Semiconductor device with means for verifying a hermetic seal therefor

A method and device for verifying whether a cavity (16) enclosing a micromachined sensing structure (14) between a pair of wafers (10, 12) is hermetically sealed by detecting the presence of moisture within the cavity (16). The method entails forming a bare, unpassivated PN junction diode (20) in a...

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Bibliographische Detailangaben
1. Verfasser:	STALLER STEVEN EDWARD
Format:	Patent
Sprache:	eng
Schlagworte:	GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS INDICATING PRESENCE, ABSENCE, OR DIRECTION, OF MOVEMENT INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES MEASURING MEASURING ANGLES MEASURING AREAS MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS MEASURING FORCE, STRESS, TORQUE, WORK, MECHANICAL POWER,MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY, OR FLUID PRESSURE MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEARDIMENSIONS MEASURING LINEAR OR ANGULAR SPEED, ACCELERATION, DECELERATION,OR SHOCK MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS, e.g. MICROMECHANICALDEVICES MICROSTRUCTURAL TECHNOLOGY NAVIGATION PERFORMING OPERATIONS PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY PHYSICS PROCESSES OR APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTUREOR TREATMENT OF MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS SURVEYING TESTING TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES ORSTRUCTURES TESTING STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR TRANSPORTING
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Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:	A method and device for verifying whether a cavity (16) enclosing a micromachined sensing structure (14) between a pair of wafers (10, 12) is hermetically sealed by detecting the presence of moisture within the cavity (16). The method entails forming a bare, unpassivated PN junction diode (20) in a semiconductor substrate, preferably a device wafer (10) with the sensing structure (14). The device wafer (10) is then bonded to a capping wafer (12) to enclose the PN junction diode (20) and micromachine (14) within a cavity (16) defined by and between the wafers (10, 12). The reverse diode characteristics of the PN junction diode (20) are then determined by causing a reverse current to flow through the diode (20). For this purpose, either a known voltage is applied across the diode (20) and the reverse leakage current measured, or a known reverse current is forced across the diode (20) and the voltage measured. The unpassivated junction diode (20) exhibits unstable current/voltage readings if sufficient moisture is present within the cavity (16), thereby indicating whether or not the cavity (16) is hermetically sealed.