MANUFACTURING METHOD FOR MULTIPLE MEMS SOUND TRANSDUCERS
20200236467 ยท 2020-07-23
Inventors
Cpc classification
B81C1/00182
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
H04R31/00
ELECTRICITY
H04R17/00
ELECTRICITY
International classification
H04R17/00
ELECTRICITY
B81C1/00
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
Abstract
A manufacturing method for multiple MEMS sound transducers includes manufacturing a reconstructed wafer, separating multiple chips from the wafer, and encapsulating the chips in a molding material. A piezoelectric element of the particular chips is exposed to become deflectable along a stroke axis. The reconstructed wafer is connected to multiple diaphragms associated with the particular chips, wherein the diaphragms are each connected to the associated piezoelectric element so that the diaphragms are each deflectable together with the at least one associated piezoelectric element along the stroke axis. MEMS sound transducers, each of which including at least one of the chips and one of the diaphragms, are isolated. A MEMS sound transducer, which has been manufactured using the aforementioned manufacturing method, is also disclosed.
Claims
1. A method for manufacturing a plurality of MEMS sound transducers, the method including the following steps: manufacturing a reconstructed wafer that includes a plurality of individual chips, wherein each of the plurality of individual chips includes a piezoelectric element; processing the reconstructed wafer so as to separate each of the individual chips from one another; disposing the plurality of separated individual chips spaced apart from one another on a carrier and adhesively bonding a first side of each of the individual chips to the carrier; encapsulating the plurality of separated individual chips in a molding material to the carrier; exposing the piezoelectric element of each the plurality of individual chips, so that the exposed piezoelectric element is deflectable along a stroke axis; connecting a separate diaphragm to each of the exposed piezoelectric elements so that each of the diaphragms is deflectable along the stroke axis together with the piezoelectric element that is connected to the diaphragm; and isolating a plurality of MEMS sound transducers, wherein each of the isolated MEMS sound transducers includes at least one of the plurality of individual chips and one of the separate diaphragms.
2. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein one piezoelectric element is exposed before the connection of the one piezoelectric element to the associated diaphragm or wherein one piezoelectric element is exposed only after the connection of the one piezoelectric element to the associated diaphragm.
3. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein an etching method or a laser machining method is used to remove a portion of the reconstructed wafer in a region from a first side of the reconstructed wafer to define a first side of the particular associated piezoelectric element.
4. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 3, wherein an etching method or a laser machining method is used to remove a portion of the reconstructed wafer in a region from a second side of the reconstructed wafer to define a second side of the particular associated piezoelectric element.
5. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of removing a region of the reconstructed wafer from a first side of the reconstructed wafer in such a way as to define a support frame for each of the plurality of isolated MEMS sound transducers.
6. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 5, further comprising the steps of arranging on a first side of the reconstructed wafer a first masking layer, which includes a plurality of first openings associated with the plurality of individual chips, and thereafter applying an etchant onto this first masking layer, so that, in the region of the plurality of first openings, a portion of the reconstructed wafer is etched away up to the first side of the particular associated piezoelectric element.
7. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 6, wherein each of the first openings is configured in such a way that the reconstructed wafer is masked by the first masking layer in a first outer region provided for the support frame of the particular MEMS sound transducer and in an inner region provided for a coupling element of the particular MEMS sound transducer.
8. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the reconstructed wafer is etched away from its first side and/or in the region of the first openings, in such a way in each case that a first end of the at least one piezoelectric element is connected to the support frame and a second end of the at least one piezoelectric element is connected to the coupling element and is exposed on each of two opposite longitudinal sides of the at least one piezoelectric element.
9. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 8, wherein after the exposure of the first side of the piezoelectric element of each of the plurality of individual chips, the piezoelectric element of each of the plurality of individual chips is connected to the diaphragm in the region of the second end of the piezoelectric element or indirectly via the coupling element.
10. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the diaphragm is connected to the coupling element at an end of the coupling element facing away from the piezoelectric element in the direction of the stroke axis, and wherein the diaphragm is connected to the support frame directly or the diaphragm is connected to the support frame indirectly via a diaphragm frame holding the diaphragm in its edge region.
11. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 5, further comprising the step of removing a region of the reconstructed wafer from a first side of the reconstructed wafer in such a way as to define a coupling element arranged in the interior of the support frame for each of the plurality of isolated MEMS sound transducers.
12. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each separate diaphragm is mounted onto the reconstructed wafer as a contiguous diaphragm element and thereafter divided into a separate section for each of the exposed piezoelectric elements.
13. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of arranging on a second side of the reconstructed wafer a second masking layer, which includes a plurality of second openings associated with the plurality of individual chips, and thereafter applying an etchant onto this second masking layer, so that, in the region of the plurality of second openings, a portion of the reconstructed wafer is etched away up to the second side of the particular associated piezoelectric element.
14. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 13, wherein each of the second openings is each configured in such a way that the reconstructed wafer is masked by the second masking layer in a second outer region provided for a cavity wall of the particular MEMS sound transducer.
15. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of using a laser to remove an edge region of each piezoelectric element to form a contour of the piezoelectric element.
16. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the edge region of each piezoelectric element is etched to be given a pre-defined shape after the exposure of each piezoelectric element.
17. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the substrate is a carrier.
18. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising the steps of curing the molding material and thereafter removing the carrier after the molding material has been cured, so that the chips are encapsulated in the molding material and are exposed on a first side of the reconstructed wafer.
19. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of partially grinding off a portion of the reconstructed wafer in order to reduce the thickness of the reconstructed wafer.
20. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein an electrical insulation layer and/or a redistribution layer for redistributing contact points of the particular chip is/are applied on a first side of the reconstructed wafer.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0046] Further advantages of the invention are described in the following exemplary embodiments. Wherein:
[0047]
[0048]
[0049]
[0050]
[0051]
[0052]
[0053]
[0054]
[0055]
[0056]
[0057]
[0058]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0059]
[0060] According to
[0061] According to
[0062] The support frame 3, the first piezoelectric element 4 and the second piezoelectric element 5 of the chip 2 combine to define a first hollow space 14 that is disposed in the interior of the support frame 3 to a first side of the piezoelectric elements 4, 5. The coupling element 9 is arranged in this first hollow space 14. Moreover, as shown in
[0063] As is apparent from
[0064] The chip 2 and the molding material 12 form a first unit, which is connected to a diaphragm 23 during the manufacturing process, which is explained in greater detail in the following text with reference to
[0065] The diaphragm 23 is connected, in particular adhered, to the at least one piezoelectric element 4, 5 in a first connection region 27. According to the present exemplary embodiment, the first connection region 27 is formed between the coupling element 9 and the diaphragm 23. Consequently, the piezoelectric elements 4, 5 are indirectly connected to the diaphragm 23 via the coupling element 9. Moreover, the diaphragm unit 22 is connected in a second connection region 28 to the first unit that is the chip 2 and the molding material 12. The second connection region 28 is formed, in the present case, between the diaphragm frame 24 and the molding material 12.
[0066] The above-described MEMS sound transducer 1 can be manufactured using the manufacturing method described in detail in the following description, wherein the particular method steps are represented schematically in
[0067] At the beginning of the manufacturing method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, initially, a wafer 29 represented in
[0068] As is clear from
[0069] According to
[0070] As is apparent from
[0071] Thereafter, as schematically shown in
[0072] According to
[0073] Thereafter, the carrier substrate 32 is removed, as represented schematically in
[0074] The above-described method for manufacturing the reconstructed wafer 30 is referred to as a chip-first method, since the isolated chips 2 are initially encapsulated in the molding material 12 and, only thereafter, provided with the redistribution layer 20.
[0075] In an alternative exemplary embodiment not represented in the present case, the reconstructed wafer 30 could also be manufactured using a chip-last method. In this case, the redistribution layer 20 would be formed first. Only thereafter would the chips 2 be mounted on this redistribution layer 20 and subsequently encapsulated in the molding material 12.
[0076] In order to reduce the thickness of the reconstructed wafer 30, a portion of the reconstructed wafer 30 can be removed from the first side 33, as represented schematically in
[0077] In an exemplary embodiment that is not represented in the present figures, additionally or alternatively to the redistribution layer 20 formed on the second side 34 of the reconstructed wafer 30, a redistribution layer 20 could also be formed on the first side 33 of the reconstructed wafer 30.
[0078] In the subsequent method steps explained below in relation to
[0079] An etching method is described, by way of example, in the following description. The reconstructed wafer 30 has been turned in
[0080] After the first masking layer 35 has been configured as schematically shown in
[0081] Preferably, during or immediately after this method step, the piezoelectric element 4, 5 itself is removed or cut out in an edge region, in particular with the aid of a laser, in order to form the contour or peripheral outline of the edge region of the particular piezoelectric element 4, 5.
[0082] Thereafter, i.e., after the contouring of the piezoelectric element 4, 5 to define the shape of the outer edge of the piezoelectric element 4, 5, the particular diaphragms 23 are mounted onto the reconstructed wafer 30. The diaphragms 23 can be mounted individually, in particular as diaphragm units 22, or jointly as a contiguous diaphragm element.
[0083] Thereafter, i.e., after the mounting of the diaphragms 23 onto the reconstructed wafer 30, sections of the molding material 12 are removed so that the piezoelectric elements 4, 5 are exposed. For this purpose, a portion of the reconstructed wafer 30 is removed, portion by portion, up to the second side 17 of the particular associated piezoelectric element 4, 5 from the second side 34 of the reconstructed wafer 30 opposite the first side 16, in particular using an etching method or a laser machining method.
[0084] Preferably, after this etching process that exposes sections of the piezoelectric element 4, 5, then the piezoelectric element 4, 5 itself is cut free in an edge region, in particular with the aid of a laser, in order to form the shape of the outer perimeter of the particular piezoelectric element 4, 5.
[0085] The connection of the particular associated diaphragm 23 to the particular associated and not-yet exposed piezoelectric element 4, 5 takes place for each of the chips 2 in the method step represented schematically in
[0086] In an alternative exemplary embodiment that is not represented schematically in the present figures, the diaphragms 23 could be applied jointly as a contiguous diaphragm element. In this alternative case, a continuous diaphragm layer or the contiguous diaphragm element would be applied on the first side 33 of the reconstructed wafer 30 and fastened, in the contact regions, to the reconstructed wafer 30.
[0087] However, the diaphragms 23 can be applied onto the reconstructed wafer 30 according to the present exemplary embodiment individually, in particular as diaphragm units 22. For this purpose, the diaphragm units 22 are each connected to the corresponding coupling element 9 in the first connection region 27. Moreover, the diaphragm frames 24 are each connected to the corresponding support frame 3 in the second connection region 28, in particular indirectly via the molding material 12. Since the piezoelectric elements 4, 5 have not been exposed at this stage of the manufacturing method, but rather are still held on their second side 17 by the molding material 12, the diaphragm 23 can be pressed together with the piezoelectric elements 4, 5 in the first connection region 27, in particular indirectly via the coupling element 9, without the piezoelectric elements 4, 5 being deflected and damaged by the application of a strong force. A fixed connection, in particular an adhesive bond, can be formed in the first connection region 27, however.
[0088] Each discrete section of the particular second side 17 of the piezoelectric elements 4, 5 is exposed only after the diaphragm 23 of the particular diaphragm unit 22 has been connected to the corresponding piezoelectric elements 4, 5. This also takes place using a masking and subsequent etching method. For this purpose, according to
[0089] As represented schematically in
[0090] According to
[0091] The present invention is not limited to the represented and described exemplary embodiments. Modifications within the scope of the claims are also possible, as is any combination of the features, even if they are represented and described in different exemplary embodiments.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS
[0092] 1 MEMS sound transducer
[0093] 2 chips
[0094] 3 support frame
[0095] 4 first piezoelectric element
[0096] 5 second piezoelectric element
[0097] 6 first end of the piezoelectric element
[0098] 7 second end of the piezoelectric element
[0099] 8 stroke axis
[0100] 9 coupling element
[0101] 10 substrate
[0102] 11 connecting element
[0103] 12 molding material
[0104] 13 housing
[0105] 14 first hollow space
[0106] 15 second hollow space
[0107] 16 first side of the piezoelectric element
[0108] 17 second side of the piezoelectric element
[0109] 18 cavity wall
[0110] 19 contact points
[0111] 20 redistribution layer
[0112] 21 feedthrough
[0113] 22 diaphragm units
[0114] 23 diaphragm
[0115] 24 diaphragm frame
[0116] 25 diaphragm layer
[0117] 26 reinforcing plate
[0118] 27 first connection region
[0119] 28 second connection region
[0120] 29 wafer
[0121] 30 reconstructed wafer
[0122] 31 piezoelectric layer
[0123] 32 carrier
[0124] 33 first side of the reconstructed wafer
[0125] 34 second side of the reconstructed wafer
[0126] 35 first masking layer
[0127] 36 first opening
[0128] 37 first outer region
[0129] 38 inner region
[0130] 39 second masking layer
[0131] 40 second opening
[0132] 41 second outer region
[0133] 42 third opening