Package and sensor module

Abstract

This package comprises: a mounting substrate on which an element for detecting pressure is mounted; a housing that accommodates the mounting substrate and the element; and a metal thin film. The mounting substrate includes: a first surface having an element mounting region; a second surface opposite from the first surface; and a through hole located in the element mounting region and penetrating from the first surface to the second surface. The housing includes: an insulating substrate containing a ceramic material; and wiring conductors located on a surface of the insulating substrate and inside of the insulating substrate. The metal thin film blocks a communication path between the element and the outside and is located on the second surface side of the mounting substrate spaced apart from the second surface.

Description

Package and sensor module

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a package and a sensor module.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a waterproof microphone including a case having an opening, a waterproof vibration membrane covering the opening, and a microphone unit.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2022-18755 (published January 27, 2022)

[0004] A package according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a mounting substrate on which an element that detects pressure is mounted; a housing that accommodates the mounting substrate and the element; and a metal thin film. The mounting substrate has a first surface having an element mounting region, a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a through hole located in the element mounting region and penetrating from the first surface to the second surface. The housing has an insulating base made of a ceramic material, and wiring conductors located on the surface and inside the insulating base. The metal thin film blocks a communication path between the element and the outside, and is located on the second surface side of the mounting substrate with a gap from the second surface.

[0005] A sensor module according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes the package and the element.

[0006] This is a perspective view of the sensor module according to Embodiment 1 of this disclosure, viewed from an oblique upward direction. This is a perspective view of the sensor module shown in Figure 1, viewed from an oblique downward direction. This is a cross-sectional view of the sensor module shown in Figure 1, taken along the line III-III. This is a cross-sectional view of the pressure-sensitive device shown in Figures 2 and 3, taken from a plane perpendicular to the Y-axis direction. This is a cross-sectional view of the sensor module according to Embodiment 2 of this disclosure, taken from a plane perpendicular to the Y-axis direction. This is a cross-sectional view of the sensor module according to Embodiment 3 of this disclosure, taken from a plane perpendicular to the Y-axis direction. This is a cross-sectional view of the sensor module according to Embodiment 4 of this disclosure, taken from a plane perpendicular to the Y-axis direction. This is a cross-sectional view of the sensor module according to Embodiment 5 of this disclosure, taken from a plane perpendicular to the Y-axis direction. This is a cross-sectional view of the pressure-sensitive device shown in Figure 8, taken from a plane perpendicular to the Y-axis direction. This is a cross-sectional view of the sensor module according to Embodiment 6 of this disclosure, taken from a plane perpendicular to the Y-axis direction. This is a cross-sectional view of the element package shown in Figure 10, taken from a plane perpendicular to the Y-axis direction.

[0007] In the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, the cable for connecting the microphone unit to the external circuit board extends through a wiring hole in the case, resulting in poor surface mountability.

[0008] A package according to one aspect of this disclosure can improve surface mountability.

[0009] [Embodiment 1] (Sensor Module 2000) Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. The term "parallel" means that the elements are parallel to a visible level, and are not required to be strictly parallel. Similarly, the term "perpendicular" means that the elements are perpendicular to a visible level, and are not required to be strictly perpendicular.

[0010] The distinction between "up" and "down" in the following description is for convenience only and does not limit the actual orientation of the package 200 and sensor module 2000 when they are used. In this specification, the side on which the metal thin film is located relative to the mounting substrate is defined as the "up" side. Also, in the drawings, the positive Z-axis direction is defined as the "up" direction. The X-axis direction is one of the axes perpendicular to the Z-axis, and the Y-axis is an axis perpendicular to both the X-axis and the Z-axis.

[0011] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the sensor module 2000 according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, viewed from an oblique upward direction. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the sensor module 2000 shown in Figure 1, viewed from an oblique downward direction. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the sensor module 2000 shown in Figure 1, taken along the line III-III. As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the sensor module 2000 comprises a package 200 according to the present disclosure and a pressure-sensitive device 10, which is an element for detecting pressure. The pressure-sensitive device 10 is electrically connected to the package 200 via a conductive bonding material 4 and is also mechanically bonded. The pressure-sensitive device 10 may be a microphone element for detecting sound pressure or a barometer element for detecting atmospheric pressure. For example, the pressure-sensitive device 10 may be a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) microphone.

[0012] (Package 200) The package 200 comprises a mounting substrate 210 on which the pressure-sensitive device 10 is mounted, a housing 300 that houses the mounting substrate 210 and the pressure-sensitive device 10, and a thin metal film 400.

[0013] (Mounting substrate 210) The mounting substrate 210 is a substrate on which the pressure-sensitive device 10 is mounted. The mounting substrate 210 has a first surface 210A having an element mounting area 220 on which the pressure-sensitive device 10 is fixed, a second surface 210B opposite to the first surface 210A, and a through hole 230 located in the element mounting area 220 and penetrating from the first surface 210A to the second surface 210B. As shown in Figure 3, the mounting substrate 210 may have a base portion 240 containing a ceramic material and wiring conductors 250 located on the surface and inside the base portion 240.

[0014] The base portion 240 may be a laminate composed of one or more layers. Each layer constituting the base portion 240 may be an insulating layer made of an insulating material including a ceramic material such as an aluminum oxide sintered body, a glass ceramic sintered body, a mullite sintered body, or an aluminum nitride sintered body.

[0015] The wiring conductor 250 of the mounting substrate 210 is located on the surface of the base portion 240 and includes a connection pad 250A that is electrically connected to the pressure-sensitive device 10. The connection pad 250A and the terminals of the pressure-sensitive device 10 may be connected via a conductive bonding material 4 as shown in Figure 3, or via wire bonding.

[0016] The wiring conductor 250 may include a through conductor 250B that penetrates one or more layers constituting the base 240, and an interlayer conductor 250C located inside the base 240. The interlayer conductor 250C is a conductor located between the layers constituting the base 240. The wiring conductor 250 of the mounting substrate 210 can be connected to the wiring conductor 320 of the housing 300, which will be described later.

[0017] (Housing 300) The housing 300 includes an insulating substrate 310 containing a ceramic material, and wiring conductors 320 located on the surface and inside the insulating substrate 310.

[0018] The insulating substrate 310 of the housing 300 may contain a ceramic material and may be a laminate composed of one or more layers. Each layer constituting the insulating substrate 310 is an insulating layer made of an insulating material containing a ceramic material such as an aluminum oxide sintered body, a glass ceramic sintered body, a mullite sintered body, or an aluminum nitride sintered body.

[0019] The wiring conductor 320 of the housing 300 is located on the surface of the insulating substrate 310 and includes an external electrode 320A used for electrical connection with a mounting board such as a printed circuit board (PCB).

[0020] Furthermore, the wiring conductor 320 may include a through-conductor 320B that penetrates one or more layers constituting the insulating substrate 310, and an interlayer conductor 320C located inside the insulating substrate 310. The interlayer conductor 320C is a conductor located between the layers constituting the insulating substrate 310. The wiring conductor 320 can be connected to the wiring conductor 250 of the mounting substrate 210.

[0021] The base portion 240 of the mounting substrate 210 and the insulating substrate 310 of the housing 300 may be integrally formed. Specifically, the layer of the base portion 240 and the layer of the housing 300 located at the same height in the thickness direction of the package 200 may be a continuous layer. In this case, the connection between the wiring conductor 250 of the mounting substrate 210 and the wiring conductor 320 of the housing 300 may be achieved by connecting the interlayer conductor 250C and the interlayer conductor 320C located between the same layers.

[0022] The through-conductors 250B and interlayer conductors 250C of the mounted substrate 210, and the through-conductors 320B and interlayer conductors 320C of the housing 300, constitute a connection path that connects the connection pad 250A and the external electrode 320A.

[0023] In the example shown in Figure 3, the external electrode 320A is located on the lower surface of the housing 300, but the example is not limited to this example. By changing the extension direction of the through conductor 320B and interlayer conductor 320C located inside the housing 300, the external electrode 320A can be positioned at any location on the surface of the housing 300. For example, the external electrode 320A may be located on the upper surface 340A of the housing 300. The external electrode 320A and the PCB can be connected via a bonding material or wire bonding, etc.

[0024] The housing 300 may have a frame portion 340 located around the metal thin film 400, as shown in Figure 3. In this case, the metal thin film 400 is located in the Z-axis direction between the upper surface 340A of the frame portion 340 and the second surface 210B of the mounting substrate 210. The frame portion 340 may be located on the mounting surface 300A of the insulating substrate 310. The upper surface 340A of the frame portion 340 may be the surface located on the opposite side from the mounting substrate 210 when viewed from the metal thin film 400. By having the frame portion 340, the metal thin film 400 is protected and damage and / or deformation of the metal thin film 400 can be reduced.

[0025] The height of the frame portion 340 in the housing 300, and the distance between the metal thin film 400 and the mounting substrate 210, can be designed so that when the metal thin film 400 vibrates or displaces, it remains within the housing 300 without colliding with either the housing 300 or the mounting substrate 210.

[0026] (Metal Thin Film 400) The metal thin film 400 blocks the communication path between the pressure-sensitive device 10 and the outside, and is located on the second surface 210B side (upper side in Figure 3) of the mounting substrate 210, at a distance from the second surface 210B of the mounting substrate 210. The space communicating with the pressure-sensitive device 10 is separated from the outside by the metal thin film 400. The housing 300 has an opening OP that communicates with the outside, and the metal thin film 400 covers the opening OP. The housing 300 has a mounting surface 300A above the opening OP, and the metal thin film 400 may be attached to the mounting surface 300A.

[0027] The thin metal film 400 vibrates or displaces in response to the pressure outside the housing 300. The pressure-sensitive device 10 detects the pressure fluctuations propagated in the space between the thin metal film 400 and the pressure-sensitive device 10 due to the vibration or displacement of the thin metal film 400, through the through-hole 230. Because the package 200 has the thin metal film 400, the amount of water that reaches the pressure-sensitive device 10 through the through-hole 230 can be reduced, and the pressure-sensitive device 10 can indirectly detect pressure fluctuations outside the housing 300. For this reason, the sensor module 2000 has excellent waterproofing and can detect pressure fluctuations outside the housing 300.

[0028] The metal thin film 400 may be made of a water-resistant metal. The metal thin film 400 may have a metal body portion 410 and a frame portion 420 located on the periphery of the body portion 410 and having a greater thickness than the body portion 410. The body portion 410 may be made of, for example, stainless steel (SUS).

[0029] The frame portion 420 reinforces the main body portion 410 and stabilizes the shape of the metal thin film 400. The thickness of the main body portion 410 may be, for example, about 20 μm to 50 μm, and the thickness of the frame portion 420 may be about 50 μm to 200 μm. The presence of the frame portion 420 in the metal thin film 400 facilitates handling of the metal thin film 400 during assembly and disassembly of the sensor module 2000 or package 200.

[0030] The frame portion 420 may also be made of metal. The metal thin film 400 can be manufactured, for example, as follows: Individual pieces are cut from a metal foil, and the outer periphery of each piece is wound inward. This increases the thickness of the wound outer periphery, forming the frame portion 420. The inner part other than the outer periphery is the main body portion 410. Alternatively, the frame portion 420 may be formed from a metal plate or metal wire, and the frame portion 420 may be joined to individual pieces of metal foil by pressing to produce the metal thin film 400 having the frame portion 420.

[0031] Metals have excellent workability and are easy to process with high precision. Because both the main body 410 and the frame 420 are made of metal, the thin metal film 400 can be processed with high precision.

[0032] The metal thin film 400 may not have a frame portion 420 and may consist only of a main body portion 410.

[0033] The thin metal film 400 can be joined to the mounting surface 300A of the housing 300. The thin metal film 400 may be joined to the mounting surface 300A of the housing 300 by a bonding material such as resin. Alternatively, a bonding metal layer may be provided on the mounting surface 300A, and the thin metal film 400 may be joined to the mounting surface 300A of the housing 300 by welding, including seam welding or laser welding. Alternatively, a bonding metal layer may be formed on the mounting surface 300A, and the thin metal film 400 and the mounting surface 300A may be joined via a bonding material made of metal. By forming a bonding metal layer, the bond made by a bonding material made of metal can be made stronger.

[0034] Compared to welding, joining using a bonding material makes it easier to control the position of the metal thin film 400 in the Z direction. Furthermore, if the metal thin film 400 has a frame portion 420, the position of the metal thin film 400 in the Z direction can be adjusted by pressing the frame portion 420 against the mounting surface 300A. When the metal thin film 400 having the frame portion 420 is fixed to the mounting surface 300A via a bonding material, the height accuracy of the metal thin film 400 in the Z direction can be adjusted to the order of tens of micrometers.

[0035] The wiring conductors 250 of the mounted substrate 210, the wiring conductors 320 of the housing 300, and the bonding metal layer of the mounting surface 300A of the housing 300 may mainly contain metals such as tungsten, molybdenum, manganese, copper, silver, palladium, gold, platinum, nickel, or cobalt, or alloys containing these metals, as conductive materials.

[0036] The connecting pad 250A, the external electrode 320A, and the bonding metal layer may be formed as a metal layer such as a metallized layer or plating layer of a conductive material, and may consist of one or more layers.

[0037] Furthermore, the package 200 may have a vent 260 for connecting the space between the mounting substrate 210 and the metal thin film 400 with a space that communicates with the outside, in order to promote the movement of the metal thin film 400. The vent 260 may be provided, for example, in an area of ​​the mounting substrate 210 other than the element mounting area 220, penetrating from the first surface 210A to the second surface 210B.

[0038] (Pressure-sensitive device 10) Below, an exemplary embodiment of the pressure-sensitive device 10 is shown with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the pressure-sensitive device 10 shown in Figures 2 and 3 when cut by a plane perpendicular to the Y-axis direction. The pressure-sensitive device 10 shown in Figures 2 and 3 may be a packaged pressure-sensitive element 1. Specifically, the pressure-sensitive device 10 may comprise a package 100 and a pressure-sensitive element 1 housed in the package 100 that detects pressure. The pressure-sensitive device 10 may further comprise a semiconductor element 2, a connecting member 3 such as a bonding wire, and a bonding material 6.

[0039] The package 100 shown in Figure 4 comprises a mounting substrate 110 and a lid portion 160. The mounting substrate 110 has a first surface 110A having an element mounting area 120 on which the pressure-sensitive element 1 is fixed, a second surface 110B opposite to the first surface 110A, and a through hole 130 located in the element mounting area 120 and penetrating from the first surface 110A to the second surface 110B.

[0040] The pressure-sensitive element 1 is a MEMS microphone semiconductor element having a diaphragm structure or a beam structure, such as a sensor device having a vibrating electrode, and is fixed to the element mounting area 120 on the mounting substrate 110 by a bonding material 6. The pressure-sensitive element 1 includes, for example, a diaphragm and a back plate. The diaphragm and back plate act like a parallel plate capacitor, and when the diaphragm vibrates due to sound pressure, the gap length with the back plate changes, and the capacitance changes. The pressure-sensitive element 1 transmits this change as an electrical signal to the semiconductor element 2.

[0041] The semiconductor element 2 is, for example, an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The semiconductor element 2 has the function of amplifying the electrical signal received from the pressure-sensitive element 1. The semiconductor element 2 is electrically connected to the pressure-sensitive element 1 and the mounting substrate 110 by, for example, a connecting member 3.

[0042] The mounting substrate 110 comprises a base portion 140 containing a ceramic material, and wiring conductors 150 located on a surface of and inside the base portion 140. The base portion 140 may be a laminated body composed of one layer or a plurality of layers. Each layer constituting the base portion 140 may be an insulating layer made of an insulating material containing a ceramic material such as, for example, an aluminum oxide sintered body, a glass-ceramic sintered body, a mullite sintered body, or an aluminum nitride sintered body.

[0043] The wiring conductors 150 of the mounting substrate 110 may include connection pads 150A, through conductors 150B, interlayer conductors 150C, and terminal electrodes 150D. The terminal electrodes 150D are electrically connected to connection pads 250A of the package 200.

[0044] (Summary of Embodiment 1) An exemplary package 200 of the present disclosure includes a mounting substrate 210 on which a pressure-sensitive device 10 is mounted, a housing 300 that accommodates the mounting substrate 210 and the pressure-sensitive device 10, and a metal thin film 400. The mounting substrate 210 has a first surface 210A having an element mounting region 220, a second surface 210B opposite to the first surface 210A, and a through hole 230 located in the element mounting region 220 and penetrating from the first surface 210A to the second surface 210B. The housing 300 includes an insulating base 310 containing a ceramic material, and wiring conductors 320 located on a surface of and inside the insulating base 310. The metal thin film 400 blocks a communication path between the pressure-sensitive device 10 and the outside, and is located on the second surface 210B side of the mounting substrate 210 with a gap from the second surface 210B.

[0045] The package 200 includes the wiring conductors 320. Specifically, the package 200 includes interlayer conductors 320C and through conductors 320B located inside the insulating base 310 that serve as connection paths to elements, and external electrodes 320A located on a surface of the insulating base 310 and used for connection to a mounting substrate. The external electrodes 320A can be arranged on any of the top surface, bottom surface, and side surfaces of the housing 300. This makes it possible to improve surface mountability. In addition, a package with high design freedom in the arrangement of the external electrodes 320A can be realized.

[0046] The package 200 may be a multiple package including the package 100. The package 200 falls within the scope of the package of the present disclosure as described below. That is, the package 200 includes: a mounting substrate on which the pressure-sensitive element 1 is mounted (including a mounting substrate 110, and a mounting substrate 210 on which the pressure-sensitive element 1 is mounted via the mounting substrate 110); a housing 300 that accommodates the mounting substrate and the pressure-sensitive element 1; and a metal thin film 400. The mounting substrate has: a first surface 110A having an element mounting region 120; a second surface 210B opposite to the first surface 110A; and through-holes (through-hole 130 and through-hole 230) located in the element mounting region 120 and penetrating from the first surface 110A to the second surface 210B. The two through-holes 130 and 230 communicate with each other and penetrate from the first surface 110A of the mounting substrate 110 to the second surface 210B of the mounting substrate 210. The second surface 210B of the mounting substrate 210 is opposite to the first surface 110A of the mounting substrate 110. The housing 300 has: an insulating base 310 containing a ceramic material; and wiring conductors 320 located on the surface and inside the insulating base 310. The metal thin film 400 blocks a communication path between the pressure-sensitive element 1 and the outside, and is located on the second surface 210B side of the mounting substrate 210 with a gap from the second surface 210B.

[0047] [Embodiment 2] Another embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as the members described in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

[0048] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a sensor module 2001 according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure, taken along a plane perpendicularly intersecting the Y-axis direction. The sensor module 2001 shown in FIG. 5 includes a package 201 according to the present disclosure and a pressure-sensitive device 10. The package 201 includes a mounting substrate 211 on which the pressure-sensitive device 10 is mounted, a housing 300 that accommodates the mounting substrate 211 and the pressure-sensitive device 10, and a metal thin film 400.

[0049] The mounting substrate 211 shown in Figure 5 has a concave shape that is recessed relative to the metal thin film 400. In other words, the second surface 211B of the mounting substrate 211, which is the surface facing the metal thin film 400, is concave. The second surface 211B may have a shape in which at least a part of it is a curved recess. As a result, the space between the metal thin film 400 and the concave mounting substrate 211 (Figure 5) is larger than the space between the metal thin film 400 and the flat mounting substrate 210 (Figure 3). Furthermore, because the mounting substrate 211 has a concave shape such as a mortar or parabolic shape, the sound collection effect is enhanced, and a good acoustic effect can be obtained.

[0050] As shown in Figure 5, the through-hole 230 of the mounting substrate 211 may be located at the bottom of a concave shape. By positioning the through-hole 230 at the bottom of a concave shape, sound collection can be improved, thus enabling the realization of a module with excellent acoustic characteristics.

[0051] The pressure-sensitive device 10 in Embodiment 2 may also be a packaged pressure-sensitive element 1 as shown in Figure 4.

[0052] [Embodiment 3] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a sensor module 2002 according to Embodiment 3 of the present disclosure, when cut by a plane perpendicular to the Y-axis direction. The sensor module 2002 shown in Figure 6 comprises a package 202 and a pressure-sensitive device 10 according to the present disclosure. The package 202 comprises a mounting substrate 212 on which the pressure-sensitive device 10 is mounted, a housing 300 that houses the mounting substrate 212 and the pressure-sensitive device 10, and a thin metal film 400.

[0053] The metal thin film 400 shown in Figure 6 has a main body portion 410 and a frame portion 420 located on the periphery of the main body portion 410 and having a greater thickness than the main body portion 410. In Embodiment 3, the frame portion 420 of the metal thin film 400 is located between the main body portion 410 and the second surface 212B of the mounting substrate 212. Due to the thickness of the frame portion 420 of the metal thin film 400, the main body portion 410 of the metal thin film 400 is positioned at a distance from the second surface 212B of the mounting substrate 212.

[0054] The thickness of the frame portion 420 ensures space between the main body portion 410 of the metal thin film 400 and the second surface 212B, making it possible to bring the mounted substrate 212 closer to the mounting surface 300A of the housing 300. For example, as shown in the embodiment in Figure 6, the mounting surface 300A and the second surface 212B of the mounted substrate 212 may be located on the same plane.

[0055] The frame portion 420 of the metal thin film 400 is positioned between the main body portion 410 and the second surface 212B of the mounting substrate 212, allowing the distance between the main body portion 410 of the metal thin film 400 and the mounting substrate 212 to be adjusted by the thickness of the frame portion 420. This enables high-precision height adjustment between the mounting substrate 212 and the main body portion 410 of the metal thin film 400.

[0056] The pressure-sensitive device 10 in Embodiment 3 may also be a packaged pressure-sensitive element 1 as shown in Figure 4.

[0057] [Embodiment 4] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the sensor module 2003 according to Embodiment 4 of the present disclosure, when cut by a plane perpendicular to the Y-axis direction. The sensor module 2003 shown in Figure 7 comprises the package 203 and the pressure-sensitive device 10 according to the present disclosure.

[0058] The package 203 comprises a mounting substrate 210 on which the pressure-sensitive device 10 is mounted, a housing 303 that houses the mounting substrate 210 and the pressure-sensitive device 10, and a thin metal film 400. In addition to the insulating substrate 310, the housing 303 has a cover 360 that covers the thin metal film 400. The cover 360 has a cover through-hole 361 that overlaps with the thin metal film 400 when viewed from above. The thin metal film 400 is located on the insulating substrate 310 and blocks the communication path between the pressure-sensitive device 10 and the outside.

[0059] The cover 360 is positioned at a distance from the thin metal film 400 such that the thin metal film 400 is located between the mounting substrate 210 and the cover 360. The cover 360 can be watertightly bonded to the insulating substrate 310. For example, bonding metal layers 310A, 360A may be formed at corresponding positions on the surfaces of the insulating substrate 310 and the cover 360, and the cover 360 may be bonded to the insulating substrate 310 with a bonding material 370 such as solder.

[0060] The lid 360 protects the thin metal film 400, thereby reducing the possibility of damage to the thin metal film 400. Figure 7 shows an example in which the lid through-hole 361 is composed of multiple small-diameter through-holes, but the invention is not limited to this example. By reducing the diameter of the lid through-hole 361, the possibility of water entering the housing 300 can be further reduced.

[0061] The pressure-sensitive device 10 in Embodiment 4 may also be a package of pressure-sensitive elements 1 as shown in Figure 4.

[0062] [Embodiment 5] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the sensor module 2004 according to Embodiment 5 of the present disclosure, when cut by a plane perpendicular to the Y-axis direction. The sensor module 2004 shown in Figure 8 comprises the package 204 according to the present disclosure and a pressure-sensitive device 20 which is an element for detecting pressure.

[0063] The package 204 shown in Figure 8 comprises a mounting substrate 214 on which a pressure-sensitive device 20 is mounted, a housing 304 that houses the mounting substrate 214 and the pressure-sensitive device 20, and a thin metal film 400. The mounting substrate 214 is made of metal. The pressure-sensitive device 20 is connected to the wiring conductor 320 of the housing 304 via a connecting member 3.

[0064] The wiring conductor 320 of the housing 304 includes an external electrode 320A, a through conductor 320B, and an interlayer conductor 320C, as well as a connection pad 320D located on the surface of the insulating substrate 310 and electrically connected to the pressure-sensitive device 20. On the other hand, unlike in Embodiment 1, the mounting substrate 214 does not have wiring conductors. The connection pad 320D may be located on the inner surface of the housing recess in which the housing 304 houses the pressure-sensitive device 20.

[0065] The mounting substrate 214 may be located on the mounting surface 304A of the housing 304. The mounting substrate 214 has a through hole 230 as an opening OP that communicates with the outside. The mounting substrate 214 may be joined to the mounting surface 304A of the housing 304 by a bonding material such as resin or glass. A bonding metal layer may be provided on the mounting surface 304A, and the mounting substrate 214 may be joined to the mounting surface 304A of the housing 304 via solder or the like. Alternatively, a metal frame may be provided on the mounting surface 304A, and it may be joined by seam welding or the like.

[0066] The metal thin film 400 is located on the second surface 214B of the mounting substrate 214. The metal thin film 400 has a frame portion 420, which is located between the main body portion 410 and the second surface 214B. The metal thin film 400 may be joined to the second surface 214B of the mounting substrate 214 by welding, including seam welding or laser welding. Alternatively, the mounting substrate 214 may have a frame-shaped protrusion on the second surface 214B that surrounds a through hole 230 and, if necessary, a ventilation opening 260. The mounting substrate 214 having the protrusion can be integrally formed by machining a metal plate. In this case, only the main body portion 410 of the metal thin film 400 may be joined to the protrusion.

[0067] Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of the pressure-sensitive device 20 shown in Figure 8, cut by a plane perpendicular to the Y-axis direction. The pressure-sensitive device 20 shown in Figure 9 comprises a package 104 and a pressure-sensitive element 1 housed in the package 104. The pressure-sensitive device 20 may further include a semiconductor element 2, a connecting member 3, and a bonding material 6.

[0068] The package 104 shown in Figure 9 comprises a mounting substrate 114 and a lid 164. The mounting substrate 114 has a base portion 140 containing a ceramic material and wiring conductors 150 located on the surface and inside the base portion 140.

[0069] The lid portion 164 also has a base portion 164A containing ceramic material and wiring conductors 164B located on the surface and inside the base portion 164A. The wiring conductors 150 of the mounting substrate 114 and the wiring conductors 164B of the lid portion 164 can be electrically connected via a conductive bonding material 4.

[0070] The package 204 according to Embodiment 5 includes a metal mounting substrate 214. Since metal is easy to process precisely, a very flat mounting substrate 214 can be realized. This improves the flatness of the area on which the pressure-sensitive device 20 is mounted. Furthermore, since the metal thin film 400 and the mounting substrate 214 are made of easily processable metal, the distance between the pressure-sensitive device 20 and the metal thin film 400, which contributes to improving acoustic characteristics, can be adjusted with high precision.

[0071] [Embodiment 6] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of a sensor module 2005 according to Embodiment 6 of the present disclosure, when cut by a plane perpendicular to the Y-axis direction. The sensor module 2005 shown in Figure 10 comprises a package 205 and an element package 30 which is an element for detecting pressure. The package 205 comprises a housing 305 that houses the element package 30 and a thin metal film 400. The insulating substrate 315 of the housing 305 has a recess 315A that houses the element package 30, and the housing 305 has a cover 365 that covers the recess 315A of the insulating substrate 315. The cover 365 has a cover through hole 335 that is positioned overlapping with the thin metal film 400 in a planar perspective view. The cover 365 covers the thin metal film 400.

[0072] The lid through-hole 335, which is the opening OP of the housing 305, communicates with the outside of the housing 305 and is covered by the thin metal film 400. In other words, the thin metal film 400 blocks the communication path between the pressure-sensitive element 1 and the outside. The lid 365 is positioned with a gap between it and the main body portion 410 of the thin metal film 400, such that the thin metal film 400 is positioned between the element package 30 and the lid 365.

[0073] Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view of the element package 30 shown in Figure 10, obtained by cutting it with a plane perpendicular to the Y-axis direction. As shown in Figure 11, the element package 30 comprises a package 105 and a pressure-sensitive element 1 housed in the package 105. The element package 30 may further comprise a semiconductor element 2, a connecting member 3, and a bonding material 6.

[0074] The package 105 shown in Figure 11 comprises a mounting substrate 115 and a lid 165. The mounting substrate 115 has a first surface 110A having an element mounting area 120 on which the pressure-sensitive element 1 is fixed, a second surface 110B opposite to the first surface 110A, and a through hole 130 located in the element mounting area 120 that penetrates from the first surface 110A to the second surface 110B.

[0075] The thin metal film 400 shown in Figure 10 covers the through-hole 335 of the casing 305 and is located on the second surface 110B side of the mounting substrate 115 shown in Figure 11, in other words, on the upper side of the element package 30 shown in Figure 10. The thin metal film 400 shown in Figure 10 is located at a distance from the second surface 110B of the mounting substrate 115 shown in Figure 11, in other words, at a distance from the upper surface of the element package 30 shown in Figure 10.

[0076] In the configurations shown in Figures 10 and 11, the space between the mounting substrate 115 and the metal thin film 400 is larger than the space between the mounting substrate 210 and the metal thin film 400 in the configuration shown in Figure 3; therefore, the mounting substrate 115 does not need to have ventilation holes.

[0077] The package 205, which includes the element package 30, comprises a mounting substrate 115 on which a pressure-sensitive element 1 for detecting pressure is mounted, a housing 305 that houses the mounting substrate 115 and the pressure-sensitive element 1, and a metal thin film 400. Therefore, the package 205 is the package according to the present disclosure.

[0078] [Summary] (1) The package according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure comprises a mounting substrate on which a pressure sensing element is mounted, a housing for housing the mounting substrate and the element, and a metal thin film, wherein the mounting substrate has a first surface having an element mounting region, a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a through hole located in the element mounting region and penetrating from the first surface to the second surface, the housing has an insulating substrate containing a ceramic material, and wiring conductors located on the surface and inside the insulating substrate, and the metal thin film blocks the communication path between the element and the outside and is located on the second surface side of the mounting substrate, spaced apart from the second surface.

[0079] (2) The package according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure, in Embodiment 1, comprises a base containing a ceramic material and wiring conductors located on the surface and inside the base.

[0080] (3) In the package according to embodiment 3 of the present disclosure, in embodiment 1 or 2 above, the mounting substrate has a concave shape that is concave with respect to the metal thin film.

[0081] (4) In the package according to embodiment 4 of the present disclosure, the through hole is located at the bottom of the concave shape in embodiment 3.

[0082] (5) In any of the above embodiments 1 to 4, the package according to embodiment 5 of the present disclosure has a frame portion located around the metal thin film, and the metal thin film is located between the upper surface of the frame portion and the second surface of the mounting substrate.

[0083] (6) In the package according to embodiment 6 of the present disclosure, the mounted substrate is made of metal in embodiment 1 above.

[0084] (7) In any of the above embodiments 1 to 6, the package according to embodiment 7 of the present disclosure comprises a main body portion and a frame portion located on the periphery of the main body portion and having a greater thickness than the main body portion.

[0085] (8) In the package according to embodiment 8 of the present disclosure, the frame portion is made of metal in embodiment 7 above.

[0086] (9) In any of embodiments 1 to 8, the package according to embodiment 9 of the present disclosure has a lid that covers the metal thin film, and the lid has a lid through hole that overlaps with the metal thin film in a planar perspective view.

[0087] (10) A sensor module according to embodiment 10 of the present disclosure comprises a package according to any of embodiments 1 to 9 and the element.

[0088] [Additional Notes] The inventions described in this disclosure have been explained based on the drawings and embodiments. However, the inventions described in this disclosure are not limited to the embodiments described above. That is, the inventions described in this disclosure can be modified in various ways within the scope shown in this disclosure, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the inventions described in this disclosure. In other words, it should be noted that it is easy for those skilled in the art to make various modifications or alterations based on this disclosure. Furthermore, it should be noted that these modifications or alterations are included in the scope of this disclosure.

[0089] 1 Pressure-sensitive element (element that detects pressure) 2 Semiconductor element 3 Connecting member 4 Conductive bonding material 6 Bonding material 10, 20 Pressure-sensitive device (element that detects pressure) 100, 104 Package 110, 114 Mounting substrate 110A First side 110B Second side 140 Base 150 Wiring conductor 160, 164, 165 Cover 164A Base 164B Wiring conductor 30 Element package 105 Package 200, 201, 202, 203, 204, 205 Package OP Opening 115, 210, 211, 212, 214 Mounting substrate 110A, 210A, 211A, 212A, 214A First side 110B, 210B, 211B, 212B, 214B Second surface 120, 220 Element mounting area 130, 230 Through hole 140, 240 Base 250 Wiring conductor 250A Connection pad 250B Through conductor 250C Interlayer conductor 260 Ventilation opening 300, 303, 304, 305 Housing 300A, 304A Mounting surface 320 Wiring conductor 310, 315 Insulating substrate 310A, 360A Bonding metal layer 315A Recess 320A, 320D External electrode 340 Frame part 340A Top surface 360, 365 Cover 361, 335 Cover through hole 370 Bonding material 400 Metal thin film 410 Main body 420 Frame section 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 Sensor module

Claims

1. A package comprising: a mounting substrate on which a pressure-sensing element is mounted; a housing for housing the mounting substrate and the element; and a metal thin film, wherein the mounting substrate has a first surface having an element mounting area, a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a through hole located in the element mounting area and penetrating from the first surface to the second surface; the housing has an insulating substrate containing a ceramic material and wiring conductors located on the surface and inside the insulating substrate; and the metal thin film blocks the communication path between the element and the outside and is located on the second surface side of the mounting substrate, spaced apart from the second surface.

2. The package according to claim 1, wherein the mounting substrate comprises a base portion containing a ceramic material and wiring conductors located on the surface and inside the base portion.

3. The package according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the mounting substrate has a concave shape that is concave with respect to the metal thin film.

4. The package according to claim 3, wherein the through hole is located at the bottom of the concave shape.

5. The package according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the housing has a frame portion located around the metal thin film, and the metal thin film is located between the upper surface of the frame portion and the second surface of the mounting substrate.

6. The package according to claim 1, wherein the mounted substrate is made of metal.

7. The package according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the metal thin film comprises a main body portion and a frame portion located on the periphery of the main body portion and having a greater thickness than the main body portion.

8. The package according to claim 7, wherein the frame portion is made of metal.

9. The package according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the housing has a lid that covers the metal thin film, and the lid has a lid through-hole that is positioned to overlap with the metal thin film in a planar perspective view.

10. A sensor module comprising the package according to any one of claims 1 to 9 and the element.

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