Sensor having system-in-package module, method for producing the same, and sensor arrangement

Abstract

A sensor including a system-in-package module, wherein electrical contacts can be contact-connected by way of a mating connector. An associated method and an associated sensor arrangement are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A sensor, comprising: a wafer-level system-in-package module comprising a number of electrical components supported on a film or a substrate, an encapsulation at least partially surrounding the number of electrical components supported on the film or the substrate, and a number of electrical connection lines for the electrical components, wherein the wafer-level system-in-package module has a number of electrical contacts, wherein each connection line is connected to an electrical contact, and wherein the electrical contacts can be contact-connected by way of a mating connector.

2. The sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrical contacts of the wafer-level system-in-package module are configured as contact areas or as contact pins.

3. The sensor as claimed in claim 1 wherein, the electrical contacts of the wafer-level system-in-package module are embodied as part of at least one wiring plane.

4. The sensor as claimed in claim 1 wherein, the electrical contacts of the wafer-level system-in-package module are embodied as stamped parts.

5. The sensor as claimed in claim 4, wherein the stamped parts of the wafer-level system-in-package module have a respective anchoring geometry, comprising at least one of recesses, tapered portions, or bores.

6. The sensor as claimed in claim 5, wherein the stamped parts of the wafer-level system-in-package module are connected to the electrical components by a number of wiring planes.

7. The sensor as claimed in claim 4, wherein the stamped parts of the wafer-level system-in-package module are connected to the electrical components by a number of wiring planes.

8. The sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the encapsulation of the wafer-level system-in-package module at least partially surrounds the electrical components and partially surrounds the electrical contacts.

9. The sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor has a housing, in which a connector region is configured to receive the mating connector, in connection with the encapsulation.

10. The sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor is configured to detect a physical variable of at least one of the following variables: speed, acceleration, rate of rotation, pressure, temperature, direction and strength of a magnetic field.

11. The sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wafer-level system-in-package module further comprises a housing at least partially surrounding the encapsulation, and wherein the housing partially surrounds the number of electrical contacts to define a receptacle configured to receive the mating connector.

12. A method for producing a wafer-level system-in-package module, comprising: providing a film or a substrate, wherein the substrate has a printed electrical circuit, applying a number of electrical components to the film or the substrate, applying a number of electrical contacts to the film or the substrate, and applying an encapsulation to the film or the substrate, at the wafer level, which encapsulation covers the electrical components applied to the film or the substrate and partially covers the electrical contacts applied to the film or the substrate to produce the wafer-level system-in-package module.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the method further comprises: applying a metalization to the encapsulation so that the metalization connects the electrical components to the electrical contacts.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the electrical contacts are configured as contact areas, contact pins and/or as stamped parts.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the stamped parts have a respective anchoring geometry, comprising at least one of recesses, tapered portions, or bores.

16. The sensor as claimed in claim 12, wherein the sensor is configured to detect a physical variable of at least one of the following variables: a speed, an acceleration, a rate of rotation, a pressure, a temperature, a direction and a strength of a magnetic field.

17. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the step of providing the film or the substrate comprises providing the film, and further comprising a step of removing the film from the encapsulated electrical components and electrical contacts.

18. A sensor arrangement, comprising: a sensor including a wafer-level system-in-package module comprising a number of electrical components supported on a film or a substrate, an encapsulation at least partially surrounding the number of electrical components supported on the film or the substrate, and a number of electrical connection lines for the electrical components, wherein the wafer-level system-in-package module has a number of electrical contacts, each connection line is connected to an electrical contact, and the electrical contacts can be contact-connected by way of a mating connector, which is received in a connector region of a housing of the sensor.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further features and advantages will be gathered by a person skilled in the art from the exemplary embodiment described below with reference to the appended drawing, in each case, schematically:

(2) FIGS. 1A and 1B: a state at the beginning of a production method,

(3) FIGS. 2A and 2B: a state after application of an encapsulation,

(4) FIGS. 3A and 3B: a state after application of a metalization,

(5) FIGS. 4A and 4B: a state with contact-connection by way of a mating connector,

(6) FIG. 5: a further exemplary embodiment of an aspect of the invention in a spatial illustration at the beginning of a production method,

(7) FIG. 6: the exemplary embodiment of an aspect of the invention according to FIG. 5 after application of an encapsulation,

(8) FIG. 7: the exemplary embodiment of an aspect of the invention according to FIG. 5 from another view after application of an encapsulation,

(9) FIG. 8: the exemplary embodiment of an aspect of the invention according to FIG. 5 after application of a metalization,

(10) FIG. 9: the exemplary embodiment of an aspect of the invention according to FIG. 5 after application of a protective or passivation layer,

(11) FIG. 10: the exemplary embodiment of an aspect of the invention according to FIG. 5 after overmolding of a housing in a respective separate view having a translucent, transparent and non-transparent illustration of the housing,

(12) FIG. 11: a further exemplary embodiment of an aspect of the invention having angled electrical contacts having a separately illustrated housing,

(13) FIG. 12: a further exemplary embodiment of an aspect of the invention having a substrate having a printed electrical circuit in a spatial illustration at the beginning of a production method,

(14) FIG. 13: the exemplary embodiment of an aspect of the invention according to FIG. 12 after application of electrical components and contacts,

(15) FIG. 14: the exemplary embodiment of an aspect of the invention according to FIG. 12 after application of an encapsulation,

(16) FIG. 15: a further exemplary embodiment of an aspect of the invention having a substrate having a printed electrical circuit in a spatial illustration at the beginning of a production method,

(17) FIG. 16: the exemplary embodiment of an aspect of the invention according to FIG. 15 after application of electrical components and contacts,

(18) FIG. 17: the exemplary embodiment of an aspect of the invention according to FIG. 15 after application of an encapsulation,

(19) FIG. 18: the exemplary embodiment of an aspect of the invention according to FIG. 15 in a sectional view together with a mating connector,

(20) FIG. 19: the exemplary embodiment of an aspect of the invention according to FIG. 15 in a sectional view having a contact-connected mating connector.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(21) It should be understood that a respective figure denoted by A shows in each case a plan view whereas a respective figure denoted by B shows a respective lateral sectional view.

(22) FIGS. 1A and 1B show a state that occurs at the beginning of a method according to an aspect of the invention. These and the other figures show, in particular, states that can occur, for example, during execution of a method according to an aspect of the invention for producing a system-in-package module according to an aspect of the invention.

(23) In FIGS. 1A, 1B, a film 1, to which a number of electrical contacts 2 and a number of electrical components 3 have been applied, is present. The electrical contacts 2 are in this case embodied, in particular, as copper stamped parts having a corresponding anchoring geometry, which is not shown. The electrical components 3 are typical active or passive component parts of a sensor.

(24) FIGS. 2A, 2B show a state according to which an encapsulation 4 has been applied to the film 1 so that said encapsulation covers the electrical components 3 and the electrical contacts 2. The film 1 can subsequently be removed so that, in particular, the electrical contacts 2 are exposed in a further possible state. Said electrical contacts can thus be electrically contact-connected. The electrical components 3 can in this case either be likewise exposed or they can be encapsulated in a suitable manner or covered in some other way.

(25) FIGS. 3A, 3B show a state after the application of a metalization 6, which forms a wiring plane. A connection between the electrical contacts 2 and the electrical components 3 is thus produced. By way of contact-connecting the electrical contacts 2, an electrical connection to the electrical components 3 can consequently ultimately be produced by means of the metalization 6.

(26) The application of the metalization 6 produces, in particular, a wafer-level system-in-package module 5.

(27) FIGS. 4A, 4B show the wafer-level system-in-package module 5 in a state, in which it is contact-connected by electrical spring contacts 8 of a mating connector. Said electrical spring contacts 8 in this case enter into electrical connection or contact, in particular, with contact areas 7, which are formed by the electrical contacts 2 already described further above.

(28) As can be seen, in particular, in FIG. 4B, a force-fitting connection to the contact areas 7 is produced by way of a suitable geometry of the respective electrical spring contact 8. In this case, the electrical spring contacts 8 are, in particular, part of a mating connector, in particular a consumer connector.

(29) FIG. 5 shows a state that occurs at the beginning of a method according to an aspect of the invention. Unlike in the preceding figures, in this exemplary embodiment, the contacts 2 are configured as contact pins 7b. The states illustrated in the following FIGS. 5 to 10 are to be understood as analogous to FIGS. 1 to 3 and are therefore not explained once again. The metalization 6 shown in FIG. 8 produces, in particular, a wafer-level system-in-package module 5. Since the contacts 2 are embodied as contact pins 7b, they project out of the encapsulation, as shown in FIG. 9, and are consequently able to be contact-connected by a mating connector in a simple manner.

(30) FIG. 10 shows a housing 9 in a transparent and a non-transparent illustration, which housing can be produced by overmolding, for example with a thermoplastic. The housing 9 has a connector collar for receiving a mating connector. Further construction elements, such as a fastening flange, can be integrated into the housing 9, but are not illustrated here.

(31) One exemplary embodiment of an aspect of the invention having angled contact pins 7b is illustrated in FIG. 11. In the housing 9, the connector collar is accordingly configured at a right angle to the rest of the housing 9.

(32) Instead of a film 1, it is possible to use a substrate 1b having a printed electrical circuit as carrier of a number of electrical contacts 2 and a number of electrical components 3, as illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13. The substrate 1b already contains the wiring plane that is used to produce a connection between the electrical contacts 2 embodied as contact pins 7b and the electrical components 3. A state after encapsulation is illustrated in FIG. 14.

(33) Instead of contact pins 7b, contact areas 7, which are integrated into the substrate 1b, are provided according to the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 15. As can be seen in FIG. 16, consequently only electrical components 3 are applied to the substrate 1b in a further step of the production. A state after application of an encapsulation is illustrated in FIG. 17.

(34) The contact-connection of the contact areas 7 is possible using a mating connector in the form of an edge or direct connector, as illustrated in the sectional view of FIG. 18. FIG. 19 shows a state in which the contacts 2 are electrically contact-connected to the mating connector or the contacts thereof.

(35) Mentioned steps of the method according to an aspect of the invention can be executed in the indicated order. However, they can also be executed in a different order. In one of its embodiments, for example with a specific combination of steps, the method according to an aspect of the invention can be executed in such a way that no further steps are executed. However, in principle, further steps can also be executed, even steps of a kind which have not been mentioned.

(36) The claims that are part of the application do not represent any dispensing with the attainment of further protection.

(37) If it turns out in the course of the proceedings that a feature or a group of features is not absolutely necessary, then the applicant aspires right now to a wording for at least one independent claim that no longer has the feature or the group of features. This may be, by way of example, a subcombination of a claim present on the filing date or may be a subcombination of a claim present on the filing date that is limited by further features. Claims or combinations of features of this kind requiring rewording can be understood to be covered by the disclosure of this application as well.

(38) It should further be pointed out that configurations, features and variants of aspects of the invention that are described in the various embodiments or exemplary embodiments and/or shown in the figures can be combined with one another in any way. Single or multiple features can be interchanged with one another in any way. Combinations of features arising therefrom can be understood to be covered by the disclosure of this application as well.

(39) Back-references in dependent claims are not intended to be understood as dispensing with the attainment of independent substantive protection for the features of the back-referenced subclaims. These features can also be combined with other features in any way.

(40) Features that are disclosed only in the description or features that are disclosed in the description or in a claim only in conjunction with other features may fundamentally be of independent significance essential to aspects of the invention. They can therefore also be individually included in claims for the purpose of distinction from the prior art.