Inclusion bodies

Abstract

An encapsulation is shown that includes at least a first substrate having an outer surface and a second substrate having an outer surface, where the first substrate and the second substrate are disposed adjacent to one another such that an inner surface of the first substrate is adjacent to an inner surface of the second substrate, where the second substrate is transparent at least in part and / or for at least a bandwidth of wavelengths, where at least one laser weld zone includes an information pattern in the encapsulation, where the at least one laser weld zone extends from an interior of the first substrate to an interior of the second substrate and permanently bonds the first substrate to the second substrate.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates, for example, to an enclosure for providing a hermetically sealed compartment in at least two substrate layers, as well as a manufacturing process for producing said enclosure. [Background technology]

[0002] The encapsulation can be used, for example, to protect electronic components, circuits or sensors. Hermetically sealed embodiments of the encapsulation described above can be used for medical implants, for example in therapies for treating heart disease, or for example in the retina or for any type of bioprocessor. Bioprocessors are known to be made from titanium.

[0003] Sensors can be protected by using the invention, for example, for use in particularly harsh climatic conditions. Further examples are micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), pressure sensors, blood gas sensors, blood glucose meters, for example blood glucose meters.

[0004] Further fields of use of the invention can be found in the fields of protective sleeves for mobile phones, goggles and headsets for virtual and augmented reality and similar devices. For example, the invention may be used in the field of electromobility, but also in aviation and space environments, high temperature environments and in the field of micro-optics.

[0005] All of the above mentioned applications involve equipment that faces harsh environmental conditions and therefore needs to be specifically designed to be robust or protected from these conditions. For example, the present invention may be used to protect equipment such as electronic components, which are not expected to withstand the above mentioned environmental conditions, but which may be cheaper to manufacture, even if there were no rugged electronic components that could withstand the conditions in the first place.

[0006] In particular, medical applications such as implants require the device to be uniquely identifiable, both to serve as an anti-counterfeiting measure and to enable full documentation of the entire product lifecycle.

[0007] Furthermore, the present invention can to some extent allow a method of exchange or communication with the device according to the present invention, for example the enclosure or with the inner region of the cavity located inside the enclosure. This method of exchange or communication can be realized, for example, with electromagnetic radiation, for example in the visible light range and / or in the microwave radiation range. To achieve the same, the enclosure is transparent at least in part and / or at least for a certain wavelength range. This transparency allows communication methods, any kind of data or energy transmission, as well as measurements with electronic components or sensors located inside the cavity. In particular, optical communication methods or optical data or energy transmission are possible.

[0008] However, implementing cavities in an encapsulation is merely one embodiment for possible uses of the invention, and as will be understood below, the invention is not limited to encapsulations having cavities, but can be used to improve encapsulations having cavities.

[0009] It is primarily known to provide a number of parts or layers and to arrange them in such a way that components can be located in the interior area. For example, EP 3012059 shows a method for producing a transmission component for protecting an optical component. There, a novel laser welding method is used.

[0010] The layers used can all be glass or a glass-like substrate, but it becomes increasingly interesting to combine different materials with each other, such as metal and glass or epoxy resins or other silicon-containing materials.

[0011] It was recognised that with respect to such inclusions, it would be a further interesting development to make the specific inclusions identifiable or to provide any information accessible externally. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0012] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide such information in inclusion bodies that can be extracted from the inclusion bodies without the need to open the inclusion bodies or to manipulate or even destroy them.

[0013] Another object of the present invention is to place such information into the encapsulation without damaging the exterior surface of the encapsulation, since it has been found that such defects or damage in the exterior surface can lead to cracking or destruction or influence of light entering or exiting the encapsulation cavity.

[0014] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such information in a rather small space or area so that the inclusions can be kept as small as possible.

[0015] Thus, the present invention may be found close to improving known inclusions, for example with regard to their reliability and / or robustness with regard to environmental conditions, and improving the traceability and / or size of such inclusions.

[0016] The invention can also be used in the context of optimizing process chains, especially at the wafer and / or wafer / chip level. Based on the invention, wafer level information (e.g. poor contact areas or damage zones on silicon chips) can be mapped to individual chips. This can be used for bonding after dicing, thus avoiding redundant inspection steps even if the assembly is spread across multiple factories. [Means for solving the problem]

[0017] The object of the present invention is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Preferred embodiments of the invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

[0018] The encapsulation according to the present invention comprises at least a first substrate having an outer surface and a second substrate having an outer surface. The first substrate and the second substrate are disposed adjacent to each other such that the inner surface of the first substrate is adjacent to the inner surface of the second substrate. In other words, the two substrates are disposed adjacent to each other, i.e., directly adjacent to each other, and the inner surface of the first substrate is in contact with the inner surface of the second substrate.

[0019] Typically, each substrate of the encapsulation is constructed rather flat, so that the outer surface as well as the inner surface opposite the outer surface have a dimension that is as long as the peripheral rim between the outer surfaces. A stack of substrates is formed by aligning a plurality of, at least two substrates adjacent to each other or one above the other. Such a stack of substrates may then be laser welded to firmly join the substrates to each other. For example, for each of two substrates, one laser weld line may be used to join the two substrates. Thus, for example, if four substrates are to be used to form the encapsulation, at least three laser weld lines may be introduced, where each laser weld line is arranged such that two adjacent substrates of the substrate stack are joined, respectively.

[0020] The top substrate, e.g. the second substrate, preferably comprises a transparent material and / or is transparent at least in part of its surface or volume and / or is transparent at least over a bandwidth of wavelengths. Thus, whenever a laser is used to weld and join substrates together, the laser can pass through the second substrate, for example, to reach the interface zone between the two substrates to be welded. This is called the top substrate, since the laser is typically irradiated from above into the substrate(s). It is clear that the reference is to the substrate through which the laser must pass in order to reach the laser spot where it is to be positioned. Therefore, in a setup where it is feasible to irradiate the laser from the side or below, the reference to the "top substrate" may no longer be applicable. In any case, it is preferred that the substrate material (substrate volume) through which the laser passes to place the laser spot inside the substrate / substrate stack comprises a transparent material and / or is transparent at least in part of its surface or volume and / or at least over a bandwidth of wavelengths.

[0021] The encapsulation according to the invention comprises at least one laser weld zone containing an information pattern within the encapsulation. The at least one laser weld zone extends from the interior of the first substrate to the interior of the second substrate and permanently joins the first substrate to the second substrate. In other words, the information pattern thus firmly joins two substrates arranged close to each other with their respective insides in contact with the respective other insides. The information pattern may thus be provided for joining the substrates to each other, for example replacing the use of additional laser weld lines. On the contrary, the laser weld zone may be designed to provide a hermetic seal for the functional zones located so as to be surrounded by the laser weld zone. However, on the other hand, the additional laser weld lines may be provided to introduce, ensure or improve the joining and / or hermetic seal of the functional zones.

[0022] For example, the laser weld zone could include a first separation distance S1 to the outer surface of the first substrate and a second separation distance S2 to the outer surface of the second substrate. When separation distances S1 and S2 are applied, the laser weld zone may be completely enclosed inside the enclosure. This means, in other words, that the laser weld zone is completely enclosed in the enclosure without contacting or penetrating the outer surface of either the first substrate or the second substrate. In other words, the laser weld zone may be said to be completely enclosed by material from either the first substrate or the second substrate, or by any substrate contained in the enclosure. The enclosure therefore completely encapsulates the laser weld zone that is not in contact with the environment surrounding the enclosure. This also means that neither the first outer surface nor the second outer surface, which is the outer surface of the second substrate, is deteriorated by the at least one laser weld zone. This allows the mechanical and / or chemical resistance of the enclosure to be increased compared to an enclosure with some marking added to one of the exteriors of the enclosure.

[0023] Although it may be advantageous if the laser welding zone is completely surrounded by the material of the enclosure including, for example, the separation spaces S1 and S2 from the start, the enclosure may be thinned, for example in a later process step, such that the laser welding zone is exposed to the surroundings. For example, the laser welding zone may then also form part of the first outer surface and / or the second outer surface. In this regard, reference is made to German patent application no. 102020117194.3, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety into the present application, in particular with regard to the method for grinding one of the substrates of the enclosure.

[0024] The laser weld zone may be part of the first substrate and / or part of the second substrate. Preferably, the laser weld zone comprises material from the first substrate and material from the second substrate. In other words, material from the first substrate is melted and material from the second substrate is melted at the same time, and these materials are mixed with each other. The information pattern of the laser weld zone typically comprises a refractive index different from the refractive index of the normal welded parts of the first and / or second substrate. The information pattern can also be provided as absorbing areas (e.g. black points or dots). Such absorbing areas may be caused by the interdistance / pitch between shots or by v / R (where v is the writing speed and R is the repetition rate of the laser pulses provided by the source). In other words, the information pattern in the laser weld zone is detectable by measuring the refractive index, for example by measuring the transmittance, or by measuring the transmittance, or by visual inspection.

[0025] The information pattern of the laser weld zone may be designed to include information in a predefined form, such as numbers or letters. Such numbers or letters may be visually visible, so that they can be simply read by optical means, for example an optical readout device, or by the naked eye, possibly with the aid of intensifying means, for example a microscope or a macro objective. The information pattern in the laser weld zone may also include a binary readable information pattern, which may be a series of codes to be interpreted as zeros or ones. In one example, a dashed line may be interpreted as such a binary readable information pattern. The information of the information pattern may be given in line length modulation, where the length of any segment of the laser weld line contains the information, or at least a part of the information to be stored in the laser weld zone. Furthermore, the information may be stored in barcode form or coding, in line width modulation, in music sheet modulation, in quick read codes and / or Morse code signals, etc. All the above mentioned forms for storing information in the information pattern of the laser weld zone may also be used in combination, whereby the thickness of the laser weld line may code one type of information, whereas the length of the laser weld line segment may code another type of information.

[0026] The information stored in the information pattern may be made user-readable, for example by optical readout, so that the information pattern may be easily extracted by optical means and read by a user. The information stored in the information pattern may be designed to be readable by a handheld device. Thus, the enclosure may be scanned by a handheld device to extract the information from the enclosure.

[0027] It may be advantageous to code the information in the laser weld zone in an information pattern. The use of coding or encoding of information may allow further reduction of the area or space required to provide information in the encapsulant. For example, by line width modulation and depending on the resolution of any readout tool, multiple types of information of small size can be provided in the same space, which would otherwise require a larger space if letters or numbers were used here. Thus, any machine-readable information may typically be provided in a smaller area, using less encapsulant space. Even the entire encapsulant may therefore be made smaller.

[0028] Encoding information in the laser weld zone may be achieved by applying a change in the absorption spot distance v / R between successive beam spots of the laser weld zone or laser weld line, where v is the writing speed and R is the repetition rate of the laser source. The writing speed may be achieved in the movement of the enclosure relative to a static laser source, or in some cases in the movement of the laser relative to a static enclosure. The repetition rate may be designed to be adjustable. By modifying v / R, a characteristic shape of the laser weld line / information pattern can be achieved, where data or information can be encoded retrievably from the enclosure.

[0029] Thus, information in the weld seam can be encoded by varying the speed v. It is also possible to vary the interspot distance by changing R. In this connection, the repetition rate is typically fixed. However, one or more pulse sequences and / or R can also be varied, for example by using a so-called "pulse picker" and / or by "switching off". The pulse picker can be used between the laser source and the focusing optics. It can also be integrated in the laser source, for example for ultrashort lasers between the seed laser and the amplifier.

[0030] Furthermore, the information pattern may be obtained by modifying, influencing or simply taking into account the thermal accumulation of N consecutive and / or overlapping beam spots. In some forms of further development of the information coding in the variation of v / R as explained above, the information coding may also be performed in integer multiples of N·v / R. This may be of particular interest when high laser repetition rates are used, for example laser repetition rates higher than 200 kHz, or even in the MHz range, where v / R is smaller than the spot size or is of the same order of magnitude as the spot size. For example, overlapping beam spots are obtained when N is 2 or more. Preferably, N may be 10 or more, 50 or more, preferably 100 or more, even more preferably 200 or more, or even as much as 500 or more. When using MHz laser repetition rates, N may be as large as N=5000. For example, it is assumed that N should be 20000 or less.

[0031] Thus, information coding may be achieved in variants of N·v / R. For example, the accumulation of sufficient N beam spots leads to a visible marking, whereas no such marking exists if the overlap of the beam spots is low, i.e. N is set to be less than the number of overlapping beam spots required for the generation of a visible marking. This can be adjusted to generate said information pattern, for example a pattern of marking and non-marking that should be interpreted as "1" or "0", respectively. Furthermore, markings of more complex shapes can also be obtained, for example lines may be generated if the number of overlapping beam spots is kept high enough to generate a visible marking, thus generating a single line. The number of overlapping beam spots may then be reduced to a value smaller than N required to generate a visible marking, at which point the line is interrupted or the line (marking) is no longer visible.

[0032] It is also possible that debris from the absorption zone is transported to the upper region of the melted area. Such "debris" spots also carry longitudinal information induced by the spot-to-spot distance. In other words, the absorption zone modifies the optical properties of the material, making it optically detectable, and some of this material may be transported through the melted area to its upper part where it comes to rest during solidification of the melted zone.

[0033] The information stored in the encapsulation may be provided redundantly. To provide redundant information, for example, separate laser welding zones may be provided, for example here, where the two laser welding zones provide identical information. Another embodiment, which can be combined or used separately, consists in providing redundant information, where an information pattern is coded by two different coding means. For example, one information pattern may be coded simultaneously by line width modulation and by line length modulation, where the recovery of the information coded in the line width is redundant with respect to the information coded from the line length. Information redundancy can also be obtained by using coding methods that provide redundancy in the coding process, for example when the code alphabet is longer than the source alphabet, or by using redundant optimized coding, such as, for example, Huffman coding, which preferably does not include a prefix.

[0034] The enclosure described herein may include a functional zone enclosed so as to be surrounded by the enclosure. Such a functional zone may, for example, include a cavity and / or may include one or more devices or components to be enclosed inside the enclosure and thus protected from environmental conditions outside the enclosure. The functional zone may also include some detector means, some microelectronic or mechanical systems and / or any micro-optical system. Even energy harvesting devices such as small solar cells may be provided in the functional zone. The functional zone may, for example, be located between two substrates or consist of a coating provided on the inside of one of the first or second substrates.

[0035] The laser weld zone and / or at least one laser weld line can be designed to hermetically seal the functional zone to the enclosure, for example, the laser weld line can be drawn around the functional zone without gaps, whereby the first substrate is hermetically joined to the second substrate.

[0036] A laser weld zone and / or a laser weld line typically comprises a series of laser dots in a predefined order. These laser dots may be placed close enough to each other so that they overlap and thus form a continuous laser weld line. Such a continuous laser weld line produced by a series of laser dots, when drawn around a functional zone, comprises hermetic sealing properties. According to the laser weld line, the substrates are firmly joined to each other because the laser weld line melts or mixes the material of the first substrate with the material of the second substrate in a "convection zone", where the laser dots are positioned such that the mixing of said materials is achieved.

[0037] However, not only laser weld lines are arranged around the functional zone: a laser weld zone containing an information pattern may also be arranged around the functional zone, for example surrounding the functional zone.

[0038] The laser welding zone may be positioned to include a third separation distance S3 relative to the peripheral rim of the encapsulant. In other words, the laser welding zone leaves a positive distance relative to the peripheral rim, such that said rim is also not interfered with by the laser welding zone. This distance may be referred to as a "tolerance zone." Typically, the encapsulant is diced from a wafer or wafer stack, so an additional distance between the laser welding zone and the rim is advantageous in that information is not destroyed or interfered with when dicing the encapsulant from the wafer stack.

[0039] When a first substrate and a second substrate are positioned directly adjacent to each other and a laser weld line means a direct laser induced welding process that joins these two substrates to each other, the laser weld line directly joins the first and second substrates to each other.

[0040] At least one laser weld zone and / or laser weld line can extend from the interior of the first substrate to the interior of the second substrate and can permanently join the first substrate to the second substrate, either by a laser weld line specially introduced for joining the two substrates or by a laser weld zone, where an information pattern can advantageously hermetically join the two substrates to each other and additionally provide said information pattern.

[0041] The laser weld line and / or laser weld zone can include a mixture of materials of the first and second substrates, which is established during introduction of the laser spot, where convection of the materials occurs inside the laser spot as the materials melt and mix.

[0042] At the laser weld zone and / or laser weld line, material from the first substrate may be mixed into the second substrate and vice versa, i.e., material from the second substrate may be mixed into the first substrate.

[0043] In the laser weld zone and / or laser weld seam, a convection zone may be present, characterized in that material from the first substrate mixes with material from the second substrate in the convection zone.

[0044] The laser weld zone and / or the laser weld line typically includes a height HL in a direction perpendicular to the joining plane. The laser weld zone and / or the laser weld line may be located at a height HL1 inside the first substrate and at a height HL2=HL-HL1 inside the second substrate. In other words, the complete laser weld line height HL is located inside either the first substrate or the second substrate, which means that there is no additional material or space between the first substrate in the second substrate. This indicates that the first substrate is directly joined and mixed with the second substrate by the laser welding process. If the laser weld line reaches both substrates equally, then HL1=HL2, but if, for example, the laser weld zone and / or the laser weld line is projected deeper into the first substrate, then HL1 is greater than HL2. Nevertheless, it is preferable that the sum of HL1+HL2 is HL.

[0045] At least one laser weld zone and / or laser weld line can surround the functional zone with a distance DF, where this distance can for example correspond to less than or equal to the height HL. The distance DF can also correspond to less than or equal to twice the height HL.

[0046] The functional zone may be located inside the first and / or second substrate. The functional zone may have at least one cavity. The cavity may be located, for example, in the plane of the first and / or second substrate. As an example, the cavity may be excavated from the first and / or second substrate, for example by an abrasive machining method. When three substrates are used to provide the encapsulation, the top and bottom substrates may be continuous substrates, where the functional zone or cavity is located in the plane of the intermediate substrate. For example, the intermediate substrate may include a hole that becomes a cavity when the three substrates are stacked on top of each other.

[0047] There may be at least one functional component, such as an electronic component, a MEMS or a MOEMS, disposed inside the cavity.

[0048] The present disclosure also provides for the use of encapsulants as described above for manufacturing medical implants, wafer level packaged components, microlens compounds, micro-optical chips, pharmaceutical packaging, sensors such as LIDAR sensors or LED devices, to give a few examples.

[0049] The present disclosure also provides a method of providing an encapsulation, such as the encapsulation described herein above, in which at least a laser weld zone is encapsulated. The method includes providing a first substrate having an inner surface and an outer surface, and a second substrate having an inner surface and an outer surface. A step of aligning the first substrate with its inner surface on the inner surface of the second substrate is provided. In other words, the first substrate is positioned adjacent to the second substrate, and the respective inner surfaces will be in contact with each other.

[0050] Further provided is a step of laser welding the first substrate to the second substrate by introducing at least one laser weld zone into the encapsulation, the laser weld zone being welded to provide an information pattern, wherein information is stored within the information pattern.

[0051] Furthermore, at least one laser weld zone can include a first separation distance S1 to an outer surface of the first substrate and a second separation distance S2 to an outer surface of the second substrate, whereby the laser weld zone is completely encapsulated inside the encapsulation body and / or completely surrounded by the encapsulation body material.

[0052] The methods described herein may further include laser welding at least one laser weld zone by directing a laser beam from a laser beam source such that the laser weld zone is drawn to reach both the first substrate and the second substrate, thereby securely and permanently welding the first substrate to the second substrate.

[0053] The methods described herein may further include a step in which the laser weld zone is drawn by a pulsed laser source, whereby a continuous or quasi-continuous weld zone can be made up of multiple laser pulses and / or spaced apart laser weld dots or patterns can be produced in the encapsulation.

[0054] The encapsulation defined in the method may enclose the functional zone and may further comprise a step of hermetically sealing the functional zone by a laser weld line. The laser weld line may contain an information pattern and may therefore be assigned to the laser weld zone. In fact, any laser weld zone may contain any amount of laser weld lines. The vocabulary "laser weld zone" is used only as a means to better distinguish between the functional capabilities of storing information, whereas the term "laser weld line" is used in relation to providing a hermetic joint of the substrate and thus a hermetic sealing of the functional zone. However, these terms "laser weld zone" and "laser weld line" may be used interchangeably. The laser weld zone may also provide a hermetic sealing function for the functional zone, for example if the laser weld line is drawn in the laser weld zone being a continuous laser weld line passing around the functional zone. In another aspect, the laser weld line may be drawn to contain an information pattern representing the part of the laser weld zone that contains information.

[0055] Prior to the step of hermetically sealing the functional zone, the method may further comprise the step of directly aligning the two substrates to each other such that the first substrate is in direct contact with the second substrate, e.g. such that at least 25% of the inner area of ​​the first substrate is in direct contact with the inner side of the second substrate.

[0056] The second substrate may comprise a material that is transparent on at least a portion of its surface or volume and / or over at least a wavelength bandwidth.

[0057] The present disclosure may also provide an evacuated sealed enclosure manufactured by the method described herein above.

[0058] The present disclosure also provides a method for registering an inclusion, the method comprising the step of providing said inclusion, for example an inclusion as described herein above in more detail. The inclusion comprises a first substrate, a second substrate and at least one information pattern, where the first substrate is in direct contact with the second substrate such that the inner surface of the first substrate is adjacent to the inner surface of the second substrate, where said information is stored in said information pattern. The method further defines the steps of reading said information from said information pattern and registering said information in a data storage, where the information provided on the substrate allows for unique identification of said inclusion or multiple inclusions provided in a common manufacturing process.

[0059] In one aspect, the data can be stored directly in the encapsulation, where the data may not be available or stored elsewhere. For example, any kind of process data of or relating to the manufacturing process may be stored directly in the encapsulation during the manufacturing process, where the actual process data, such as laser properties or environmental conditions, is encoded and imprinted on the encapsulation. The data may be translated or encoded, for example, from an alphanumeric string to any descriptive encoding as described or disclosed herein. This information may then be read out and registered.

[0060] In another embodiment, the data can be stored indirectly, so that the data is stored only from the beginning or elsewhere, such as in a database, and may or may not be subsequently imprinted on the encapsulant. The data can include process data. For example, in this case, a unique identifier can be written on the encapsulant, and information such as process data can be stored in an external location, such as a database, that is cross-referenced by this unique identifier. For example, an alphanumeric string can be imprinted on the encapsulant in coded form, which then represents said unique identifier.

[0061] Indeed, any data stored and referred to throughout this application may be referred to as directly stored data, where the data itself is stored (stamped) in the enclosure, and / or as indirectly stored data, where a unique identifier is stored in the enclosure and the data itself is stored in an external location, such as a database linked together with or by the unique identifier, for example to register / identify / verify the enclosure.

[0062] The present disclosure further provides a data reading and storage system for carrying out the above mentioned method, the system comprising a data storage, a reading device connected to the data storage by a transfer means for reading the information stored in the information pattern of the enclosure, and a computing means for processing the information and storing said information in the data storage.

[0063] The present specification further provides a hermetically sealed enclosure, comprising at least a first substrate having an outer surface and a second substrate having an outer surface. The first substrate and the second substrate are arranged adjacent to each other such that the inner surface of the first substrate is adjacent to the inner surface of the second substrate. The second substrate is manufactured to be transparent in at least a portion (of its volume or surface) and / or for at least a bandwidth of wavelengths. The hermetically sealed enclosure further comprises a functional zone enclosed in the enclosure. It further comprises a laser weld line for welding the first substrate to the second substrate, where the laser weld line is designed to hermetically seal the functional zone in the enclosure. The hermetically sealed enclosure further comprises at least one laser weld zone for providing an information pattern within the enclosure. At least one laser weld zone includes a first separation distance S1 relative to an outer surface of the first substrate and a second separation distance S2 relative to an outer surface of the second substrate, whereby the laser weld zone is completely enclosed inside the enclosure.

[0064] As materials for the first and / or second substrate, various materials can be used, for example homogeneous or monocrystalline glass, chemically strengthened glass, and even covered with optical coatings, glass, or glass-like materials, for example crystalline bodies such as glass ceramics or crystalline glasses. Furthermore, silicon-based substrates can be used, in which any of the above-mentioned materials can be used in combination with one another.

[0065] According to one example, the laser weld line may be obtained by irradiating a focused laser beam from a laser source with a predetermined wavelength and energy in short pulses into the material (e.g., at a repetition rate R) such that a series of beam spots are arranged in the material of the encapsulation. The substrate and / or focusing optics are set up such that the focus of the laser is set above and next to the intended laser weld line, i.e., further into the substrate stack than the thickness of the substrate below the interface. The specimen may move relative to the source with a speed v during the course of the laser irradiation. The beam spot distance is therefore v / R. By arranging the beam spots close together such that the resulting melted area at least touches or even overlaps with the adjacent melted area, a heat accumulation may occur such that a continuous weld line is produced.

[0066] The laser weld line includes said height HL in a direction perpendicular to its joining plane. The joining plane is the direction in which adjacent or successive beam spots are set, for example the contact plane of the inner surfaces of the first and second substrates. Typically, laser welding is performed from an "overhead" perspective, meaning that the substrate stack is positioned on a surface, for example a table, and the laser is irradiated from above through at least the top substrate layer, or through two or more substrate layers, to the location of the beam focus. Thus, the height HL is measured in the direction of the laser beam, where the width of the laser weld line is measured perpendicular to the direction of the laser beam.

[0067] Because the introduction of a laser weld line can also introduce stresses into a given amount of material, such as in the area around the laser weld line, a laser weld zone including, for example, a second laser weld line or laser weld trace, can relieve the stresses introduced by the first laser weld line. Thus, an enclosure including a laser weld line adjacent to a laser weld zone can include improved mechanical stability.

[0068] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to preferred embodiments thereof. Referring to the accompanying drawings, like numbers are applied to like or similar components, and in which: FIG. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0069] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of an enclosure according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of an enclosure. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of another embodiment of an enclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of another embodiment of an enclosure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is another schematic cross-sectional side view of another embodiment of an enclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a detailed cross-sectional view of an encapsulation having three substrates, showing the location of the laser weld lines and zones in a side view. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a laser weld line within an enclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a top view of a wafer stack before singulation / dicing with multiple encapsulants. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional top view of the encapsulation showing an interim stage of forming laser weld lines and dicing areas. [Figure 10A] FIG. 2 shows embodiment A of a different possibility for encoding information in a laser weld line. [Figure 10B] FIG. 13 shows embodiment B of a different possibility for encoding information in the laser weld line. [Figure 10C] FIG. 13 shows embodiment C of a different possibility for encoding information in the laser weld line. [Figure 10D] FIG. 13 shows embodiment D of a different possibility for encoding information in the laser weld line. [Figure 10E] FIG. 13 shows embodiment E of a different possibility for encoding information in a laser weld line. [Figure 10F] FIG. 13 shows embodiment F of a different possibility for encoding information in a laser weld line. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 details the effect of changing v, R or v / R. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 illustrates a method for producing an inclusion body and collecting data from the inclusion body. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0070] FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of an encapsulation body 1, where a bottom layer 3 is arranged under a top layer 4. The bottom layer or first substrate 3 and the top layer or second substrate 4 are hermetically joined to each other by a first laser weld line 6a. The first laser weld line 6a extends both into the material of the first substrate 3 and into the material of the second substrate 4, so that the materials of the two substrates 3, 4 are mixed. When introducing a tight seal, the first laser weld line 6a can provide a hermetically sealed area, where the first laser weld line 6a is drawn (drawn) around such area 2. The two substrates 3, 4 are in contact with each other at the inner side 46 of the first substrate 3 and the inner side 44 of the second substrate 4. These two inner sides 44, 46 are in contact with each other in a contact area 15.

[0071] Next to the laser weld line 6a, two laser weld zones 7a, 7b are provided which can show an information pattern (see other figures). Advantageously, the information zones 7a, 7b are introduced in the same plane as the laser weld line 6a, which is introduced to hermetically seal the enclosure 1. The laser weld line can also include an information pattern, while the laser weld zones can on the other hand include the ability to hermetically seal the area inside the laser weld zones 7a, 7b.

[0072] At the side 12 of the encapsulation 1 there is an edge 11 of the glass laminate, where a spacing S3 is provided between the edge 11 of the encapsulation 1 and the outermost information zone 7b. As seen in Fig. 1, the rim 12 is oriented vertically, whereas the planes 41, 43, 44 and 46 of the first and second substrates 3, 4 are oriented horizontally. The rim 12 may join the outer side 41 of the second substrate 4 to the outer side 43 of the first substrate 3, so that the entire outer surface may be constituted by the outer side 41 of the second substrate, the rim 12 and the outer side 43 of the first substrate 3.

[0073] The laser weld line 6a, as well as the laser weld zone 7a with the first information pattern and the second laser weld zone 7b with the second information pattern, comprise a first separation distance S1 to the outer surface 43 of the first substrate 3 and a second separation distance S2 to the outer surface 41 of the second substrate 4. Thus, all the laser weld lines 6a and the laser weld zones 7a, 7b are completely enclosed inside the enclosure. In particular, the laser weld lines 6a and the laser weld zones 7a, 7b do not interfere with or reach the outer surfaces 41, 43 of the substrates 3, 4. At the same time, all the provided laser weld lines are added when joining the two substrates together, so that the total joining force may be the sum of the individual joining or bonding forces of the individual laser weld lines / laser weld zones.

[0074] For example, the outer surface 43 or the outer surface 41 may be thinned, for example polished, after the introduction of the laser welding zones 7a, 7b, so that the first and / or second separation distances S1, S2 may be reduced or even disappear. As a result, the laser welding zones 7a, 7b may form part of the outer surface 41 and / or the outer surface 43. In other words, the laser welding zone 7a may be exposed to and in contact with the surroundings. However, the information pattern as a uniform part of the respective substrate is not more susceptible or receptive to damage introduced, for example, by chemicals or any kind of weathering. In contrast, it may form part of a flat and polished outer surface 43 or 41, which includes optical properties that are differentiated from the surrounding material and thus allows the reading of the information stored in the information pattern, but does not include a substantially different material compound or geometric shape.

[0075] The laser weld zone 7a may include features that hermetically bond the two substrates to one another, thereby eliminating the need for an additional laser weld line 6a. This may depend, for example, on the information pattern used for the laser weld zones 7a, 7b, where an information pattern with a continuous laser weld trace may include a hermetic sealing feature, and a non-continuous laser weld trace with spacing between the individual laser dots may or may not include a hermetic sealing feature. However, the laser weld line 6a may be part of the laser weld zone 7a and may or may not include an information pattern.

[0076] With reference to FIG. 2, a top perspective view of the enclosure 1 is shown, where a number of laser weld traces 7a, 7b, 7c and 7d are provided in an information zone 7. The information zone 7 may, for example, be arranged in the same plane as shown in FIG. 1 for the laser weld line, thus simultaneously firmly joining the first and second substrates 3, 4 to one another by the introduction of the laser weld line. FIG. 2 shows a separate laser weld zone 7, where, for example, the functional zone 2 may be provided next to the information zone 7. In the example of FIG. 2, the functional zone 2 may or may not be hermetically sealed, depending on whether an additional laser weld line 6a is drawn around the functional zone 2. However, it is clear from FIG. 2 that the arrangement of the laser weld zone 7 to the side of the functional zone 2 requires an additional spacing in the enclosure 1, since the laser weld zone or the information zone 7 is provided separately from the functional zone 2. This may, in certain applications, increase the readability of the information zone 7, however at the cost of a rather smaller functional zone 2 available inside the enclosure 1 and / or at the cost of a larger overall size of the enclosure 1.

[0077] As shown in Fig. 3, the functional zone is larger than that shown in Fig. 2 and furthermore at least the same amount of information may be present in the information zone 7, which is drawn around the functional zone 2. In this case the functional zone 2 may contain a cavity and even here a functional element 5 may be provided. In this example a continuous laser weld line 6a is drawn as the innermost line around the functional zone 2. Next to the first laser weld line 6a a first and a second information pattern 7a, 7b are drawn inside the information zone 7 along the first laser weld line 6a. Here too a separation distance S3 is provided between the information zone 7 and the rim 12 of the enclosure 1.

[0078] Referring now to FIG. 4, an enclosure 1 is shown with a cavity 2 hermetically sealed by a laser weld line 6a drawn in the contact area 15 between the first and second substrates 3, 4. A functional element 5 is arranged in this cavity 2, which is hermetically sealed in the cavity 2. Next to the laser weld line 6a, a second laser weld line 6b is drawn in order to potentially improve the hermetic sealing of the cavity 2, for example to provide redundancy in case the hermetic sealing deteriorates over time. A first information pattern 7a is then drawn in the information zone 7, which first information pattern 7a is also arranged in the contact area 15. Thus, depending on the information pattern, another hermetic sealing of the cavity 2 may be provided by the information pattern 7a. Here again, the laser weld line and the laser information pattern include a first separation distance S1 to the outer surface 43 of the first substrate 3 and a second separation distance S2 to the outer surface 41 of the second substrate 4. Additionally, a third separation gap S3 is provided in the rim 12, whereby all laser weld seams as a whole are completely enclosed inside the encapsulation. In the example of Fig. 4, the cavity is located in the plane of the first substrate 3, which has been excavated, for example, by an abrasive machining method such as sandblasting.

[0079] In Fig. 5 an embodiment of the encapsulation body 1 is shown, where three substrate layers 3, 4, 4a are used to form the encapsulation body. Here again the first substrate 3 serves as a bottom layer below the cavity 2, the second substrate 4 serves as a top layer above the cavity 2, and an intermediate layer 4a is arranged between these two substrates 3, 4. Thus, for example as shown in Fig. 6, the first substrate 3 may be welded to the intermediate substrate 4a, and the second substrate 4 may also be welded to the intermediate substrate 4a by two planes of laser weld lines 6a, 6b. In this example a first contact area 15 and a second contact area 15a are provided.

[0080] Fig. 6 shows a detail of an enclosure with three substrates 3, 4, 4a, where a first laser weld line 6a firmly joins the second substrate 4 to the intermediate layer 4a and a second laser weld line 6b firmly joins the first substrate 3 to the intermediate layer 4a. If these two laser weld lines 6a and 6b are drawn around the functional zone 2 as in Fig. 5, the latter may be hermetically sealed by these laser weld lines 6a and 6b. Next to the laser weld lines 6a, 6b an information zone 7 is provided, which is provided with a first and a second information pattern 7a, 7b.

[0081] By arranging the information patterns 7a, 7b in two different planes, an additive formation of information may be provided, for example such that when the information patterns are viewed from a certain angle, the first information pattern 7a can be superimposed on the second information pattern 7b, so that both information patterns together provide a single or combined information structure. It can therefore be said that the two information patterns 7a, 7b can complement each other, thereby contributing to a single information that is obtained from a given read-out angle of the enclosure 1.

[0082] In relation to FIG. 7, a cross-sectional detail of the laser weld line is shown in more detail. A single irradiation of a laser pulse produces a nonlinear absorption. This zone may or may not be visible afterwards as an absorption volume (e.g. a black spot). In the latter case, the term "nonlinear absorption zone 35" is used to indicate the process volume in situ where nonlinear absorption occurs and / or where any permanent change in the linear absorption occurs, e.g. visible damage in the substrate. This nonlinear absorption zone 35 may cause a heat accumulation that occurs in the direction towards the laser pulse irradiation, i.e. towards the top of the plane shown in FIG. 7. In FIG. 7, several discernible regions may be seen in the laser trace 7a. Above the nonlinear absorption region 35, which corresponds more or less to the laser focus and may include a size of several micrometers, an elongated bubble-like region 32 may be formed, which has a width of only a few micrometers but a height that is typically up to several tens of micrometers (also called "bubble" 32 due to its typical and very characteristic shape comparable to an elongated bubble). Around this bubble-like region 32 is located a molten region 36 with a width indicated by arrow 37 and a height indicated by arrow 38, where even the fully solidified glass (after cooling or radiation) may reach a temperature above Tg. The molten region 36 containing the elongated bubble 32 may usually be clearly identified, for example by means of an optical microscope, since its density and / or refractive index is changed with respect to the surrounding material of the respective substrate (e.g. glass). In some cases, the nonlinear absorption region 35 may also be observed as optical damage at the lower tip of the molten region 36.

[0083] Thus, each laser spot and thus each laser weld line 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d may be identifiable, for example by optical means, and an information pattern 7, 7a, 7b may be provided on the inside of the glass by providing laser weld traces 7a with a characteristic shape or width or intensity etc. in order to encode or store information in the laser traces 7a in an information zone 7. One single laser spot may be referred to as a heating zone 34.

[0084] Furthermore, in FIG. 7 a number of small "debris" 39 are shown on the upper side of the melting area 36. Such particles or debris 39 can for example escape from the absorption zone 35 or can be made from the material of the first substrate 3 and exchanged into the second substrate 4 during melting by the laser-induced welding process. Such debris 39 is transported to the upper area of ​​the melting area 36 and can thus be identifiable, for example by optical means, marking each laser weld dot. Such "debris" spots can also carry longitudinal information induced by the interspot distance, for example information introduced by varying v / R or N·v / R.

[0085] With reference to FIG. 8, a number of encapsulation bodies 1 are provided, each with a cavity 2 inside. Each encapsulation body 1 comprises a laser weld line 6a surrounding a functional zone 2 and thus hermetically sealing the functional zone 2 against the environment or against other functional zones 2. A dicing line 9b is shown, at which the dicing off of the encapsulation body 1 takes place, singulating each encapsulation body 1. Between the first laser weld line 6a and the dicing line 9b, an information pattern 7a is provided, which is arranged around the respective functional zone 2. That is to say, a number of encapsulation bodies 1 may be prepared and provided simultaneously in the same method step, where each individual encapsulation body 1 may be provided with an individual marking for the information in the respective information pattern 7a engraved by the laser. The laser used to generate the information pattern 7a may be the same as the one used to introduce the laser weld line 6a into the encapsulation body 1.

[0086] With reference to Fig. 9, a detail of Fig. 8 is shown, which includes one enclosure and a respective detail of higher resolution. Inside the functional zone, here the cavity 2, a functional element 5 is located, which is hermetically sealed by a laser weld line 6a. Next to the laser weld line 6a an information zone 7 is provided, in which a first information pattern 7a is provided and in said first information pattern 7a information is stored.

[0087] The information pattern 7a or the information to be stored in the information zone 7 may, for example, relate to any repair capabilities for the enclosure used in particular for medical applications during the packaging of the chip. This may include the ability to identify the chip, its manufacturer, its production date and / or the type of wafer if it is from a diced wafer, as well as the ability to locate the chip on the singulated wafer. However, additionally, in the case of any readable or accessible data storage inside the enclosure 1, further information may be stored in the information zone 7, for example information such as access, data, e.g. passwords.

[0088] In general, information zone 7 may include data such as component data including one of wafer information, where the wafer information may include manufacturer, source, storage time, price, material, geometry, surface heat, localized defects, coatings such as non-organic or organic coatings, inspection date, type and equipment, possible exposure to x-ray or nuclear radiation and / or particulate contamination.

[0089] The data of the component to be stored in the information zone 7 may also include information such as its manufacturer from a spacer wafer or a cavity wafer (which is the intermediate layer 4a), source material such as wafer characteristics, tools and processes such as sandblasting, laser cutting or etching used for the creation of the cavity and / or glue used to manufacture the encapsulant 1, coatings included in the intermediate layer 4a, possible exposure to X-ray or nuclear radiation and particle contamination.

[0090] In the case of wafers with through glass via (TGV) components, the data to be displayed in the information zone 7 may also include data such as the material of the vias, their geometry, the position and tolerance of a single TGV, its ohmic resistance, etc.

[0091] Further information to be provided in the information zone 7 may also include data on the encapsulated component 5 in the functional zone 2 and assembly data. This may include at least one of the following data related to the component 5 to be encapsulated in the enclosure 1: manufacturer, ID, possible defects, etc. Furthermore, it may include one of the following: placement date, location, operator, glue or solder used or damage that may occur to place the component 5 in the cavity 2, clean room data, particle contamination, use of process gas or liquid filling, atmospheric data (pressure, temperature, composition). Another type of component and assembly data may include the surface quality of the interface 15, 15a to be welded.

[0092] Furthermore, the information zone 7 can provide information about the bonding and micro-welding, such as one of the following: data, location, machine and operator, operation data of the laser, coordinates such as X, Y and focal position of the weld line on the wafer stack. The bonding and micro-welding data can further include the temperature of the machine, the atmosphere, the chuck, the mechanical holder used, the optics used for the laser welding, the laser beam data, operation data of the stage access. The bonding and micro-welding data can further include the position of the cavities or the position of future chips on the wafers 3, 4, as well as defects. It can even include possible information after wafer manufacturing, such as polishing or chemical strengthening.

[0093] Regarding singulated encapsulation information to be stored in information zone 7, this may include one of the following: date, location, and operator of singulation, post-processing of the chip such as polishing and grinding, application of additional coatings and / or polymer encapsulation.

[0094] The information to be provided in the information zone 7 may also include encapsulation wear data such as one of the following: shipping, storage, sale date, customer and / or sensor lock of the device. Of particular interest would be that the information zone 7 includes a unique identifier and the above-mentioned wear data is stored on an external medium, where the data is assigned to the unique identifier. The data on the encapsulation wear may also provide one of the following: medical date of the policyholder, operation data, examination data, performance of the device and sensor lock. Furthermore, data on the encapsulation decomposition may be provided in the information zone containing at least one of the following: complete wear data of the product and / or counterfeit identification data.

[0095] Returning to FIG. 9, next to the information zone 7, a tolerance zone 9 is provided between the information zone 7 and the dicing line 9b to be applied in the dicing zone 9a. In other words, to ensure that the information stored in the information zone 7 is not affected or destroyed, a safe distance is provided by the tolerance zone 9 which allows for deviations that may occur during the introduction of the laser weld traces 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d in the information zone 7 when the encapsulation is singulated from a wafer stack containing a number of encapsulations 1 (see FIG. 8) and which likewise takes into account deviations or cracks that may be introduced by dicing the encapsulation 1 during the singulation of the individual encapsulations 1. In other words, the tolerance zone 9 ensures that the information stored in the information zone 7 is safely stored and easily read out after the singulation of the encapsulation 1.

[0096] With reference to Fig. 10, several embodiments of how to provide information in the information zone 7 are provided as examples, where it is clear that other markings or forms for encoding information may be used for this task. Item A of Fig. 10 shows the encoding of information in the laser weld trace by varying the length of the laser weld trace. In other words, each length of the laser weld trace forming part of the laser weld line contains encoded information such as binary readable information or characters or any form of encoded information.

[0097] Item B of Fig. 10 shows another possibility of encoding information in the information zone 7, here as "musical notation". The interruption positions of any seven laser weld traces shown in the information zone 7 of item B shown in Fig. 10 indicate a predefined information encoding. It may also be possible to superimpose different options of how to encode information in the information zone 7 by means of the laser weld traces 7a-7d.

[0098] Item C of FIG. 10 shows a line width variation of the laser weld trace 7a, where the width 37 of the laser weld trace 7a information is coded. It should be noted that more than two different widths may be used, for example, eight distinguishable widths 37 of the laser weld trace 7a may be used, or less than seven or more than eight. For example, four different widths 37 may be implemented to code the information of the laser weld trace 7a. Also, multiple laser weld traces may be overlapped adjacent to each other to create the optical effect of different widths 37 of the laser weld trace. Another aspect of changing the width of the laser weld trace 7a is to change the marking speed v of the laser, i.e., by accelerating or decelerating the welding speed v.

[0099] Item D of Fig. 10 shows a barcode-type encoding of information in an information zone that also shows weld lines of different widths and / or different spacing from one another. In this example, information may be encoded on the spacing between adjacent laser weld traces 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d and / or on the width 37 of each of the laser weld traces 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, etc.

[0100] With regard to item E of Fig. 10, a curved line is shown so that a continuous laser weld line 6a or 7a can be used while at the same time information is encoded in such a continuous weld line. In particular, items C and E show an embodiment in which a continuous weld line is used, which not only encodes information but also provides, for example, an airtight sealing function for the functional zone 2 in the cavity.

[0101] With respect to item F of FIG. 10, for example, a "dotted line" or dot is shown as a result of the change in marking speed v, or the change in spot-to-spot distance R, or v / R.

[0102] The lines 7a or 7b may be composed of one or more consecutive dots. In the line 7a, some of the dots may overlap to form a short line, while other dots may not overlap and remain as dots. In the line 7b, the spacing between the dots varies and the encoding of information can be stored in the variation of the dot spacing. The information stored in these dotted lines can be, for example, binary information (no dot / dot represents 0 or 1) or complex information (such as line length modulation).

[0103] Thus, information in the laser welding zone 7 can also be encoded by varying the speed v of the engraving laser 50. For example, the movement speed of the movable table on which the enclosure 1 or the substrate stack 3, 4 is positioned may be altered during the engraving process in order to vary v.

[0104] It is also possible to vary the interspot distance by changing R. In this respect, the repetition rate is typically fixed. However, R can also be changed, for example by using a so-called "pulse picker" and / or by "switching off" one or more sequences of pulses. A pulse picker can be used between the laser source 50 and the focusing optics. It can also be integrated in the laser source 50, such as an ultrashort laser 52 between the seed laser and the amplifier.

[0105] It is also possible that the debris obtained from the absorption zone 35 is transported to the upper region of the melting area 36. Such "debris" spots 39 will also carry longitudinal information induced by the interspot distance. So, in other words, in the absorption zone 35, the optical properties of the material are modified, which makes this material optically detectable, and parts of this material may be transported through the melting area 36 to its upper part, where it comes to rest during the solidification of the melting zone. In relation to FIG. 11, the modification of the spot distance is shown. By changing the moving speed v and / or the repetition rate R, the interspot distance, which is v / R or N·v / R, may be influenced. By setting the interspot distance close enough, the successive bubbles 36 may be superimposed and a continuous line may be generated (at least between the successive bubbles 36). If the interspot distance is increased, the bubbles 36 may be separated and identified as a single dot. This effect may be accentuated or noted if, alternatively or additionally, the production of the inclusion 1 is adjusted so that the debris 39 occurs. In so doing, the spacing between the debris 39 may be detected, which in some cases may result in the laser dots being placed rather closer to each other. A "debris spot distance" may then be obtained, corresponding to the distance between successive points of nonlinear absorption 35. Thus, a more compact way of providing readable information is provided, whereby rather higher data density (and / or a relatively small area of ​​the laser welding zone 7) may be collected.

[0106] With reference to FIG. 12, method steps of a method for manufacturing an encapsulation body 1 according to the invention are disclosed. The reference to the data to be stored may include direct storage in the information zone and / or indirect storage via inscription of a unique identifier in the information zone. Indirect storage may involve storage of the corresponding information data in an external database, where the unique identifier stored in the encapsulation body is additionally stored or linked as a reference, for example to register / identify / verify the encapsulation body. In step A, the substrates are aligned on top of each other, in this example wafers 3, 4, 4a are used, in which wafer 4a is provided with an opening that will later form the cavity 2 of the respective encapsulation body 1. If applicable, the components 5 to be encapsulated are placed in each encapsulation body 1 in step A. In the information zone 7 of the encapsulation body for step A, data on the wafer, spacer and component data concerning the encapsulation components 5, as well as data on the arrangement, soldering or gluing of the components may be stored.

[0107] In step B shown in Fig. 12, wafers are stacked on top of each other to generate a wafer stack, whereby a number of encapsulants 1 are obtained. The wafers 3, 4a, 4 may be optically aligned on top of each other. The data to be stored in the information zone 7 of the respective encapsulant 1 from step B may comprise data relating to the contact bond, such as for example a bond quality index obtained before laser welding the encapsulants. In this regard, in particular with regard to said bond quality index, reference is made to German patent application no. 102020129220.1, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety into the present application.

[0108] For example, the bond quality index Q1 is obtained when Q1=1-(AG) / A, where A corresponds to the contact area 15, 15a between each two substrates or wafers 3, 4, 4a. G corresponds to the area where the possible remaining separation or spacing between the two substrates 3, 4, 4a and in the contact area 15, 15a (e.g. due to remaining particles or substrate irregularities) is smaller than a predefined value P. This value P corresponds to a separation between the two substrates 3, 4, 4a of, for example, 5 μm or less, preferably 2 μm or less, even more preferably 1 μm or less. In other words, the bond quality index Q1 describes the percentage of the contact area 15, 15a where the separation between the two adjacent substrates 3, 4, 4a is less than P. Even more preferably, a first bond quality index Q1 is established before laser welding the wafer stack and a second bond quality index Q2 is established after laser welding the wafer stack. It has been found that, although it is possible to bridge a possible gap (separation) between two adjacent substrates 3, 4, 4a with a laser weld line and nevertheless obtain a solid and elastic connection between the welded substrates 3, 4, 4a, if such a separation is bridged by a laser weld line, after welding, residual strains may result in one or both substrates 3, 4, 4a. Such residual strains in substrates may even show characteristics that cannot be measured in the subsequent product or can only be measured with high effort. This may result in premature wear and failure. By comparing Q1 with Q2, the residual tensions and / or possible under-life of the inclusion 1 can be estimated.

[0109] Step C of the method shown in Fig. 12 includes laser welding each cavity of the wafers 3, 4a, 4 and encoding information such as date, weld ID or cavity ID, wafer ID, chip position on the wafer in the laser information zone 7. Further information that would be stored in the information zone 7 could include the machine used for laser welding, any laser data, the position of the weld line, etc. Any default values ​​measurable on the wafer level inspection tool (e.g. defective weld lines, entrapped particles) can again be mapped to a uniquely identified chip.

[0110] Step D shown in Fig. 12 comprises respectively separating or dicing the wafer stack and thus singulating the multiple encapsulations from the wafer stack. The information to be stored in the information zone 7 of each cavity can comprise a bonding quality index obtained after laser welding, data on the post-processing of the wafer stack or data on the separation or dicing of the wafer stack. All of these data can be used depending on the set quality criteria for a cost-effective joining of the devices and the singulated chips can be sorted only by their unique identifiers without having to resort to additional inspection steps.

[0111] Step E shown in FIG. 12 illustrates the acquisition of a simulated enclosure 1, where additional data to be stored in the information zone 7 can include information of additional manufacturing steps as well as service life data linked to each enclosure by its unique ID number.

[0112] All the dimensional data mentioned herein above may be read, for example, by optical means or by a handheld device and stored in a database 62 shown in Fig. 12 which is part of a computer device 60. For example, the data may be read from the information zone 7 by a handheld device 65 and transferred to the database 62 by any transfer means 67. The transfer means may include cable communication or wireless communication. The readout device 65 may be any optical device or simply the naked eye to extract the information stored in the information zone 7 of the respective enclosure 1.

[0113] It will be understood that the features defined herein in relation to any aspect of the invention or any particular embodiment of the invention may be utilized alone or in combination with any other feature or aspect of the invention or embodiment. In particular, the present invention is intended to cover an encapsulation body 1 and / or a method for producing an encapsulation body 1 configured to include any feature described herein. In general, it will be understood that any feature disclosed herein may be an essential feature of the invention alone, even if disclosed in combination with other features, whether or not disclosed in the specification, claims and / or drawings.

[0114] It will be further understood that the above-described embodiments of the invention have been described merely by way of example and as an illustration of their principles, and that further modifications and variations may be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0115] 1. Inclusion bodies 2. Functional zones or cavities 3 First Board 4 Second Board 4a Further boards such as intermediate boards 5 Functional elements 6a First laser welding line 6b Second laser weld line 7 Laser welding zone or information zone 7a First information pattern or laser weld trace 7b Second information pattern or laser weld trace 7c Third information pattern or laser weld trace 7d Fourth information pattern or laser weld trace 8 Interface zone or bonded / mixed material region 9 Tolerance Zones 9a Dicing Zone 9b Dicing line 11 Glass laminate / encapsulation edges 12 Rims 14 Spacing between laser weld zone and cavity / functional zone 15 Contact area 15a Second contact area 16 Distance to edge 11 or rim 12 32 Long and thin bubbles 34 Heating area 35 Nonlinear absorption region 36 Molten Zone 37 Transverse width of laser weld line or zone 38 Vertical height of laser weld line or zone 39 For example, debris or particles from the focal point (nonlinear absorption region) 41 Outside of the second board 43 Outside of the first substrate 44 Inside of the second board 46 Inside of the first board 50 Welding Laser Generator 52 Welding Laser Beam 60 Computer Equipment 62 Database 65 Readout device 67 Means of transfer

Claims

1. An encapsulation body (1), characterized in that: The encapsulation body (1) includes at least a first substrate (3) and a second substrate (4, 4a); The first substrate and the second substrate are arranged adjacent to each other such that the inner surface (46) of the first substrate is adjacent to the inner surface (44) of the second substrate; The second substrate is transmissive at least in part and / or at least for a bandwidth of wavelengths; The encapsulation body (1) includes at least one laser welding zone (7) that contains an information pattern (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d) within the encapsulation body; The information pattern of the at least one laser welding zone extends from the inside of the first substrate to the inside of the second substrate, and permanently joins the first substrate to the second substrate; Encapsulation body (1).

2. The first substrate (3) includes an outer surface (43), and the second substrate includes an outer surface (41); The at least one laser welding zone includes a first separation interval S1 to the outer surface of the first substrate and a second separation interval S2 to the outer surface of the second substrate; The encapsulation body (1) according to Claim 1.

3. The laser welding zone (7) is a part of the first substrate and / or the second substrate (3, 4a, 4) that has a refractive index different from that of the non-welded part of the first substrate and / or the second substrate; The encapsulation body (1) according to Claim 1.

4. The information pattern (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d) is designed to include at least one of the following, namely: A unique identifier; Numbers or letters; A binary-readable information pattern; Line length modulation; Barcode form or encoding; Line width modulation; Music score modulation; Quick readout code; Morse code signal, etc.; The encapsulation body (1) according to Claim 1.

5. The information stored in the information pattern (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d) is user-readable, for example, by an optical reading unit, and / or The information stored in the information pattern (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d) is designed to be readable by a handheld device (65); The encapsulation body (1) according to Claim 1.

6. The information stored in the information pattern (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d) is designed to be read and stored in a database (62); The encapsulation body (1) according to Claim 1.

7. ​ The information in the laser welding zone (7) is encoded in the information patterns (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d). The enclosure (1) according to claim 1.

8. The encoding of the information in the laser welding zone (7) is achieved by applying a change in the absorption spot distance v / R between successive beam spots of the laser welding zone or laser welding line, and / or the encoding of the information in the laser welding zone (7) is achieved by applying a change in the number N of overlapping beam spots at the absorption spot distance v / R, where N is 2 or more, preferably 10 or more, more preferably 50 or more, and N is 20000 or less. The enclosure (1) according to claim 7.

9. The enclosure (1) further includes a functional zone (2) enclosed so as to be surrounded by the enclosure. The enclosure (1) according to claim 1.

10. The laser welding zone (7) and / or at least one laser welding line (6a, 6b) is designed to hermetically seal the functional zone (2) to the enclosure. The enclosure (1) according to claim 9.

11. The laser welding zone (7) and / or laser welding line (6a, 6b) includes a series of laser dots in a predetermined order. The enclosure (1) according to claim 1.

12. The laser welding zone (7) is arranged around the functional zone (2), for example so as to surround the functional zone, and / or The laser welding zone (7) is arranged so as to include a third separation interval S3 with respect to the peripheral rim (12) of the enclosure. The enclosure (1) according to claim 9.

13. The laser welding lines (6a, 6b) directly join the first and second substrates (3, 4a, 4) to each other by a direct laser-induced welding process, and / or The at least one laser welding zone (7) and / or the laser welding line (6a, 6b) extends from inside the first substrate (3) to inside the second substrate (4, 4a), permanently joining the first substrate to the second substrate. The enclosure (1) according to claim 1.

14. The laser welding zone (7) and / or laser welding line (6a, 6b) includes a mixture of the materials of the first substrate (3) and the second substrate (4, 4a), and / or In the laser welding zone (7) and / or the laser welding lines (6a, 6b), material from the first substrate (3) is mixed with the second substrate (4, 4a) and / or material from the second substrate is mixed with the first substrate and / or In the laser welding zone (7) and / or the laser welding lines (6a, 6b), there is a convection zone (36) and material from the first substrate (3) is mixed with material from the second substrate (4, 4a). The enclosure (1) according to claim 1.

15. The laser welding zone (7) and / or the laser welding lines (6a, 6b) include a height HL in a direction perpendicular to their joining plane. The laser welding zone (7) and / or the laser welding lines (6a, 6b) are located at a height HL1 inside the first substrate (3) and at a height HL2 = HL - HL1 inside the second substrate (4, 4a). The enclosure (1) according to claim 1.

16. The at least one laser welding zone (7) and / or the laser welding lines (6a, 6b) surround the functional zone (2) at a distance DF, which corresponds to, for example, a height HL or less, or twice the height HL or less. The enclosure (1) according to claim 9.

17. The functional zone (2) is arranged inside the first substrate and / or the second substrate (3, 4a, 4) (44, 46) and / or the functional zone (2) includes at least one cavity. The enclosure (1) according to claim 9.

18. At least one functional component (5), such as an electronic component, a MEMS or a MOEMS, is arranged inside the cavity (2) and / or a fluid such as a gas is enclosed in the cavity (2). The enclosure (1) according to claim 17.

19. Use of the enclosure (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 18 for the production of a sensor or an LED device, such as a medical implant, a component packaged at wafer level, a microlens compound, a micro-optical chip, a drug packaging, a LIDAR sensor.

20. A method of providing an enclosure (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 18, for example, in which a laser welding zone (7) is enclosed, the method comprising providing a first substrate (3) having an inner surface (46) and an outer surface (43) and a second substrate (4, 4a) having an inner surface (44) and an outer surface (41); aligning the inner surface of the first substrate with the inner surface of the second substrate; laser welding the first substrate to the second substrate by introducing at least one laser welding zone (7) into the enclosure; comprising; the laser welding zone is welded such that an information pattern (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d) is provided, and information is stored within the information pattern; the at least one laser welding zone includes a first separation distance S1 to the outer surface of the first substrate and a second separation distance S2 to the outer surface of the second substrate, whereby the laser welding zone is completely enclosed inside the enclosure; A method of providing an enclosure (1).

21. The step of laser welding comprises: guiding a laser beam (52) from a laser beam source (50) such that the laser welding zone is drawn to reach both the first substrate (3) and the second substrate (4, 4a), whereby the first substrate is firmly and permanently welded to the second substrate, to laser weld the at least one laser welding zone (7). A method of providing the enclosure (1) according to claim 20.

22. The laser welding zone (7) is drawn by a pulsed laser source (50), whereby a continuous or quasi - continuous welding zone is composed of a plurality of laser pulses and / or spaced laser welding dots or patterns can be generated in the enclosure. A method of providing the enclosure (1) according to claim 20.

23. The enclosure further encloses a functional zone (2), the method further comprising hermetically sealing the functional zone by laser welding lines (6a, 6b). A method of providing the enclosure (1) according to claim 20.

24. Before the step of hermetically sealing the functional zone, the method comprises The method further includes directly aligning the at least two substrates (3, 4a, 4) with each other such that the first substrate is in direct contact with the second substrate, for example, at least 25% of the area of the inner side (46) of the first substrate is in direct contact with the inner side (44) of the second substrate. A method of providing the enclosure (1) according to claim 23.

25. The second substrate (4, 4a) includes a material that is transmissive at least in part and / or at least for a wavelength bandwidth. A method of providing the enclosure (1) according to claim 20.

26. An evacuated and sealed enclosure (1) manufactured by the method according to claim 20.

27. A method of registering an enclosure (1), the method comprising: providing the enclosure, the enclosure including a first substrate (3), a second substrate (4, 4a), and at least one information pattern (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d), the first substrate being in direct contact with the second substrate such that the inner surface (46) of the first substrate is adjacent to the inner surface (44) of the second substrate, and the information being stored in the information pattern; reading the information from the information pattern; registering the information in a data storage (62); storing additional information regarding the information in the data storage (62); wherein the information provided on the substrate enables the enclosure or enclosures provided in a common manufacturing process to be uniquely identified. Method.

28. A data reading and storing system (60) for performing the method according to claim 27, the system comprising: a data storage (62); a reading device (65) connected to the data storage by transfer means (67) for reading the information stored in the information pattern (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d) of the enclosure (1); computing means for processing the information and storing the information in the data storage; A data reading and storing system (60).

29. An enclosure (1), the enclosure (1) comprising: a first substrate (3) having at least one outer surface (43); a second outer surface (41); at least one laser welding zone (7) containing an information pattern (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d) within the enclosure; wherein The at least one laser welding zone includes a first separation interval S1 to the outer surface of the first substrate and a second separation interval S2 to the second outer surface, whereby the laser welding zone is completely enclosed inside the enclosure. Enclosure (1). Claim 30 An enclosure (1), wherein the enclosure (1) includes at least one first substrate (3) and at least one information pattern (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d), and information is encoded in the information pattern, and the encoding of the information is achieved by at least one of the following encoding types, namely binary-readable information pattern, line length modulation, barcode form or encoding, line width modulation, music sheet modulation, quick readout code, Morse code signal, or change in the absorption spot distance v / R between successive beam spots. Enclosure (1).

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