Packaging a sealed cavity in an electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10589986-B2
Application number	US-201715696245-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 6, 2017
Priority date	Sep 6, 2017
Publication date	Mar 17, 2020
Grant date	Mar 17, 2020

Abstract

An electronic device includes a package substrate, a circuit assembly, and a housing. The circuit assembly is mounted on the package substrate. The circuit assembly includes a first sealed cavity formed in a device substrate. The housing is mounted on the package substrate to form a second sealed cavity about the circuit assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A clock generator, comprising:
a substrate having a first sealed cavity, the first sealed cavity containing dipolar molecules;
clock generation circuitry coupled to the substrate, the clock generation circuitry configured to drive a signal into the first sealed cavity and, responsive to the driven signal, generate a clock signal at a frequency of quantum rotational state transition of the dipolar molecules; and
a housing having a second sealed cavity, the second sealed cavity enclosing the substrate and the clock generation circuitry.

2. The clock generator of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a first substrate, and the clock generator further comprises a second substrate bonded to the housing to form the second sealed cavity.

3. The clock generator of claim 1 , wherein the clock generator further comprises a plate bonded to the substrate to form the first sealed cavity.

4. The clock generator of claim 3 , wherein the plate includes a dielectric membrane.

5. The clock generator of claim 3 , further comprising a pressure sensor coupled to the plate, the pressure sensor configured to measure a pressure within the first sealed cavity responsive to a displacement of the plate.

6. The clock generator of claim 5 , wherein the pressure sensor is a first pressure sensor, and the clock generator further comprises a second pressure sensor coupled to the housing, the second pressure sensor configured to measure a pressure within the second sealed cavity responsive to a displacement of the housing.

7. The clock generator of claim 3 , further comprising:
an acoustic sensor coupled to the plate, the acoustic sensor configured to measure a vibration of the plate; and
control circuitry coupled to the acoustic sensor, the control circuitry configured to measure a pressure within the first sealed cavity responsive to the vibration of the plate.

8. The clock generator of claim 7 , wherein the acoustic sensor is a first acoustic sensor, the control circuitry is first control circuitry, and the clock generator further comprises:
a second acoustic sensor coupled to the housing, the second acoustic sensor configured to measure a vibration of the housing; and
second control circuitry coupled to the second acoustic sensor, the second control circuitry configured to measure a pressure within the second sealed cavity responsive to the vibration of the housing.

9. The clock generator of claim 1 , further comprising a pressure sensor coupled to the housing, the pressure sensor configured to measure a pressure within the second sealed cavity responsive to a displacement of the housing.

10. The clock generator of claim 1 , further comprising:
an acoustic sensor coupled to the housing, the acoustic sensor and configured to measure a vibration of the housing; and
control circuitry coupled to the acoustic sensor, the control circuitry configured to measure a pressure within the second sealed cavity responsive to the vibration of the housing.

11. The clock generator of claim 1 , wherein the first sealed cavity is a waveguide of a millimeter-wave wave chip scale atomic clock.

12. The clock generator of claim 1 , wherein the first cavity is hermetically sealed.

13. The clock generator of claim 12 , wherein the second cavity is hermetically sealed.

14. The clock generator of claim 1 , wherein the second cavity is hermetically sealed.

Assignees

• Texas Instruments Inc

Inventors

• Fruehling Adam Joseph
• Herbsommer Juan Alejandro
• Jacobs Simon Joshua
• Cook Benjamin Stassen
• Hallas James F
• Long Randy

Classifications

• B81B2201/058

  Microfluidics not provided for in B81B2201/051 - B81B2201/054 · CPC title

• B81B2207/012

  the micromechanical device and the control or processing electronics being separate parts in the same package · CPC title

• G01M3/3272

  for verifying the internal pressure of closed containers · CPC title

• G04F5/14 Primary

  using atomic clocks · CPC title

• G01L11/04

  by acoustic means · CPC title