Gas Ingress and Egress of MEMS Multi-Chip Modules and MEMS Devices

Journal Article · 12 December 2019 · Advances in Materials

DOI: https://doi.org/10.11648/j.am.20190804.17 · OSTI ID:1670730

Fang, Lu ^[1]; Alexander Menk, Lyle ^[1]

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1. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Department of Microsystems Integration

Hermetic microcircuit packaging was the dominant method of protecting semiconductor devices in the 1960s and 1970s. After losing majority market sectors to plastic encapsulated microelectronics over the last a few decades, hermetic packaging remains the preferred method of protecting semiconductor devices for critical applications such as in military, space, and medical fields, where components and systems are required to serve for several decades. MEMS devices impose additional challenges to packaging by requiring specific internal cavity pressures to function properly or deliver the needed quality (Q) factors. In MEMS multichip modules, internal pressure requirement conflicts arise when different MEMS devices require different internal gases and pressures. The authors developed a closed-formed equation to model pressure changes of hermetic enclosures due to gas ingression. This article expands the authors mathematical model to calculate gas pressure of a MEMS multichip module package as well as those of MEMS devices inside the multichip module package. These equations are not only capable of calculating service lifetimes of MEMS devices and multi-chip modules but can also help develop MEMS device packaging strategies to extend the service life of MEMS multi-chip modules.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Nuclear Security
• Grant/Contract Number: AC04-94AL85000; NA0003525
• OSTI ID: 1670730
• Report Number(s): SAND--2019-9202J; {678243,"Journal ID: ISSN 2327-2503"}
• Journal Information: Advances in Materials, Journal Name: Advances in Materials Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 8; ISSN 2327-2503
• Publisher: Science Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English