METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A SENSOR AND SENSOR

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a sensor. The sensor includes a sensing element and a housing, the housing including an interior space, which is accessible through a housing opening, and the sensing element being situated in the interior space and being designed to detect a property and/or a composition of an ambient medium of the sensor. The method includes filling the interior space with a protective medium through the housing opening, the protective medium being designed to transfer the property and/or the composition of the ambient medium to the sensing element; fixing a preferably flexible diaphragm at or in the housing opening preferably for sealing the housing opening, the diaphragm including at least one diaphragm opening; and sealing the at least one diaphragm opening. A sensor, which is manufactured according to this method, is also described.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a sensor, the sensor including a sensing element and a housing, the housing including an interior space which is accessible through a housing opening, and the sensing element being situated in the interior space and being configured to detect a property and/or a composition of an ambient medium of the sensor, the method comprising the following steps: filling the interior space with a protective medium through the housing opening, the protective medium being configured to transfer the property and/or the composition of the ambient medium to the sensing element; fixing a diaphragm at or in the housing opening, the diaphragm including at least one diaphragm opening; and sealing the at least one diaphragm opening.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the diaphragm is flexible and seals the housing opening.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein prior to the sealing of the at least one diaphragm opening, a degassing of the protective medium is carried out.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the degassing of the protective medium takes place by application of a negative pressure to the at least one diaphragm opening.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the sealing of the at least one diaphragm opening is carried out by dispensing a liquid monomer onto the diaphragm in an area of the at least one diaphragm opening and by subsequently curing the monomer to form a polymer.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the sealing of the at least one diaphragm opening is carried out by dispensing a liquid polymer onto the diaphragm in an area of the at least one diaphragm opening and by subsequently curing the polymer.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the sealing of the at least one diaphragm opening takes place in a presence of excess protective medium present at the at least one diaphragm opening.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein prior to sealing the at least one diaphragm opening, excess protective medium present at diaphragm is removed.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the diaphragm is fixed at an intermediate carrier and in fixing the diaphragm at or in the housing opening, the intermediate carrier is fixed at or in the housing opening.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the housing and the intermediate carrier and/or the intermediate carrier and the diaphragm are fixed to one another using a clip connection and/or using a press-fit to one another.

11. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the housing and intermediate carrier are fixed to one another using a materially-integrated bonding process using welding.

12. A sensor, comprising: a sensing element; and a housing, the housing including an interior space which is accessible through a housing opening, and the sensing element being situated in the interior space and being configured to detect a property and/or a composition of an ambient medium of the sensor; wherein the interior space is filled with a protective medium through the housing opening, the protective medium being configured to transfer the property and/or the composition of the ambient medium to the sensing element, a diaphragm is fixed at or in the housing opening, the diaphragm including at least one diaphragm opening, and the at least one diaphragm opening is sealed.

13. The sensor as recited in claim 12, wherein the sensor is a pressure sensor.

14. The sensor as recited in claim 12, wherein the at least one diaphragm opening has a dimension smaller than or equal to 1 millimeter, and the at least one diaphragm opening has a dimension of greater than or equal to 100 micrometers.

15. The sensor as recited in claim 12, wherein the protective medium is a non-compressible fluid.

16. The sensor as recited in claim 15, wherein the non-compressible fluid is an oil.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] FIG. 1 shows an oblique view of one specific embodiment of a sensor according to the present invention.

[0036] FIG. 2 shows a side view of the sensor according to FIG. 1.

[0037] FIG. 3 shows a top view of the sensor according to FIG. 1.

[0038] FIG. 4 shows an oblique view of a section through the sensor according to FIG. 3 along line A-A.

[0039] FIG. 5 shows a side view of a section through the sensor according to FIG. 3 along line A-A.

[0040] FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of one specific embodiment of a method according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

[0041] FIGS. 1 through 5 show various views of one specific example embodiment of a sensor, which has been manufactured by a method according to the present invention.

[0042] FIG. 1 shows an oblique view of sensor 1. A housing 2 of sensor 1 is formed by a rewiring substrate 3 and a sleeve 4. A housing opening 5 is formed in the upper area, into which an intermediate carrier 6—also referred to as an interposer—is press-fitted. Intermediate carrier 6 includes an intermediate carrier opening 7, through which a filling 8 is apparent.

[0043] FIG. 2 shows a side view of sensor 1 including rewiring substrate 3 and sleeve 4.

[0044] FIG. 3 shows a top view of sensor 1 including rewiring substrate 3, sleeve 4, intermediate carrier 6 and filling 8.

[0045] FIG. 4 shows an oblique view of a section through sensor 1. An ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) 9 is situated on rewiring substrate 3 and a sensing element 10 is situated on ASIC 9. Sensing element 10 in this case is situated in an interior space 20, which is formed in housing 2. Interior space 20 is filled at least partially by a protective medium 11 which, on the one hand, shields sensing element 10 from an ambient medium 12 and, on the other hand, transfers a property and/or a composition of the ambient medium to sensing element 10, for example, the pressure in ambient medium 12. Intermediate carrier 6, at the underside of which a diaphragm 13 is situated, is situated in housing opening 5. Diaphragm 13 includes a diaphragm opening 14, which has been sealed by a filling 15. The intermediate carrier is press-fitted into sleeve 4, as a result of which diaphragm 13 is fixed in housing opening 5.

[0046] These elements are apparent once again in FIG. 5 from a somewhat different view angle.

[0047] FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of one specific embodiment of a method according to the present description. In step S1, a sensor 1 is provided, which includes a sensing element 10 and a housing 2, an interior space 20 being formed in housing 2, which is accessible through a housing opening 5, and in which sensing element 10 is situated. Proceeding from step S1, two alternatives are represented. In a first alternative, interior space 20 is initially filled in step S2 with a protective medium 11, and subsequently in step S3, a diaphragm 13 is fixed at or in housing opening 5. In a second alternative, diaphragm 13 is initially fixed in step S3 and subsequently in step S2 interior space 20 is filled with protective medium 11—for example through diaphragm opening 14. The filling of interior space 20 with protective medium 11 may take place under atmospheric pressure. The diaphragm may be fixed by press-fitting the intermediate carrier into sleeve 4 (with an optional materially-integrated bond) or by inserting intermediate carrier 6 and subsequent materially-integrated bonding. The materially-integrated bonding in this case may take place by way of a welding process.

[0048] In an optional step S4, a degassing of protective medium 11 is carried out, for example, by application of a negative pressure to the sensor. In a further optional step S5, excess protective medium 11 located in the area of diaphragm opening 14, in particular, on the upper side of diaphragm 13, is removed. In this way, a contact surface for a filling 8 for sealing diaphragm opening 14 may be prepared. This excess protective medium 11 may be formed during both aforementioned sequences of steps S2 and S3. In step S6, the diaphragm opening is sealed by a filling 8. In this step S6, a liquid monomer may be applied in the area of the diaphragm opening and subsequently cross-linked to form a polymer, for example, by irradiation using ultraviolet light.

[0049] Although the present invention has been described based on preferred exemplary embodiments, it is not restricted thereto, but is modifiable in a variety of ways.