US4721925A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Micromechanical electronic oscillator
Assignee: Motorola Solutions Inc
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Filing: 1986-11-20
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Granted: 1988-01-26
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Expires: 2006-11-20
Abstract
Abstract A microminiature oscillator that uses the movement of a mechanical structure placed on an etched silicon chip to control the frequency of a pulse used as a time base in electronic applications.
Inventors
- 👤 Louis P. Farace
- 👤 Adrian S. King
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 08:43
CPC Classifications
H; H03; H03K; H03K3/00; H03K3/02; H03B; H03B5/00; H03B5/30; H03H; H03H9/00; H03H9/24; H03H9/2405; H03H9/2426; H03K3/027; H03K3/03; H01; H01H; H01H1/00; H01H1/12; H01H1/14; H01H1/20; H01H59/00; H01H59/0009
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
122 words
An electromechanical oscillator comprising: a silicon wafer; a cavity formed within said silicon wafer; a cross-shaped micromechanical structure suspended over said cavity wherein said micromechanical structure has a first end and a second end positioned opposite to each other and attached to said wafer and said micromechanical structure also has a third end and a fourth end positioned opposite to each other and free from said wafer; first and second bridging contacts with said first contact placed on said third end and said second contact placed on said fourth end; a plurality of bonding pads positioned on locations of said silicon wafer where said first and second contacts bridge said cavity; and electrical circuitry capable of inducing oscillations in said micromechanical structure.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
122 words
An electromechanical oscillator comprising: a silicon wafer; a cavity formed within said silicon wafer; a cross-shaped micromechanical structure suspended over said cavity wherein said micromechanical structure has a first end and a second end positioned opposite to each other and attached to said wafer and said micromechanical structure also has a third end and a fourth end positioned opposite to each other and free from said wafer; first and second bridging contacts with said first contact placed on said third end and said second contact placed on said fourth end; a plurality of bonding pads positioned on locations of said silicon wafer where said first and second contacts bridge said cavity; and electrical circuitry capable of inducing oscillations in said micromechanical structure.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
An electromechanical oscillator as recited in claim 1 wherein said cross-shaped micromechanical structure is made of glass.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
An electromechanical oscillator as recited in claim 1 wherein said first and second bridging contracts are gold, gull wing contacts.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
13 words
An electromechanical oscillator as recited in claim 1 wherein said cavity is cross-shaped.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
57 words
An electromechanical oscillator as recited in claim 1 wherein said plurality of bonding pads consists of a first bonding pad and a second bonding pad located near said third end on opposite sides of said cavity and a third bonding pad and a fourth bonding pad located near said fourth end on opposite sides of said cavity.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
An electromechanical oscillator as recited in claim 5 further comprising an edge-trigged one-shot coupled to said plurality of bonding pads to generate output pulses.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
102 words
An electromechanical oscillator as recited in claim 6 wherein said electrical circuitry includes a D-C flip-flop possessing a C input and a D input, an output (Q) of said flip-flop connected to said first bonding pad, a negated output (Q) of said flip-flop connected to both said D input and said third bonding pad, an OR gate with a first input supplied by said second bonding pad and a second input supplied by said fourth bonding pad, an output of said OR gate passing to said edge-triggered one-shot, and a connection that transfers an output of said one-shot to said C input.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
28 words
An electromechanical oscillator as recited in claim 7 wherein said electrical circuitry further includes initiating means to commence said oscillations of said micromechanical structure at a predetermined time.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
66 words
An electromechanical oscillator as recited in claim 8 wherein said initiating means consists of a power on reset voltage, a switch to control the passage of said power on reset voltage, a capacitor placed between a grounded terminal and said switch and a tri-state buffer positioned between said OR gate and said one-shot and further inputted by a line connected between said capacitor and said switch.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3917966A
Cited
US3969640A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1991-01-25 | 1991-07-27 | 1992-01-26 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1995-01-25 | 1995-07-27 | 1996-01-26 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1999-01-25 | 1999-07-27 | 2000-01-26 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |