Hermetic Sealing and Testing of Small Volume MEMS Packages

IMAPS Device Packaging Conference

Scottsdale AZ     March 5th 2012 
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Course Description:

Reliable packaging of MEMS requires the ability to create and maintain a suitable inert atmosphere or vacuum inside the package cavity for the expected lifetime of the device. Traditional hermetic ceramic/metal packages are being replaced by wafer level packaging techniques, which present unique challenges from a hermeticity testing perspective. This course begins with an overview of traditional hermetic sealing processes along with wafer level MEMS packaging processes and methods. In some cases near-hermetic packages, such as LCP are suitable for some applications. Testing of small cavity MEMS packages according to the traditional Mil Spec TM 1014 requirements may not be sufficient to guarantee reliable operation. Difficulties and limitations in fine leak testing of small volume packages will be addressed. Recent advances in Optical Leak Testing (OLT), Cumulative Helium Leak Detection (CHLD) and Radioisotope KR 85, along with other hermeticity techniques, such as pirani vacuum sensors, are reviewed in light of the hermeticity specifications. Gaseous ingress is of primary concern for small volume MEMS cavity packages. Moisture level vs. surface area to volume ratio is an important concept, along with material outgassing and the potential to mitigate these problems with getters. These along with other critical MEMS packaging issues are addressed.

Who Should Attend?
This PDC is intended as an introductory level course for process engineers, designers, quality engineers, and managers responsible for packaging and hermetic testing of cavity style MEMS.