Hermetic electric component package

• US 20030183920A1
• Filed: 03/28/2002
• Published: 10/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MACOM Technology Solutions Holdings, Inc.
• Original Assignee: M/A Com, Inc. (MACOM Technology Solutions Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Goodrich, Joel Lee, Boles, Timothy Edward
• Granted Patent: US 7,026,223 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/701
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 7/0006 Interconnects
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 7/007 Interconnections between the MEMS and external electrical signals
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/50 Assembly of semiconductor devices using processes or apparatus not provided for in a single one of the subgroups H01L21/06 - H01L21/326, e.g. sealing of a cap to a base of a container
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45099 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/451 with a principal constituent of the material being a metal or a metalloid, e.g. boron (B), silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), arsenic (As), antimony (Sb), tellurium (Te) and polonium (Po), and alloys thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73265 Layer and wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/10 characterised by the material or arrangement of seals between parts, e.g. between cap and base of the container or between leads and walls of the container
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/45 of an individual wire connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/48 of an individual wire connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01078 Platinum [Pt]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01079 Gold [Au]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/10253 Silicon [Si]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12032 Schottky diode
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12034 Varactor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/14 Integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1461 MEMS
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15311 being a ball array, e.g. BGA
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/16152 : Cap comprising a cavity for hosting the device, e.g. U-shaped cap
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/16195 : Flat cap [not enclosing an internal cavity]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19041 : being a capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3025 : Electromagnetic shielding
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 438/928 : Front and rear surface processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 438/977 : Thinning or removal of substrate

Abstract

An electric component package having a base and a lid, the base and lid defining a hermetically sealed cavity therebetween for accommodating an electric component. The base includes at least one conductive via extending therethrough, allowing control and/or input/output (I/O) ports associated with the electric component to be coupled to the conducive vias to pass signals between the sealed cavity and the exterior of the package without passing through the junction between the base and lid. The electric component package can be produced at the wafer level using conventional silicon wafer integrated circuit manufacturing machinery prior to separating the wafer into a plurality of devices.

Claims

1. An electric component package comprising:

a base having a first surface and a second surface opposite said first surface, said base comprising a dielectric material having at least one conductive via extending through said dielectric material between said first and second surfaces;

a component located adjacent said first surface of said base, said component having at least one port coupled to said at least one conductive via; and

a lid coupled to said first surface of said base, said lid and said base defining a sealed cavity therebetween, said sealed cavity sized to accommodate said component.

2. The package of claim 1, wherein said dielectric material is glass and said conductive via is silicon.

3. The package of claim 1, wherein said conductive via comprises:

a metal sheath surrounding a semiconductor core.

4. The package of claim 3, wherein said metal sheath is silver.

5. The package of claim 1, wherein said component is a MEMS structure.

6. The package of claim 1, wherein said component is a discrete component.

7. The package of claim 1, wherein said component is an integrated circuit.

8. The package of claim 7, wherein said at least one port of said integrated circuit is wire bonded to said at least one conductive via.

9. The package of claim 7, wherein said at least one port of said integrated circuit is a solder ball.

10. The package of claim 1, wherein said lid is coupled to said first side of said base with a conductive material.

11. The package of claim 1, wherein said lid is coupled to said first side of said base with solder.

12. The package of claim 11, wherein said solder has a melting point of less than about 350°

C.

13. The package of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one solder bump coupled on said second surface of said base to said at least one conductive via.

14. The package of claim 1, wherein said base and said lid have approximately equal coefficients of thermal expansion.

15. The package of claim 1, wherein said component is hermetically sealed within said sealed cavity.

16. A method for sealing a component within a package, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) forming a base having a first surface and a second surface opposite said first surface, said base comprising a dielectric material having at least one conductive via extending between said first and second surfaces;

(b) establishing a component on said first surface of said base, said component having at least one port, said at least one port being coupled to said at least one conductive via;

(c) forming a lid; and

(d) coupling said lid to said first surface of said base, said lid and said base defining a cavity therebetween for accommodating said component.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein steps (b) and (d) are performed during step (a).

18. The method of claim 16, wherein all steps are performed at wafer level.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein said base and said lid have approximately equal coefficients of thermal expansion.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein said component is hermetically sealed within said cavity between said base and said lid when said lid is coupled to said base.

21. A process for fabricating an electric component package having a sealed cavity for accommodating an electric component, comprising the steps of:

etching a semiconductor base layer having first and second opposing surfaces to form at least one pedestal on said first surface;

applying a layer of dielectric material to said first surface of said etched semiconductor base layer;

grinding said dielectric layer to expose a surface of said at least one pedestal;

establishing an electric component on said ground dielectric layer, said electric component having at least one port coupled to said exposed surface of said at least one pedestal;

attaching a lid to said ground dielectric layer, said lid having a cavity for accommodating said electric component; and

grinding said semiconductor base layer on said second surface to expose said dielectric layer, said at least one pedestal forming a conductive via extending through said dielectric layer.

22. The process of claim 21, further comprising:

depositing a base seal ring on said ground dielectric layer, said base seal ring surrounding a footprint of said electric component and said via.

23. The process of claim 21, further comprising the step of fabricating said lid by etching a semiconductor lid layer.

24. The process of claim 23, wherein said lid fabrication step comprises at least the steps of:

depositing a lid seal ring on a first surface of said semiconductor lid layer, said lid seal ring coupled to said base seal ring in said attaching step; and

etching said first surface of said semiconductor lid layer to form said cavity using said lid seal ring as an etch mask.

25. The process of claim 21, further comprising the step of forming a solder bump on said second surface, said solder bump coupled to said at least one electrically isolated pedestal.

26. The process of claim 21, said establishing step comprising at least the step of:

building said component on said ground dielectric layer.

27. The process of claim 21, said establishing step comprising at least the step of:

placing said component on said ground dielectric layer.

28. The process of claim 27, wherein said placing step comprises:

attaching said component to said ground dielectric layer; and

electrically coupling said at least one port to said exposed surface of said at least one pedestal.

29. The process of claim 28, wherein said coupling step comprises at least the step of:

wirebonding said at least one port to said exposed surface of said at least one pedestal.

30. The process of claim 28, wherein said coupling step comprises at least the step of:

attaching said at least one port to said exposed surface of said at least one pedestal with a solder ball.

31. The process of claim 21, wherein said applying step comprises at least the step of:

fusing said layer of dielectric material to said first surface of said etched semiconductor base layer.

32. The process of claim 21, further comprising the step of:

applying at least one layer of metal said first surface of said etched semiconductor base layer prior to applying said layer of dielectric material;

33. A process for fabricating an electric component package having a sealed cavity for accommodating an electric component, said process comprising the steps of:

forming a substantially dielectric base having at least one conductive via;

establishing the electric component on said base, said electric component having at least one port electrically coupled to said at least one via;

forming a lid; and

attaching said lid to said base, said lid and said base defining a sealed cavity therebetween for accommodating the electric component.

34. The process of claim 33, wherein said sealed cavity is hermetically sealed when said lid is attached to said base.

35. The process of claim 33, wherein said step of forming said base comprises at least:

etching a semiconductor base layer on a first surface to form at least one pedestal;

applying a layer of dielectric material to said first surface of said etched semiconductor base layer;

grinding said dielectric layer to expose a surface of said at least one pedestal; and

grinding said semiconductor base layer on a second surface opposite said first surface to expose said dielectric layer, said at least one pedestal forming a via extending through said dielectric layer.

36. The process of claim 35, wherein said applying step comprises at least the step of:

fusing said layer of dielectric material to said first surface of said etched semiconductor base layer.

37. The process of claim 33, wherein said step of forming said lid comprises at least:

depositing a lid seal ring on a wafer, said lid seal ring for use in said attaching step;

etching said surface of said lid wafer to form a cavity sized to accommodate the electric component using said lid seal ring as an etch mask.

38. The process of claim 37, further comprising the step of depositing a base seal ring on said ground dielectric layer, said base seal ring and said lid seal ring being mirror images of one another.

39. The process of claim 38, said attaching step comprising at least;

coupling said base seal ring to said lid seal ring with a conductive material.

40. The process of claim 39, wherein said conductive material is solder.

41. The process of claim 40, wherein said step of attaching said lid to said base comprises at least the steps of:

aligning said base seal ring and said lid seal ring with respect to one another;

reflowing said solder; and

cooling said solder to join said lid seal ring and said base seal ring.