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Wafer-Level Vacuum Packaging of Smart Sensors
Allan Hilton1, Dorota S Temple2
1Electronics and Applied Physics Division, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA. allan.hilton@micross.com.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|November 4, 2016
Summary
Wafer-level vacuum packaging enables low-cost, smart sensors for the Internet of Things. This technology integrates fabrication, integration, and packaging, reducing size and cost for widespread sensor deployment.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrical Engineering
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- The Internet of Things (IoT) requires ubiquitous, low-cost smart sensors.
- Current sensor packaging limits cost reduction and miniaturization.
- Wafer-level processing offers a solution for integrated fabrication and packaging.
Approach:
- Reviewing state-of-the-art wafer-level vacuum packaging for smart sensors.
- Focusing on metal seal approaches compatible with CMOS thermal budgets.
- Analyzing thin-film getters and wafer-to-wafer bonding for hermetic sealing.
Key Points:
- Wafer-level processes reduce sensor system cost, size, and weight.
- Metal seals and thin-film getters are crucial for vacuum microchambers.
- CMOS compatibility and hermetic sealing are key challenges.
Conclusions:
- Wafer-level vacuum packaging is vital for cost-effective, miniaturized smart sensors.
- Further research is needed to broaden implementation of this technology.
- Optimizing seal materials and bonding processes is essential for future advancements.
