  • Those skilled in the art know how to determine, for example by calculation or empirically, an etching duration or a number of etching cycles (DRIE etching being carried out in successive stages/layers) to obtain these depths.
  • DRIE etching being carried out in successive stages/layers
  • the effective etching depth at a given point may be different from the target depth when during the etching time or the succession of aforementioned etching cycles, the cavity or part of the etching cavity meets the barrier layer.
  • a target depth greater than the effective depth to avoid rounded engraving edges at the ends in a case where the engraving stops on the stopping layer, we will choose a target depth greater than the effective depth to avoid rounded engraving edges at the ends.
  • the target secondary etching depth is such that at least locally the secondary etching reaches the barrier layer.
  • the sum of the primary and secondary etch target depths is at least equal to a thickness of the wafer (measured in the transverse direction).
  • the sum of the primary and secondary etching target depths is strictly greater than a thickness of the wafer (measured in the transverse direction), so as to guarantee the crossing of the primary and secondary etchings.
  • the sum of the primary and secondary engraving target depths is understood here as the sum of said depths in absolute value, without taking into account the engraving direction.
  • the sum of the first and second target engraving depths is such that the component formed at the end of the secondary engraving comprises, between the first and the second level, an intermediate level of which certain edges are in the extension of edges of the first level and other edges are an extension of edges of the second level.
  • the method further comprises, after the secondary etching, the removal of the stopping layer(s).
  • the method further comprises, at the end of the secondary etching and possibly the removal of the stop layer(s), at least one sequence of oxidation and deoxidation of the wafer carrying the at least one component, with a view to smoothing the surfaces of the component(s) and/or modifying their dimensions.
  • the method further comprises, at the end of the secondary etching and possibly the removal of the stop layer and/or said at least one oxidation-deoxidation sequence, at least one oxidation (called final ) of the wafer carrying the at least one component, with a view to improving its mechanical characteristics.
  • the method further comprises, at the end of the secondary etching and possibly the removal of the stop layer and/or of said at least one oxidation-deoxidation sequence and/or of said final oxidation of the wafer, a step in which said at least one component is detached from the wafer.
  • the invention relates to a watch component, in particular obtained by implementing the method as defined above, in particular an anchor or a wheel or a plate or a needle or a hairspring or a blade element(s). flexible(s), said component comprising at least a first level and a second level at least partially superimposed in a transverse direction of said component, and said component being a monolithic component.
  • FIG. 1 represents a multilevel anchor 10 which can be manufactured by implementing the method according to the invention.
  • Such an anchor 10 is intended to equip an escapement with a clock movement (not shown).
  • the anchor 10 illustrated comprises a fixing part 30, pierced with a hole 37 intended to accommodate a pivot axis of the anchor (not shown).
  • the fixing part 30 has an overall T shape with a central rod 30a and, at one end of said rod 30a, a head 30b extending substantially orthogonally to the rod 30a. Hole 37 is here located at the junction between rod 30a and head 30b.
  • the anchor 10 also includes two pallets 31, 32, connected to the fixing part 30, and intended to cooperate with an escapement wheel (not shown). As illustrated, each pallet 31, 32 is respectively fixed to one end of the head 30b.
  • the anchor 10 also comprises a fork 33 intended to cooperate with a regulating member (not shown) of the movement, for example a sprung balance.
  • the base 33a of the fork 33 is connected to the fixing part 30, here at the end of the rod 30a opposite the head 30b.
  • the fork 33 comprises two horns 34, 35 delimiting between them a housing 36.
  • the housing 36 is surmounted by a dart 20 secured to a dart support 21 surmounting the base 33a of the fork 33.
  • the aforementioned elements form a set of three levels 11, 13, 12 superimposed in this order in a transverse direction Z, as illustrated in the figure 2 , which is a sectional view according to plan P1.
  • a first side 10a of the anchor 10 is defined as the side on which the dart 20 is located, in the transverse direction Z.
  • the second side 10b is defined as the side opposite this first side.
  • a limit plane, a surface or a primary part of an element or a level is located towards the first side of the anchor, in the transverse direction Z.
  • a limit plane, a surface or secondary part of an element or level is located towards the second side of the anchor, in the transverse direction Z.
  • a thickness or a depth will be measured in the transverse direction Z, while a width will be measured in a plane orthogonal to said transverse direction Z.
  • a first level 11 of the anchor is delimited by the primary limit planes PL1 and secondary PL2 of the dart 20.
  • the thickness of this first level 11 is the thickness of the dart 20, that is to say z1.
  • a second level 12 of the anchor is delimited by the primary limit planes PL3 and secondary PL4 of the fixing part 30, the pallets 31, 32 and the fork 33.
  • the thickness of this second level 12 is z2.
  • the thickness z3 of the dart support 21 is greater than the thickness z1 of the dart 20.
  • the primary surfaces of the dart 20 and the dart support 21 are defined in the same limit plane PL1, while that the secondary surfaces of the dart 20 and the dart support 21 are located respectively in the plane PL2 and in the plane PL3.
  • the dart 20 is thus offset by a distance z4 equal to z3-z1 relative to the fork 33, in the transverse direction Z of the anchor.
  • An intermediate level 13 of the anchor is thus delimited by the planes PL2 and PL3 and formed by part 23 of the stinger support 21, hereinafter called secondary part of the stinger support, of thickness z4.
  • step a) of the process a monolithic silicon wafer 100 is provided.
  • the wafer is advantageously made of monocrystalline and doped silicon, in particular doped with phosphorus.
  • the silicon is doped so as to have a resistivity less than or equal to 0.1 ⁇ .cm-1, for example a resistivity equal to 0.05 ⁇ .cm-1.
  • Doped silicon, electrically conductive, is more dimensionally stable and has better mechanical strength.
  • the silicon used is of ⁇ 1,1,1 ⁇ orientation.
  • any suitable silicon can be used, in particular polycrystalline and/or undoped and/or with an orientation different from the ⁇ 1,1,1 ⁇ orientation.
  • the plate 100 has a primary surface 100a, flat, on a first side 101 and a secondary surface 100b, flat and parallel to the primary surface 100a, on its second side 102.
  • the primary and secondary surfaces 100a, 100b are preferably polished.
  • a first primary etching mask 200 is produced on the first side 101 of the wafer 100, provided, for each anchor to be manufactured, with at least one opening 210 such that a primary etching is carried out. through this opening 210 forms the edges of the first level 11 of the anchor 10, part of the edges of the intermediate level 13, as well as the primary surface 12a of the second level 12.
  • the first engraving mask 200 comprises, for each anchor 10 to be manufactured, an opening 210.
  • the Figure 5 illustrates a portion of the first mask 200 including such an opening 210.
  • the primary engraving is intended to form the edges of the dart 20 and the dart support 21 which form the first level 11.
  • the mask 200 is therefore open to a first zone 211 having a border, here interior 2111, delimiting the contour of the first level 11.
  • a width L1 of this first zone 211 is advantageously between 20 and 200 microns and preferably constant, to guarantee an adequate inclination of the engraving sides.
  • the primary engraving is also intended to form the primary surface 12a of the second level 12.
  • the mask 200 is also open to a second zone 212 covering this provisional primary surface of the second level 12 (delimited by dotted lines on the Figure 5 ).
  • the second zone 212 is advantageously wider than said planned surface, where the latter is delimited by an edge of the second level 12.
  • the widening of the opening, or safety distance S is constant or not and preferably greater than 10 microns, more preferably between 10 and 100 microns (measured orthogonal to the contour of the predicted primary surface).
  • the first and second zones 211, 212 partially overlap, they together form the opening 210 of the first mask 200.
  • the first engraving mask 200 provided, for each anchor 10, with its opening 210, is for example produced in the manner described below. Although for the sake of simplification, the description and the drawings refer to a single anchor 10, each step is in practice carried out simultaneously for each anchor or component manufactured in the same wafer.
  • a layer of silicon oxide 230 is grown over the entire surface of the wafer 100.
  • a layer of photosensitive resin 240 is deposited on this layer of silicon oxide 230, on the first side 101 of the wafer (sub-step b2).
  • the resin layer 240 is exposed to light radiation R from a light source (not shown), through a photolithographic mask 250 provided with a window 251 corresponding to the desired primary etching contours.
  • the radiation R can in particular be radiation comprising UV, that is to say ultraviolet, or even consist of UV.
  • the irradiated photosensitive resin is locally eliminated by solubilizing it in an appropriate chemical bath, to form an opening 241 corresponding to the desired primary etching contours.
  • the silicon oxide layer 230 is then etched under the opening 241 of the resin, in particular by plasma etching, forming a corresponding opening 231.
  • step b5) the resin layer 240 is removed, in particular by plasma etching.
  • the mask 200 is then formed only by the layer 230 of silicon oxide, the opening 231 of which forms the opening 210 of the mask.
  • resin layer 240 may be retained for primary etching.
  • the etching mask 200 is formed from the resin layer 240 and the silicon oxide layer 230 whose openings 231 and 241 respectively coincide to form the opening 210 of the mask 200.
  • the silicon oxide layer could also be omitted.
  • the mask 200 is formed by the single layer of resin 240 whose opening 241 forms the opening of the mask 200.
  • the wafer 100 is etched through the opening 210 of the mask 200 to form the first level 11 of the anchor 10, the primary surface 12a of the second level 12, and the edges of the intermediate level 13.
  • the engraving is a deep reactive ion etching, also called DRIE engraving (acronym for “deep reaction ion etching”, which is the English designation for deep reactive ion etching) or engraving according to the Bosch process.
  • the target primary etching depth d1 is less than a thickness d of the wafer corresponding to the thickness of silicon between the surfaces 100a, 100b, in a direction Z transverse to said faces, at the time of etching. Thus, the primary etching does not pass through the wafer 100.
  • the target depth d1 here corresponds to the sum z3 of the thicknesses z1 and z4 respectively of the first level 11 and the intermediate level 13.
  • step d) of the method the first side 101 of the wafer 100, thus engraved, is covered with at least one stopping layer 400.
  • stopping layer 400 we mean a layer made of a material that is not very sensitive to etching, in particular DRIE etching, so that it is suitable for stopping such etching (by being little or not damaged) if it this reaches his contact.
  • this layer is first removed, in particular by plasma, before producing the stopping layer.
  • a silicon oxide layer 230 may also be removed at this point, or it may be retained, as in the example shown.
  • the stop layer 400 matches the surfaces and parts of the component defined during the primary etching of step c).
  • a single layer 400 can be produced, as shown in the 3d figure , or we can successively create several layers one above the other.
  • a stopping layer 400 can be for example a layer of silicon oxide, in particular with a thickness between 0.5 and 5 microns, or a layer of aluminum, in particular with a thickness between 0.1 and 5 microns, or a layer of parylene, in particular with a thickness of between 1 and 5 microns.
  • the barrier layer 400 can be deposited, for example by vacuum deposition, particularly if it is made of parylene or aluminum, as in the example illustrated. When depositing a barrier layer in this way, the opposite side can be masked beforehand.
  • the barrier layer can also be obtained by growth, particularly in the case of a silicon oxide layer.
  • the silicon oxide layer 230 can be removed, and the wafer once again oxidized.
  • a new layer of silicon oxide is in this case formed on the entire wafer and in particular on its first side, forming a barrier layer.
  • This layer of silicon oxide can then be used to produce the secondary etching mask, in a manner similar to that described below.
  • a second etching mask 300 is produced on the second side 102 of the wafer 100 provided with at least one opening 310, 320 such that a secondary engraving carried out through this opening forms the edges of the second level 12 of the anchor 10 as well as the secondary surface 11b of the first level 11.
  • the wafer is generally turned over between steps d) and e).
  • the second engraving mask 300 comprises, for each anchor 10 to be manufactured, two openings 310, 320, defined as follows.
  • the secondary engraving is intended to form the edges of the second level 12.
  • these edges include the edges of the hole 37, as well as the (external) edges of the pallets 31, 32, the fork 33 and the fixing part 30, except in an area - referenced 324 in the example of the Figure 6 - forming a fastener intended to maintain a link between the component and the rest of the wafer.
  • the mask must therefore at least be open to areas bordering said edges, with a width of said areas advantageously between 20 and 200 microns and preferably constant, to guarantee adequate inclination of the etching sides.
  • the mask 300 is open onto a first zone 311, delimiting the hole 37.
  • the zone forms a first circular opening 310 of the mask, the diameter of the hole 37 being too small for the production of a constant width engraving border.
  • the mask 300 is also open to a second zone 321 whose border, here interior 3211, delimits the contour of the fixing part 30, of the pallets 31, 32 and of the fork 30 of the anchor 10 and of constant width L2, between 20 and 200 microns.
  • the second mask 200 is also open to a third zone 322 covering this secondary surface 11b.
  • the third zone 322 is advantageously widened by a safety distance S, preferably greater than 10 microns, more preferably between 10 and 100 microns.
  • the second and third zones 321, 322 partially overlap, they together form a second opening 320 of the mask 300.
  • the production of the second engraving mask 300 comprises for example sub-steps e1 to e4, similar respectively to steps b2 to b5 described previously and detailed below:
  • a layer of silicon oxide 230 is already present on the second side 102 of the wafer 100, as a continuation of step b1 carried out previously.
  • a layer of photosensitive resin 340 is deposited on said layer of silicon oxide 230.
  • the resin layer 340 is exposed to light radiation R from a light source (not shown), through a photolithographic mask 350 provided with windows 351, 352 corresponding to the desired secondary etching contours.
  • a complementary referencing step consisting of indexing the position of the photolithographic mask 350 on alignment marks engraved during engraving.
  • these alignment marks are made to coincide with marks of the photolithographic mask 350, possibly by means of a camera referencing system.
  • the irradiated photosensitive resin is locally eliminated by solubilizing it in an appropriate chemical bath, to form openings 341, 342 corresponding to the desired secondary etching contours.
  • the silicon oxide layer 230 is etched under the openings 341, 342 of the resin 340, in particular by plasma etching, to form corresponding openings 232, 233.
  • the resin layer 340 is removed, in particular by plasma etching.
  • the mask 300 is only formed by the silicon oxide layer 230 whose openings 232, 233 form the openings 310, 320 of the second mask 300.
  • the 340 resin layer could be kept for engraving. And the silicon oxide 230 layer could also be omitted.
  • the wafer 100 is etched through the openings 310, 320 of the mask 300 to form the second level 12 of the anchor 10, the secondary surface 11b of the first level 11, and the edges of the intermediate level 13.
  • the engraving is again typically a deep reactive ion engraving.
  • the secondary engraving is only stopped at the target depth d2.
  • the engraving background surface forms, in this case, the secondary surface 11b of the first level 11.
  • the secondary etching edges forming the edges of the second level 12 clearly intersect the stopping layer 400 at the depth d2', thus avoiding the formation of a surplus of matter.
  • FIG 4 illustrates the secondary etching edges delimiting the horns 34, 35 of the fork 33. Due to the safety distance S provided during the primary etching, these edges clearly intersect the stopping layer 400. In the example illustrated, the safety distance S is equal to the width L2 of a secondary engraving border. This example is, however, not limiting and the safety distance S could be lower while remaining non-zero.
  • the barrier layer(s) 400 are removed.
  • the wafer 100 is immersed in a suitable chemical bath, typically a hydrofluoric acid bath.
  • a suitable chemical bath typically a hydrofluoric acid bath.
  • the wafer 100 is also immersed in a liquid suitable for dissolving the aluminum.
  • a step h we can then, in a step h), carry out one or more sequence(s) of oxidation then deoxidation of the plate 100, with a view to smoothing the surfaces of the anchors 10 and/or modifying their dimensions.
  • step j we then detach the anchors 10 from the plate (step j), by breaking the fasteners 324 holding them to the rest of the plate.
  • step e) can be carried out before step d) and even possibly before step c) or before step b).
  • the process is not limited to a particular succession of sequences, and can be carried out according to any succession of suitable steps making it possible to carry out the primary engraving then the secondary engraving, using, to stop the engraving at least locally. secondary, at least one stop layer made beforehand on the first side of the wafer once engraved.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • Plasma & Fusion (AREA)
  • Micromachines (AREA)
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EP22174885.8A 2022-05-23 2022-05-23 Verfahren zur herstellung einer uhrenkomponente Active EP4283408B1 (de)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP22174885.8A EP4283408B1 (de) 2022-05-23 2022-05-23 Verfahren zur herstellung einer uhrenkomponente
EP25224257.3A EP4707957A2 (de) 2022-05-23 2022-05-23 Verfahren zur herstellung einer uhrenkomponente

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Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20200057412A1 (en) * 2018-08-14 2020-02-20 Seiko Epson Corporation Watch component, movement and watch

Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20200057412A1 (en) * 2018-08-14 2020-02-20 Seiko Epson Corporation Watch component, movement and watch

Non-Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
TIAN J ET AL: "Simultaneous through-silicon via and large cavity formation using deep reactive ion etching and aluminum etch-stop layer", 58TH ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS AND TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE - 27-30 MAY 2008 - LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL, USA, IEEE, PISCATAWAY, NJ, USA, 27 May 2008 (2008-05-27), pages 1787 - 1792, XP031276443, ISBN: 978-1-4244-2230-2 *
WEI JIA ET AL: "A novel semi-SOI fabrication process for integrated 3D micromachining", 1 January 2008 (2008-01-01), Piscataway, NJ, USA, pages 717 - 720, XP055970099, ISBN: 978-1-4244-1907-4, Retrieved from the Internet <URL:https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stampPDF/getPDF.jsp?tp=&arnumber=4484429&ref=aHR0cHM6Ly9pZWVleHBsb3JlLmllZWUub3JnL2RvY3VtZW50LzQ0ODQ0Mjk=> DOI: 10.1109/NEMS.2008.4484429 *

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