Methods of creating exposed cavities in molded electronic devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11304302-B2
Application number	US-201916709743-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2019
Priority date	Sep 26, 2019
Publication date	Apr 12, 2022
Grant date	Apr 12, 2022

Abstract

Methods include receiving at least one electronic device including a sensor or an emitter, placing a cover over the sensor or emitter, placing the electronic device, including the cover, into a transfer mold system, encapsulating the electronic device with charge material, and removing a portion of the encapsulating charge material and the cover to expose the sensor or emitter to the environment.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising: placing a cover over a sensor or an emitter of an electronic device; placing the electronic device, including the cover, into a transfer mold system; encapsulating the electronic device with charge material resulting in an encapsulated electronic device; and removing material across an entirety of the encapsulated electronic device until a top of the cover is removed to expose the sensor or the emitter.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device includes a printed circuit board.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising soldering the cover to the printed circuit board prior to encapsulating the electronic device.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein removing the material across the entirety of the encapsulated electronic device includes grinding the material across the entirety of the encapsulated electronic device.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the grinding is performed with the electronic device inverted, such that grinding debris falls away from a surface of the sensor or the emitter.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein removing the material across the entirety of the encapsulated electronic device includes milling the material across the entirety of the encapsulated electronic device.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising vacuuming milling debris from a surface of the emitter or the sensor.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cover is placed on a printed circuit board to cover the sensor or the emitter.

9. The method of claim 8 , where the cover is adhered to the printed circuit board.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cover is placed on the sensor or the emitter and does not extend to a printed circuit board.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising singulating the encapsulated electronic device from encapsulated electronic devices.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising grinding away flash material from the encapsulated electronic device.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein a laser is used to remove the material.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein a mechanical or a chemical method is employed to remove the material.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cover is formed of a tube or a hollow shape.

Assignees

• Flex Ltd

Inventors

• Shangguan Dongkai
• Geiger David
• Iyer Venkat
• Yang Cheng

Classifications

• H10W74/016

  using moulds · CPC title

• H10P72/0612

  Production flow monitoring, e.g. for increasing throughput · CPC title

• H10P72/0428

  Apparatus for mechanical treatment or grinding or cutting · CPC title

• H10P72/0438 Primary

  Apparatus for making assemblies not otherwise provided for, e.g. package constructions · CPC title

• H05K3/284 Primary

  for encapsulating mounted components (H05K1/185 takes precedence) · CPC title