MICROSYSTEM PACKAGING - LESSONS FROM CONVENTIONAL LOW-COST IC PACKAGING

This paper describes some of the issues associated with the packaging of microsystems and how packaging can influence their reliability and performance. The importance of early consideration in the design cycle of packaging, and the environment in which the microsystem will be pl aced, is stressed. It illustrates how the IC packaging industry has st riven to overcome the problems of residual stress, stress minimization , hermeticity, and improved thermal performance in their packages and how this can be applied to microsystem packaging. Packaging problems s pecific to microsystems are identified.