| Vacuum Packaging of MEMS With Multiple Internal Seal Rings |
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| NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California | |
| Jan 31 2008 | |
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advertisement: In the proposed method, unlike in the conventional method, the electrical leads would not be laid out on the flat sealing surface of the device wafer (see figure). There would be a seal ring surrounding each MEMS or device as in the conventional method, but in addition, there would be smaller internal seal rings (the aforementioned MISRs) within the outer seal ring. Each internal seal ring would be formed integrally with one of the electrical leads of the MEMS or device.
In addition to the conventional processing of the capping wafer, holes concentric with the internal seal rings would be etched through the capping layer. The seal rings would be aligned with the sealing surfaces and the wafers bonded together in a vacuum, as in the conventional method. Then by a combination of electroless plating and electroplating, the through holes would be plated with metal to form electrical feedthroughs that would terminate in the internal seal rings. Hence, each internal seal ring would serve as both (1) part of an electrical feed-through and (2) the vacuum seal for that feed-through. This work was done by Ken Hayworth, Karl Yee, Kirill Shcheglov, Youngsam Bae, Dean Wiberg, and Chris Peay of Caltech and Anthony Challoner of The Boeing Co. for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In accordance with Public Law 96-517, the contractor has elected to retain title to this invention. Inquiries concerning rights for its commercial use should be addressed to: Innovative Technology Assets Management This Brief includes a Technical Support Package (TSP).
Vacuum Packaging of MEMS With Multiple Internal Seal Rings (reference NPO-40335) is currently available for download from the TSP library. Login first to download.
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