Design of MEMS Packaging

Abstract

A micro-electromechanical device comprises a micro-electromechanical die, a package, and three pillars attaching the micro-electromechanical die to the package, at least one of the shape, position and orientation of the pillars is configured such that any strain transferred from the package to the die by deformation of the package is minimized.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Application No. EP 07100340.4 filed on Jan. 10, 2007, entitled “Improved Design of MEMS Packaging,” the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to an improved design for Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) packages. More specifically, the present invention is directed to improvements in how a MEMS die is attached to a package.

BACKGROUND

A MEMS die or die assembly which is attached to a package such as a lead frame, substrate or header, will experience mechanical stresses/strains due to a mismatch in the thermal expansion of the materials. These stresses can damage the die or indeed the package to which the die is attached and degrade the MEMS's performance. These stresses/strains will cause very sensitive and precise connections between the MEMS die and the package to become misaligned, thereby creating error signals and various types of malfunctions.

To remedy this problem, long and thick support structures such as thick support dies or long glass tubes have been developed. Unfortunately, these solutions require that the packages themselves be much larger and that the resulting wafer be considerably thicker.

Recently, dies have been introduced where the dies themselves form the support structure. These die supports are patterned or etched on one side of the main die using standard photolithography and wet or dry etching methods to form one or more pillars or pedestals. These smaller contact surfaces act as stress relief members by their ability to deform and thereby cause reduced stresses into the active part of the MEMS device.

Thus, what is needed is a MEMS design which comprises support pillars that, under the strain of deformation of a package, will minimize the strain which is transferred to the MEMS die.

SUMMARY

In order to solve the problems associated with the designs of the prior art, the present invention provides a micro-electromechanical device comprising:

a micro-electromechanical die;

a package; and

three pillars attaching the micro-electromechanical die to the package, wherein:

• • at least one of the shape, position and orientation of the pillars is such that any strain transferred from the package to the die by deformation of the package is minimized.

With the arrangement of the present invention it is possible to instruct a MEMS device which has a minimal amount of stress and/or strain applied to the actual device both during manufacture and during operation yet which is still simple and cost effective to manufacture.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An example of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 represents a flow chart of the method of the present invention;

FIG. 2 represents a side and bottom view of the pillar arrangement in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 represents the radial expansion model of a die and a package;

FIG. 4 represents a 3-dimensional view of a pillar arrangement in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 represents a planar view of the spatial arrangement of pillars in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 6 represents a planar view of radial and tangential forces induced in pillars in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In reference to FIG. 1, the present invention provides a method of minimizing the strain transferred from a package to a MEMS die. The first step of this method comprises selecting the minimum contact area (i.e., bond area), given the substrate material, die material and bond material and the bonding process in accordance with die shear (strength) test criteria. Such criteria can be found in standards (e.g., Mil-Std-883 Method 2019).

Die Shear Testing is the process of determining the strength of adhesion of a semiconductor die to the package's die attach substrate (e.g., the die pad of a lead frame or the cavity of a hermetic package), by subjecting the die to a stress that's parallel to the plane of the die attach substrate, resulting in a shearing stress between the die-die attach material interface and the die attach material-substrate interface.

The general purpose of die shear testing is to assess the over-all quality of the die attach process, including the integrity of the materials and the capabilities of the processes used in mounting the die and other elements, if any, to the package substrate. Mil-Std-883 Method 2019 is the most widely-used industry standard for performing this test.

A typical die shear tester consists of: 1) a mechanism that applies the correct load to the die with an accuracy of +/−5% of full scale or 50 g (the greater of these tolerances); 2) a die contact tool which makes the actual contact with the full length of the die edge to apply the force uniformly from one end of the edge to the other; 3) provisions to ensure that the die contact tool is perpendicular to the die attach plane; 4) provisions to ensure that the fixture holding the die may be rotated with respect to the contact tool so that the die edge and contact tool may always be aligned in parallel to each other; and 5) a binocular microscope (10× min magnification) and lighting system to facilitate the observation of the die and contact tool while the test is being performed.

The force applied to the die during die shear testing must be sufficient to shear the die from its mounting or twice the lower specification limit for the die shear strength (whichever occurs first). The direction of the applied force must be perpendicular to the die edge and parallel to the die attach or substrate plane. After the initial contact has been made and the application of force starts, the relative position of the tool must not change vertically (i.e., it must be prevented from contacting either the die attach material or the substrate).

Failures from die shear testing include: 1) failure to meet the specified die shear strength requirements; 2) a separation that occurs at less than 1.25× the minimum die shear strength and evidence of less than 50% adhesion of the die attach material; and 3) a separation that occurs at less than 2× the minimum die shear strength and evidence of less than 10% adhesion of the die attach material.

The mode of separation must also be classified into and recorded as any of the following: 1) shearing of the die itself with silicon remaining; 2) separation of the die from the die attach material; and 3) separation of both the die and die attach material from the package substrate.

The second step in the method comprises selecting the minimum applicable feature size for the footprint given the bonding process, the bond material and the bondline thickness.

For example, if the minimum bondline thicknesses are decided to be typically 10 micrometers, the minimum dimension to be supported of the bondline through the bonding process may be assumed to be 10× the bondline (i.e., 100 micrometers). The actual footprint (area of the pillars) must obviously support the die in the bonding material (non cured) and not push the material away, thereby not leaving any bondline thickness. The reason for establishing the minimum dimension (in one direction) is to position the most compliant direction of the pillar in the direction of maximum strain.

In reference to FIG. 2, stress in the die, due to thermal or other effects causing mismatch in physical dimensions of the die in comparison to the substrate on which the die is mounted, will be proportional to the stiffness of the stands. According to general textbook formulas for stress & strain, the stiffness (k) in the stands will be:

a) in case mismatch along X direction; k=constant x (B×A³/H³)

b) in case mismatch along Y direction; k=constant x (A×B³/H³)

Typically, the minimum cross section A×B is given by the needed strength of the bonding technology used (gluing, anodic bonding, eutectic seal or similar). Therefore, optimum stress relief is achieved by addressing the direction with the “worst” elongate mismatch and minimizing the thickness of the stand in this direction according to what is practically possible given the device and the manufacturing processes. Also, the height (H) of the stand should always be maximized according to what is practically possible given the device and the manufacturing processes.

The third step in the method comprises establishing the full geometrical shape for the pillars given the material and the shaping (manufacturing) process. The fourth step of the method comprises calculating the position of orientation.

In a first example of the fourth step of the present invention, the example problem of thermal expansion will be solved. Both the materials used for packages and the materials used for MEMS dies are subject to thermal expansion. Thermal expansion can be precisely modeled by selecting a point at the centre of a surface and assuming that the expansion of that surface extends radially from that point.

With reference to FIG. 3, a package 10 has an origin 30 and a MEMS die 20 has an origin 40. The radial displacement (Δx) of a point around the origin of either the package 10 or the MEMS die 20 can be approximated by:

Δx=α·ΔT·r  (1)

where α is the Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE), ΔT is the change in temperature and r is the distance of a point from the origin. Thus, a point which is farther away from the origin will undergo a larger displacement than a point which is nearer to the origin.

In the majority of cases, a MEMS die 20 will not be made of the same material as the package 10 to which it is attached. Thus, typically, the MEMS die 20 and the package 10 will have different CTEs and will therefore be prone to varying degrees of thermal expansion. This creates a problem in that, because the MEMS die 20 is attached to the package 10, this difference in radial deformation will create a strain transferred by the pillars to the MEMS die 20 to the package 10.

The relative radial deformation of the package 10 with respect to the MEMS die 20 can be approximated by:

Δx_rel=(α₁₀−α₂₀)·ΔT·r  (2)

where r is the distance from the origin, α₁₀ is the CTE of the package 10, and α₂₀ is the CTE of the MEMS die 20. Thus, relative deformation between the MEMS die 20 and the package 10 will create stress in the pillars in a radial direction. The applicant has appreciated that the pillars should be located as close to the origin as the stability of the die allows.

A problem which has been appreciated by the applicant is that, because of the anisotropic crystalline nature of the materials often used for the pillars, although the shearing forces acting on the pillars are all radial, these same radial forces will create tangential strains in the pillars, thereby applying tangential forces to the MEMS die 20.

Now, with reference to FIG. 4, the applicant has also appreciated that the minimum number of pillars which will be needed to support a two dimensional surface is three (1; 2; 3). More than three pillars would unnecessarily complicate the method for balancing the forces acting upon the pillars. Also, in order to further simplify the calculations, for this example each pillar has the same shape and is orientated in the same way with respect to the origin. The calculations will be further simplified in that, because of the fact that the pillars are of identical shape and identical orientation with respect to the origin, the material properties of and the forces acting on each pillar can be expressed similarly using a distinct coordinate system for each pillar (i.e., x₁, y₁; x₂, y₂ and x₃, y₃).

Thus, the spring constant of any one of the pillars in the three pillar design of the present invention can be approximated by:

$\begin{array}{cc}{k}_i=\left[\begin{array}{cc}{k}_{x_i}& k_{{\mathrm{xy}}_i}\\ k_{{\mathrm{yx}}_i}& k_{y_i}\end{array}\right]& \left(3\right)\end{array}$

where i is the pillar number (i.e., 1 to 3), k_x is the spring constant in the x direction, k_y is the spring constant in the y direction, k_xy is the spring constant in the x direction in relation to a force applied in the y direction and finally, k_yx is the spring constant in the y direction in relation to a force applied in the x direction.Now, using Hookes Law, it can be shown that the forces created in the pillars in response to a relative deformation of the MEMS die 20 with respect to the package 10 will be as follows:

$\begin{array}{cc}{F}_i=k_ir_i\mathrm{or}& \left(4\right)\\ F_i=\left[\begin{array}{cc}{k}_{x_i}& k_{{\mathrm{xy}}_i}\\ k_{{\mathrm{yx}}_i}& k_{y_i}\end{array}\right]\left[\begin{array}{c}\Delta x_i\\ \Delta y_i\end{array}\right]& \left(5\right)\end{array}$

However, since we assume that the deformation of the material is purely radial, r_y, the tangential displacement, will be 0. Thus, the product of these two matrices becomes:

$\begin{array}{cc}{F}_i=-\left[\begin{array}{c}{k}_{x_i}\Delta x_i\\ k_{{\mathrm{yx}}_i}\Delta x_i\end{array}\right]& \left(6\right)\end{array}$

As shown in FIG. 5, the force exerted by each pillar will have a radial component and a tangential component. The radial components will be k_xi r_xi and the tangential components will be k_yxi r_xi.The summation of forces gives:

$\begin{array}{cc}{k}_{x_1}\Delta x_1=-k_{x_2}\Delta x_2\frac{\sin \left({\phi }_2\right)}{\sin \left({\phi }_1\right)},\mathrm{and}& \left(9\right)\\ -k_{x_3}\Delta x_3=k_{x_2}\Delta x_2\cos \left({\phi }_2\right)+k_{x_1}\Delta x_1\cos \left({\phi }_1\right)& \left(10\right)\end{array}$

where, equations 9 represents the summation of forces in the y₃ direction and equation 10 represents the summation of forces in the x₃ direction. By combining equations 9 and 10 and replacing Δx by α·Δt·r, it can be shown that the summation of forces should be equal to:

$\begin{array}{cc}{k}_{x_1}r_{x_1}=-k_{x_2}r_{x_2}\frac{\sin \left({\phi }_2\right)}{\sin \left({\phi }_1\right)}& \left(11\right)\\ k_{x_3}r_{x_3}=k_{x_2}r_{x_2}\left(\frac{\sin \left({\phi }_2\right)\cos \left({\phi }_1\right)}{\sin \left({\phi }_1\right)}-\cos \left({\phi }_2\right)\right)& \left(12\right)\end{array}$

Now, again with reference to FIG. 6 and equation 6, the sum of the tangential forces created by the three pillars will give rise to a moment:

$\begin{array}{cc}\stackrel{\rightharpoonup }{M}=\sum _{i=1}^3r_ik_{{\mathrm{yx}}_i}\Delta x_i& \left(13\right)\end{array}$

As has been explained above, the tangential forces created in the pillars will be responsible for any rotational displacement of the MEMS die 20 with respect to the package 10. The moment relating the tangential force in a pillar can be expressed as follows:

{right arrow over (M)} _i ={right arrow over (F)} _Ti ·r _{x i}   (14)

by combining equations 12 and 13, the sum of the moments can be expressed as follows:

$\begin{array}{cc}\stackrel{\rightharpoonup }{M}=\sum _{i=1}^3{k_{{\mathrm{yx}}_i}\left(r_{x_i}\right)}^2& \left(15\right)\end{array}$

If the sum of the moments relating to the tangential forces is equal to 0, there will be no rotational displacement of the MEMS die 20 with respect to the package 10. In order to completely eliminate the rotational movement of the MEMS die 20 relative to the package 10, the following equation must be true:

$\begin{array}{cc}0=\sum _{i=1}^3{k_{{\mathrm{yx}}_i}\left(r_{x_i}\right)}^2& \left(16\right)\end{array}$

Thus, the material used in fabrication of pillars for MEMS dies 20 can be taken advantage of by positioning the pillars in order to satisfy the following equations:

$\begin{array}{cc}{k}_{x_1}r_{x_1}=-k_{x_2}r_{x_2}\frac{\sin \left({\phi }_2\right)}{\sin \left({\phi }_1\right)},& \left(17\right)\\ 0=\sum _{i=1}^3{k_{{\mathrm{yx}}_i}\left(r_{x_i}\right)}^2,\mathrm{and}& \left(18\right)\\ k_{x_3}r_{x_3}=k_{x_2}r_{x_2}\left(\frac{\sin \left({\phi }_2\right)\cos \left({\phi }_1\right)}{\sin \left({\phi }_1\right)}-\cos \left({\phi }_2\right)\right).& \left(19\right)\end{array}$

By satisfying equations 17, 18 and 19, one can position and orient the pillars such that the strain transferred from the package to the die is minimized.

The final step in the method of the present invention is to calculate the appropriate minimum height (H) for the pillars according to the maximum allowed stress in relation to the die performance. For example, if a certain function has a calculated known sensitivity to stress in the die, using the pillar solution, this stress may be reduced by the compliance of the pillars. The capacity for the pillars to absorb stress will be inversely proportional to H³.

Claims

1. A micro-electromechanical device comprising: a micro-electromechanical die;a package; andthree pillars attaching the micro-electromechanical die to the package;wherein at least one of the shape, position and orientation of the pillars is configured such that any strain transferred from the package to the die by deformation of the package is minimized.

2. The micro-electromechanical device of claim 1, wherein the pillars are bonded to the package and the shape of the pillars is determined based on the minimum contact area needed, given the package, the micro-electromechanical die and bond materials and the bonding process in accordance with die shear test criteria, as given in a predetermined standard.

3. The micro-electromechanical device of claim 2, wherein the shape of the pillars is further determined based on the minimum applicable feature size, given the bonding process, the bond material and the bondline thickness.

4. The micro-electromechanical device of claim 1, wherein the pillars are formed on the die via chemical etching or mechanical abrasion.

5. The micro-electromechanical device of claim 1, wherein the pillars are formed on the substrate via patterned electroplating, molded pillars or mechanical stamping.

6. The micro-electromechanical device of claim 1, wherein the pillars are prefabricated and bonded onto the die.

7. The micro-electromechanical device according to claim 1, wherein: the three pillars are arranged around a point on a surface of the micro-electromechanical die; andthe positions of the three pillars satisfy the following equations: