Stepped Cavity Component Carrier for Protected Sensor Embedding
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing of component carriers with embedded sensor devices is complex and costly due to the need for careful protection of sensitive sensing surfaces from harmful chemical or mechanical environments during the embedding process.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a temporary carrier and uncured electrically insulating layers to create a stepped cavity, allowing for the precise alignment and protection of sensor components during embedding, with the uncured material flowing around the component to form a stable, fully cured insulating structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a sensor device is embedded close to the surface of a component carrier, then the sensing functionality is improved, but the sensing surface becomes vulnerable to damage from harmful chemical or mechanical environments during manufacturing
Solution Approach 1:
A temporary carrier is applied to the sensor device before embedding, and the component carrier is manufactured with a stepped cavity that receives the sensor device in a predetermined state. The temporary carrier remains in place during manufacturing processes that would otherwise harm the sensing surface, providing preliminary protection before the final embedding is complete.
Solution Approach 2:
The temporary carrier acts as an intermediary protective layer between the harmful manufacturing environment and the sensor device's sensing surface. This intermediate element shields the sensitive sensing surface from direct exposure to harmful chemical or mechanical factors during the component carrier manufacturing process.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a temporary protection film is applied to protect the sensor device during embedding, then the sensing surface is protected, but the manufacture becomes complex and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The temporary carrier is merged with the component carrier manufacturing process itself. The stepped cavity structure is formed as an integral part of the component carrier, and the temporary carrier is applied as a standard preprocessing step. This merging eliminates the need for separate, complex protection procedures while maintaining sensing surface protection throughout manufacturing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method simplifies the embedding process, ensures the integrity of sensitive components, and reduces manufacturing costs by enabling the use of rougher processing steps and ensuring the sensor components are protected and accurately aligned within the component carrier.
Implementation Method 1
mechanically connecting the at least partially uncured electrically insulating layer structure with the layer stack by curing the (previously) at least partially uncured electrically insulating layer structure
Data Source
AI summary
Described are component carriers including a stepped cavity into which a stepped component assembly is embedded. The component carriers have (a) fully cured electrically insulating material originating from at least one electrically insulating layer structure of the component carrier and circumferentially surrounding the stepped component assembly and/or (b) an undercut in a transition region between a narrow recess and a wide recess of the stepped cavity. Further described are methods for manufacturing such component carriers.