|Publication number||US7715080 B2|
|Application number||US 11/735,362|
|Publication date||May 11, 2010|
|Filing date||Apr 13, 2007|
|Priority date||Apr 13, 2006|
|Also published as||EP1979268A2, US7746537, US20070242341, US20070242345, WO2007120885A2, WO2007120885A3, WO2007120887A2, WO2007120887A3|
|Publication number||11735362, 735362, US 7715080 B2, US 7715080B2, US-B2-7715080, US7715080 B2, US7715080B2|
|Inventors||Bangalore R. Natarajan, Lauren Palmateer|
|Original Assignee||Qualcomm Mems Technologies, Inc.|
|Export Citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Patent Citations (148), Non-Patent Citations (17), Referenced by (27), Classifications (16), Legal Events (3)|
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet|
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/791,730, titled “MEMS Devices and Processes for packaging Such Devices,” filed Apr. 13, 2006, which is hereby incorporated by reference, in its entirety.
1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates to microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). More specifically, the invention relates to MEMS devices having an electrical contact, electrode interconnect structures. One particular application can be found in capacitive MEMS devices. Finally, due to the (semi)-transparent nature of the electrode material in visible light, the invention also relates to optical MEMS devices, in general, and interferometric light modulators in particular.
2. Description of the Related Technology
Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) include micro mechanical elements, actuators, and electronics. Micromechanical elements may be created using deposition, etching, and or other micromachining processes that etch away parts of substrates and/or deposited material layers or that add layers to form electrical and electromechanical devices. One type of MEMS device is called an interferometric modulator. As used herein, the term interferometric modulator or interferometric light modulator refers to a device that selectively absorbs and/or reflects light using the principles of optical interference. In certain embodiments, an interferometric modulator may comprise a pair of conductive plates, one or both of which may be transparent and/or reflective in whole or part and capable of relative motion upon application of an appropriate electrical signal. In a particular embodiment, one plate may comprise a stationary layer deposited on a substrate and the other plate may comprise a metallic membrane separated from the stationary layer by an air gap. As described herein in more detail, the position of one plate in relation to another can change the optical interference of light incident on the interferometric modulator. Such devices have a wide range of applications, and it would be beneficial in the art to utilize and/or modify the characteristics of these types of devices so that their features can be exploited in improving existing products and creating new products that have not yet been developed.
In one embodiment, a method of manufacturing a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) based display device is provided, the method including providing a transparent substrate including at least one MEMS device formed thereon, providing a backplate, providing a plurality of seal pieces configured to circumscribe the MEMS device, and forming a MEMS package where the transparent substrate is joined to the plurality of seal pieces, and the seal pieces are joined to the backplate.
In another embodiment, a MEMS based device is provided, including a transparent substrate including at least one MEMS device formed thereon, a frame circumscribing the MEMS device and joined to the substrate, and a backplate sealed to the frame and forming a MEMS device package.
In another embodiment, a MEMS device is provided, including means for supporting a MEMS, the supporting means having a MEMS device formed thereon, means for sealing a MEMS package, and means for spacing the sealing means apart from the supporting means, where the spacing means substantially circumscribes the MEMS device.
The following detailed description is directed to certain specific embodiments of the invention. However, the invention can be embodied in a multitude of different ways. In this description, reference is made to the drawings wherein like parts are designated with like numerals throughout. As will be apparent from the following description, the embodiments may be implemented in any device that is configured to display an image, whether in motion (e.g., video) or stationary (e.g., still image), and whether textual or pictorial. More particularly, it is contemplated that the embodiments may be implemented in or associated with a variety of electronic devices such as, but not limited to, mobile telephones, wireless devices, personal data assistants (PDAs), hand-held or portable computers, GPS receivers/navigators, cameras, MP3 players, camcorders, game consoles, wrist watches, clocks, calculators, television monitors, flat panel displays, computer monitors, auto displays (e.g., odometer display, etc.), cockpit controls and/or displays, display of camera views (e.g., display of a rear view camera in a vehicle), electronic photographs, electronic billboards or signs, projectors, architectural structures, packaging, and aesthetic structures (e.g., display of images on a piece of jewelry). MEMS devices of similar structure to those described herein can also be used in non-display applications such as in electronic switching devices.
Embodiments of the invention relate to the packaging of MEMS devices, such as interferometric modulators by forming a frame of seal pieces around the perimeter of the modulator array. When a backplate is bonded to the frame, excess pressure within the formed package can escape from the corners formed by the seal pieces. Once the package is formed, the edges can be sealed to prevent excess moisture from entering the package and damaging the array.
One interferometric modulator display embodiment comprising an interferometric MEMS display element is illustrated in
The depicted portion of the pixel array in
The optical stacks 16 a and 16 b (collectively referred to as optical stack 16), as referenced herein, typically comprise of several fused layers, which can include an electrode layer, such as indium tin oxide (ITO), a partially reflective layer, such as chromium, and a transparent dielectric. The optical stack 16 is thus electrically conductive, partially transparent and partially reflective, and may be fabricated, for example, by depositing one or more of the above layers onto a transparent substrate 20. The partially reflective layer can be formed from a variety of materials that are partially reflective such as various metals, semiconductors, and dielectrics. The partially reflective layer can be formed of one or more layers of materials, and each of the layers can be formed of a single material or a combination of materials.
In some embodiments, the layers of the optical stack are patterned into parallel strips, and may form row electrodes in a display device as described further below. The movable reflective layers 14 a, 14 b may be formed as a series of parallel strips of a deposited metal layer or layers (orthogonal to the row electrodes of 16 a, 16 b) deposited on top of posts 18 and an intervening sacrificial material deposited between the posts 18. When the sacrificial material is etched away, the movable reflective layers 14 a, 14 b are separated from the optical stacks 16 a, 16 b by a defined gap 19. A highly conductive and reflective material such as aluminum may be used for the reflective layers 14, and these strips may form column electrodes in a display device.
With no applied voltage, the cavity 19 remains between the movable reflective layer 14 a and optical stack 16 a, with the movable reflective layer 14 a in a mechanically relaxed state, as illustrated by the pixel 12 a in
In one embodiment, the processor 21 is also configured to communicate with an array driver 22. In one embodiment, the array driver 22 includes a row driver circuit 24 and a column driver circuit 26 that provide signals to a display array or panel 30. The cross section of the array illustrated in
In typical applications, a display frame may be created by asserting the set of column electrodes in accordance with the desired set of actuated pixels in the first row. A row pulse is then applied to the row 1 electrode, actuating the pixels corresponding to the asserted column lines. The asserted set of column electrodes is then changed to correspond to the desired set of actuated pixels in the second row. A pulse is then applied to the row 2 electrode, actuating the appropriate pixels in row 2 in accordance with the asserted column electrodes. The row 1 pixels are unaffected by the row 2 pulse, and remain in the state they were set to during the row 1 pulse. This may be repeated for the entire series of rows in a sequential fashion to produce the frame. Generally, the frames are refreshed and/or updated with new display data by continually repeating this process at some desired number of frames per second. A wide variety of protocols for driving row and column electrodes of pixel arrays to produce display frames are also well known and may be used in conjunction with the present invention.
The display device 40 includes a housing 41, a display 30, an antenna 43, a speaker 44, an input device 48, and a microphone 46. The housing 41 is generally formed from any of a variety of manufacturing processes as are well known to those of skill in the art, including injection molding, and vacuum forming. In addition, the housing 41 may be made from any of a variety of materials, including but not limited to plastic, metal, glass, rubber, and ceramic, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment the housing 41 includes removable portions (not shown) that may be interchanged with other removable portions of different color, or containing different logos, pictures, or symbols.
The display 30 of exemplary display device 40 may be any of a variety of displays, including a bi-stable display, as described herein. In other embodiments, the display 30 includes a flat-panel display, such as plasma, EL, OLED, STN LCD, or TFT LCD as described above, or a non-flat-panel display, such as a CRT or other tube device, as is well known to those of skill in the art. However, for purposes of describing the present embodiment, the display 30 includes an interferometric modulator display, as described herein.
The components of one embodiment of exemplary display device 40 are schematically illustrated in
The network interface 27 includes the antenna 43 and the transceiver 47 so that the exemplary display device 40 can communicate with one or more devices over a network. In one embodiment the network interface 27 may also have some processing capabilities to relieve requirements of the processor 21. The antenna 43 is any antenna known to those of skill in the art for transmitting and receiving signals. In one embodiment, the antenna transmits and receives RF signals according to the IEEE 802.11 standard, including IEEE 802.11(a), (b), or (g). In another embodiment, the antenna transmits and receives RF signals according to the BLUETOOTH standard. In the case of a cellular telephone, the antenna is designed to receive CDMA, GSM, AMPS or other known signals that are used to communicate within a wireless cell phone network. The transceiver 47 pre-processes the signals received from the antenna 43 so that they may be received by and further manipulated by the processor 21. The transceiver 47 also processes signals received from the processor 21 so that they may be transmitted from the exemplary display device 40 via the antenna 43.
In an alternative embodiment, the transceiver 47 can be replaced by a receiver. In yet another alternative embodiment, network interface 27 can be replaced by an image source, which can store or generate image data to be sent to the processor 21. For example, the image source can be a digital video disc (DVD) or a hard-disc drive that contains image data, or a software module that generates image data.
Processor 21 generally controls the overall operation of the exemplary display device 40. The processor 21 receives data, such as compressed image data from the network interface 27 or an image source, and processes the data into raw image data or into a format that is readily processed into raw image data. The processor 21 then sends the processed data to the driver controller 29 or to frame buffer 28 for storage. Raw data typically refers to the information that identifies the image characteristics at each location within an image. For example, such image characteristics can include color, saturation, and gray-scale level.
In one embodiment, the processor 21 includes a microcontroller, CPU, or logic unit to control operation of the exemplary display device 40. Conditioning hardware 52 generally includes amplifiers and filters for transmitting signals to the speaker 45, and for receiving signals from the microphone 46. Conditioning hardware 52 may be discrete components within the exemplary display device 40, or may be incorporated within the processor 21 or other components.
The driver controller 29 takes the raw image data generated by the processor 21 either directly from the processor 21 or from the frame buffer 28 and reformats the raw image data appropriately for high speed transmission to the array driver 22. Specifically, the driver controller 29 reformats the raw image data into a data flow having a raster-like format, such that it has a time order suitable for scanning across the display array 30. Then the driver controller 29 sends the formatted information to the array driver 22. Although a driver controller 29, such as a LCD controller, is often associated with the system processor 21 as a stand-alone Integrated Circuit (IC), such controllers may be implemented in many ways. They may be embedded in the processor 21 as hardware, embedded in the processor 21 as software, or fully integrated in hardware with the array driver 22.
Typically, the array driver 22 receives the formatted information from the driver controller 29 and reformats the data into a parallel set of waveforms that are applied many times per second to the hundreds and sometimes thousands of leads coming from the display's x-y matrix of pixels.
In one embodiment, the driver controller 29, array driver 22, and display array 30 are appropriate for any of the types of displays described herein. For example, in one embodiment, driver controller 29 is a conventional display controller or a bi-stable display controller (e.g., an interferometric modulator controller). In another embodiment, array driver 22 is a conventional driver or a bi-stable display driver (e.g., an interferometric modulator display). In one embodiment, a driver controller 29 is integrated with the array driver 22. Such an embodiment is common in highly integrated systems such as cellular phones, watches, and other small area displays. In yet another embodiment, display array 30 is a typical display array or a bi-stable display array (e.g., a display including an array of interferometric modulators).
The input device 48 allows a user to control the operation of the exemplary display device 40. In one embodiment, input device 48 includes a keypad, such as a QWERTY keyboard or a telephone keypad, a button, a switch, a touch-sensitive screen, a pressure- or heat-sensitive membrane. In one embodiment, the microphone 46 is an input device for the exemplary display device 40. When the microphone 46 is used to input data to the device, voice commands may be provided by a user for controlling operations of the exemplary display device 40.
Power supply 50 can include a variety of energy storage devices as are well known in the art. For example, in one embodiment, power supply 50 is a rechargeable battery, such as a nickel-cadmium battery or a lithium ion battery. In another embodiment, power supply 50 is a renewable energy source, a capacitor, or a solar cell, including a plastic solar cell, and solar-cell paint. In another embodiment, power supply 50 is configured to receive power from a wall outlet.
In some implementations control programmability resides, as described above, in a driver controller which can be located in several places in the electronic display system. In some cases control programmability resides in the array driver 22. Those of skill in the art will recognize that the above-described optimization may be implemented in any number of hardware and/or software components and in various configurations.
The details of the structure of interferometric modulators that operate in accordance with the principles set forth above may vary widely. For example,
In embodiments such as those shown in
Packaging techniques for interferometric modulators will be described in more detail below. Interferometric modulators typically include moving parts, such as the movable mirrors 14 a, 14 b that must have a protected space in which to move. A schematic of a basic package structure 700 for an interferometric modulator is illustrated in
A method of packaging an interferometric modulator according to the embodiment shown in
As discussed above, the interferometric modulator array 730 is configured to reflect light through the transparent substrate and includes moving parts, such as the movable mirrors 14 a, 14 b of
The transparent substrate 710 may be any transparent substance capable of having thin film, MEMS devices built upon it. Such transparent substances include, but are not limited to, glass, plastic, and transparent polymers. Images are viewed through the transparent substrate 710, which serves as an imaging surface.
In accordance with an embodiment, an interferometric modulator array 730 may be formed on a transparent substrate 710. It will be understood that the fixed mirrors 16 a, 16 b (of
To form the interferometric modulator array 730, the transparent substrate 710, in one embodiment, is covered with indium tin oxide (ITO). The ITO may be deposited by standard deposition techniques, including chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and sputtering, for example, to a thickness of about 500 Å. A relatively thin layer of chrome may be deposited over the ITO. The ITO/chrome bilayer is then etched and patterned into columns to form the column electrodes 16 a, 16 b. A layer of silicon dioxide (SiO2) may be formed over the ITO/chrome columns to create partially reflective fixed mirrors 16 a, 16 b. A sacrificial layer of, for example, silicon (Si) is deposited (and later released) over the structure to create a resonant optical cavity between the fixed mirrors 16 a, 16 b and the movable mirrors 14 a, 14 b. In other embodiments, this sacrificial layer may be formed of molybdenum (Mo), tungsten (W), or titanium (Ti).
Another mirror layer, formed of aluminum, may be deposited over the sacrificial layer of silicon to form the movable mirrors 14 a, 14 b of the interferometric modulator array 730. This mirror layer is deposited and patterned into rows orthogonal to the column electrodes 16 a, 16 b to create the row/column array described above. In other embodiments, this mirror layer may comprise reflective metals, such as, for example, silver (Ag) or gold (Au). Alternatively, this mirror layer may be a stack of metals configured to give the proper optical and mechanical properties.
The sacrificial layer is removed, for example, using a gas etching process, after the movable mirrors 14 a, 14 b are formed to create the optical cavity between the fixed mirrors 16 a, 16 b and the movable mirrors 14 a, 14 b. In an embodiment, this sacrificial layer is removed after the backplate is joined to the transparent substrate through an opening in either the backplate or perimeter seal, as will be described in more detail below. Standard etching techniques may be used to remove the sacrificial layer of silicon. The particular release etching will depend on the material to be released. For example, xenon diflouride (XeF2) may be used to remove the silicon sacrificial layer. In another embodiment, the sacrificial layer of silicon between the mirrors 16 a, 16 b, 14 a, 14 b is removed before the backplate 720 is joined to the transparent substrate 710. The skilled artisan will appreciate that each layer of the interferometric modulator array 730 may be deposited and patterned using standard deposition techniques and standard photolithographic techniques.
The skilled artisan will understand that the backplate 720 serves a mechanical function, protecting the interferometric modulator array 730 from contaminants in the environment. The backplate 720 along with the transparent substrate 710 and a seal 740 (which is described in more detail below) prevent mechanical interference, moisture, and contaminant gases from reaching and potentially damaging the interferometric modulator array 730 within the package 700. The backplate 720 may therefore be formed of any suitable material, whether transparent or opaque, conductive or insulating. Suitable materials for the backplate 720 include, but are not limited to, glass (e.g., float, 1737, soda lime), plastic, ceramics, polymers, laminates, and metals and metal foils (e.g., stainless steel (SS302, SS410), Kovar, plated Kovar).
A sealing means or a seal 740 is typically provided to join the transparent substrate 710 and the backplate 720 to form the package structure 700. The seal 740 may be a semi-hermetic seal, such as a conventional epoxy-based adhesive. In other embodiments, the seal 740 may be Polyisobutylene (PIB), o-rings, polyurethane, thin film metal weld, liquid spin-on glass, solders, polymers, or plastics, among other types of seals. In still other embodiment, the seal 740 may be a hermetic seal.
In some embodiments, once the backplate 720 and transparent substrate 710 are joined, the seal 740 may be cured and hardened. The skilled artisan will appreciate that the seal 740, which may be hardened, between the backplate 720 and the transparent substrate 710 is different from seals that may be applied after division of the package structure 700 into individual arrays.
It may be desirable to manufacture several arrays of interferometric modulators on a single transparent substrate, apply the backplate, and then divide the structure into individual arrays. Once the seal 740 is hardened, the structure may be mechanically or laser scribed or otherwise prepared for division. Depending on the seal 740, as well as other factors, it may be advantageous, after the division, to apply an endseal to the individual package structures or arrays.
As shown in
The opening or hole 850 may also be configured to allow material to enter and exit the package 800. In particular, the opening or hole 850 may be configured to allow for application of a solvent to the interferometric modulator array 830 for removal of a spacer or sacrificial layer, which will be described in more detail below. The skilled artisan will understand that an endseal may not be necessary, as will be described in more detail below.
Generally, it is desirable to minimize the permeation of water vapor into the package structure 800 and thus control the environment inside the package structure 800. The package structure 800 may be hermetically sealed to ensure the environment within the package structure 800 remains constant regardless of the surrounding environment. An example of a hermetic sealing process is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,589,625, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
In one embodiment having a hermetic seal, the seal 840 is a hermetic barrier that acts as an environmental barrier preventing all air and water vapor from flowing through the seal 840 and entering the package structure 800. Suitable materials for a hermetic seal include, but are not limited to, welds, solders, adhesives mixed with molecular sieves, such as a zeolite. The adhesive component alone cannot act as a suitable environmental barrier because it will eventually allow moisture and other contaminants to permeate into the package structure 800. A semi-hermetic seal 840 of one of the aforementioned materials is desirable for space-critical environments because the seal 840 can be very thin and inexpensive, relative to other sealing techniques, such as welding and soldering. The semi-hermetic seal 840 may be applied through simple in-line manufacturing processes, whereas the techniques of welding and soldering for hermetic seals require very high temperature processes that can damage the package structure 800, are relatively expensive, and tend to occupy much more space because a welded or soldered seal is thicker. It will be understood that a semi-hermetic seal may include an adhesive that is not mixed with any molecular sieves or desiccants.
In one embodiment, the zeolites may include aluminosilicate-structured minerals, such as sodium aluminosilicate. In another embodiment, the zeolites may include microporous silicate-structured minerals. It will be appreciated that active components, other than zeolites, that can act as absorbing filters on the molecular level can also be used. In one embodiment, the adhesives may be a low outgassing adhesive. In other embodiments, the adhesives may be adhesives with varied outgassing. A desiccant used in the seal may be a calcium dioxide, strontium oxide (SRO), silica gels, montmorillonite clay (such as a magnesium aluminum silicate), molecular sieves (zeolites), or calcium sulfates.
The skilled artisan will understand that the amount of material for the seal 840 will depend on the estimated amount of moisture or contaminant gases that will need to be removed from within the package structure 800 during the lifetime of the package structure 800. The amount of material for the seal 840 also depends not only on the amount of moisture or contaminant gases inside the package structure 800 when the package is formed, but also the permeation rate of the seal 800 and the outgassing potential of the package components.
Zeolites may absorb water molecules at relatively high temperatures. Zeolites can trap moisture and contaminant gases in their pores. The skilled artisan will understand that zeolites having deferent pore sizes can be selected for the seal 840 material to absorb different contaminants. In an embodiment, zeolites are selected to absorb contaminant molecules, such as aromatic branched-chain hydrocarbons that have critical diameters of up to ten angstroms. In another embodiment, zeolites having pore sizes between two and three angstroms may be selected to abort contaminant molecules having diameters of less than two angstroms, such as hydrogen and moisture molecules. In still another embodiment, zeolites having pore sizes of about fifty angstroms (50 Å) can be used to absorb nitrogen and carbon dioxide molecules. The skilled artisan will appreciate that the hermetic seal 840 may be comprised of a mixture of zeolites having various pore sizes.
The seal 840 is typically applied to the transparent substrate 810 along the perimeter, around the interferometric modulator array 830. The skilled artisan will understand that, in an embodiment in which the package structure 800 contains more than one interferometric modulator array 830, the seal 840 is typically applied to the transparent substrate 810 around the perimeter of the of interferometric modulator array 830. In certain embodiments, the seal 840 may be formed to a thickness in a range of about 1 to about 20 microns, or in a range of about 12 to about 18 microns, or about 15 microns. The skilled artisan will appreciate that the thickness of the seal 840 will depend on various factors, including the estimated lifetime of the device, the material of the seal 840, the amount of contaminants and moisture that are estimated to permeate into the package structure 800 during the lifetime, the humidity of the ambient environment, and whether a desiccant is included within the package structure 800 and the flatness of the backplate 820 and the transparent substrate 810. The backplate 820 is then positioned over the transparent substrate 810, and the transparent substrate 810 and the backplate 820 are sealed together by the seat 840 to form the package structure 800.
In some embodiments, an outer bead (not shown) of adhesive is applied around the perimeter of the seal 840. The outer bead may include a low permeation rate adhesive, which can provide additional environmental protection to the package structure 800. The outer bead of adhesive may be useful in an environment having a great deal of contaminants where the seal 840 alone cannot serve as an effective hermetic seal without being loaded with an impractical amount of the active component. For example, if the seal 840 includes a high portion of zeolites (e.g., more than 60 percent zeolites by weight), the seal 840 can become microscopically porous as well as highly viscous and thus difficult to apply. Such a seal 840 having a high portion of zeolites may not provide a robust mechanical support to the package structure 800. The outer bead may also provide additional mechanical support.
As shown in
To remove a sacrificial layer of molybdenum (Mo), silicon (Si), tungsten (W), or titanium (Ti), xenon diflouride (XeF2) may be introduced into the interior of the package structure 800 through an opening or openings 850 in the backplate 820. Such openings 850 in the backplate 820 may be created by etching an opening in the backplate 820. The xenon diflouride (XeF2) reacts with the sacrificial layer to remove it. A sacrificial layer formed of spin-on glass or oxide may be gas etched or vapor phase etched to remove the sacrificial layer after the backplate 820 has been joined to the transparent substrate 810. The skilled artisan will appreciate that the removal process will depend on the material of the sacrificial layer.
After the sacrificial layer is removed, the opening(s) 850 in the backplate 820 may be sealed. In an embodiment, a thermally or UV cured polymer is used to seal these openings. The opening(s) may also be sealed with metal or glass caps, metal foil, adhesive, welds, or solder. The skilled artisan will appreciate that other materials may be used as well and that materials having high viscosity are advantageous.
As shown in
In another embodiment, following removal of the sacrificial layer and prior to sealing the opening(s) 850, a desiccant can be applied inside the package structure 800 in a vapor form through, for example, the opening(s) 850. In certain embodiments, a portion of a desiccant 860 could be included or applied to the interior surface of the backplate 820, as shown in
As noted above, a desiccant may be used to control moisture resident within the package structure 800. However, if the seal 840 is fully hermetic, a desiccant may not be necessary to prevent moisture from traveling from the atmosphere into the interior of the package structure 800.
The elimination of the need for a desiccant also allows the package structure 800 to be thinner, which is desirable. However, in certain embodiments, such as those having a semi-hermetic seal, a desiccant may be advantageous. Typically, in packages containing desiccants, the lifetime expectation of the device may depend on the lifetime of the desiccant. When the desiccant is fully consumed, the interferometric modulator display may fail as sufficient moisture enters the package structure to cause damage to the interferometric modulator. The theoretical maximum lifetime of the device is determined by the water vapor flux into the package as well as the amount and type of desiccant.
It is understood that in an embodiment of the package structure having a hermetic seal, the lifetime of the device is not dependent on the desiccant capacity, or the geometry of the seal. In such a package structure, the interferometric modulator will not fail due to a consumed desiccant.
As mentioned above, a desiccant may be used to reduce moisture resident within the package structure 800. Desiccants may be used for packages that have either hermetic or semi-hermetic seals. In a package having a semi-hermetic seal, a desiccant may be used to control moisture moving into the package from the environment. The skilled artisan will appreciate that a desiccant may not be necessary for a hermetically sealed package, but may be desirable to control moisture within the package structure 800. For packages having hermetic seals, desiccants may be provided within the package to absorb any moisture that moves into the package during the manufacturing process.
Generally, any substance that can trap moisture while not interfering with the optical properties of the interferometric modulator array 830 may be used as the desiccant. Suitable desiccant materials include, but are not limited to, zeolites, molecular sieves, surface adsorbents, bulk adsorbents, and chemical reactants. The skilled artisan will appreciate that the desiccant material should be selected based on a variety of factors, including the estimated amount to contaminant gases in the environment as well as the absorption rate and amount of the desiccant material.
The desiccant may be in different forms, shapes, and sizes. In addition to being in solid form, the desiccant may alternatively be in powder form. These powders may be inserted directly into the package or they may be mixed with an adhesive for application. In an alternative embodiment, the desiccant may be formed into different shapes, such as cylinders or sheets, before being applied inside the package.
Another embodiment is shown in
As can be seen in the cross-sectional
In the illustrated embodiment, the frame comprises four seal pieces, and a space between the seal pieces at the corners of the frame may provide an air permeable passageway for relief of the air pressure. However, it will be understood that other configurations are possible. For example, the frame may comprise more or less seal pieces, and air permeable passageways may be provided through one of the seal pieces, rather than between the seal pieces, and may be sealed in the same manner as the edge crevices discussed above.
In one embodiment, the seal pieces are made from glass. However in other embodiments the spacers can be formed from plastic or other materials. Preferably the seal piece materials provide a hermetic seal that prevents moisture from entering the package, once formed. The frame also provides means for spacing the transparent substrate apart from the backplate, so as to provide a cavity in which the MEMS device is protected from mechanical interference.
In some embodiments, a desiccant can be integrated into the frame. For example, once the frame is formed, the desiccant may be on an interior portion of the frame. In some embodiments, one or more of the seal pieces may comprise a desiccant, or may be formed of a desiccant. For example, an internal portion of the frame may be formed of a desiccant material, and an external portion of the frame may be formed of another material, such as glass.
In some embodiments, one or more seal pieces are not applied to the substrate during a first sealing. Accordingly, one or more regions may be left open so that, for example, a desiccant can be introduced into the opening. At a later time, for example, after a second substrate is sealed to the frame, the one or more openings in the seal may be closed with one or more additional seal pieces. The additional seal pieces may comprise or may be formed of a desiccant material. In some embodiments, after a desiccant material is introduced into the opening the opening may be subsequently sealed. The opening may be sealed with, for example, another seal piece, an epoxy material, a metal foil, or a glass piece, any of which may comprise a desiccant, and any of which may be attached to the frame and/or one or both of the substrates with an adhesive. In some embodiments, the opening can be sealed at the time of the application of one or more other seal pieces, where the desiccant is only applied to the inner edge of one or more seal pieces and does not obstruct the planarity of the seal pieces relative to the 1st and 2nd glass piece. In some embodiments, the second backplate does not comprise a desiccant.
While the above detailed description has shown, described, and pointed out novel features of the invention as applied to various embodiments, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form and details of the device or process illustrated may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. As will be recognized, the present invention may be embodied within a form that does not provide all of the features and benefits set forth herein, as some features may be used or practiced separately from others.
|Cited Patent||Filing date||Publication date||Applicant||Title|
|US3704806||Jan 6, 1971||Dec 5, 1972||Le T Im Lensoveta||Dehumidifying composition and a method for preparing the same|
|US3900440||Oct 23, 1973||Aug 19, 1975||Kuraray Co||Adhesive composition|
|US4036360||Nov 12, 1975||Jul 19, 1977||Graham Magnetics Incorporated||Package having dessicant composition|
|US4074480||Feb 12, 1976||Feb 21, 1978||Burton Henry W G||Kit for converting single-glazed window to double-glazed window|
|US4431691||Jul 29, 1981||Feb 14, 1984||Tremco, Incorporated||Dimensionally stable sealant and spacer strip and composite structures comprising the same|
|US4531126||May 17, 1982||Jul 23, 1985||Societe D'etude Du Radant||Method and device for analyzing a very high frequency radiation beam of electromagnetic waves|
|US4552806||Jul 12, 1983||Nov 12, 1985||Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho||Cellular glass coated with a heat insulator|
|US4950344||Dec 5, 1988||Aug 21, 1990||Lauren Manufacturing Company||Method of manufacturing multiple-pane sealed glazing units|
|US4954789||Sep 28, 1989||Sep 4, 1990||Texas Instruments Incorporated||Spatial light modulator|
|US4977009||Mar 6, 1990||Dec 11, 1990||Ford Motor Company||Composite polymer/desiccant coatings for IC encapsulation|
|US5018256||Jun 29, 1990||May 28, 1991||Texas Instruments Incorporated||Architecture and process for integrating DMD with control circuit substrates|
|US5075796||Sep 17, 1990||Dec 24, 1991||Eastman Kodak Company||Optical article for multicolor imaging|
|US5091983||Jun 4, 1987||Feb 25, 1992||Walter Lukosz||Optical modulation apparatus and measurement method|
|US5095375||Mar 29, 1991||Mar 10, 1992||Hughes Aircraft Company||Holographic combiner edge seal design and composition|
|US5099353||Jan 4, 1991||Mar 24, 1992||Texas Instruments Incorporated||Architecture and process for integrating DMD with control circuit substrates|
|US5172262||Apr 16, 1992||Dec 15, 1992||Texas Instruments Incorporated||Spatial light modulator and method|
|US5212582||Mar 4, 1992||May 18, 1993||Texas Instruments Incorporated||Electrostatically controlled beam steering device and method|
|US5216537||Jan 2, 1992||Jun 1, 1993||Texas Instruments Incorporated||Architecture and process for integrating DMD with control circuit substrates|
|US5244707||Jan 10, 1992||Sep 14, 1993||Shores A Andrew||Enclosure for electronic devices|
|US5293511||Mar 16, 1993||Mar 8, 1994||Texas Instruments Incorporated||Package for a semiconductor device|
|US5304419||Mar 9, 1992||Apr 19, 1994||Alpha Fry Ltd||Moisture and particle getter for enclosures|
|US5381253||Nov 14, 1991||Jan 10, 1995||Board Of Regents Of University Of Colorado||Chiral smectic liquid crystal optical modulators having variable retardation|
|US5547823||Nov 9, 1995||Aug 20, 1996||Ishihara Sangyo Kaisha, Ltd.||Photocatalyst composite and process for producing the same|
|US5550373||Dec 30, 1994||Aug 27, 1996||Honeywell Inc.||Fabry-Perot micro filter-detector|
|US5553440||Oct 20, 1994||Sep 10, 1996||Ppg Industries, Inc.||Multi-sheet glazing unit and method of making same|
|US5559358||May 23, 1994||Sep 24, 1996||Honeywell Inc.||Opto-electro-mechanical device or filter, process for making, and sensors made therefrom|
|US5591379||Aug 2, 1993||Jan 7, 1997||Alpha Fry Limited||Moisture getting composition for hermetic microelectronic devices|
|US5646729||Dec 18, 1995||Jul 8, 1997||Vaisala Oy||Single-channel gas concentration measurement method and apparatus using a short-resonator Fabry-Perot interferometer|
|US5703710||Sep 9, 1994||Dec 30, 1997||Deacon Research||Method for manipulating optical energy using poled structure|
|US5739945||Sep 27, 1996||Apr 14, 1998||Tayebati; Parviz||Electrically tunable optical filter utilizing a deformable multi-layer mirror|
|US5815141||Apr 12, 1996||Sep 29, 1998||Elo Touch Systems, Inc.||Resistive touchscreen having multiple selectable regions for pressure discrimination|
|US5835255||May 5, 1994||Nov 10, 1998||Etalon, Inc.||Visible spectrum modulator arrays|
|US5853662||Apr 17, 1996||Dec 29, 1998||Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc.||Method for preserving polished inorganic glass and method for preserving article obtained by using the same|
|US5939785||Apr 3, 1997||Aug 17, 1999||Texas Instruments Incorporated||Micromechanical device including time-release passivant|
|US5986796||Nov 5, 1996||Nov 16, 1999||Etalon Inc.||Visible spectrum modulator arrays|
|US6040937||Jul 31, 1996||Mar 21, 2000||Etalon, Inc.||Interferometric modulation|
|US6055090||Jan 27, 1999||Apr 25, 2000||Etalon, Inc.||Interferometric modulation|
|US6238755||Nov 13, 1998||May 29, 2001||Dow Corning Corporation||Insulating glass units|
|US6355328||Nov 23, 1998||Mar 12, 2002||Truseal Technologies, Inc.||Preformed flexible laminate|
|US6455927||Mar 12, 2001||Sep 24, 2002||Amkor Technology, Inc.||Micromirror device package|
|US6467139||Jul 11, 2000||Oct 22, 2002||Nec Corporation||Mounting structure and mounting method for surface acoustic wave element|
|US6489670||Feb 1, 2002||Dec 3, 2002||Sandia Corporation||Sealed symmetric multilayered microelectronic device package with integral windows|
|US6495895||Feb 1, 2002||Dec 17, 2002||Sandia Corporation||Bi-level multilayered microelectronic device package with an integral window|
|US6538312||Feb 1, 2002||Mar 25, 2003||Sandia Corporation||Multilayered microelectronic device package with an integral window|
|US6582789||Sep 28, 2000||Jun 24, 2003||Teijin Limited||Surface protective film and laminate formed therefrom|
|US6589625||Aug 1, 2001||Jul 8, 2003||Iridigm Display Corporation||Hermetic seal and method to create the same|
|US6603182||Mar 12, 2002||Aug 5, 2003||Lucent Technologies Inc.||Packaging micromechanical devices|
|US6621134||Feb 7, 2002||Sep 16, 2003||Shayne Zurn||Vacuum sealed RF/microwave microresonator|
|US6650455||Nov 13, 2001||Nov 18, 2003||Iridigm Display Corporation||Photonic mems and structures|
|US6661084||Feb 25, 2002||Dec 9, 2003||Sandia Corporation||Single level microelectronic device package with an integral window|
|US6674159||Feb 25, 2002||Jan 6, 2004||Sandia National Laboratories||Bi-level microelectronic device package with an integral window|
|US6674562||Apr 8, 1998||Jan 6, 2004||Iridigm Display Corporation||Interferometric modulation of radiation|
|US6680792||Oct 10, 2001||Jan 20, 2004||Iridigm Display Corporation||Interferometric modulation of radiation|
|US6709750||May 20, 1999||Mar 23, 2004||Metallgesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft||Hot-melt adhesive for sealing the edge of laminated glass|
|US6743656||Jul 23, 2002||Jun 1, 2004||Texas Instruments Incorporated||MEMS wafer level package|
|US6791660||Feb 3, 2003||Sep 14, 2004||Seiko Epson Corporation||Method for manufacturing electrooptical device and apparatus for manufacturing the same, electrooptical device and electronic appliances|
|US6838309||Mar 13, 2002||Jan 4, 2005||Amkor Technology, Inc.||Flip-chip micromachine package using seal layer|
|US6867896||Sep 28, 2001||Mar 15, 2005||Idc, Llc||Interferometric modulation of radiation|
|US6872984||Jun 24, 2002||Mar 29, 2005||Silicon Light Machines Corporation||Method of sealing a hermetic lid to a semiconductor die at an angle|
|US6999225||Mar 24, 2004||Feb 14, 2006||Prime View International Co, Ltd.||Optical interference display panel|
|US7012726||Nov 3, 2003||Mar 14, 2006||Idc, Llc||MEMS devices with unreleased thin film components|
|US7012732||Mar 1, 2005||Mar 14, 2006||Idc, Llc||Method and device for modulating light with a time-varying signal|
|US7015885||Jun 4, 2004||Mar 21, 2006||Active Optical Networks, Inc.||MEMS devices monolithically integrated with drive and control circuitry|
|US7034984||May 18, 2004||Apr 25, 2006||Miradia Inc.||Fabrication of a high fill ratio reflective spatial light modulator with hidden hinge|
|US7042643||Feb 19, 2002||May 9, 2006||Idc, Llc||Interferometric modulation of radiation|
|US7119945||Mar 3, 2004||Oct 10, 2006||Idc, Llc||Altering temporal response of microelectromechanical elements|
|US7123216||Oct 5, 1999||Oct 17, 2006||Idc, Llc||Photonic MEMS and structures|
|US7126741||Aug 12, 2004||Oct 24, 2006||Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.||Light modulator assembly|
|US7130104||Jun 16, 2005||Oct 31, 2006||Idc, Llc||Methods and devices for inhibiting tilting of a mirror in an interferometric modulator|
|US7136213||Aug 15, 2005||Nov 14, 2006||Idc, Llc||Interferometric modulators having charge persistence|
|US7138984||Jun 5, 2001||Nov 21, 2006||Idc, Llc||Directly laminated touch sensitive screen|
|US7142346||Feb 4, 2005||Nov 28, 2006||Idc, Llc||System and method for addressing a MEMS display|
|US7164520||May 12, 2004||Jan 16, 2007||Idc, Llc||Packaging for an interferometric modulator|
|US7218438||Sep 29, 2005||May 15, 2007||Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.||Optical electronic device with partial reflector layer|
|US7317281||Aug 6, 2004||Jan 8, 2008||Seiko Epson Corporation||Method for manufacturing electrooptical device and apparatus for manufacturing the same, electrooptical device and electronic appliances|
|US7385748||Oct 23, 2006||Jun 10, 2008||Idc, Llc||Visible spectrum modulator arrays|
|US7471444||Jun 10, 2005||Dec 30, 2008||Idc, Llc||Interferometric modulation of radiation|
|US7518775||Feb 26, 2007||Apr 14, 2009||Idc, Llc||Method and system for packaging a MEMS device|
|US20020000649||Aug 7, 2001||Jan 3, 2002||Tilmans Hendrikus A.C.||Method of fabrication of a microstructure having an internal cavity|
|US20020056900||Nov 9, 2001||May 16, 2002||Liu Jwei Wien||Electro-optical package with drop-in aperture|
|US20020075551||Nov 20, 2001||Jun 20, 2002||Onix Microsystems, Inc||Enclosure for MEMS apparatus and method of using the same|
|US20020075555||Nov 21, 2001||Jun 20, 2002||Iridigm Display Corporation||Interferometric modulation of radiation|
|US20020121909||Jan 18, 2002||Sep 5, 2002||Norio Sato||Surface shape recognition sensor and method of manufacturing the same|
|US20020126364||Feb 19, 2002||Sep 12, 2002||Iridigm Display Corporation, A Delaware Corporation||Interferometric modulation of radiation|
|US20020160583||Jan 28, 2002||Oct 31, 2002||Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.||MEMS relay and mehtod of fabricating the same|
|US20020187254||May 8, 2001||Dec 12, 2002||Eastman Kodak Company||Ultrasonically sealing the cover plate to provide a hermetic enclosure for OLED displays|
|US20030053233||Sep 20, 2001||Mar 20, 2003||Felton Lawrence E.||Optical switching apparatus and method for assembling same|
|US20030054588||Dec 3, 2001||Mar 20, 2003||Reflectivity, Inc., A California Corporation||Methods for depositing, releasing and packaging micro-electromechanical devices on wafer substrates|
|US20030062186||Sep 21, 2001||Apr 3, 2003||Eastman Kodak Company||Sealing structure for highly moisture-sensitive electronic device element and method for fabrication|
|US20030075794||Oct 23, 2001||Apr 24, 2003||Felton Lawrence E.||MEMS capping method and apparatus|
|US20030103185||May 21, 2002||Jun 5, 2003||Lg. Philips Lcd Co., Ltd.||Liquid crystal display panel and method for fabricating the same|
|US20030104651||Nov 14, 2002||Jun 5, 2003||Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.||Low temperature hermetic sealing method having passivation layer|
|US20030108306||Dec 12, 2001||Jun 12, 2003||Axsun Technologies, Inc.||MEMS tunable optical filter system with moisture getter for frequency stability|
|US20030143423||Jan 31, 2002||Jul 31, 2003||3M Innovative Properties Company||Encapsulation of organic electronic devices using adsorbent loaded adhesives|
|US20030155643||Feb 19, 2002||Aug 21, 2003||Freidhoff Carl B.||Thin film encapsulation of MEMS devices|
|US20030183916||Mar 27, 2002||Oct 2, 2003||John Heck||Packaging microelectromechanical systems|
|US20030184412||Mar 27, 2002||Oct 2, 2003||Gorrell Jonathan F.||Tunable MEMS resonator and method for tuning|
|US20030214007||Apr 14, 2003||Nov 20, 2003||Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc.||Wafer-level package with bump and method for manufacturing the same|
|US20040048037||Sep 11, 2002||Mar 11, 2004||Osram Opto Semiconductors (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.||Method of fabricating electronic devices|
|US20040061492||Sep 30, 2003||Apr 1, 2004||Lopes Vincent C.||Package with environmental control material carrier|
|US20040066258||Jun 27, 2003||Apr 8, 2004||Cohn Michael B.||MEMS device with integral packaging|
|US20040070706||Oct 10, 2002||Apr 15, 2004||Freeman Gary A.||Parallax compensating color filter and black mask for display apparatus|
|US20040100677||Nov 26, 2002||May 27, 2004||Reflectivity, Inc., A California Corporation||Spatial light modulators with light blocking/absorbing areas|
|US20040140557||Jan 21, 2003||Jul 22, 2004||United Test & Assembly Center Limited||Wl-bga for MEMS/MOEMS devices|
|US20040166603||Feb 25, 2003||Aug 26, 2004||Carley L. Richard||Micromachined assembly with a multi-layer cap defining a cavity|
|US20040184133||Jun 24, 2003||Sep 23, 2004||Tao Su||Microsystem package structure|
|US20050023976||Jul 6, 2004||Feb 3, 2005||Yuxin Wang||Seal and sealing process for electroluminescent displays|
|US20050035699||Mar 24, 2004||Feb 17, 2005||Hsiung-Kuang Tsai||Optical interference display panel|
|US20050036192||Mar 24, 2004||Feb 17, 2005||Wen-Jian Lin||Optical interference display panel|
|US20050042117||Mar 24, 2004||Feb 24, 2005||Wen-Jian Lin||Optical interference display panel and manufacturing method thereof|
|US20050046919||Aug 27, 2004||Mar 3, 2005||Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha||Interferometric modulator and display unit|
|US20050046922||Mar 31, 2004||Mar 3, 2005||Wen-Jian Lin||Interferometric modulation pixels and manufacturing method thereof|
|US20050074919||Jun 11, 2002||Apr 7, 2005||Reflectivity, Inc.||Methods for depositing, releasing and packaging micro-electromechanical devices on wafer substrates|
|US20050093134||Oct 30, 2003||May 5, 2005||Terry Tarn||Device packages with low stress assembly process|
|US20050167795||Nov 14, 2003||Aug 4, 2005||Shinko Electric Industries Co., Ltd.||Electronic devices and its production methods|
|US20050174048||Jul 11, 2003||Aug 11, 2005||Fuji Electric Holdings Co., Ltd.||Organic multicolor light-emitting display device and its manufacturing method|
|US20050253283||Sep 2, 2004||Nov 17, 2005||Dcamp Jon B||Getter deposition for vacuum packaging|
|US20060066935||Aug 19, 2005||Mar 30, 2006||Cummings William J||Process for modifying offset voltage characteristics of an interferometric modulator|
|US20060076631||May 20, 2005||Apr 13, 2006||Lauren Palmateer||Method and system for providing MEMS device package with secondary seal|
|US20060076634||Apr 8, 2005||Apr 13, 2006||Lauren Palmateer||Method and system for packaging MEMS devices with incorporated getter|
|US20060076637||Jun 10, 2005||Apr 13, 2006||Gally Brian J||Method and system for packaging a display|
|US20060077126||Mar 11, 2005||Apr 13, 2006||Manish Kothari||Apparatus and method for arranging devices into an interconnected array|
|US20060077145||Mar 7, 2005||Apr 13, 2006||Floyd Philip D||Device having patterned spacers for backplates and method of making the same|
|US20060077503||Apr 29, 2005||Apr 13, 2006||Lauren Palmateer||System and method of providing MEMS device with anti-stiction coating|
|US20060079098||Mar 16, 2005||Apr 13, 2006||Floyd Philip D||Method and system for sealing a substrate|
|US20060152106||Nov 3, 2003||Jul 13, 2006||Jun Yan||Mems scanner with dual magnetic and capacitive drive|
|US20060197215||Mar 3, 2005||Sep 7, 2006||Stellar Microdevices, Inc.||Hermetic MEMS package and method of manufacture|
|US20070064295||Sep 21, 2005||Mar 22, 2007||Kenneth Faase||Light modulator with tunable optical state|
|US20070097477||Oct 23, 2006||May 3, 2007||Miles Mark W||Visible spectrum modulator arrays|
|US20070139655||Dec 20, 2005||Jun 21, 2007||Qi Luo||Method and apparatus for reducing back-glass deflection in an interferometric modulator display device|
|US20070298541||Jul 17, 2007||Dec 27, 2007||Idc, Llc||Method and system for sealing a substrate|
|US20080018783||Jun 28, 2006||Jan 24, 2008||Nokia Corporation||Video importance rating based on compressed domain video features|
|US20080038876||Aug 21, 2007||Feb 14, 2008||Idc, Llc||Method and system for sealing a substrate|
|US20080112036 *||Jan 22, 2008||May 15, 2008||Idc, Llc||Method and device for corner interferometric modulation|
|US20090189230||Jul 30, 2009||Idc, Llc||Method and system for packaging mems devices with incorporated getter|
|USRE40436||Jul 7, 2005||Jul 15, 2008||Idc, Llc||Hermetic seal and method to create the same|
|EP1093162A1||Oct 9, 2000||Apr 18, 2001||Lucent Technologies Inc.||Hermatic firewall for mems packaging in flip-chip bonded geometry|
|EP1418154A2||Oct 30, 2003||May 12, 2004||Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.||Method and apparatus for vacuum-mounting a micro electro mechanical system on a substrate|
|EP1640320B1||Sep 14, 2005||May 4, 2011||QUALCOMM MEMS Technologies, Inc.||Method for packaging a micromechanical display|
|EP1640337B1||Sep 14, 2005||Oct 28, 2009||Idc, Llc||Apparatus and methods for arranging micromechanical devices into an interconnected array|
|EP1640772A1||Sep 14, 2005||Mar 29, 2006||Idc, Llc||System and method of providing MEMS device with anti-stiction coating|
|EP1640775A1||Sep 14, 2005||Mar 29, 2006||Idc, Llc||Interferometric modulator display having patterned spacers for backplates and method of making the same|
|FR2841380A1||Title not available|
|WO2002042716A2||Nov 27, 2001||May 30, 2002||Microsensors Inc.||Wafer eutectic bonding of mems gyros|
|WO2003007049A1||Jul 10, 2001||Jan 23, 2003||Iridigm Display Corporation||Photonic mems and structures|
|WO2003026369A1||Sep 16, 2002||Mar 27, 2003||John Stafford||Latching micro magnetic relay packages and methods of packaging|
|WO2005110914A1||Apr 20, 2005||Nov 24, 2005||Idc, Llc||Modifying the electro-mechanical behavior of micromachined devices|
|WO2005114294A1||Apr 20, 2005||Dec 1, 2005||Idc, Llc||Packaging for an interferometric modulator|
|1||Invitation to Pay Additional Fees for PCT/US07/009271 filed Apr. 12, 2007.|
|2||IPRP for PCT/US07/009271 filed Apr. 12, 2007.|
|3||IPRP for PCT/US07/009275 filed Apr. 12, 2007.|
|4||ISR and WO for PCT/US07/009271 filed Apr. 12, 2007.|
|5||ISR and WO for PCT/US07/009275 filed Apr. 12, 2007.|
|6||Jung et al., Soldered sealing process to assemble a protective cap for a MEMS CSP, Design, Test, Integration and Packaging of MEMS/MOEMS 2003 Symposium, pp. 255-260.|
|7||Kim et al., Fabrication and characterization of a low-temperature hermetic MEMS package bonded by a closed loop AuSn solder-line, Proceedings of the IEEE 16th Annual International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, Jan. 2003, pp. 614-617.|
|8||Liang, Zhi-Hao et al., "A Low Temperature Wafer-Level Hermetic MEMS Package Using UV Curable Adhesive", Electronic Components and Technology Conference, 2004 IEEE, pp. 1486-1491.|
|9||Maharbiz et al., Batch micropackaging by compression-bonded wafer-wafer transfer, Twelfth IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, Jan. 17-21, 1999, pp. 482-489.|
|10||Moraja, et al., Advanced Getter Solutions at Wafer Level to Assure High Reliability to the last Generations MEMS, IEEE Reliability Physics Symposium Proceedings, 2003, pp. 458-459.|
|11||Office Action dated Aug. 4, 2009 in U.S. Appl. No. 11/734,730.|
|12||Office Action filed in U.S. Appl. No. 11/734,730, dated Jan. 26, 2009.|
|13||Sparks, et al. Chip-Level Vacuum Packaging of Micromachines Using NanoGetters, IEEE Transactions on Advanced Packaging, vol. 26 Issue 3, Aug. 2003, pp. 277-282.|
|14||Tao et al., Selective Bonding and encapsulation for wafer-level vacuum packaging of mems and related micro systems, Microelectronics and Reliability, 44(2):251-258, Feb. 2004.|
|15||Tilmans et al., The indent reflow sealing (IRS) technique-A method for the fabrication of sealed cavities for mems devices, Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems, 9(2), Jun. 2000.|
|16||Tominetti, et al., Moisture and impurities detection and removal in packaged MEMS, Proceedings of the SPIE, Reliability, Testing and Characterization of MEMS/MOEMS, Oct. 2001, pp. 215-225.|
|17||Yang et al., Localized induction heating solder bonding for wafer level MEMS packaging, 17th IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, Jan. 2004, pp. 729-732.|
|Citing Patent||Filing date||Publication date||Applicant||Title|
|US8124434 *||Jun 10, 2005||Feb 28, 2012||Qualcomm Mems Technologies, Inc.||Method and system for packaging a display|
|US8482496||Jun 12, 2007||Jul 9, 2013||Pixtronix, Inc.||Circuits for controlling MEMS display apparatus on a transparent substrate|
|US8519923||Mar 9, 2012||Aug 27, 2013||Pixtronix, Inc.||Display methods and apparatus|
|US8519945||Oct 29, 2007||Aug 27, 2013||Pixtronix, Inc.||Circuits for controlling display apparatus|
|US8520285 *||Feb 1, 2011||Aug 27, 2013||Pixtronix, Inc.||Methods for manufacturing cold seal fluid-filled display apparatus|
|US8526096||Feb 12, 2009||Sep 3, 2013||Pixtronix, Inc.||Mechanical light modulators with stressed beams|
|US8599463||Apr 18, 2012||Dec 3, 2013||Pixtronix, Inc.||MEMS anchors|
|US8891152||Aug 12, 2013||Nov 18, 2014||Pixtronix, Inc.||Methods for manufacturing cold seal fluid-filled display apparatus|
|US9082353||Jan 5, 2010||Jul 14, 2015||Pixtronix, Inc.||Circuits for controlling display apparatus|
|US9087486||Feb 1, 2011||Jul 21, 2015||Pixtronix, Inc.||Circuits for controlling display apparatus|
|US9110200||Apr 15, 2011||Aug 18, 2015||Flex Lighting Ii, Llc||Illumination device comprising a film-based lightguide|
|US9116344||Nov 26, 2013||Aug 25, 2015||Pixtronix, Inc.||MEMS anchors|
|US9128277||Aug 28, 2013||Sep 8, 2015||Pixtronix, Inc.||Mechanical light modulators with stressed beams|
|US9134552||Mar 13, 2013||Sep 15, 2015||Pixtronix, Inc.||Display apparatus with narrow gap electrostatic actuators|
|US9135868||Aug 29, 2012||Sep 15, 2015||Pixtronix, Inc.||Direct-view MEMS display devices and methods for generating images thereon|
|US9158106||Jan 6, 2006||Oct 13, 2015||Pixtronix, Inc.||Display methods and apparatus|
|US9176318||Oct 19, 2007||Nov 3, 2015||Pixtronix, Inc.||Methods for manufacturing fluid-filled MEMS displays|
|US9177523||Aug 26, 2013||Nov 3, 2015||Pixtronix, Inc.||Circuits for controlling display apparatus|
|US9182587||Oct 27, 2009||Nov 10, 2015||Pixtronix, Inc.||Manufacturing structure and process for compliant mechanisms|
|US9229222||Oct 19, 2007||Jan 5, 2016||Pixtronix, Inc.||Alignment methods in fluid-filled MEMS displays|
|US9261694||Jan 5, 2011||Feb 16, 2016||Pixtronix, Inc.||Display apparatus and methods for manufacture thereof|
|US9274333||Aug 30, 2012||Mar 1, 2016||Pixtronix, Inc.||Alignment methods in fluid-filled MEMS displays|
|US9336732||Sep 14, 2012||May 10, 2016||Pixtronix, Inc.||Circuits for controlling display apparatus|
|US20110148948 *||Jun 23, 2011||Pixtronix, Inc.||Circuits for controlling display apparatus|
|US20110157679 *||Jun 30, 2011||Pixtronix, Inc.||Methods for manufacturing cold seal fluid-filled display apparatus|
|US20110164067 *||Jan 5, 2010||Jul 7, 2011||Pixtronix, Inc.||Circuits for controlling display apparatus|
|US20150014798 *||Jul 9, 2014||Jan 15, 2015||Stmicroelectronics S.R.L.||Assembly for a mems environmental sensor device having improved resistance, and corresponding manufacturing process|
|U.S. Classification||359/245, 359/290|
|International Classification||G02B26/00, G02F1/03|
|Cooperative Classification||G02B26/0841, B81C1/00285, G02B27/0006, B81C2203/032, B81B2201/047, B81C2203/019, B81C2203/0145, G02B26/001|
|European Classification||G02B26/00C, B81C1/00C14C2, G02B27/00C, G02B26/08M4E|
|Jun 13, 2007||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: QUALCOMM INCORPORATED, CALIFORNIA
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:NATARAJAN, BANGALORE R.;PALMATEER, LAUREN;REEL/FRAME:019429/0232;SIGNING DATES FROM 20070530 TO 20070531
Owner name: QUALCOMM INCORPORATED,CALIFORNIA
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:NATARAJAN, BANGALORE R.;PALMATEER, LAUREN;SIGNING DATES FROM 20070530 TO 20070531;REEL/FRAME:019429/0232
|Feb 27, 2008||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: QUALCOMM MEMS TECHNOLOGIES, INC., CALIFORNIA
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:QUALCOMM INCORPORATED;REEL/FRAME:020571/0253
Effective date: 20080222
Owner name: QUALCOMM MEMS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.,CALIFORNIA
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:QUALCOMM INCORPORATED;REEL/FRAME:020571/0253
Effective date: 20080222
|Oct 11, 2013||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 4