Microphone assemblies with through-silicon vias

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9232302-B2
Application number	US-201113149626-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2011
Priority date	May 31, 2011
Publication date	Jan 5, 2016
Grant date	Jan 5, 2016

Abstract

Microphone assemblies may be provided that have microelectromechanical systems microphones and associated application-specific integrated circuits mounted to printed circuit boards. The application-specific integrated circuits may contain amplifier circuitry for amplifying microphone signals from the microphone. One or more though-silicon vias may be formed in the application-specific integrated circuit that serve as an acoustic port through which sound may pass. The application-specific integrated circuit may be embedded in the printed circuit board and the microphone may be mounted to the upper surface of the printed circuit board, the application-specific integrated circuit and microphone may be stacked on the upper surface of the printed circuit board, or the microphone and application-specific integrated circuit may be mounted to the printed circuit board so that the microphone is received within an opening in the printed circuit board.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A microphone assembly, comprising:
a printed circuit board having a top surface, a bottom surface, and an opening passing through the bottom surface;
an integrated circuit having a top surface, a bottom surface, and at least one through-silicon via that forms an acoustic port through the top and bottom surfaces of the integrated circuit; and
a microphone, separate from the integrated circuit, that is mounted to a portion of the top surface of the integrated circuit so that the microphone receives sound through the acoustic port of the integrated circuit;
wherein the top surface of the integrated circuit is mounted to the bottom surface of the printed circuit board so that the microphone is positioned within the opening of the printed circuit board and the integrated circuit is positioned outside of the opening of the printed circuit board,
wherein the opening has at least one peripheral edge that is open and not surrounded by the printed circuit board.

2. The microphone assembly defined in claim 1 , wherein the opening of the printed circuit board passes through the top surface of the printed circuit board and through the bottom surface of the printed circuit board.

3. The microphone assembly defined in claim 1 , wherein the opening of the printed circuit board passes through the bottom surface of the printed circuit board and not through the top surface of the printed circuit board.

4. The microphone assembly defined in claim 1 , wherein the microphone is positioned entirely within the opening of the printed circuit board.

5. The microphone assembly defined in claim 1 , wherein the microphone is positioned only partly within the opening of the printed circuit board.

6. The microphone assembly defined in claim 1 , further comprising solder with which the microphone is directly mounted to the integrated circuit.

7. The microphone assembly defined in claim 1 , further comprising solder with which the integrated circuit is directly mounted to the printed circuit board.

8. The microphone assembly defined in claim 1 , wherein the integrated circuit has a thickness in the range of 50 to 300 microns.

9. The microphone assembly defined in claim 1 , wherein the integrated circuit comprises the through-silicon via layered with metal.

10. The microphone assembly defined in claim 1 , wherein the microphone comprises a microelectromechanical systems microphone formed from a silicon substrate, wherein the microphone has a diaphragm, wherein the silicon substrate has a microphone opening aligned with the diaphragm, wherein the microphone opening is aligned with the acoustic port so that sound is received by the diaphragm through the acoustic port and the microphone opening.

11. The microphone assembly defined in claim 1 , wherein the integrated circuit has at least some metal-filled through-silicon vias that form electrical paths between the top and bottom surfaces of the integrated circuit, the microphone assembly further comprising solder with which the microphone is soldered to the top surface of the integrated circuit and with which the integrated circuit is soldered to the printed circuit board.

12. The microphone assembly defined in claim 1 , further comprising solder with which the integrated circuit is mounted to the printed circuit board and with which the microphone is mounted to the integrated circuit, wherein the integrated circuit has a thickness of 50 to 300 microns and wherein the integrated circuit includes amplifier circuitry that amplifies a microphone signal from the microphone.

13. The microphone assembly defined in claim 2 , further comprising solder with which the microphone is mounted to the integrated circuit, solder with which the integrated circuit is mounted to the printed circuit board, wherein the microphone is positioned entirely within the opening of the printed circuit board, and wherein the integrated circuit has a thickness in the range of 50 to 300 microns.

14. The microphone assembly defined in claim 2 , further comprising solder with which the microphone is mounted to the integrated circuit, solder with which the integrated circuit is mounted to the printed circuit board, wherein the microphone is positioned only partly within the opening of the printed circuit board, and wherein the integrated circuit has a thickness in the range of 50 to 300 microns.

15. The microphone assembly defined in claim 3 , further comprising solder with which the microphone is mounted to the integrated circuit, solder with which the integrated circuit is mounted to the printed circuit board, wherein the microphone is positioned entirely within the opening of the printed circuit board, and wherein the integrated circuit has a thickness in the range of 50 to 300 microns.

16. The microphone assembly defined in claim 3 , further comprising solder with which the microphone is mounted to the integrated circuit, solder with which the integrated circuit is mounted to the printed circuit board, wherein the microphone is positioned only partly within the opening of the printed circuit board, and wherein the integrated circuit has a thickness in the range of 50 to 300 microns.

17. The microphone assembly defined in claim 1 , further comprising solder with which the microphone is mounted to the integrated circuit, solder with which the integrated circuit is mounted to the printed circuit board, and wherein the integrated circuit has a thickness in the range of 50 to 300 microns.

18. A process for making a microphone assembly, comprising:
forming a stacked die assembly by mounting a microphone to a top surface of an integrated circuit having at least one through-silicon via that forms an acoustic port so that the microphone is capable of receiving sound through the acoustic port;
inserting the microphone into an opening of a printed circuit board so that the microphone is positioned within the opening, wherein the printed circuit board has a top surface and a bottom surface and has at least one peripheral edge that is open and not surrounded by the printed circuit board; and
mounting the stacked die assembly to the printed circuit board by attaching the top surface of the integrated circuit to the bottom surface of the printed circuit board so that the integrated circuit is positioned outside of the opening of the printed circuit board.

19. The process of claim 18 , wherein the microphone is positioned entirely within the opening.

Assignees

• Minoo Jahan
• Seroff Nicholas C
• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Minoo Jahan
• Seroff Nicholas C

Classifications

• H04R19/005

  using semiconductor materials · CPC title

• H04R1/086

  Protective screens, e.g. all weather or wind screens · CPC title

• H04R1/342 Primary

  for microphones · CPC title