Hinged polysilicon structures with integrated CMOS TFTs

The surface micromachining process described can produce a variety of microelectromechanical components, including CMOS thin film transistors and three dimensional polysilicon structures with large features and high detail in all three dimensions. Polysilicon structural elements are made with integrated hinges, which allow three dimensional structures to be erected out of the plane of the wafer. CMOS transistors are integrated directly in the structural thin films, and flexible polysilicon elements electrically connect the structures to the substrate. Some batch assembly of the structural elements has been demonstrated, and a first generation CAD system has been developed to model the structural half of the process.<>