Active solid-state devices (e.g. – transistors – solid-state diode – Housing or package – Insulating material
Reexamination Certificate
2003-08-20
2004-12-28
Nhu, David (Department: 2818)
Active solid-state devices (e.g., transistors, solid-state diode
Housing or package
Insulating material
C257S710000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06836013
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates to semiconductor circuit fabrication technology, and more particularly, to protection and sealing of circuit elements using a cap and gasket.
Semiconductor circuits and devices are often manufactured on a substrate material by depositing and patterning various layers of material including conducting and semi-conducting material as well as insulating material. These circuits are typically very small (having dimensions in micron range or smaller), fragile, and susceptible to environmental factors (such as corrosion by interaction with water molecules in the air). Accordingly, in some applications, it would be preferable to protect the circuits by hermetically sealing the circuits using a sealing cap.
Such sealing can be accomplished using a gasket between the cap and the device chip.
FIG. 1
illustrates an apparatus
100
including a device chip
110
including circuits covered by a cap
120
sealed using a gasket
130
. The gasket
130
can be very thin, for example, in the order of tens of microns. To seal the device chip
110
using the cap
120
and the gasket
130
, the cap
120
and the gasket
130
is pressed onto the device chip
110
. The pressured is distributed to the entire surface of the contact area between the gasket
130
and the device chip
110
. Accordingly, pressure per square unit of the contact area is relatively low. For this reason, placement of the cap
120
onto the device chip
110
can result in marginal or poor sealing of the gasket
130
to the device chip
110
, resulting from inadequate pressure. Further, small foreign particles between the gasket
130
and the device chip
110
can breach the seal
132
.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a method of fabricating semiconductor devices that overcomes these problems and an apparatus embodying the method.
SUMMARY
The need is met by the present invention. According to a first aspect of the present invention, an apparatus has a device chip including circuit elements fabricated on a substrate and a cap covering at least a portion of the device chip. A gasket with treaded surface seals the cap to the device chip.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, an apparatus includes a device chip including circuit elements and a cap covering at least a portion of the device chip. The device chip has treaded surface for sealing the cap to the device chip.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, a method of fabricating an apparatus is disclosed. First, a device chip including circuit elements on a substrate is fabricated. Then, the circuit elements are enclosed using a cap and a gasket, the cap covering at least a portion of the device chip, and the gasket having treaded surface.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in combination with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4684763 (1987-08-01), Harada
patent: 5270571 (1993-12-01), Parks et al.
patent: 5821175 (1998-10-01), Engelsberg
patent: 6168947 (2001-01-01), Tzean et al.
patent: 6281573 (2001-08-01), Atwood et al.
patent: 2 383 192 (2002-03-01), None
patent: 9069585 (1997-03-01), None
patent: WO 03/030275 (2001-09-01), None
patent: WO 02/32203 (2001-10-01), None
Agilent Technologies , Inc
Nhu David
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