# US 10,308,505 B1 · Method and apparatus for the monolithic encapsulation of a micro-scale inertial navigation sensor suite > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,308,505 B1 - Document ID: US10308505B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 14/456,808 - Filed: 2014-08-11 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2014-08-11 - Assignees: HRL Laboratories, LLC - Applicants: Hrl Laboratories LLC - Inventors: Deborah J. Kirby; Raviv Perahia; Hung Nguyen; Frederic P. Stratton; David T. Chang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10308505B1 ## CPC - B81C 1/00285: {using materials for controlling the level of pressure, contaminants or moisture inside of the package, e.g. getters} - B81B 3/00: Devices comprising flexible or deformable elements, e.g. comprising elastic tongues or membranes (B81B5/00 takes precedence) - B81B 3/0021: {Transducers for transforming electrical into mechanical energy or vice versa (dynamo-electric machines H02K99/00; electrostatic machines H02N1/00; piezoelectric devices H10N30/00)} - B81B 7/02: containing distinct electrical or optical devices of particular relevance for their function, e.g. microelectro-mechanical systems [MEMS] (B81B7/04 takes precedence) - G01C 19/5783: Mountings or housings not specific to any of the devices covered by groups G01C19/5607 - G01C19/5719 - B81B 2201/0235: Accelerometers - B81B 2201/0242: Gyroscopes - B81B 2201/0264: Pressure sensors - B81B 2207/012: the micromechanical device and the control or processing electronics being separate parts in the same package - B81C 2203/0172: Seals - G01C 21/18: Stabilised platforms, e.g. by gyroscope - B81C: PROCESSES OR APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS (making microcapsules or microballoons B01J13/02; processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of piezoelectric, electrostrictive or magnetostrictive elements per se H10N30/01) - B81B: MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS, e.g. MICROMECHANICAL DEVICES (piezoelectric, electrostrictive or magnetostrictive elements per se H10N30/00, H10N35/00) - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) ## Abstract A device preferably for use in an inertial navigation system the device having a single IC wafer; a plurality of sensors bonded to bond regions on said single IC wafer, at least one of said bond regions including an opening therein in gaseous communication with a pressure chamber associated with at least one of the plurality of said sensors; and a plurality of caps encapsulating said plurality of sensors, at least one of said plurality of caps forming at least a portion of said pressure chamber. A method of making the device is also disclosed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus comprising a sensor suite comprising several sensors each having quartz members formed of quartz from a common body of quartz material; said sensors being disposed on a single wafer and where each sensor is sealed in a distinct pressure and/or a distinct gaseous environment, the sensor suite further comprising a plurality of cap wafers sealing said sensors in said distinct pressure and/or gaseous environments, at least two of said cap wafers overlapping other ones of said cap wafers; and a vibration damping unit adhered to at least one of said caps in said plurality of caps. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of said cap wafers has a depending sidewall which surrounds at least one of said sensors and which is bonded to said single wafer to thereby hermetically seal said at least one of said sensors. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1 further including a gyroscope adhered to a side of said vibration damping unit remote from said plurality of caps. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of said cap wafers has a depending sidewall which surrounds one of said sensors and which is bonded to said single wafer to thereby hermetically seal said one of said sensors. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The apparatus of claim 4 wherein at least another one of said cap wafers has a depending sidewall which at least partially surrounds another one of said sensors, the depending sidewall of said at least another one of said cap wafers has an opening therein for venting at least a portion of said another one of said sensors to ambient. ### Claim 6 A device comprising: a single IC wafer; a plurality of sensors bonded to bond regions on said single IC wafer, at least one of said bond regions including an opening therein in gaseous communication with a pressure chamber associated with at least one of the plurality of said sensors; a plurality of caps hermetically encapsulating all or at least a portion of said plurality of sensors, at least one of said plurality of caps forming at least a portion of said pressure chamber; and a monolithic vibration damping unit adhered to at least one of said caps in said plurality of caps. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The device of claim 6 wherein a majority of said cap wafers are disposed in an overlapping relationship with one or more other ones of said cap wafers. ### Claim 8 A device comprising: a single IC wafer; a plurality of sensors bonded to bond regions on said single IC wafer; a plurality of caps hermetically encapsulating all or at least a portion of said plurality of sensors, at least one of said plurality of caps forming at least a portion of a pressure chamber; and a damping unit adhered to at least one of said plurality of caps. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The device of claim 8 further including a gyroscope disposed on a side of said damping unit remote from said caps. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The device of claim 8 wherein: (a) said vibration damping unit is a monolithic vibration damping unit; (b) one of said encapsulating caps encapsulates (i) one or more of said sensors and/or devices and (ii) another one or ones of said encapsulating caps in a separate fluid or vacuum environment remote from said plurality of caps; and (c) said monolithic vibration damping unit is disposed on said one of said encapsulating caps. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The device of claim 8 wherein said damping unit comprises a squeezed film. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The device of claim 11 wherein said plurality of caps are adhered to additional bond regions on said single IC wafer at least one of said additional bond regions includes an opening therein in gaseous communication with said pressure chamber which is associated with at least one of the plurality of said sensors. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The device of claim 12 wherein said at least one of said sensors is associated with said bond regions having an opening therein is a pressure detecting device in fluid communication with said opening and wherein the remaining ones of said sensors are selected from the group consisting: magnetometers, accelerometers and resonators. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The device of claim 12 wherein said sensors are formed from a common wafer of quartz. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The device of claim 14 wherein all of said sensors have a common crystallographic orientation based on the common wafer of quartz from which they are formed. ### Claim 16 A device comprising: a. an integrated circuit chip or wafer; b. a plurality of sensors and/or devices disposed on said integrated circuit chip or wafer; c. a plurality of encapsulating caps disposed over said sensors and/or devices, each of said plurality of encapsulating caps being affixed directly to said integrated circuit chip or wafer and encapsulating one or more of said sensors and/or devices with a separate fluid or vacuum environment; d. a damping material adhered on one side thereof to at least one of said plurality of encapsulating caps; and e. a gyroscope adhered to another side of said damping material. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The device of claim 16 wherein each and every one of said sensors and/or devices is at least partially encapsulated with a unique gaseous pressure and/or a unique gaseous material. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The device of claim 16 wherein at least one of said sensors and/or devices is encapsulated with a unique gaseous pressure and/or a unique gaseous material compared with other ones of said sensors and/or devices. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The device of claim 16 wherein a vibration damping unit is bonded to at least one of said caps and wherein an accelerometer is disposed on a side of said vibration damping unit spaced from said at least one of said caps. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The device of claim 16 wherein said sensors and/or devices are formed from a quartz wafer. ### Claim 21 (depends on 16) The device of claim 16 wherein each of said encapsulating caps has a depending sidewall which surrounds at least one of said plurality of sensors and which is bonded to said integrated circuit chip or wafer to thereby hermetically seal said at least one of said plurality of sensors. ### Claim 22 (depends on 16) The device of claim 16 wherein at least one of said encapsulating caps encapsulates (i) one or more of said sensors and/or devices and (ii) another one or ones of said encapsulating caps in a separate fluid or vacuum environment. ### Claim 23 (depends on 16) The device of claim 16 wherein at least one of said encapsulating caps has a depending sidewall which surrounds one of said plurality of sensors and which is bonded to said integrated circuit chip or wafer to thereby hermetically seal said one of said plurality of sensors. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The apparatus of claim 23 wherein at least another one of said encapsulating caps has a depending sidewall which at least partially surrounds another one of said plurality of sensors, the depending sidewall of said at least another one of said encapsulating caps has an opening therein for venting at least a portion of said another one of said plurality of sensors to ambient. ### Claim 25 A device comprising: a. an integrated circuit chip or wafer; b. a plurality of sensors and/or devices disposed on said integrated circuit chip or wafer; c. encapsulating caps disposed over said sensors and/or devices, each encapsulating cap encapsulating one or more of said sensors and/or devices with a separate fluid or vacuum environment for each of said plurality of sensors and/or devices; d. a vibration damping unit adhered to each of said plurality of caps; wherein exposed surfaces of said sensors and/or devices are affixed to bond regions on said integrated circuit chip or wafer and wherein at least one of said bond regions has a opening therein which helps form a fluid communication passage associated with a given one of said sensor or devices, the given one of said sensor or devices comprising a pressure detector, the pressure detector confronting two chambers for measuring a differential pressure across said two chambers, said fluid communication channel being in fluid communication with one of said two chambers. ### Claim 26 An apparatus comprising a sensor suite in which a plurality of sensors are disposed on a single substrate and wherein said sensors are sealed in distinct pressure and/or a distinct gaseous environments by means of a plurality of caps, each of said plurality of caps being affixed to said single substrate and sealing one or more of said plurality of sensors in said distinct pressure and/or gaseous environment and a silicon wafer containing a vibration damping unit bonded to at least one of said plurality of caps. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The apparatus of claim 26 wherein at least one of said caps seals one or more of said sensors and/or devices and also seals another one or ones of said caps in a common separate fluid or vacuum environment.