Electronic device and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an electronic device and a method of manufacturing the electronic device. An electronic integrated circuit (IC) component is mounted to a substrate. A cover member is applied to the substrate and covers the electronic IC component. The cover member includes an outer wall defining an opening and an inner wall surrounding the electronic IC component. The inner wall extends from a proximal end at the substrate toward a distal end facing the opening in the outer wall to provide a receiving chamber for the electronic IC component and a peripheral chamber between the inner wall and the outer wall of the cover member. In a case where a packaging material does not appear in the peripheral chamber, the packaging material is provided in the receiving chamber to package the electronic IC component.

Description

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority of Italian Patent Application No. 102019000004827, filed on April 1, 2019, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety to the maximum extent permitted by law. Technical Field

[0003] This description relates to electronic devices.

[0004] One or more embodiments may be applied to encapsulated ASIC / MEMS sensors.

[0005] ASIC and MEMS are well-known abbreviations for Application Specific Integrated Circuit and Micro-Electro-Mechanical System, respectively. Background Art

[0006] The ongoing demand for smaller and thinner enclosures for electronic devices has posed manufacturing challenges that involve a trade-off between achieving a good encapsulation of electronic IC components (e.g., MEMS plus ASIC plus wires) and a hermetic lid seal.

[0007] Moreover, avoiding the undesired swelling of encapsulation materials (e.g., glue) from the enclosure during enclosure manufacturing, subsequent heat treatment, and / or device mounting on a board can represent another key issue to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0008] In one embodiment, an electronic device includes a single component part (e.g., a lid) that provides a chamber for filling with an encapsulation material, the chamber being isolated from the outer surface of an electronic IC component mounted to a substrate. The component part is defined by a structure providing a lid member that includes: an outer wall having an opening therein, and an inner wall surrounding the electronic IC component, the inner wall extending from a proximal end at the substrate towards a distal end facing the opening to provide a receiving chamber for the electronic IC component within the inner wall and further to provide a peripheral chamber between the inner wall and the outer wall of the lid member, wherein the peripheral chamber of the lid member surrounds the receiving chamber. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009] One or more embodiments will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0010] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view across the device according to an embodiment, and

[0011] Figure 2 is a flow chart of certain process steps of a manufacturing process. Detailed Description

[0012] In the following description, one or more specific details are set forth in order to provide an in-depth understanding of exemplary embodiments of the present description. Embodiments may be obtained without one or more specific details, or by using other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations have not been described in detail so that certain aspects of the embodiments will not be obscured.

[0013] Reference to "an embodiment" or "one embodiment" in the context of this description is intended to indicate that a particular configuration, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, phrases such as "in an embodiment" or "in one embodiment" that may appear in one or more places in this description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Moreover, the particular configurations, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0014] The reference numerals used herein are provided only for convenience and thus do not limit the scope of protection or the scope of the embodiments.

[0015] Figure 1 Reference numeral 10 in [the figure] represents an electronic device that includes at least one electronic integrated circuit (IC) component 12 disposed on a substrate 14.

[0016] As Figure 1 exemplified, the device 10 may further include a cover member 16 that is applied to the substrate 14 and covers at least one electronic IC component 12 disposed on the substrate.

[0017] As Figure 1 exemplified, the cover member 16 has an opening 18 that is disposed at (e.g., above) at least one electronic IC component 12.

[0018] As Figure 1 exemplified, one or more embodiments may include a combination of, for example, an electronic IC component (a MEMS sensor may be an exemplary such sensor) such as sensor 12a, and a companion electronic circuit (an ASIC may be an exemplary such circuit) such as integrated circuit 12b.

[0019] Certain commercial products currently available from various manufacturers, such as, for example, MURATA (included in iWATCH3), PAX (TE Connectivity), and Huawey (GoerTek - GTK) are exemplary electronic devices contemplated herein.

[0020] In one or more embodiments as Figure 1 exemplified, a "first" IC component 12a may be mounted on a "second" IC component 12b in a stacked arrangement.

[0021] However, such a stacked arrangement of a plurality (two or more) of IC components is not mandatory for the embodiments.

[0022] For example, in one or more embodiments, the "first" IC component 12a and the "second" IC component (and possibly other components) may be arranged side-by-side. Hybrid arrangements (ie, stacked and side-by-side) are also possible.

[0023] Moreover, if Figure 1 As illustrated, electrically conductive structures 20 (eg, wire bonding patterns as are conventional in the art) may be provided to electrically couple the IC components 12 a , 12 b to each other and to the substrate 14 .

[0024] In one or more embodiments, the substrate 14 may include a printed circuit board (PCB) type substrate as is conventional in the art.

[0025] High accuracy, low power consumption, temperature stability and water resistance (e.g. IPx protection rating) as well as smaller and thinner packages can represent Figure 1 Desirable features of the device 10 illustrated in .

[0026] Protection from the external environment (eg, water resistance) may be facilitated by attaching the metal cover 16 to the substrate 14 via an adhesive 22 such as an epoxy adhesive, wherein the electronic IC component(s) (and possibly the sealing adhesive 22) are encapsulated in the encapsulation material.

[0027] Waterproof glue is used to provide water resistance, as well as resistance to chemicals and sea / pool water, soaps and common detergents. Various potting materials (such as (liquid) polymer potting, such as silicone or polyurethane) are currently available from various supply sources (such as Dow Silicones, Henkel, Elantas, Lord, HB Fuller).

[0028] Due to the risk that may arise from the encapsulation material swelling out from within the opening 18 (or in close proximity to the encapsulation surface / opening 18), providing an effective amount of such encapsulation material (eg glue) may become a critical step.

[0029] This is especially true given the growing trend towards providing thinner envelopes.

[0030] The inherent properties of encapsulation materials such as glue make them susceptible to damage from contact, and it is difficult to prevent the material from seeping out (oozing) to the top surface of the lid during the encapsulation manufacturing process, and / or subsequent heat treatment (which may cause the material to expand).

[0031] In one or more embodiments illustrated herein, the lid member 16 may include an outer wall 16a and an inner wall 16b. The outer wall 16a has an opening 18 disposed therein (e.g., at a central position on the top surface or front surface of the device 10). The inner wall 16b surrounds the electronic IC component 12a or the electronic IC component 12b (collectively referred to as 12 for simplicity) and has an additional opening facing the opening 18.

[0032] As illustrated herein, the inner wall 16b of the lid 16 may extend from a proximal end at or near the substrate 14 (in contact with the substrate 14) toward a distal end at the additional opening, which additional opening faces the opening 18 in the outer wall 16a.

[0033] As illustrated herein, the lid member 16 thus includes a (e.g., central) receiving chamber (provided by the inner wall 16b) for one or more electronic IC components 12, and a peripheral chamber between the inner wall 16b and the outer wall 16a that surrounds the receiving chamber for the (multiple) electronic IC components 12.

[0034] Thus, the filling of the encapsulation material 24 (any conventional type in the art) can be provided (only or mainly) in the receiving chamber for the (multiple) electronic IC components 12.

[0035] In one or more embodiments illustrated herein, the inner wall 16b may have a tapered shape, with a proximal end (at the substrate 14) that is wider than the distal end (facing the opening 18) opposite the substrate 14.

[0036] In one or more embodiments illustrated herein, the distal end of the inner wall 16b (i.e., the end of the inner wall 16b remote from the substrate 14) may be arranged to face the opening 18 in the outer wall 16a by leaving a gap between the opening 18 and the additional opening in the outer wall 16a.

[0037] As illustrated herein, the filling of the encapsulation material 24 in the receiving chamber provided by the inner wall 16b may have a concave (e.g., meniscus-shaped) distal surface with a concave face facing the opening 18.

[0038] In one or more embodiments illustrated herein, the outer wall 16a and the inner wall 16b of the lid 16 may have corresponding proximal ends that are adjacent (i.e., near or against) at the substrate 14.

[0039] The lid member 16 illustrated herein can be manufactured by employing various techniques.

[0040] Additive manufacturing (3D printing), stamping, or cold forming are exemplary such possible techniques.

[0041] In one or more embodiments, two portions (walls) of the lid member 16 can be manufactured as a one-piece (or integral) structure.

[0042] Thus, one or more embodiments can provide a two-chamber arrangement that includes a central receiving chamber and an outer chamber. The central receiving chamber houses (a plurality of) electronic IC components 12, which are encapsulated in the central receiving chamber by an encapsulation material 24 that substantially fills the central receiving chamber, and the outer chamber is adapted to end-application requirements. As a result, this leads to a solution that exhibits improved robustness compared to current solutions.

[0043] In one or more embodiments, the lid 16 can include an annular body having an annular outer wall 16a and an annular inner wall 16b, such that the peripheral chamber around the inner wall 16b can be generally annular.

[0044] In Figure 1 the illustrated one or more embodiments, the inner wall 16b of the lid 16 can include a frustoconical shape.

[0045] As Figure 2 shown, the manufacturing process of the device 10 exemplified herein can include a plurality of process steps.

[0046] As exemplified by Figure 2 block 1000 in, the process steps can include: arranging (a plurality of) electronic IC components 12 on the substrate 14 (possibly in a stacked arrangement and / or a side-by-side arrangement as shown).

[0047] As exemplified by Figure 2 block 1002 in, another process step can include: applying the lid member 16 to the substrate 14 having (a plurality of) electronic IC components 12 arranged thereon.

[0048] This can involve, for example, positioning the opening 18 in the lid member 16 at (above) the (a plurality of) electronic IC components. This option can be advantageous, for example, in the case of components 12a such as sensors (e.g., MEMS sensors), where some (protected) exposure of the opening 18 may be desired.

[0049] Another action exemplified by block 1004 involves dispensing the filling of the encapsulation material 24 into the receiving chamber (i.e., within the inner wall 16b) through the opening 18 and additional openings in the inner wall, such that the electronic IC components in the receiving chamber can be (fully) encapsulated by the material 24.

[0050] Allocating the filling of encapsulation material 24 within the receiving chamber inside the inner wall 16b will facilitate keeping the peripheral chamber between the inner wall 16b and the outer wall 16a substantially free of encapsulation material 24. The risk of the material 24 undesirably oozing (seeping out) from the opening 18 will thus be reduced.

[0051] As Figure 2 indicated by 1006 in [reference], other steps can involve process steps such as heat treatment, on-board device installation, etc. that are conventional in the art.

[0052] An electronic device (e.g., 10) as illustrated herein can include:

[0053] At least one electronic IC component (e.g., 12, 12a, 12b), disposed on a substrate (e.g., 14),

[0054] - A cover member (e.g., 16), applied to the substrate and covering at least one electronic IC component disposed on the substrate, the cover member having an opening (e.g., 18) at the at least one electronic IC component,

[0055] - An encapsulation material (e.g., 24) filled in the cover member, the encapsulation material sealingly encapsulating at least one electronic IC component disposed on the substrate,

[0056] Wherein:

[0057] - The cover member includes an outer wall (e.g., 16a) having an opening therein and an inner wall (e.g., 16b) surrounding at least one electronic IC component,

[0058] - The inner wall extends from a proximal end at the substrate towards a distal end facing the opening in the outer wall to provide a (e.g., central) receiving chamber for at least one electronic IC component within the inner wall and a peripheral chamber between the inner wall and the outer wall of the cover member, wherein the peripheral chamber of the cover member surrounds the receiving chamber for at least one electronic IC component, and

[0059] - The encapsulation material is provided to substantially fill the receiving chamber for at least one electronic IC component, i.e., wherein there is substantially no encapsulation material in the peripheral chamber between the outer wall and the inner wall of the cover member.

[0060] In the device illustrated herein, the inner wall can have a tapered shape having a proximal end that is wider than the distal end.

[0061] In the device illustrated herein, the distal end of the inner wall can be disposed facing the opening in the outer wall by leaving a gap between the inner wall and the outer wall.

[0062] In the devices illustrated herein, the encapsulation material filling the accommodation chamber for at least one electronic IC component may have a concave (e.g., meniscus-shaped) distal surface with a concave face opening towards the outer wall.

[0063] In the devices illustrated herein, the outer wall and the inner wall of the lid member may have corresponding proximal ends that abut at the substrate.

[0064] The devices illustrated herein may include lid attachment material at the proximal end of the inner wall of the lid member.

[0065] In the devices illustrated herein, the lid member may include an annular body having an annular outer wall and an annular inner wall.

[0066] The devices illustrated herein may include a frustoconical inner wall of the lid member.

[0067] In the devices illustrated herein, at least one electronic IC component may include any one or both of a sensor, optionally a MEMS, and a semiconductor chip, optionally an ASIC.

[0068] The method of manufacturing a device illustrated herein may include:

[0069] Arranging (e.g., 1000) at least one electronic IC component on a substrate,

[0070] Applying (e.g., 1002) a lid member to the substrate by positioning an opening in the lid member over the at least one electronic IC component disposed on the substrate, and

[0071] Dispensing (e.g., 1004) an encapsulation material that substantially (only) fills the accommodation chamber for the at least one electronic IC component while leaving the peripheral chamber between the outer wall and the inner wall of the lid member substantially free of encapsulation material.

[0072] Without prejudice to the basic principles, details and embodiments may vary, even significantly, with respect to what has been described (by way of example only) without departing from the scope of protection.

[0073] The claims are an integral part of the technical disclosure of the embodiments provided herein.

[0074] The scope of protection is determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising: An electronic integrated circuit component disposed on a substrate; A cover member applied to the substrate and covering the electronic integrated circuit component, wherein the cover member includes: An outer wall having a first opening therein and an inner wall surrounding the electronic integrated circuit component, the inner wall extending from a proximal end at the substrate towards a distal end facing the first opening in the outer wall to provide a receiving chamber for the electronic integrated circuit component within the inner wall and further provide a peripheral chamber between the inner wall and the outer wall of the cover member, wherein the peripheral chamber of the cover member surrounds the receiving chamber; and A packaging material in the cover member, the packaging material being provided in the receiving chamber to hermetically encapsulate the electronic integrated circuit component disposed on the substrate.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the inner wall has a tapered shape, the inner wall having a wider proximal end than the distal end.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the distal end of the inner wall is arranged to form a second opening, the second opening facing the first opening in the outer wall and having a gap between the first opening and the second opening.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the packaging material filling the receiving chamber has a concave distal surface, the concave distal surface having a concave face towards the first opening in the outer wall.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the outer wall and the inner wall of the cover member have corresponding proximal ends adjacent at the substrate.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a material configured to attach the proximal end of the inner wall of the cover member to the substrate.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the cover member includes an annular body having an annular outer wall and an annular inner wall, the annular outer wall including the first opening, and the annular inner wall defining a second opening facing the first opening.

8. The electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the inner wall has a frustum of a cone shape.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic integrated circuit component includes at least one of a sensor and a semiconductor chip.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the sensor is a MEMS.

11. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the semiconductor chip is an ASIC.

12. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein there is no packaging material in the peripheral chamber between the outer wall and the inner wall of the cover member.

13. A manufacturing method, comprising: Disposing an electronic integrated circuit component on a substrate; Applying a cover member to the substrate, wherein the cover member includes: An outer wall having a first opening therein and an inner wall surrounding the electronic integrated circuit component, the inner wall extending from a proximal end at the substrate toward a distal end having a second opening facing the first opening in the outer wall to provide a receiving chamber for the electronic integrated circuit component within the inner wall and further provide a peripheral chamber between the inner wall and the outer wall of the cover member, wherein the peripheral chamber of the cover member surrounds the receiving chamber; and Through the first opening and the second opening, encapsulation material is dispensed into the receiving chamber while leaving the peripheral chamber between the outer wall and the inner wall of the cover member free of encapsulation material.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the encapsulation material filling the receiving chamber has a concave distal surface, the concave distal surface having a concave face facing the opening in the outer wall.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising attaching the proximal end of the inner wall of the cover member to the substrate.

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