This application claims priority from PCT Application No. PCT/CN2014/000878, filed on Sep. 28, 2014, in WIPO, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.
The invention belongs to the field of pressure sensing technology and refers to pressure sensor and manufacturing method thereof.
Multiple sensors are known by people in the field of pressure sensing technology. Particularly, pressure sensor based on semiconductor technology is well known by people. Pressure sensor chip is composed of a silicon substrate and an epitaxial layer growing on the silicon substrate, wherein an elastic film is formed on the silicon substrate through MEMS (micro electro mechanical system) technology. If a pressure is applied on the elastic film, the elastic film will be bent at a certain degree according to the intensity of pressure. Sensitive components formed by deposition or ion implantation may be bent due to deformation of the film. The sensitive components have the piezoresistive effect, so, they have resistance variation, and the resistance variation are converted into a voltage and output through a Wheatstone bridge composed of the sensitive components.
In the relevant technical fields, a pressure sensor for measuring target fluid pressure is introduced in the patent (No. US2012/0144923A1). The introduced pressure sensor comprises a housing, a sensor chip, a data processing chip, and a cover plate for sealing. Two separation inlet holes are set on one side of the same plane on the upper part of the housing, one is used for leading the measured fluid into the inner cavity of the housing, and the other one is in communication with the air. Particularly, the pressure of the lead-in measured fluid acts on the front of the sensor chip; however, the lead-in air pressure acts on the back cavity of the sensor chip. In addition, the data processing chip set at one side of the sensor chip is in mutual connection with the sensor in a lead bonding manner. At last, the inner cavity of the housing is sealed through the cover plate.
However, through the structure of the pressure sensor introduced in the above-mentioned patent, the measured fluid enters the inner cavity of the housing through the fluid lead-in hole and directly touches the front of sensor chip, so the circuit set on the surface of sensor will be affected seriously by the disturbance of measured fluid, even reliability and long-term stability of the sensor will be reduced. Further, the air lead-in hole and pressure lead-in hole of the sensor in the above-mentioned patent are set to be convex cylindrical holes separated from each other, and this structure is easy to cause increase of sensor size and reduction of intensity. If there is a large distance between the two holes, it shows that plan view size of the sensor in the XY direction is large; if there is a small distance between the two holes, it shows that long air inlet hole shall be set to increase the size in the Z distance of sensor, as a result, torsional rigidity of the pressure inlet part (i.e. the pressure inlet part 1a in
Content
For overcoming defects existing in the prior art, the present disclosure provides a pressure sensor and a manufacturing method thereof. The pressure sensor is featured with high reliability, good long-term stability, small integrated chip size and high accuracy. The technical scheme is as follows:
A pressure sensor, comprising a housing, an air lead-in hole, a pressure lead-in hole, an inner cavity, a sensor chip, a lead frame and a cover plate; the housing, the pressure lead-in holes and the inner cavity are integrally formed by means of an injection molding process; one end of the air lead-in hole is in communication with the inner cavity of the housing, and the other end of the air lead-in hole is in communication with the air; the pressure lead-in hole is perpendicularly disposed at the center of the upper surface of the housing, two steps are disposed on the upper surface of the inner cavity, and a horizontal surface-mounted device surface is disposed on the of the steps; the sensor chip is integrated with a data processing circuit and adhered on the horizontal upper surface of the inner cavity of the housing in an inverted manner by means of adhesives; the center of the sensor chip is aligned with the center of the pressure lead-in hole, and lower end of the pressure lead-in holes is in communication with the cavity of the sensor chip; the lead frame is tightly adhered with the housing in the process of injection molding curing of the housing, and a bonding pad of the lead frame is disposed on each of the steps in the inner cavity; the sensor chip and the lead frame are electrically connected in a gold wire bonding manner, and the cover plate is adhered with the bottom of the housing by means of adhesives.
In the pressure sensor, the air lead-in hole is used for leading air pressure into the inner cavity of the housing; the pressure lead-in hole is used for leading the measured fluid, and the pressure of the measured fluid acts on the back cavity of the sensor chip; the sensor chip is used for measuring the pressure of the fluid to the air; particularly, the data processing circuit is integrated on the chip, and the cover plate is used for sealing the inner cavity of the housing.
Preferably, in the pressure sensor, the housing comprises a cavity part, a tubular pressure inlet part extending from the surface of housing to outside, and an air inlet part coaxial with the pressure inlet part. Particularly, a step is set between the top of air inlet part and the top of pressure inlet part. Further particularly, the air lead-in hole is composed of multiple through holes, which are distributed in a circular array form.
Preferably, the housing comprises a cavity part and a tubular pressure inlet part extending from the surface of housing to outside, and the air lead-in hole of the sensor is set at the side of the housing, which is vertical to the air lead-in hole.
Preferably, the housing comprises a cavity part and a tubular pressure inlet part extending from the surface of housing to outside, and the air lead-in hole is integrated on the upper surface of the housing and connected with the inner cavity of the housing.
Preferably, the cover plate and the air lead-in hole are integrally formed by means of the injection molding process; the sensor chip is adhered on the surface-mounted device surface by means of adhesives, and then coated with sealant.
Further particularly, the housing comprises a pressure inlet part, an air inlet part and a cavity part; the air lead-in hole is composed of two parts which are a vertical hole and a horizontal hole; the lower end of the vertical hole is in communication with the inner cavity, the upper end of the vertical hole is ended at the interior of housing; one end of the horizontal hole is in communication with the air, and the other end of the horizontal hole is in communication with the vertical hole.
A manufacturing method for pressure sensor, comprising the following steps:
Step 1: making a lead frame: the lead frame is made of tin bronze material, and both the pin and bonding pad in the lead frame are nickeled for 2 microns and gilded for 0.05 microns;
Step 2: the housing of sensor, the air lead-in hole, the pressure lead-in holes and the inner cavity are formed by means of an injection molding process; the housing and the cover plate are made of PBT+30% GF; while the housing is injected, the lead frame is tightly adhered with the housing through this process, a bonding pad of the lead frame is disposed on each of the steps in the inner cavity, and then a pin of the lead frame is bent;
Step 3: the sensor chip is adhered in the center of surface-mounted device surface in the housing in an inverted manner to make the cavity of the sensor chip be in communication with the pressure lead-in hole, wherein the sensor chip is tightly adhered with the surface-mounted device surface by means of adhesives, and then they are dried at the temperature of 150° C. for 30 min, so as to make the sensor chip compactly and firmly be communication with the surface-mounted device surface;
Step 4: the sensor chip and the lead frame are electrically connected in a gold wire bonding manner;
Step 5: the cover plate is adhered with the bottom of the housing cavity by means of adhesives, and they are dried at the temperature of 150° C. for 30 min.
Beneficial effects of the present disclosure: the difference between the data processing chip and sensor chip used in the prior art at the same time is that the data processing circuit in the pressure sensor of the invention is integrated in the sensor chip, as a result, mutual electrical connection between the chips is reduced, so as to greatly reduce the possibility of making the sensor disabled in the electrical connection aspect. In the other aspect, the measured fluid makes its pressure act on the back cavity of the sensor chip directly through the pressure lead-in hole in the pressure sensor of the invention, so it just needs to ensure effective sealing of the sensor chip and the surface-mounted device surface, so as to reduce the sealing area and leakage risk of the sensor; meanwhile, this structure bearing the pressure on the back is capable of preventing adverse effect for electrical connection of the fluid disturbance for the sensor. In addition, the air lead-in hole is connected with the inner cavity of the housing to make the air pressure act on the front of the sensor chip, so it needs to ensure accuracy of the sensor.
In the first exemplary embodiment, the air lead-in hole of the sensor is composed of multiple through holes, which are distributed in circular array form and coaxial with the air lead-in hole, so that the structure of sensor is simplified and it is beneficial for reducing the size of sensor. A step is set between the upper surface of pressure lead-in hole and the upper surface of the air lead-in hole, to facilitate positioning during assembly with the external pipe, and to prevent the air lead-in hole from being jammed by the pipe. In the second exemplary embodiment, the air lead-in hole is set at the side of the housing, and this structure is capable of effectively reducing the possibility that the external pollutant enters into the cavity, without influence on potting. In the third exemplary embodiment, the air lead-in hole is integrated on the upper surface of the housing, and the structure of structure is further simplified. In the fourth exemplary embodiment, the air lead-in hole is set in the cover plate of the sensor, and this structure is beneficial for using the pouring sealant for performing potting protection for the sensor chip, so as to avoid the pollution by the air. In the fifth exemplary embodiment, the air lead-in hole is composed of two parts, and this structure is capable of effectively preventing the external pollutant from entering into the inner cavity of the housing and preventing the air lead-in hole from being jammed by the pipe during assembly; in addition, the step on the upper part of the air lead-in hole is capable of providing positioning for the pipe assembly.
A more detailed description for the technical scheme of the present disclosure is given below by combining with the figures and specific exemplary embodiments.
The pressure sensor according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is characterized into that the pressure lead-in hole 3 and the air lead-in hole 4 are coaxial, and the top of pressure lead-in hole 3 has a certain distance from the top of the air lead-in hole 4. In addition, as shown in
As shown in
The air lead-in hole 4 is in communication with the inner cavity 10 of the housing 1. Meanwhile, the observe side (i.e. the surface 7A) of the sensor chip 7 is in communication with the air, and the pressure lead-in hole 3 is in communication with the bottom 7B of the back cavity in the sensor chip 7. Thus, the sensor of the present disclosure is used for measuring the pressure value of the fluid with respect to the air pressure.
The housing 1 comprises a cavity part 1b, a tubular pressure inlet part 1a extending from the surface 10 of the housing 1 to outside, and an air inlet part 1d coaxial with the pressure inlet part 1a. Particularly, the air inlet part 1d and the pressure inlet 1a extend at the same direction, and the extending length of the air inlet part 1d is less than that of the pressure inlet part 1a.
The lead frame 2 is tightly and reliably connected with the housing 1 by means of an injection molding process, and the cover plate 9 is manufactured by the same injection molding process.
As shown in
When the sensor chip 7 suffers the pressure of the measured fluid with respect to the air pressure, the strain resistor 11 will show its piezoresistive characteristic. As shown in
If the pressure lead-in hole 3 and the air lead-in hole 4 in the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure are coaxial, this structure will be beneficial for simplifying the structure of the sensor and reducing the size of the sensor.
Particularly, the setting of the step 1c is capable of avoiding the risk that the air lead-in hole 4 in the sensor is jammed by the pipe 19, and enhancing the strength of the housing 1.
Particularly, the back cavity 14 of the sensor chip 7 is connected with the pressure lead-in hole 3, so this structure is capable of protecting the sensor chip and the lead from being affected by the fluid disturbance.
Further particularly, the inner cavity 10 of the housing 1 is in communication with the air lead-in inlet 4, and it is unnecessary to seal the cover plate 9 with the bottom of the housing 1 strictly, or it is unnecessary to check whether there is leakage risk between the both.
Next, the pressure sensor in the second exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.
The size of the sensor is further reduced by setting the air lead-in hole 20 on the side 20 of the housing 1, and air pollutants will be reduced to enter into the housing 1 by designing the side of the air lead-in hole 20.
Next, the pressure sensor in the third exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.
Thus, during proper potting for the sensor, it is unnecessary to be worry whether the air lead-in hole 21 is jammed by potting resin 16; in addition, the structure of the sensor is beneficial for miniaturizing the sensor.
Next, the pressure sensor in the fourth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.
Next, the pressure sensor in the fifth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.
Based on the pressure sensor structure in the exemplary embodiment, the inlet of the air lead-in hole 4 is set at the side of the housing area 1d and the top end of the vertical hole 22b is jammed by the housing area 1d, so, the pollutants in the air can be effectively reduced to enter into the cavity 10. Particularly, the vertical hole 22b is set in the area away from the base plate 50, so, the surface of the sensor is coated with protecting adhesive after the sensor chip 7 is adhered. In this way, it not only can avoid the horizontal hole 22b from being jammed by protecting adhesive, but also can avoid the sensor chip 7 from suffering external pollutant. Further particularly, one end of the air lead-in hole 4 in communication with the air is located at the side of the housing area 1d, so the risk that the air lead-in hole 4 is jammed by the bottom end of the water pipe 19 is removed during installation of water pipe 19. In addition, the upper surface 23 of the housing area 1d can be taken as a positioning step for use. Meanwhile, this structure is capable of avoiding the risk that the air lead-in hole 4 is jammed in the potting stage of the sensor.
At present, Panasonic® has applied some kind of pressure sensors in the washing machine in batch. The liquid level of the liquid in the washing machine is detected by measuring the pressure. However, this kind of sensor is made of independent pressure chip and data processing chip to increase mutual electrical connection between the chips, and reliability of the sensor will be reduced due to failure of mutual connection. On the other hand, for this kind of sensor, there is obverse pressure on the pressure chip of the sensor, as a result, the circuit in front of the sensor is easy to be polluted by the fluid. In addition, the air lead-in hole of the sensor is set on the bottom of the sensor, and the air lead-in hole is easy to be jammed in the potting process, so as to affect the measuring accuracy of the sensor.
The difference from the prior art is that based on the structure of the pressure sensor of the present disclosure, integrated sensor chip is adopted in the pressure sensor of the present disclosure to reduce mutual electrical connection in the sensor, so as to greatly reduce the risk that the reliability of the sensor is reduced due to failure of mutual connection. For the sensor chip in the present disclosure, the back of cavity suffers the pressure, the measured fluid is isolated from the front circuit of the sensor, so as to avoid the pollution of the measured fluid for the sensor chip, and the sensor has better long-term reliability. In the optional exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the air lead-in hole and the pressure lead-in hole are coaxial, which is not only beneficial for reducing the size of the sensor, but also avoids the risk that the air lead-in hole is jammed, so as to guarantee the measuring accuracy of the sensor.
The above are specific exemplary embodiments, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, the simple change or equivalent modification easily thought by any technical personnel familiar with the technical field shall be included in the scope of the present disclosure.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2014 1 0461573 | Sep 2014 | CN | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/CN2014/000878 | 9/28/2014 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2016/037302 | 3/17/2016 | WO | A |
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7644625 | Ricks | Jan 2010 | B2 |
20120144923 | Yahata | Jun 2012 | A1 |
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201852672 | Jun 2011 | CN |
102706490 | Oct 2012 | CN |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20170254713 A1 | Sep 2017 | US |