Method and apparatus for the monolithic encapsulation of a micro-scale inertial navigation sensor suite
First Claim
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1. An apparatus comprising a sensor suite comprising several sensors each having quartz members formed of quartz from a common body of quartz material;
- said sensors being disposed on a single wafer and where each sensor is sealed in a distinct pressure and/or a distinct gaseous environment, the sensor suite further comprising a plurality of cap wafers sealing said sensors in said distinct pressure and/or gaseous environments, at least two of said cap wafers overlapping other ones of said cap wafers; and
a vibration damping unit adhered to at least one of said caps in said plurality of caps.
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Abstract
A device preferably for use in an inertial navigation system the device having a single IC wafer; a plurality of sensors bonded to bond regions on said single IC wafer, at least one of said bond regions including an opening therein in gaseous communication with a pressure chamber associated with at least one of the plurality of said sensors; and a plurality of caps encapsulating said plurality of sensors, at least one of said plurality of caps forming at least a portion of said pressure chamber. A method of making the device is also disclosed.
213 Citations
27 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising a sensor suite comprising several sensors each having quartz members formed of quartz from a common body of quartz material;
- said sensors being disposed on a single wafer and where each sensor is sealed in a distinct pressure and/or a distinct gaseous environment, the sensor suite further comprising a plurality of cap wafers sealing said sensors in said distinct pressure and/or gaseous environments, at least two of said cap wafers overlapping other ones of said cap wafers; and
a vibration damping unit adhered to at least one of said caps in said plurality of caps. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
- said sensors being disposed on a single wafer and where each sensor is sealed in a distinct pressure and/or a distinct gaseous environment, the sensor suite further comprising a plurality of cap wafers sealing said sensors in said distinct pressure and/or gaseous environments, at least two of said cap wafers overlapping other ones of said cap wafers; and
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6. A device comprising:
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a single IC wafer; a plurality of sensors bonded to bond regions on said single IC wafer, at least one of said bond regions including an opening therein in gaseous communication with a pressure chamber associated with at least one of the plurality of said sensors; a plurality of caps hermetically encapsulating all or at least a portion of said plurality of sensors, at least one of said plurality of caps forming at least a portion of said pressure chamber; and a monolithic vibration damping unit adhered to at least one of said caps in said plurality of caps. - View Dependent Claims (7)
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8. A device comprising:
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a single IC wafer; a plurality of sensors bonded to bond regions on said single IC wafer; a plurality of caps hermetically encapsulating all or at least a portion of said plurality of sensors, at least one of said plurality of caps forming at least a portion of a pressure chamber; and a damping unit adhered to at least one of said plurality of caps. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A device comprising:
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a. an integrated circuit chip or wafer; b. a plurality of sensors and/or devices disposed on said integrated circuit chip or wafer; c. a plurality of encapsulating caps disposed over said sensors and/or devices, each of said plurality of encapsulating caps being affixed directly to said integrated circuit chip or wafer and encapsulating one or more of said sensors and/or devices with a separate fluid or vacuum environment; d. a damping material adhered on one side thereof to at least one of said plurality of encapsulating caps; and e. a gyroscope adhered to another side of said damping material. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A device comprising:
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a. an integrated circuit chip or wafer; b. a plurality of sensors and/or devices disposed on said integrated circuit chip or wafer; c. encapsulating caps disposed over said sensors and/or devices, each encapsulating cap encapsulating one or more of said sensors and/or devices with a separate fluid or vacuum environment for each of said plurality of sensors and/or devices; d. a vibration damping unit adhered to each of said plurality of caps; wherein exposed surfaces of said sensors and/or devices are affixed to bond regions on said integrated circuit chip or wafer and wherein at least one of said bond regions has a opening therein which helps form a fluid communication passage associated with a given one of said sensor or devices, the given one of said sensor or devices comprising a pressure detector, the pressure detector confronting two chambers for measuring a differential pressure across said two chambers, said fluid communication channel being in fluid communication with one of said two chambers.
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- 26. An apparatus comprising a sensor suite in which a plurality of sensors are disposed on a single substrate and wherein said sensors are sealed in distinct pressure and/or a distinct gaseous environments by means of a plurality of caps, each of said plurality of caps being affixed to said single substrate and sealing one or more of said plurality of sensors in said distinct pressure and/or gaseous environment and a silicon wafer containing a vibration damping unit bonded to at least one of said plurality of caps.
Specification