Highly moisture-sensitive electronic device element and method for fabrication utilizing vent holes or gaps

• US 6,470,594 B1
• Filed: 09/21/2001
• Issued: 10/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Global OLED Technology LLC (LG Display Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Boroson, Michael L., Bessey, Peter G., Serbicki, Jeffrey P., Schmittendorf, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazarus, Ira S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RINEHART, KENNETH
• Application Number:
  US09/960,677
• Time in Patent Office: 403 Days
• Field of Search: 343/07, 343/29, 343/31, 343/32, 343/35, 343/45, 343/52, 344/16, 344/17, 34/95, 344/72, 344/74, 34D/IG.1, 428/917, 257/81, 257/99, 257/687, 257/100, 257/701, 257/702, 257/703
• US Class Current: 34/335
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/08 the material being an electrical insulator, e.g. glass
• 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 23/26 including materials for absorbing or reacting with moisture or other undesired substances , e.g. getters
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/564 Details not otherwise provided for, e.g. protection against moisture getters H01L23/26
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14618 Containers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14806 Structural or functional details thereof
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01079 Gold [Au]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/09701 Low temperature co-fired ceramic [LTCC]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12044 OLED
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15151 the die mounting substrate comprising an aperture, e.g. for underfilling, outgassing, window type wire connections
• 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: H10K 50/841 Self-supporting sealing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/8426 Peripheral sealing arrangements, e.g. adhesives, sealants
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/846 comprising getter material or desiccants
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/871 Self-supporting sealing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8722 Peripheral sealing arrangements, e.g. adhesives, sealants
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/874 including getter material or desiccant
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/851 : Division of substrate

Abstract

A highly moisture-sensitive element and method of making such element includes an encapsulation enclosure encapsulating all of the highly moisture-sensitive electronic devices on a substrate and a sealing material positioned between the substrate and the encapsulation enclosure to form a complete seal between the substrate and the encapsulation enclosure around each highly moisture-sensitive electronic device or around groups of highly moisture-sensitive electronic devices, wherein the substrate or encapsulation enclosure, or both, contain vent holes and vent hole seal material or wherein the seal material contains gaps prior to spacing the substrate and the encapsulation enclosure within a predetermined range and the gaps are filled in by spreading the sealing material.

Claims

1. A highly moisture-sensitive electronic device element having highly moisture-sensitive electronic devices comprising:

a) a substrate containing two or more highly moisture-sensitive electronic devices;

b) an encapsulation enclosure encapsulating all of the highly moisture-sensitive electronic devices on said substrate;

c) sealing material positioned between said substrate and said encapsulation enclosure to form a complete seal between said substrate and said encapsulation enclosure around each highly moisture-sensitive electronic device or around groups of highly moisture-sensitive electronic devices wherein the sealing material is organic material, inorganic material, or combinations thereof that is melted and cooled or reaction cured and wherein the reaction curing includes reactions resulting from heat, radiation, mixing of two or more components, exposure to ambient moisture, removal of ambient oxygen, or combinations thereof; and

d) wherein the substrate or encapsulation enclosure, or both, contain vent holes and vent hole seal material in the vent holes.

2. The highly moisture-sensitive electronic device element of claim 1 wherein the substrate includes rigid or flexible:

glass, plastic, metal, ceramic, semiconductor, metal oxide, metal nitride, metal sulfide, semiconductor oxide, semiconductor nitride, semiconductor sulfide, carbon, or combinations thereof.

3. The highly moisture-sensitive electronic device element of claim 1 wherein the encapsulation enclosure includes rigid or flexible:

glass, plastic, metal, ceramic, semiconductor, metal oxide, metal nitride, metal sulfide, semiconductor oxide, semiconductor nitride, semiconductor sulfide, carbon, or combinations thereof.

4. The highly moisture-sensitive electronic device element of claim 1 wherein the organic material is selected from the group consisting of epoxies, polyurethanes, acrylates, silicones, polyamides, polyolefins, and polyesters, or combinations thereof.

5. The highly moisture-sensitive electronic device element of claim 1 wherein the inorganic material is selected from the group consisting of glass, ceramic, metal, semiconductor, metal oxide, semiconductor oxide, and metal solder, or combinations thereof.

6. The highly moisture-sensitive electronic device element of claim 1 wherein the sealing material and vent hole seal material are the same or different materials.

7. The highly moisture-sensitive electronic device element of claim 1 wherein the sealing material and vent hole seal material are organic, inorganic, or a combination thereof.

8. A highly moisture-sensitive electronic device element having highly moisture-sensitive electronic devices comprising:

a) a substrate containing two or more moisture-sensitive electronic devices;

b) an encapsulation enclosure encapsulating all of the highly moisture-sensitive electronic devices on said substrate;

c) sealing material positioned between said substrate and said encapsulation enclosure to form a complete seal between said substrate and said encapsulation enclosure and a space around each moisture-sensitive electronic device or around groups of moisture-sensitive electronic devices wherein the sealing material is organic material, inorganic material, or combinations thereof that is melted and cooled or reaction cured and wherein the reaction curing includes reactions resulting from heat, radiation, mixing of two or more components, exposure to ambient moisture, removal of ambient oxygen, or combinations thereof;

d) water absorbing material positioned between said substrate and said encapsulation enclosure and within the space defined by said sealing material; and

e) wherein the substrate or encapsulation enclosure, or both, contain vent holes and vent hole seal material in the vent holes.

9. The highly moisture-sensitive electronic device element of claim 8 wherein the substrate includes rigid or flexible:

glass, plastic, metal, ceramic, semiconductor, metal oxide, metal nitride, metal sulfide, semiconductor oxide, semiconductor nitride, semiconductor sulfide, carbon, or combinations thereof.

10. The highly moisture-sensitive electronic device element of claim 8 wherein the encapsulation enclosure includes rigid or flexible:

glass, plastic, metal, ceramic, semiconductor, metal oxide, metal nitride, metal sulfide, semiconductor oxide, semiconductor nitride, semiconductor sulfide, carbon, or combinations thereof.

11. The highly moisture-sensitive electronic device element of claim 8 wherein the organic material is selected from the group consisting of epoxies, polyurethanes, acrylates, silicones, polyamides, polyolefins, and polyesters, or combinations thereof.

12. The highly moisture-sensitive electronic device element of claim 8 wherein the inorganic material is selected from the group consisting of glass, ceramic, metal, semiconductor, metal oxide, semiconductor oxide, and metal solder, or combinations thereof.

13. The highly moisture-sensitive electronic device element of claim 8 wherein the water absorbing material is selected from the group consisting of alkaline metal oxides, alkaline earth metal oxides, sulfates, metal halides, perchlorates, molecular sieves, and metals with work functions less than 4.5 eV and capable of being oxidized in the presence of moisture, or combinations thereof.

14. The highly moisture-sensitive electronic device element of claim 8 wherein the sealing material and vent hole seal material are the same or different materials.

15. The highly moisture-sensitive electronic device element of claim 8 wherein the sealing material and vent hole seal material are organic, inorganic, or a combination thereof.

16. A highly moisture-sensitive electronic device element having highly moisture-sensitive electronic devices comprising:

a) a substrate containing two or more moisture-sensitive electronic devices that have been coated with a temporary moisture protection layer;

b) an encapsulation enclosure encapsulating all of the highly moisture-sensitive electronic devices on said substrate;

c) sealing material positioned between said substrate and said encapsulation enclosure to form a complete seal between said substrate and said encapsulation enclosure around each moisture-sensitive electronic device or around groups of moisture-sensitive electronic devices; and

d) wherein the substrate or encapsulation enclosure, or both, contain vent holes and vent hole seal material in the vent holes.

17. The highly moisture-sensitive electronic device element of claim 16 wherein the substrate includes rigid or flexible:

glass, plastic, metal, ceramic, semiconductor, metal oxide, metal nitride, metal sulfide, semiconductor oxide, semiconductor nitride, semiconductor sulfide, carbon, or combinations thereof.

18. The highly moisture-sensitive electronic device element of claim 16 wherein the encapsulation enclosure includes rigid or flexible:

glass, plastic, metal, ceramic, semiconductor, metal oxide, metal nitride, metal sulfide, semiconductor oxide, semiconductor nitride, semiconductor sulfide, carbon, or combinations thereof.

19. The highly moisture-sensitive electronic device element of claim 16 wherein the sealing material is organic material, inorganic material, or combinations thereof that is melted and cooled or reaction cured.

20. The highly moisture-sensitive electronic device element of claim 19 wherein reaction curing includes reactions resulting from heat, radiation, mixing of two or more components, exposure to ambient moisture, removal of ambient oxygen, or combinations thereof.

21. The highly moisture-sensitive electronic device element of claim 19 wherein the organic material is selected from the group consisting of epoxies, polyurethanes, acrylates, silicones, polyamides, polyolefins, and polyesters, or combinations thereof.

22. The highly moisture-sensitive electronic device element of claim 19 wherein the inorganic material is selected from the group consisting of glass, ceramic, metal, semiconductor, metal oxide, semiconductor oxide, and metal solder, or combinations thereof.

23. The highly moisture-sensitive electronic device element of claim 16 wherein the temporary moisture protection layer is organic material, inorganic material, or a combination thereof.

24. The highly moisture-sensitive electronic device element of claim 23 wherein the organic material is selected from the group consisting of epoxies, polyurethanes, polyureas, acrylates, silicones, polyamides, polyimides, phenolics, polyvinyls, phenoxies, polysulfones, polyolefins, and polyesters, or combinations thereof.

25. The highly moisture-sensitive electronic device element of claim 23 wherein the inorganic material is selected from the group consisting of glass, ceramic, metal, semiconductor, metal oxide, metal nitride, metal sulfide, semiconductor oxide, semiconductor nitride, semiconductor sulfide, and carbon, or combinations thereof.

26. The highly moisture-sensitive electronic device element of claim 16 wherein the sealing material and vent hole seal material are the same or different materials.

27. The highly moisture-sensitive electronic device element of claim 26 wherein the sealing material and vent hole seal material are organic, inorganic, or a combination thereof.