Integrated and multi-axis sensor assembly and packaging

• US 7,152,473 B1
• Filed: 03/17/2000
• Issued: 12/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ION Geophysical Corporation
• Original Assignee: Input/Output Incorporated
• Inventors: Morgan, David, Maxwell, Peter, Rushefsky, Larry, Sigmar, Axel, Rinne, Ray, Balderes, Demetrios, Stalnaker, W. Marc, Domagalski, Klaus, Altman, Sjoerd, Faber, Kees, Laroo, Richard, Lemke, Guido, Yu, Duli, Yu, Lianzhong, Buie, Thomas, Marsh, James L., Goldberg, Howard D., Selvakumar, Arjun, Behn, Lawrence P., Ip, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Hezron
• Assistant Examiner(s): BELLAMY, TAMIKO D
• Application Number:
  US09/936,634
• Time in Patent Office: 2,475 Days
• Field of Search: 736/49, 735/70, 734/88, 734/93, 735/141.7, 702/127, 702/141, 702150-154
• US Class Current: 73/514.16
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/0242 Gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 7/0074 3D packaging, i.e. encapsulation containing one or several MEMS devices arranged in planes non-parallel to the mounting board
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 11/245 Housings for sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/023 for acceleration measuring devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/18 in two or more dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48472 the other connecting portion not on the bonding area also being a wedge bond, i.e. wedge-to-wedge
• 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

Abstract

A sensor apparatus (104) includes a plural different spatial direction axis of sensitivity positioned sensor package containing sensor module (305) supported by a planar surface (345) within a cavity (340) of a housing (205) coupled to a first end cap (210) by a PC-board connection (355). Housing (205) is further coupled to first end cap (210) by a first coupling member (315) and a second coupling member (320) and is also coupled to an opposite second end cap (215) by a third coupling member (320) and a fourth coupling member (325). Interface sealing members (330a, 330b, 330c, 330d) seal between housing (205) and first end cap (210). Interface sealing members (335a, 335b, 335c, 335d) seal between housing (205) and second end cap (215).

Claims

1. An integrated sensor apparatus comprising:

a sensor module including;

(a) a housing including a cavity, one or more parallel planar surfaces, a bottom surface of the cavity, a bottom exterior surface, a top exterior surface, one or more side surfaces, one or more bond pads on one or more of the parallel planar surfaces, one or more bond pads on the bottom exterior surface, one or more bond pads on the top exterior surface, and one or more bond pads on one or more of the side surfaces;

(b) a plurality of sensor packages coupled to a substrate in the housing having slots for receiving the sensor packages, each sensor package having an axis of sensitivity positioned in a different spatial direction;

wherein each sensor package has a sensor in the cavity, the sensor resiliently coupled to the housing with at least one coupling and at least one bumper slidingly supporting the sensor; and

(c) a controller coupled to the housing for controlling the sensor module.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor module comprises at least one micro-machined accelerometer.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor module comprises three micro-machined accelerometers positioned such that the axes of sensitivity are substantially orthogonal to each other.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller includes an application specific integrated circuit.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor module is a monolithic package selected from a group consisting of i) a hollow frame;

ii) a box;

iii) a three-dimensional circuit board;

iv) a cylinder; and

v) a cube.

14. The sensor apparatus of claim 1 further comprising one or more bond pads for coupling the sensor to the housing.

15. The sensor apparatus of claim 14, wherein the bond pads cross sectional shape is selected from a group consisting of i) approximately rectangular, ii) approximately circular, iii) approximately oval, iv) approximately tri-oval, v) approximately oct-oval, vi) approximately wavy sided rectangular, vii) approximately oct-pie-wedge, viii) approximately hollow oct-pie-wedge, ix) approximately nine circular, x) approximately starburst, and xi) approximately sunburst.

16. The sensor apparatus module of claim 1 wherein the sensor further includes one or more passive regions at one or more ends of the sensor, wherein the sensor further includes one or more bond pads, and wherein the bond pads may be located at one or more ends in the passive regions.

17. The sensor apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor further includes one or more active regions, wherein the sensor further includes one or more bond pads, and wherein the bond pads may be located in the approximate center of the active regions.

18. The sensor apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing further includes one or more wire bonds;

wherein the sensor further includes one or more parallel planar surfaces;

wherein the housing further includes one or more parallel planar surfaces; and

wherein the wire bonds electrically couple the parallel planar surfaces of the sensor to the parallel planar surfaces of the housing.

19. The sensor apparatus of claim 4, wherein the sensor further includes a mounting member for removably coupling the sensor to the housing.

20. The sensor apparatus of claim 19, wherein the mounting member is a shorting clip.

21. The sensor apparatus of claim 19, further including a spring assembly for removably coupling the mounting member to the housing.

22. The sensor apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises;

an adhesive for coupling the controller to the housing;

one or more wire bonds for coupling the controller to the housing; and

an encapsulant for encapsulating the controller and wire bonds.

23. The sensor apparatus of claim 22, wherein the controller is placed on one of i) the top exterior surface of the housing, and ii) a bottom exterior surface of the housing.

6. An integrated sensor apparatus comprising:

(a) a housing including a cavity, one or more parallel planar surfaces, a bottom surface of the cavity, a bottom exterior surface, a top exterior surface, one or more side surfaces, one or more bond pads on one or more of the parallel planar surfaces, one or more bond pads on the bottom exterior surface, one or more bond pads on the top exterior surface, and one or more bond pads on one or more of the side surfaces; and

(b) a sensor positioned in the housing cavity;

wherein the housing cavity further includes one or more resilient couplings for resiliently coupling the sensor to the housing, wherein the one or more resilient couplings further include one or more bumpers for slidingly supporting the sensor.

7. The sensor apparatus of claim 6, wherein the housing cavity includes a bottom surface, and wherein the resilient couplings are coupled to the bottom surface of the cavity.

8. The sensor apparatus of claim 7 wherein the resilient couplings are approximately positioned at one or more ends of the bottom surface of the cavity of the housing.

9. The sensor apparatus of claim 7, wherein the resilient couplings are approximately positioned at the approximate center of the bottom surface of the cavity of the housing.

10. The sensor apparatus of claim 6, wherein the housing cavity includes a bottom surface, and wherein the bottom surface of the cavity further includes a recess in the bottom surface of the cavity for receiving the resilient couplings.

11. The sensor apparatus of claim 10, wherein the resilient couplings are approximately positioned at the approximate center of the recess of the bottom surface of the cavity.

12. An integrated sensor apparatus comprising:

a sensor module housing including a cavity for receiving a sensor, one or more parallel planar surfaces, a bottom surface of the cavity, a bottom exterior surface, a top exterior surface, one or more side surfaces, one or more bond pads on one or more of the parallel planar surfaces, one or more bond pads on the bottom exterior surface, one or more bond pads on the top exterior surface, and one or more bond pads on one or more of the side surfaces;

a plurality of sensor packages coupled to a substrate in the housing, each sensor package having an axis of sensitivity positioned in a different spatial direction; and

a sensor in the cavity of the housing, the cavity further including a bottom surface, wherein one or more bumpers are coupled to the bottom surface of the cavity for slidlingly supporting the sensor in the housing.

13. The sensor apparatus of claim 12, wherein the bumpers include a cross-sectional shape selected from a group consisting of i) approximately square, approximately rectangular, ii) approximately circular, and iii) approximately triangular.

24. A method of packaging a sensor assembly comprising:

providing a housing;

disposing a sensor module within the housing wherein the sensor module includes a plurality of sensor packages coupled to a substrate having slots for receiving the sensor packages, each sensor package having an axis of sensitivity in a different special direction;

wherein each sensor package has a sensor in the cavity, the sensor resiliently coupled to the housing with at least one coupling and at least one bumper slidingly supporting the sensor;

disposing a controller on the housing; and

coupling the controller to the sensor module with an electrical coupling, wherein the controller is subsequently used to control the sensor module, wherein disposing the controller further comprises;

dispensing an adhesive on the housing;

placing the controller onto the adhesive;

curing the adhesive;

wire-bonding the controller to the housing;

encapsulating the controller and the wire bonds with an encapsulant; and

curing the encapsulant.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the sensor module includes a micro-machined accelerometer.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the controller includes a plurality of controller bond pads and the housing includes a plurality of bond pads;

wherein wire-bonding the controller to the housing comprises;

soldering a plurality of wires to corresponding controller bond pads; and

soldering a corresponding end of the wires to corresponding housing bond pads.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the housing includes:

a cavity;

one or more planar surfaces;

a top surface;

a bottom surface; and

one or more housing bond pads on the planar surfaces;

wherein the cavity is for receiving the sensor module;

wherein the planar surfaces are for coupling the sensor module, and the controller to the housing; and

wherein the housing bond pads are for coupling the planar surfaces to the controller.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the housing cavity further includes one or more resilient couplings for resiliently coupling the sensor to the cavity.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein coupling the sensor module to the housing comprises:

placing a spring assembly in the housing cavity;

coupling a mounting member to the sensor module;

placing the sensor module within the housing cavity; and

coupling the mounting member to the spring assembly.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the mounting member is a shorting clip.

31. The method of claim 24, wherein the different spatial directions are orthogonal to each other.

32. The method of claim 24, wherein the sensor packages are coupled to each other.