Deposition of protective material at wafer level in front end for early stage particle and moisture protection

A semiconductor device comprising:

• a semiconductor chip comprising:
• a substrate;
• at least one microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) element, comprising a sensitive area, disposed at a surface of the substrate;
• and
• a protective material disposed over the sensitive area of the at least one MEMS element such that the sensitive area of at least one MEMS element is sealed from an external environment, wherein the protective material is configured to permit a sensor functionality of the at least one MEMS element;
• a package to which the semiconductor chip is mounted, wherein the package includes encapsulation material that is excluded from a first region, the first region extending over the sensitive area of the at least one MEMS element;
• at least one stress-decoupling trench laterally spaced from the at least one MEMS element and extending into the substrate, and the protective material is confined to an area within a region defined by the at least one stress-decoupling trench,
• wherein the at least one stress-decoupling trench defines an inside region of the surface of the substrate and a peripheral region of the surface of the substrate, and
• the encapsulation material is attached to the surface of the substrate at the peripheral region, and the first region is defined at least by the inside region.

A semiconductor device comprising:

• a semiconductor chip comprising:
• a substrate;
• at least one microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) element, comprising a sensitive area, disposed at a surface of the substrate;
• and
• a protective material disposed over the sensitive area of the at least one MEMS element such that the sensitive area of at least one MEMS element is sealed from an external environment, wherein the protective material is configured to permit a sensor functionality of the at least one MEMS element;
• a package to which the semiconductor chip is mounted, wherein the package includes encapsulation material that is excluded from a first region, the first region extending over the sensitive area of the at least one MEMS element;
• at least one stop frame disposed on the surface of the substrate at a second region, the second region surrounding the at least one MEMS element, wherein the at least one stop frame is configured to confine the protective material inside the second region;
• and
• a seal ring disposed on the surface of the substrate at a third region, the third region spaced apart from and surrounding the at least one stop frame, wherein the encapsulation material is attached to the surface of the substrate peripheral to the third region and is excluded from the surface of the substrate internal to the third region.