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US4914269A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Method of sealing a ceramic lid on a ceramic semiconductor package with a high-power laser

Assignee: Micron Technology Inc
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Filing: 1989-07-24
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Granted: 1990-04-03
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Expires: 2009-07-24
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Abstract

Abstract A method of sealing a ceramic lid on a ceramic semiconductor package with a high-power laser beam. As an aid to package assembly prior to the fusion of the package lid to the package body, a lid recess is created around the die installation cavity of the package body. Following the installation of a die within a package cavity, the package body is retrieved from a process tray by a pick and place robot and placed in a position locating fixture. The same robot then retrieves a ceramic lid from an automatic lid dispensing unit, and places it within the lid recess of the package body. With the lid positioned within the recess, a Yttrium-Aluminum-Garnet (YAG) laser with beam splitter optics is moved by an X-Y table arm precisely over the top of the package. Moving with a linear speed of approximately 2.1 cm/sec. and with a power setting of approximately 170 watts, the split beam YAG laser simultaneously fuses a pair of opposite edges of the lid to the adjacent edges of the recess. A second pass with the split beam laser fuses the remaining pair of lid edges to the package body. Total process time for hermetically sealing the lid to the body is less than two seconds. Once the package is sealed, the robot retrieves the part and places it in an output queue.

Inventors

  • 👤 Larry D. Kinsman
  • 👤 Steven H. Laney
  • 👤 Wade D. Jorgensen

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-06 06:38
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P72/00; H10P72/04; H10P72/0441; B; B23; B23K; B23K26/00; B23K26/20; B23K26/21; B23K26/24; H10W; H10W95/00

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim 84 words
A method of sealing the die installation cavity of a ceramic semiconductor package body with a ceramic lid, comprising the following steps: positioning the lid such that it completely covers the die installation cavity; and simultaneously heating portions of the ceramic material around the perimeter of the lid and adjacent portions of the ceramic material of the package body with a beam of coherent light to a temperature sufficient to cause a fusing of the lid and body materials in the region so heated.
Claim 2
Independent Claim 84 words
A method of sealing the die installation cavity of a ceramic semiconductor package body with a ceramic lid, comprising the following steps: positioning the lid such that it completely covers the die installation cavity; and simultaneously heating portions of the ceramic material around the perimeter of the lid and adjacent portions of the ceramic material of the package body with a beam of coherent light to a temperature sufficient to cause a fusing of the lid and body materials in the region so heated.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 18 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the lid is fused around its entire perimeter to the package body.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 39 words
The method of claim 2, wherein the beam of coherent light is moved along the lid perimeter at a constant velocity such that heating, liquification, fusing, and solidification of the lid and body ceramic material occurs in linear fashion.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 36 words
The method of claim 2, wherein the beam of coherent light is optically split, such that the split portions of the beam can heat and fuse opposite-edge portions of the lid to the package body simultaneously.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 16 words
The method of claim 3, wherein the coherent light beam is produced by a Yttrium-Aluminum-Garnet laser.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 36 words
The method of claim 4, wherein the heating energy applied at any given point along the lid perimeter by a split portion of the beam is within a range of 50 to 75 watts/mm 2 /sec.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 31 words
The method of claim 5, wherein positioning the lid is accomplished by inserting the lid in a lid recess which is formed in the package body around the die installation cavity.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 27 words
The method of claim 6, wherein the upper surface of the lid, when inserted within the lid recess, extends above the upper surface of the package body.
Claim 10
Independent Claim 148 words
A method of sealing the die installation cavity of a ceramic semiconductor package body with a ceramic lid, comprising the following steps: positioning the lid such that it completely covers the die installation cavity; and directing the focus of a pair of coherent light beams to points on opposite edges on the perimeter of the lid; activating said pair of light beams in order to cause the heating past the melting point of the ceramic materials comprising the lid edges and adjacent body portions; simultaneously moving the focal point of both beams along said opposite edges, thus allowing edge and adjacent body portions already heated past the melting point to cool and fuse, while heating additional portions of the edges and adjacent body portions past their melting points; and continuing the movement of both beams until the entire perimeter of the lid is fused to the package body.
Claim 11
Independent Claim 148 words
A method of sealing the die installation cavity of a ceramic semiconductor package body with a ceramic lid, comprising the following steps: positioning the lid such that it completely covers the die installation cavity; and directing the focus of a pair of coherent light beams to points on opposite edges on the perimeter of the lid; activating said pair of light beams in order to cause the heating past the melting point of the ceramic materials comprising the lid edges and adjacent body portions; simultaneously moving the focal point of both beams along said opposite edges, thus allowing edge and adjacent body portions already heated past the melting point to cool and fuse, while heating additional portions of the edges and adjacent body portions past their melting points; and continuing the movement of both beams until the entire perimeter of the lid is fused to the package body.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 21 words
The process of claim 8, wherein said pair of light beams are generated by the optical splitting of a single beam.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 15 words
The process of claim 9, wherein said single beam is generated by a Yttrium-Aluminum-Garnet laser.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 37 words
The process of claim 10, wherein the heating energy applied at any given point along the lid perimeter by a split portion of the single beam is within a range of 50 to 75 watts/mm 2 /sec.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim 31 words
The method of claim 11, wherein positioning the lid is accomplished by inserting the lid in a lid recess which is formed in the package body around the die installation cavity.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim 27 words
The method of claim 12, wherein the upper surface of the lid, when inserted within the lid recess, extends above the upper surface of the package body.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US3210171A Cited
US3217088A Cited
US3517159A Cited
US4521668A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1993-04-02 1993-10-02 1994-04-03 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1997-04-02 1997-10-02 1998-04-03 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 2001-04-02 2001-10-02 2002-04-03 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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