Sensor Module And Method For Manufacturing Same

• US 20070126130A1
• Filed: 11/14/2006
• Published: 06/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Dehe, Alfons, Fueldner, Marc
• Granted Patent: US 7,994,618 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/787
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/0257 Microphones or microspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 1/0023 Packaging together an electronic processing unit die and a micromechanical structure die MEMS packages B81B7/0032; MEMS packaging processes B81C1/00261
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/32225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48137 the bodies being arranged next to each other, e.g. on a common substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48195 the item being a discrete passive component
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48227 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49171 Fan-out arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73265 Layer and wire connectors
• 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 2924/10253 Silicon [Si]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3025 Electromagnetic shielding
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 19/005 using semiconductor materials
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 31/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of transducers or diaphragms therefor manufacture of microstructural arrangements of deformable or non-deformable structures in general B81C1/00182

Abstract

A sensor module has a carrier substrate having a bottom side and a top side, a sensor chip arranged on the top side of the carrier substrate and having a pressure-sensitive active area, a signal-processing chip arranged on the top side of the carrier substrate next to the sensor chip and being connected to the sensor chip in an electrically conducting manner, a continuous casting material covering the top side of the carrier substrate and the signal-processing chip and being in mechanical contact with both, the casting material having a recess which is arranged such that the casting material does not cover at least a part of the active area of the sensor chip.

Claims

1. A sensor module comprising:

a carrier substrate comprising a bottom side and a top side;

a sensor region arranged on the top side of the carrier substrate and comprising a pressure-sensitive active area;

a signal-processing chip arranged on the top side of the carrier substrate and electrically connected to the sensor region; and

a continuous casting material covering the top side of the carrier substrate and the signal-processing chip and being in mechanical contact to both, the casting material comprising a recess which is arranged such that the casting material does not cover at least a part of the active area of the sensor region.

2. The sensor module according to claim 1, wherein the casting material does not cover the bottom side of the carrier substrate.

3. The sensor module according to claim 1, wherein the casting material does not cover all the side faces of the substrate.

4. The sensor module according to claim 1, wherein the casting material comprises a viscosity value below a threshold viscosity, a threshold viscosity value being 100 Pa*sec.

5. The sensor module according to claim 1, wherein a dam separating the recess region from the casting material and comprising a dam material different from the casting material is arranged between the casting material and the recess region.

6. The sensor module according to claim 1, wherein a pipe-shaped body separating the recess region from the casting material and comprising a different material from the casting material is arranged between the casting material and the recess region, the pipe-shaped body being designed to adjust a pressure at the pressure-sensitive active area to the atmospheric pressure.

7. The sensor module according to claim 1, wherein the sensor region is part of the signal-processing chip.

8. The sensor module according to claim 1, wherein the sensor region is arranged on a separate sensor chip on the top side of the carrier substrate next to the signal-processing chip.

9. The sensor module according to claim 8, wherein the casting material covers the sensor chip at least partly.

10. The sensor module according to claim 8, wherein the sensor chip comprises an electrical contact and the casting material covers the electrical contact and is in mechanical contact to the electrical contact.

11. The sensor module according to claim 8, wherein the casting material covers the entire area of the top side of the carrier substrate, the entire surface of the signal-processing chip and the entire surface of the sensor chip, except for a part of the pressure-sensitive active area, and is in mechanical contact with each of these areas and surfaces.

12. The sensor module according to claim 8, wherein a bond wire is arranged between an electrical contact on a surface of the signal-processing chip and an electrical contact at the surface of the sensor chip to make electrical connection between the signal-processing chip and the sensor chip, and the casting material encloses the entire bond wire and is in mechanical contact with the bond wire.

13. The sensor module according to claim 8, wherein a solder contact is deposited on the carrier substrate and the sensor chip is mounted on the carrier substrate via the solder contact and the casting material covers the solder contact and is in mechanical contact to the solder contact.

14. The sensor module according to claim 8, wherein a plurality of the signal-processing chips and a plurality of the sensor chips are each arranged next to one another on the carrier substrate and the casting material covers a respective surface region of the carrier substrate near the signal-processing chip.

15. The sensor module according to claim 8, wherein the sensor chip comprises a microphone and the sensor module is implemented as a microphone module.

16. The sensor module according to claim 15, wherein the microphone module comprises a bandwidth region in which a microphone sensitivity is increased and an upper cut-off frequency value of the bandwidth region is in a range from 25 kHz to 100 kHz.

17. The sensor module according to claim 1, wherein the carrier substrate comprises a plastic material.

18. A method for manufacturing a sensor module, comprising:

producing a sensor region comprising a pressure-sensitive active area and arranging a signal-processing chip on a top side of a carrier substrate;

attaching a separating element separating a recess region not to be covered by a casting material with a part of the active area from a region to be covered by the casting material;

depositing the casting material on the top side of the carrier substrate and the signal-processing chip, no casting material being deposited in the recess region; and

curing the casting material.

19. The method for manufacturing a sensor module according to claim 18, wherein the step of producing the sensor region includes a step of arranging a sensor chip next to the signal-processing chip on the top side of the carrier substrate.

20. The method for manufacturing a sensor module according to claim 19, comprising:

arranging a plurality of sensor chips of which each comprises a pressure-sensitive active area and a plurality of signal-processing chips next to one another on a top side of a carrier substrate;

attaching a plurality of separating elements each separating a recess region not to be covered by a casting material with a part of the active area from a region to be covered by the casting material;

depositing the casting material on the top side of the carrier substrate near the signal-processing chip and on the signal-processing chips, no casting material being applied in the recess region;

curing the casting material; and

dicing the carrier substrate into a plurality of sensor modules, each sensor module comprising a signal-processing chip and a sensor chip.