Semiconductor input control device

• US 7,880,247 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2008
• Issued: 02/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nickolai Belov, Vladimir Vaganov
• Original Assignee: Nickolai Belov, Vladimir Vaganov
• Inventors: Belov, Nickolai, Vaganov, Vladimir
• Primary Examiner(s): Geyer; Scott B
• Application Number:
  US12/342,001
• Publication Number:
  US 20090212377A1
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 257/415
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks

Abstract

A force input control device suitable for high-volume applications such as cell phones, portable gaming devices and other handheld electronic devices along with other applications like medical equipment, robotics, security systems and wireless sensor networks is disclosed. The device can be one-axis or two-axis or three-axis sensitive broadening the range of applications. The device comprises a force sensor die formed within semiconductor substrate and containing a force sensor providing electrical output signal in response to applied external force, and electrical connection elements for mounting and/or wire bonding. Signal conditioning and processing integrated circuit can be integrated within some devices. A package enclosing at least a portion of the force sensor die and comprising a force-transferring element cooperated with the sensor die for transferring an external force to the force sensor die.

Claims

1. Semiconductor input control device for inputting mechanical signals into an electronic system comprising:

a force sensor die formed within a semiconductor substrate, the force sensor die comprises side one and side two, electrical connection elements, force-application area and at least one force sensor providing electrical output signals in response to an external force applied to the force-application area;

a package enclosing at least part of the force sensor die; and

a force-transferring element cooperated with the force-application area, where the force transferring element transfers an external force to the force sensor die;

wherein the electrical connection elements and force-application area of the force-sensor die are located on the side one of the force sensor die and the force-transferring element is in contact with the force application area on the side one of the force sensor die when the external force is applied.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the external force is applied directly to the force-transferring element of the package.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein the force sensor die is flip-chip mounted within the package.

4. A device according to claim 1, wherein the force sensor die has a force-transferring element coupled to the force-transferring element of the package for better and multi-axis sensitivity of the device.

5. A device according to claim 4, wherein the force-transferring element of the force sensor die is made from materials chosen from the group of:

metal, alloy, plastic, rubber, silicon, ceramic, glass, or combination of the above.

6. A device according to claim 1, wherein the force-transferring element of the package is made from materials chosen from the group of:

one layer uniform material, at least two layers of uniform materials, non-uniform material with gradient of hardness or combination of the above.

7. A device according to claim 1, wherein the package is mounted on a PCB and mechanical coupling to the PCB is chosen from the group of:

soldering, underfill adhesive, adhesive applied around the sidewalls of the package and PCB surface, metal bracket or combination of the above.

8. A device according to claim 1, wherein the force sensor die is wire bonded within the package.

9. Semiconductor input control device for inputting mechanical signals into an electronic system comprising:

a force sensor die formed within a semiconductor substrate, the force sensor die comprising side one and side two, electrical connection elements, a force-application area, and at least one force sensor providing electrical output signals in response to an external force applied to the force-application area; and

a package enclosing at least part of the force sensor die, the package comprising a force-transferring element that transfers an external force to the force sensor die;

wherein the electrical connection elements are located on the side one of the force sensor die, the force-application area is located on the side two of the force sensor die and the force-transferring element is in contact with the force application area on the side two of the force sensor die when the external force is applied.

10. Semiconductor input control device for inputting mechanical signals into an electronic system comprising:

a force sensor die formed within a semiconductor substrate, the force sensor die comprising side one and side two, electrical connection elements, a force-application area and at least one force sensor providing electrical output signals in response to an external force applied to the force-application area;

transistor integrated circuit formed within a semiconductor substrate, the transistor integrated circuit being electrically coupled with the at least one force sensors to receive the electrical signals;

a package enclosing at least part of the force sensor die; and

a force-transferring element that is cooperated with the force sensor die, where the force-transferring element transfers an external force to the force sensor die;

wherein the transistor integrated circuit provides signal conditioning and signal processing of the electrical output signals from the at least one force sensor.

11. A device according to claim 10, wherein electrical connection elements of the force sensor die are exposed for direct mounting of the semiconductor input control device within an electronic system.

12. A device according to claim 10, wherein the device has at least N force sensors, where N is less than four, said at least N force sensors provide independent electrical output signals containing information about N components of the external force vector.

13. A device according to claim 10, wherein said semiconductor input control device is mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) such that the mutual position of the side one of the force sensor die with respect to the position of the PCB plane is chosen from the group of mutual positions including:

parallel, perpendicular or not parallel.

14. A device according to claim 10, further comprising a button that provides an interface with the external force and transfers the external force to the force-transferring element, such that the force-transferring element transfers the external force to the force sensor die.

15. A device of claim 14, wherein the button has a connector that cooperates the button with the force-transferring element, wherein said connector is configured to allow the button to be replaced.

16. A device of claim 14, wherein the button is integrated in a control panel chosen from the group including one or more of:

keyboard, key-mat, control surface area and combination of the above.

17. A device according to claim 10, wherein said device is mounted on an object in the location chosen from the group of:

front, back, top, bottom, left side, right side, front panel, edge, control panel, control area, sidewall, handle, steering wheel, external surface, inside the object or combination of the above.

18. A device according to claim 10, wherein one or more of the at least one force sensors, providing the electrical output signal in response to the external force applied to the force-application area, is chosen from the group of:

a piezoresistor, a pn-junction, a tunnel diode, a Schottky diode, a shear stress component, a piezoresistive Wheatstone bridge, a MOS transistor, a complementary pair of CMOS transistors, a bipolar transistor, a pair of p-n-p and n-p-n bipolar transistors, a bipolar transistor and at least one piezoresistor connected to transistor, a MOS transistor and at least one piezoresistor connected to transistor, a bipolar transistor circuit, and a CMOS transistor circuit, a piezoelectric sensor, a capacitor, a differential capacitor, a capacitive bridge, a magnetic sensor, an electro-magnetic sensor, a magneto-electric sensor, an optical sensor, a pair of radiation emitting and radiation sensitive component, a vibration sensor, an acoustic wave sensor, a thermal sensor, a heat transfer sensor or combination.

19. A device according to claim 10, wherein the electrical connection elements are chosen from the group of:

metal contact pads for wire-bonding, metal pads for flip-chip bonding, solder balls, solder bumps, through silicon vias, beam leads or combination.

20. A device of claim 10, wherein the signal conditioning and signal processing of the electrical output signals provided by the transistor integrated circuit comprises a partitioning between force sensing, signal conditioning and signal processing functions chosen from the group including:

integration of force sensing, signal conditioning and signal processing functions within one force sensor die;

integration of force sensing and at least some signal conditioning within force sensor die and at least signal processing within at least one other die;

integration of force sensing within force sensor die and signal conditioning within at least one other die;

integration of force sensing within force sensor die and signal conditioning and signal processing within at least one other die.

21. A device of claim 10, wherein the transistor integrated circuit is located within the package of the semiconductor input control device.

22. A device of claim 10, wherein the transistor integrated circuit is chosen from the group of:

CMOS, bipolar, and biCMOS.

23. A device of claim 10, wherein electrical connection elements are located on the side one, force-application area is located on the side two of the force sensor die and the force-transferring element is coupled to the force application area on the side two of the force sensor die.

24. A device of claim 10, wherein electrical connection elements and force-application area of the force-sensor die are located on the side one of the force sensor die and the force-transferring element is coupled to the force application area on the side one of the force sensor die.