Hermetically sealable silicon system and method of making same
US7402899B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 12, 2007 |
| Grant date | Jul 22, 2008 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 12, 2027 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L2924/09701
- WIPO fieldMicro-structural and nano-technology
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
A device and method for hermetically sealing a medical device is provided. In one aspect, a silicon device is coupled to a sensor, such as a pressure transducer, which benefits from having direct contact with its environment, which in many cases, is the human body. Thus, a method to hermetically seal the non-sensing portion of a silicon device while allowing the sensing portion (e.g. the pressure transducer) to have direct contact with the body is provided. In one aspect, a silicon chip, a gold preform and a metallic housing are each primed for sealing and are assembled. The assembly is then heated to react the gold preform to the silicon chip and to form a molten gold-silicon alloy in-situ to bind the metallic housing to the non-sensing portion of the silicon chip. In this way, the non-sensing portion of the silicon chip is hermetically sealed and protected from exposure, while still permitting exposure of the sensing portion to the environment.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.