SENSOR DEVICE AND PRODUCTION METHOD THEREFOR

• US 20090236678A1
• Filed: 11/24/2006
• Published: 09/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Yuji, Baba, Toru, Saijo, Takashi, Gotou, Kouji, Kataoka, Kazushi, Miyajima, Hisakazu, Takegawa, Yoshiyuki, Okudo, Takafumi
• Granted Patent: US 8,026,594 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/415
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/025 Inertial sensors not provided for in B81B2201/0235 - B81B2201/0242
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 7/0051 between the package lid and the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 7/0064 for protecting against electromagnetic or electrostatic interferences
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 2203/038 Bonding techniques not provided for in B81C2203/031 - B81C2203/037
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5719 using planar vibrating masses driven in a translation vibration along an axis
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/023 for acceleration measuring devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/0802 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/125 by capacitive pick-up
• 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 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

A sensor device having small variations in sensor characteristics and improved resistance to electrical noise is provided. This sensor device has a sensor unit, which is provided with a frame having an opening, a movable portion held in the opening to be movable relative to the frame, and a detecting portion for outputting an electric signal according to a positional displacement of the movable portion, and a package substrate made of a semiconductor material, and bonded to a surface of the sensor unit. The package substrate has an electrical insulating film on a surface facing the sensor unit. The package substrate is bonded to the sensor unit by forming a direct bonding between an activated surface of the electrical insulating film and an activated surface of the sensor unit at room temperature.

Claims

1. A sensor device comprising:

a sensor unit comprising a frame made of a semiconductor material and having an opening, a movable portion held in said opening to be movable relative to said frame, and a detecting portion configured to output an electric signal according to a positional displacement of said movable portion; and

a package substrate made of a semiconductor material, and bonded to a surface of said sensor unit;

wherein a region of said frame bonded to said package substrate has one of an activated surface of said frame and an activated surface of an electrical insulating film formed on said frame;

a region of said package substrate bonded to said frame has one of an activated surface of said package substrate and an activated surface of an electrical insulating film formed on said package substrate; and

the bonding between said sensor unit and said package substrate is a solid-phase direct bonding without diffusion between the activated surfaces in the presence of at least one of the electrical insulating films.

2. The sensor device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the activated surface is any one of a plasma-treated surface, an ion-beam irradiated surface, and an atomic-beam irradiated surface.

3. The sensor device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the bonding between said sensor unit and said package substrate is the solid-phase direct bonding between the activated surface of the electrical insulating film of silicon oxide formed on said frame and the activated surface of the electrical insulating film of silicon oxide formed on said package substrate.

4. The sensor device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the bonding between said sensor unit and said package substrate is the solid-phase direct bonding between the activated surface of silicon forming said frame and the activated surface of the electrical insulating film of silicon oxide formed on said package substrate.

5. The sensor device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the bonding between said sensor unit and said package substrate is the solid-phase direct bonding between the activated surface of the electrical insulating film of silicon oxide formed on said frame and the activated surface of silicon forming said package substrate.

6. The sensor device as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least one of the electrically insulating film formed on said frame and the electrically insulating film formed on said package substrate is composed of a ring-like outer insulating film formed so as to surround said movable portion, and a ring-like inner insulating film formed so as to surround said movable portion at an inner side of said outer insulating film.

7. The sensor device as set forth in claim 6, wherein each of the electrically insulating film formed on said frame and the electrically insulating film formed on said package substrate is composed of said outer insulating film, said inner insulating film, and an auxiliary insulating film configured to connect between said outer insulating film and said inner insulating film, which is formed at plural locations spaced from each other by a predetermined distance in a circumferential direction of said inner insulating film, and

wherein each of a bonding between said outer insulating films, a bonding between said inner insulating films, and a bonding between said auxiliary insulating films is provided by the solid-phase direct bonding.

8. The sensor device as set forth in claim 1, wherein an integrated circuit operable in collaboration with said detecting portion is mounted on said frame of said sensor unit.

9. The sensor device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said sensor unit is a gyro sensor unit,

said movable portion comprises a first mass body vibrated by a vibrating means, and a second mass body coupled to the first mass body, and

said detecting portion is configured to convert a positional displacement of the second mass body caused when a rotational force is applied during a vibration of the first mass body into an electrical signal.

10. The sensor device as set forth in claim 1, wherein an interior of said sensor unit is airtightly sealed under a reduced atmosphere by the solid-phase direct bonding.

11. The sensor device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said sensor unit is bonded at one of opposite surfaces to said package substrate, and at the other surface to a second package substrate,

the bonding between said sensor unit and said second package substrate is a solid-phase direct bonding without diffusion between a surface-activated region formed on said sensor unit and a surface-activated region formed on said second package substrate.

12. The sensor device as set forth in claim 11, wherein said frame comprises a ring-like first metal layer formed so as to surround said movable portion, and a second metal layer formed at a side closer to said movable portion than said first metal layer, and electrically connected with said detecting portion,

said second package substrate comprises a through-hole wiring, a ring-like bonding metal layer formed at a position facing said first metal layer, and a wiring metal layer formed at a position facing said second metal layer, and connected with said through-hole wiring, and

the bonding between said sensor unit and said second package substrate is provided by a solid-phase direct bonding without diffusion between activated surfaces of said first metal layer and said bonding metal layer and a solid-phase direct bonding without diffusion between activated surfaces of said second metal layer and said wiring metal layer.

13. A method of producing a sensor device comprising the steps of:

providing a sensor unit comprising a frame made of a semiconductor material and having an opening, a movable portion held in said opening to be movable relative to said frame, and a detecting portion configured to output an electric signal according to a positional displacement of said movable portion;

providing a package substrate made of a semiconductor material;

performing a surface activation treatment under a reduced atmosphere to form one of an activated surface of said frame and an activated surface of an electrical insulating film formed on said frame, and one of an activated surface of said package substrate and an activated surface of an electrical insulating film formed on said package substrate; and

after the surface activation treatment, forming a direct bonding between the activated surfaces in the presence of at least one of the electrical insulating films at room temperature.

14. The method as set forth in claim 13, wherein the surface activation treatment is performed by using one of an atomic beam, an ion beam and a plasma of an inert gas.

15. The method as set forth in claim 13, wherein the surface activation treatment and the step of forming the direct bonding are performed in a same chamber, and an atmosphere adjusting step of adjusting an interior of said chamber to a desired atmosphere is performed prior to the step of forming the direct bonding and after the surface activation treatment.

16. The method as set forth in claim 15, wherein the atmosphere adjusting step comprises introducing an inert gas into the interior of said chamber.

17. The method as set forth in claim 15, wherein the atmosphere adjusting step comprises adjusting a degree of vacuum in said chamber such that the step of forming the direct bonding is performed under a different reduced atmosphere from the surface activation treatment.