Localized induction heating solder bonding for wafer level MEMS packaging

This paper reports a new solder bonding method for the wafer level packaging of MEMS devices. Electroplated magnetic film was heated using induction heating causing the solder to reflow. The experiment results show that it took less than 1 min to complete the bonding process. In addition, the MEMS devices experienced a temperature of only 110 degreesC during bonding, thus thin film materials would not be damaged. Moreover, the bond strength between silicon and silicon wafer was higher than 18 MPa. The step height of the feed-through wire (acting as the electrical feed-through of the bonded region) is sealed by the electroplated film. Thus, the flatness and roughness of the electroplated surface are recovered by the solder reflow, and the package for preventing water leakage can be achieved. The integration of the surface micromachined devices with the proposed packaging techniques was demonstrated.