JP2008271491A - Quartz crystal device and method for sealing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To hermetically seal a package of a piezoelectric device with sufficient bonding strength. <P>SOLUTION: A metal paste sealing material contains a metallic particle made of Au and having an average particle size from 0.1 to 1.0 μm, an organic solvent, and a resin material in proportions of from 88 to 93 wt.%, from 5 to 15 wt.%, and from 0.01 to 4.0 wt.%, respectively, to hermetically seal the crystal resonator element in the package. The metal paste sealing material is applied to conductive metallic thin films 9, 10 formed on upper and lower surfaces of an outer frame 6 of an intermediate crystal plate 2 with which a crystal vibrating chip 5 is formed integrally, and heated at a relatively low temperature and primary sintering treatment is performed, thereby forming a primary sintered body 24 having a porous structure with a Young's modulus of 9 to 16 GPa and a density of 10 to 17 g/cm<SP>3</SP>. Upper and lower substrates 3, 4 are then placed above and under the intermediate crystal plate, metallic thin films 14, 15, 17 of these substrates are brought into contact with the primary sintered bodies on the upper and lower surfaces of the outer frames, heated and pressed, and secondary sintering treatment is performed, thereby densely recrystallizing metallic particles of the primary sintered bodies to form bonding films 25-27, such that the package is hermetically bonded and sealed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention provides a metal paste sealing material for hermetically sealing, for example, a tuning-fork type or thickness-shear vibration mode crystal vibrating piece in a crystal device such as a vibrator, a resonator, an oscillator, a filter, and a sensor, and The present invention relates to a quartz crystal device sealed with the metal paste sealing material and a sealing method thereof.

  Conventionally, piezoelectric devices are required to be further reduced in size and thickness, and many surface mount types suitable for mounting on circuit boards and the like are used. Generally, a surface mount type piezoelectric device employs a structure in which a piezoelectric vibrating piece is sealed in a package made of an insulating material such as ceramic. In this conventional package, a piezoelectric vibrating piece is mounted in a cavity of a box-type base in which thin plates of ceramic material are stacked, and a lid is hermetically bonded to the base and sealed.

  When the lid is made of metal, the base and the lid can be joined by a method in which a metal seal ring is placed on the upper end surface of the base and seam welded (for example, Patent Document 1), or on the upper end surface of the base coated with the metal film. A method (for example, see Patent Document 2) in which a metal brazing material is arranged and heated and melted is known. When the lid is a ceramic or glass material, a low melting point glass or resin disposed between the base and the lid is heated and melted (for example, see Patent Document 3), or a metallized layer is formed on the lower surface of the lid. A method in which a crystal solder is melted and bonded to a ceramic case (for example, see Patent Document 4), and a method in which a eutectic metal film layer formed on a joint portion of a lid is heated and melted (for example, see Patent Document 5). Are known.

  However, the gas generated from the low melting point glass or the high heat of seam welding may reduce or deteriorate the frequency characteristics of the quartz crystal resonator element. In addition, the low melting point glass often contains lead, which may not be preferable in that it may affect the environment. In view of this, there has been proposed a quartz resonator having a structure that is reduced in size and thickness by forming a quartz plate in which a quartz vibrating piece and an outer frame are integrated, and bonding a substrate as a base and a lid on the top and bottom of the quartz plate.

  In order to hermetically seal such a structure, for example, a method is known in which a metal layer provided on the upper and lower surfaces of an outer frame that is integrated with a crystal unit, and a lid and case made of glass are anodically bonded (for example, a patent Reference 6). Further, a method is known in which the mirror-polished mutual bonding surfaces of the piezoelectric plate and the substrate are cleaned by ultraviolet irradiation or oxygen plasma and bonded by hydrogen bonding of —OH groups by moisture adsorption (see, for example, Patent Document 7). ). Further, a method is known in which a bonding surface formed with an Au film on a piezoelectric substrate and a bonding surface formed with an Ag film on a protective substrate are overlapped and heated under pressure after plasma treatment to perform diffusion bonding (for example, patents). Reference 8).

  Further, a surface acoustic wave device that directly bonds a metal film formed on the main surface of the piezoelectric substrate on which IDT is formed and a metal film formed on the main surface of the base substrate by pressing after surface activation by ion beam or plasma irradiation. Is known (see, for example, Patent Document 9).

  Recently, in a container containing electronic parts such as piezoelectric vibrators, a box-shaped sealing member made of a ceramic material is formed of a paste-like sealing member made of metal fine particles having an average particle diameter of 1 to 100 nm and a dispersing material such as amine. There has been proposed a method of hermetically sealing using a joint portion between a container portion and a metal lid (see, for example, Patent Documents 10 and 11). In the method described in Patent Document 10, a sealing member is applied to a container portion or a lid by screen printing or an inkjet method, and both are joined together and heated in an atmosphere of 250 ° C. or less. In the method described in Patent Document 11, a paste-like sealing member is formed into a sheet shape, and this is sealed as a lid by joining it to a container portion.

  In addition, a quartz resonator unit in which a quartz crystal plate, an upper plate, and a lower plate are joined by a metal fine particle paste bonding material in which metal fine particles having an average particle diameter of 1 to 100 nm coated with an organic coating are dispersed in an organic solvent. Such a piezoelectric device is known (see, for example, Patent Document 12). The paste bonding material melts the organic coating film by heating at about 200 ° C. to mutually fuse or sinter the metal fine particles. The metal bonding between the metal fine particles and between the metal films makes the piezoelectric device airtight. Seal.

JP 2000-223606 A JP-A-11-307661 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-244772 JP-A-9-36690 JP-A-54-78694 JP 2000-68780 A JP 7-154177 A International Publication Number WO00 / 76066 Pamphlet JP-A-54-78694 JP 2005-317793 A JP 2005-317794 A JP 2006-186748 A

  However, since the paste-like sealing member or bonding material made of the metal fine particles described above uses nanoparticles having an average particle size of 100 nm or less as the metal fine particles, a relatively large amount of organic particles is used to prevent their aggregation. A solvent is required as a dispersant. Therefore, gas is generated from the organic solvent during sealing and remains inside the package, or gas is generated over time from the organic solvent remaining in the joint after sealing, which degrades the quality and frequency characteristics of the piezoelectric vibrating piece. There is a risk that Further, organic solvents are generally difficult to handle, and sealing members containing a large amount of organic solvents are not suitable for mass production, and there is a problem that care must be taken in handling during storage and transportation.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and the purpose thereof is that there is no possibility that gas is generated from an organic solvent at the time of bonding and after sealing, and the piezoelectric vibrating piece is not adversely affected, and An object of the present invention is to provide a method for sealing a piezoelectric device capable of hermetically sealing a package with sufficient bonding strength and high reliability.

  A further object of the present invention is to provide a metal paste sealing material that is used in such a method for sealing a piezoelectric device and that is relatively easy to handle and suitable for mass production.

  According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a quartz crystal resonator element and a package made of a plurality of components are provided, and for example, an average grain made of one or more of Au, Ag, Pt, or Pd Metal paste sealing material in which metal particles having a diameter of 0.1 to 1.0 μm, an organic solvent, and a resin material are blended in proportions of 88 to 93 wt%, 5 to 15 wt%, and 0.01 to 4.0 wt%. A crystal device is provided in which the component parts are bonded together and a quartz crystal resonator element is hermetically sealed in a package.

The metal paste sealing material used in the quartz crystal device of the present invention has a larger particle size of metal particles and a significantly smaller proportion of organic solvent than a metal paste using nano-micron particles of the prior art. Even when sintered at a relatively low temperature of ˜300 ° C., a porous structure sintered body in which metal particles are densified is formed, and an organic solvent and a resin material are not substantially left in the sintered body. It can be easily evaporated. This sintered sintered body can recrystallize metal particles more precisely even when pressed at a relatively low pressure, particularly when the Young's modulus is 9 to 16 GPa and the density is 10 to 17 g / cm ^3. Can do. By this recrystallization, the package of the crystal device can secure high hermeticity.

  In addition, by including a small amount of resin material, it exhibits an appropriate viscosity, can be applied to a fine pattern using known techniques such as screen printing, dispenser, inkjet, etc., and maintains that pattern without flowing out after application. Can do. This good shape is also exhibited after sintering at a low temperature, and is maintained even when the applied pattern is recrystallized by pressing the sintered body. Therefore, since the sealing width of the crystal device can be set narrower when sealing the package, the package size can be reduced accordingly, the entire device can be reduced in size, or the internal capacity of the package can be increased while maintaining the outer dimensions. can do.

  In one embodiment, the plurality of components are an intermediate crystal plate in which a crystal vibrating piece and an outer frame are integrally coupled, and an upper substrate bonded to each of upper and lower surfaces of the intermediate crystal plate by a metal paste sealing material. In the crystal device of the package structure consisting of the lower substrate and the lower substrate, the upper substrate is made of a silicon material forming an integrated circuit for driving the crystal resonator element, and has a terminal connected to the integrated circuit on its lower surface, The quartz plate has a terminal provided at a position corresponding to the terminal of the upper substrate on the upper surface of the outer frame, and the terminal of the upper substrate and the terminal of the intermediate quartz plate are directly connected by a conductive connecting material, thereby further reducing the size and A low-profile crystal oscillator is realized.

  In another embodiment, the plurality of components include a base having a box shape with an open top and a crystal resonator element mounted therein, and a lid airtightly joined to the upper end surface of the base by a metal paste sealing material In a crystal device having a package structure comprising: a lid made of a silicon material forming an integrated circuit for driving a crystal resonator element, and having a terminal connected to the integrated circuit on its lower surface, and a base on its upper end surface Similarly, a more compact and low-profile crystal oscillator is realized by having a terminal provided at a position corresponding to the terminal of the lid and directly connecting the terminal of the lid and the terminal of the base with a conductive connecting material. The

  Accordingly, there is provided a method for hermetically sealing piezoelectric devices such as quartz having various package structures using the metal paste sealing material of the present invention.

According to an aspect of the present invention, an upper substrate and a lower substrate are respectively bonded to upper and lower surfaces of an intermediate crystal plate in which a crystal vibrating piece and an outer frame are integrally coupled, and the cavity is defined between the upper substrate and the lower substrate. In order to hermetically seal the crystal vibrating piece, the intermediate crystal plate has a metal thin film on the upper surface and the lower surface of the outer frame, and the upper substrate and the lower substrate each have a metal thin film on the joint surface with the outer frame. Have
By applying the metal paste sealing material of the present invention described above to at least one of the metal thin film on the upper surface of the outer frame or the metal thin film on the upper substrate and heating, the Young's modulus is 9 to 16 GPa and the density is 10 to 17 g / cm ³ . A first primary sintering treatment step for forming a primary sintered body having a porous structure;
By applying the above-described metal paste sealing material of the present invention to at least one of the metal thin film on the lower surface of the outer frame or the metal thin film on the lower substrate and heating the same, a Young's modulus of 9-16 GPa and a density of 10-17 g / a second primary sintering treatment step for forming a primary sintered body having a porous structure of cm ³ ;
The intermediate crystal plate and the upper substrate are overlapped by bringing one of the metal thin films forming the primary sintered body into contact with the other metal thin film, and pressurizing the primary sintered body. A first secondary sintering treatment step in which the metal particles are densely recrystallized to be airtightly bonded in the outer frame;
The intermediate crystal plate and the lower substrate are overlapped by bringing one metal thin film on which the primary sintered body is formed into contact with the other metal thin film, and pressurizing the primary sintered body to obtain the metal particles. A crystal device sealing method including a second secondary sintering treatment step of airtightly bonding the outer frame by recrystallizing the substrate in a dense manner is provided.

  As described above, the metal paste encapsulant of the present invention maintains sufficient and good shape properties not only at the time of application but also after the primary and secondary sintering treatments, and after the secondary sintering treatment. Since high hermeticity is exhibited by crystallization, the sealing width in the outer frame of the intermediate crystal plate can be made much narrower than before. Therefore, the outer crystal dimensions of the crystal resonator element that can be mounted by reducing the outer frame size of the intermediate crystal plate to reduce the size of the entire crystal device, or increasing the inner shape size while maintaining the outer size of the outer frame. Can be increased to improve the characteristics of the crystal device.

  The primary sintered body having the Young's modulus and density described above is not in the original paste state and has a certain degree of softness, so that the intermediate crystal plate and the upper and lower substrates are overlapped by the secondary sintering process. When pressurizing together, there is no possibility that the material will scatter and adhere to the quartz crystal vibrating piece or remain inside the device. Therefore, the vibration characteristics of the quartz device are maintained without deterioration.

  The porous structure of the primary sintered body can be formed by performing the primary sintering process at a relatively low temperature. Therefore, even when the metal paste sealing material is applied to the intermediate crystal plate and subjected to the primary sintering process, the thermal stress exerted on the crystal vibrating piece can be suppressed.

  Further, since the organic solvent and the resin material of the metal paste sealing material are not substantially left in the primary sintered body, the outer gas from the organic solvent or the resin from the primary sintered body in the secondary sintering process. Does not occur and does not remain inside the piezoelectric device. Furthermore, since there is no possibility that an outer gas of an organic solvent or a resin is generated over time after bonding, the quality and frequency characteristics of the quartz crystal device can be maintained well over a long period of time.

  In a crystal device having this package structure, in one embodiment, the upper substrate and the lower substrate are formed of the same crystal as the intermediate crystal plate, so that the entire package has the same coefficient of thermal expansion. The distortion due to the above is suppressed and the reliability is improved.

  In another embodiment, the upper substrate is made of a silicon material and includes an integrated circuit for driving the crystal resonator element and a terminal connected to the integrated circuit, and the intermediate crystal plate has a terminal on the upper substrate on the upper surface of the outer frame. When the intermediate crystal plate and the upper substrate are overlapped in the first secondary sintering process, the upper substrate terminal and the intermediate crystal plate terminal are directly connected by the conductive connecting material. By doing so, a quartz crystal device that functions as an oscillator can be manufactured with a relatively small number of steps.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in order to form a box shape with an open top and a crystal vibrating piece is mounted in the inside of the base, the lid is joined and hermetically sealed. The end surface has a metal surface, and the lid has a metal surface at the joint surface with the base upper end surface,
A porous material having a Young's modulus of 9 to 16 GPa and a density of 10 to 17 g / cm ³ is similarly applied to at least one of the metal surface of the upper end surface of the base and the metal surface of the lid and heated. A primary sintering process for forming a primary sintered body having a structure;
The lid is placed on the base so that one metal surface on which the primary sintered body is formed and the other metal surface are brought into contact with each other, and the primary sintered body is pressed to make the metal particles dense. By recrystallizing, a sealing method for a quartz crystal device including a secondary sintering treatment step for airtight bonding is provided.

  Also in the crystal device having such a package structure, the excellent operational effect of the sealing method according to the present invention described above can be obtained. In particular, unlike the conventional method of joining the base and the lid by brazing or seam welding, it is possible to suppress the influence of thermal stress on the piezoelectric vibrating piece mounted on the base. Further, unlike the conventional seam welding, there is no possibility that the sealing material scatters and adheres to the crystal vibrating piece, so that the vibration characteristics of the crystal device can be maintained without deteriorating. In addition, the joint where the metal particles are recrystallized by secondary sintering treatment has no risk of remelting in a high-temperature environment unlike conventional solder joints, ensuring high airtightness over time. Is done. Therefore, even if the quartz device is mounted on a circuit board or the like and then heated by a repair process for a defective part, there is no risk of impairing the airtightness, and high reliability can be maintained.

  Further, in a piezoelectric device such as quartz crystal having this package structure, in one embodiment, the lid is made of a glass plate, and a metal film is formed on one surface thereof, whereby primary sintering of the upper end surface of the base is performed. A metal surface can be provided for bonding to the body or for applying a metal paste sealant. In this case, by not forming a metal film in a partial region of the lower surface of the lid, the frequency of the quartz crystal vibrating piece can be adjusted with laser light that is transmitted through the lid from the outside after sealing.

  In another embodiment, the lid is made of a metal plate, and one surface thereof is used as it is as a metal surface for joining the primary sintered body on the upper end surface of the base or for applying a metal paste sealing material. This is advantageous because it is not necessary to form a metal film.

  Furthermore, in another embodiment, the lid is made of a silicon material and includes an integrated circuit for driving the crystal resonator element and a terminal connected to the integrated circuit, and the base is connected to the terminal of the lid on the upper end surface. A crystal device that functions as an oscillator by directly connecting the lid terminal and the base terminal with a conductive connecting material when the lid is superimposed on the base in the secondary sintering process. It can be manufactured with relatively few man-hours.

  Moreover, in a certain embodiment, the metal particles of the primary sintered body can be recrystallized better and effectively and bonded by applying pressure and heating in the secondary sintering treatment step. .

According to still another aspect of the present invention, in an electronic component having a package including a first component and a second component, the first component and the second component are joined and defined between them. In order to hermetically seal the electronic element or the like in the cavity, the first component and the second component each have a metal surface at the joint surface,
By applying the metal paste sealing material of the present invention to at least one of the metal surface of the first component or the metal surface of the second component and heating, the Young's modulus is 9 to 16 GPa and the density is 10 to 17 g / cm ^3. A primary sintering treatment step of forming a primary sintered body having a porous structure of
The first component and the second component are overlapped by bringing one metal surface on which the primary sintered body is formed into contact with the other metal surface, and pressurizing the primary sintered body to An electronic component sealing method including a secondary sintering treatment step for airtight bonding by recrystallizing metal particles densely is provided.

  As a result, various electronic components other than the piezoelectric device can be hermetically sealed in the package using the metal paste sealing material of the present invention. Similarly, the quartz device sealing method according to the present invention has been described above. Excellent effects can be obtained. Also in this case, the metal particles of the primary sintered body can be recrystallized better and effectively and bonded by applying pressure and heating in the secondary sintering treatment step.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
First, the metal paste sealing material by this invention is comprised from a metal particle, an organic solvent, and a resin material. The metal particles are, for example, submicron particles having an average particle diameter of 0.1 to 1.0 μm made of one or more of Au, Ag, Pt, and Pd. As the organic solvent, ester alcohol which can be evaporated at a relatively low temperature of about 200 ° C. is used. The resin material is added to give a certain viscosity to the metal paste sealing material, and for example, a cellulose resin material is used. The composition of the metal paste sealing material is set at a ratio of 88 to 93% by weight of metal powder, 5 to 15% by weight of organic solvent, and 0.01 to 4.0% by weight of resin material.

  The metal paste sealing material of the present invention has a larger particle size and a significantly smaller proportion of organic solvent than the metal paste using nano-micron particles of the prior art. By sintering at a low temperature, it is possible to easily form a sintered body having a porous structure in which metal particles are fused and densified as described later. In addition, the organic solvent and the resin material in the metal paste sealing material can be sufficiently evaporated so as not to substantially remain in the sintered body even by a sintering process at a low temperature. In addition, even when the porous sintered body is pressed at a relatively low pressure, the metal particles can be easily densified and recrystallized. Since this recrystallization can ensure high airtightness, it is particularly suitable for vacuum-sealing packages of piezoelectric devices and electronic components.

  Furthermore, since the metal paste sealing material of the present invention contains a small amount of a resin material, it can be easily applied to a desired fine pattern using a known technique such as screen printing, dispenser, or ink jet, and flows out even after application. It has a moderate viscosity that can maintain its pattern without any problems. The good shape is the same after sintering at low temperature, and the pattern when applied is maintained as it is when the sintered body is pressed and recrystallized. Therefore, when sealing a package such as a piezoelectric device, the sealing width can be set narrower.

  1A and 1B illustrate a process of sealing the crystal resonator of the first embodiment by the method of the present invention. The crystal resonator 1 according to this embodiment includes an intermediate crystal plate 2 having a crystal resonator element, an upper substrate 3 serving as a package lid, and a lower substrate 4 serving as a base. The intermediate crystal plate 2 is formed of an AT-cut crystal plate, and upper and lower substrates 3 and 4 are stacked on top and bottom of the intermediate crystal plate 2 and bonded together. Similarly, the upper and lower substrates 3 and 4 are preferably formed of a quartz thin plate, or can be formed of a glass material or silicon.

  As shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C, the intermediate crystal plate 2 is composed of a crystal thin plate having a uniform thickness as a whole, and is integrated with a thickness-shear mode crystal vibrating piece 5 and its base end portion 5a. And an outer frame 6 coupled to the. Excitation electrodes 7 and 8 are formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the crystal vibrating piece 5, respectively, and are formed over the entire circumference of the upper and lower surfaces of the outer frame 6 by being drawn out from the base end portion 5 a by the wiring films 7 a and 8 a. The conductive metal thin films 9 and 10 are electrically connected. A through-hole 11 is provided at the longitudinal end of the outer frame 6 on the side where the crystal vibrating piece 5 is coupled, and the lower surface of the longitudinal end is separated from the conductive metal thin film 10 by the region 12 of the crystal face. A conductive metal thin film 13 is formed, and is electrically connected to the conductive metal thin film 9 on the upper surface through a conductive film inside the through hole 11.

  As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the upper substrate 3 has a recess 3 a formed on the surface facing the intermediate crystal plate 2, that is, the lower surface. A peripheral portion surrounding the concave portion 3a on the lower surface of the upper substrate 3 constitutes a joint surface with the intermediate crystal plate 2 and is covered with a metal thin film 14 corresponding to the conductive metal thin film 9 of the outer frame.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the lower substrate 4 similarly has a recess 4a formed on the surface facing the intermediate crystal plate 2, that is, the upper surface. A peripheral portion surrounding the recess 4a on the upper surface of the lower substrate 4 constitutes a bonding surface with the intermediate crystal plate 2, a metal thin film 15 corresponding to the conductive metal thin film 10 of the outer frame, A metal thin film 17 corresponding to the conductive metal thin film 13 of the outer frame is formed separated in the region 16. Further, an extraction electrode (not shown) to the outside is formed on the lower surface of the lower substrate 4.

  The conductive metal thin films 9, 10, 13 of the intermediate crystal plate and the metal thin films 14, 15, 17 of the upper and lower substrates are, for example, a Cr film, a Ni film, a Ni / Cr film, a Ti film, or a Ni—Cr film. Is preferably formed by laminating an Au film thereon. In another example, these metal thin films can be formed of Al, Ag, Cu, Pd, Pt, Sn, Ti, Al / Si, or Ni / Cr. These metal thin films are easily formed using a known method such as sputtering, vapor deposition, plating, direct plating, or a combination thereof.

  According to the method of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1A, the metal paste sealing material of the present invention described above is formed on each of the conductive metal thin films 9, 10, 13 on the upper and lower surfaces of the outer frame 6 of the intermediate crystal plate 2. Apply 18, 19, and 20. The metal paste sealing material is applied by a known method such as screen printing, dispenser, or inkjet. FIG. 5A illustrates the state of the metal paste sealing material 18 applied on the conductive metal thin film 9. As shown in the figure, the metal paste sealing material 18 has metal particles 21 dispersed substantially uniformly in an organic solvent 22. Further, the resin 23 is uniformly dispersed in the organic solvent 22, and gives a certain degree of viscosity to the metal paste sealing material. Due to this viscosity, the metal paste sealing material of the present invention exhibits a sufficient shape, so that it can be applied to and maintained in a highly accurate pattern. For example, when the metal particles are Au, the metal paste sealing material can be finely formed by screen printing to a minimum pattern width of 0.05 mm and a minimum thickness of about 10 μm.

  Next, the intermediate crystal plate 2 is heated by using a known means such as a hot plate, a clean oven, a belt furnace or the like at a relatively low temperature of about 200 to 300 ° C. for a short time, for example, about 10 to 30 minutes. Sintering is performed. By this primary sintering treatment, the metal particles of the metal paste sealing material are sintered to form a primary sintered body. As illustrated in FIG. 5B, in the primary sintered body 24, the organic solvent 22 and the resin 23 are evaporated from the metal paste sealing material, and the adjacent metal particles 21 have a slight gap therebetween. A porous structure is formed that is fused and closely contacted while remaining. Further, in the primary sintered body, the metal particles 21 become dense at the interface with the lower metal thin films, and are bonded to the metal thin films. A portion of the resin 23 may remain without being completely evaporated by the primary sintering process. Even in that case, the remaining resin enters the gaps between the metal particles 21, and thus has no influence on the above-described porous structure.

According to the present invention, the porous structure is most convenient when the Young's modulus of the primary sintered body 24 is 9 to 16 GPa and the density is 10 to 17 g / cm ³ . The metal particles 21 maintain the original spherical shape relatively when the temperature of the primary sintering process is low, but it is confirmed that the higher the temperature, the more the surface sintering progresses to the extent that the original shape is not retained, and the metal particles 21 are fused together. It was done. The Young's modulus and density of the primary sintered body 24 are lower as the temperature of the primary sintering process is lower and higher as the temperature is higher. Further, since the heating in the primary sintering process is relatively low temperature, it is possible to suppress thermal stress exerted on the crystal vibrating piece 5 of the intermediate crystal plate 2.

  Next, the upper and lower substrates 3 and 4 are aligned and superposed on the upper and lower surfaces of the intermediate crystal plate 2, respectively, and the primary sintered body and the metal thin films 14, 15, and 17 are brought into contact with each other. The secondary sintering process is performed by pressurizing in this manner. The primary sintered body 24 having the above-mentioned Young's modulus and density is not in the original paste state and has an appropriate softness, so that the material is scattered by pressure and adheres to the crystal vibrating piece 5, There is no possibility of remaining inside the cavity 28. Therefore, the vibration characteristics of the quartz crystal vibrating piece 1 after sealing are maintained without deterioration.

The pressurizing condition for the secondary sintering treatment varies depending on the dimensions of the intermediate crystal plate and the substrate, the size of the bonding surface, and the amount and thickness of the metal paste sealing material to be used. A pressure of ˜176 N / mm ² is applied for about 10 minutes. Furthermore, the secondary sintering treatment can be performed more favorably by applying pressure while heating at a temperature of about 200 to 350 ° C., for example. Since this heating is also relatively low, thermal stress exerted on the quartz crystal vibrating piece 5 of the intermediate quartz plate 2 is suppressed.

  By this secondary sintering treatment, the primary sintered body is more densely fused with the metal particles, completely crushing the gap of the porous structure shown in FIG. The recrystallized bonding film 25 is formed as illustrated in FIG. The bonding films 25 to 27 are integrated by tightly bonding the metal thin films and the metal particles at the interfaces with the metal thin films 14, 15, and 17 of the upper and lower substrates. Accordingly, the intermediate crystal plate 2 and the upper and lower substrates 3 and 4 are bonded with high airtightness, and the crystal vibrating piece 5 is cantilevered at the base end portion 5a in the cavity 28 defined between them. Sealed in a floating state.

  When the secondary sintering process is performed in a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere, the crystal vibrating piece 5 can be vacuum-sealed or gas-sealed. Surface activation of the primary sintered body of the intermediate crystal plate 2 to be joined and the metal thin films of the upper and lower substrates 3 and 4 by a known plasma treatment or ion beam treatment before the secondary sintering treatment. If cleaned, the bonding can be performed better and stably, and the bonding reliability is improved.

  As described above, the metal paste sealing material of the present invention maintains sufficient and good shape properties not only at the time of application but also after the primary and secondary sintering treatments, and the metal particles after the secondary sintering treatment. Since high airtightness is exhibited by recrystallization, the sealing width in the outer frame 6 can be made significantly narrower than before. As a result, it is possible to reduce the overall dimensions of the quartz crystal resonator 1 by reducing the external dimensions of the intermediate crystal plate 2. In addition, it is possible to improve the characteristics of the crystal resonator by increasing the size of the cavity 28 while maintaining the outline size of the outer frame 6 and increasing the external size of the crystal resonator element 5 that can be mounted.

  According to the present invention, since the organic solvent and the resin of the metal paste sealing material are sufficiently evaporated in the primary sintering process, the organic solvent is removed from the primary sintered body in the secondary sintering process. Alternatively, resin outer gas is not generated and does not remain in the cavity 28 of the crystal unit 1. Further, there is no possibility that the organic solvent or the resin outer gas is generated from the bonding films 25 to 27 with time after the bonding. Therefore, the quality and frequency characteristics of the crystal unit 1 can be maintained well over a long period of time.

  In another embodiment, the metal paste sealing material can be applied to the metal thin films 14, 15, 17 on the upper and lower substrates. The metal paste sealing material on these metal thin films is subjected to a primary sintering process by heating in the same manner as in the case of the intermediate crystal plate 2 to form a primary sintered body having the porous structure. Next, the upper and lower substrates 3 and 4 and the intermediate crystal plate 2 are aligned and overlapped, and the primary sintered bodies are brought into contact with each other and pressed in the same manner as in the above embodiment. A secondary sintering process is performed. At the interface between the primary sintered bodies, the metal particles are closely fused and recrystallized to substantially form one bonding film. Therefore, the intermediate crystal plate 2 and the upper and lower substrates 3 and 4 can be bonded more firmly.

  In another embodiment, the metal paste sealing material can be applied only to the metal thin films 14, 15, and 17 of the upper and lower substrates, not the intermediate crystal plate. Since the primary sintering process is performed only on the upper and lower substrates, there is no possibility that the heating temperature will affect the crystal vibrating piece of the intermediate crystal plate 2.

  In still another embodiment, one of the intermediate crystal plate 2 and the upper substrate 3 or the lower substrate 4 can be bonded first, and then the other can be bonded. In the subsequent bonding step, the quartz crystal vibrating piece 5 can be vacuum-sealed or gas-sealed by performing the secondary sintering process in a vacuum or in a predetermined gas atmosphere. Furthermore, when performing the secondary sintering process, the quartz wafer can be pressurized while being heated at an appropriate temperature.

  Next, a process of manufacturing a large number of crystal resonators 1 by applying the method of the present invention will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 6A, a large intermediate crystal wafer 30 in which a plurality of intermediate crystal plates 2 are continuously arranged in the vertical and horizontal directions is prepared. The shapes of the crystal vibrating piece 5 and the outer frame 6 of each intermediate crystal plate 2 are formed by, for example, photoetching the crystal wafer. In the regions corresponding to the crystal vibrating pieces 5 and the outer frame 6 on the upper and lower surfaces of the intermediate crystal wafer 30, the excitation electrode, the wiring film, and the conductive metal thin film are formed by depositing and patterning a conductive material by vapor deposition, sputtering, or the like. It is formed.

  In parallel with this, a large upper crystal wafer 31 and a lower crystal wafer 32 are prepared in which a plurality of upper substrates 3 and lower substrates 4 are continuously arranged in the vertical and horizontal directions, respectively. In both the quartz wafers 31 and 32, a plurality of recesses 3a and 4a are formed on the surface facing the intermediate quartz wafer 30 by, for example, etching or sandblasting. Further, on both crystal wafers 31 and 32, metal thin films (not shown) respectively corresponding to the metal thin film 14 on the lower surface of the upper substrate 3 and the metal thin films 15 and 17 on the upper surface of the lower substrate 4 are opposed to the intermediate crystal wafer 30. It is formed on the surface by vapor deposition, sputtering or the like. In the lower crystal wafer 32, circular through holes 33 are formed at the intersections of the outlines of the lower substrate 4 perpendicular to the vertical and horizontal directions, respectively. On the lower surface of the lower crystal wafer 32, an extraction electrode to the outside of the lower surface of each lower substrate 4 is formed.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, the metal paste sealing materials 34 and 35 of the present invention are applied on the conductive metal thin film in the region corresponding to the outer frame 6 on the upper and lower surfaces of the intermediate crystal wafer 30. Since the metal paste sealing materials 34 and 35 have an appropriate viscosity according to the above-described composition, they can be easily applied to a desired fine pattern by screen printing and can be maintained. In another embodiment, as shown by an imaginary line in FIG. 6B, it can be applied continuously using a dispenser 36 or in a continuous dot shape by an ink jet method. The metal paste sealing material of the present invention can be applied in the form of dots having a diameter of 0.1 mm and a thickness of 15 μm by the above-described formulation.

  In still another embodiment, a resist frame may be formed so as to define a region where the metal paste sealing material is to be applied, and the metal paste sealing material may be filled and applied inside the resist frame. The resist frame can be formed with high accuracy by patterning a photoresist using a photolithography technique, and can be easily removed after application of the metal paste sealing material or after a primary baking process.

  Next, the intermediate crystal wafer 30 is heated by a hot plate or the like at a temperature of about 200 to 300 ° C. for a predetermined time similarly to the case of FIG. Thereby, the metal paste sealing materials 34 and 35 are sintered to form a primary sintered body having the porous structure. As shown in FIG. 7A, the upper and lower crystal wafers 31 and 32 are aligned and superposed on the upper and lower surfaces of the intermediate crystal wafer 30 and pressed in the same manner as in FIG. 1B. Then, a secondary sintering process is performed.

  The secondary sintering process can be performed while heating the quartz wafer at a temperature of about 200 to 350 ° C., for example. Further, the secondary sintering process can be performed in a vacuum or in a predetermined gas atmosphere, whereby each crystal vibrating piece 5 can be similarly vacuum-sealed or gas-sealed. Furthermore, the primary sintered bodies on both the upper and lower surfaces of the intermediate crystal wafer and the respective metal thin films on the upper and lower crystal wafers are subjected to plasma treatment with an appropriate reaction gas or uniformly activated by irradiation with an ion beam. By doing so, it is possible to achieve better and more stable bonding and improvement in bonding reliability.

  In this way, the crystal wafer laminate 37 of FIG. 7B is obtained in which the intermediate crystal wafer 30 and the upper and lower crystal wafers 31 and 32 are hermetically bonded. As shown in FIG. 1, the crystal wafer laminate 37 is cut and divided by dicing or the like along the outline 38 of the crystal vibrator perpendicular to the length and breadth, and separated into individual pieces. Is completed. The extraction electrode on the bottom surface of each lower substrate 4 can also be formed by sputtering or the like in the state of the crystal wafer laminate 37 before dicing.

As shown in FIG. 8, the metal paste sealing material of the present invention was applied to the intermediate crystal wafer 30 of FIG. 6 (A) by screen printing. The metal paste sealing material 39 was formed in a fine pattern of a rectangular frame shape on each outer frame 6 so as to leave a region 30a having a constant width on both sides of the outline 38 for dicing. The composition and physical properties of the metal paste sealing material 39 were set as follows.
Composition: Metal (Au) particle content: 88 wt%, average particle size 0.3 μm
Organic solvent content: 10.4 wt%
Resin content: 1.6wt%
Physical properties: Viscosity: 190 Pa · s
Thixo ratio: 4.9
As a result, the metal paste sealing material 39 is a rectangular frame having an outer dimension of 2.95 mm (L1) × 1.25 mm (W1), an inner dimension of 2.85 mm (L2) × 1.15 mm (W2), and a line width of 0.05 mm. A fine pattern could be formed.

  In another embodiment, one of the intermediate crystal wafer 30 and the upper crystal wafer 31 or the lower crystal wafer 32 can be bonded first, followed by the other. In this case, in the step after the third crystal wafer is bonded, the secondary sintering process is performed in a vacuum or in a predetermined gas atmosphere, whereby each crystal vibrating piece 5 is vacuum sealed or gas sealed. be able to.

  In addition, it is possible to perform a characteristic test and a frequency measurement for each crystal vibrating piece 5 in a state where the two crystal wafers are bonded together. Further, for example, the excitation electrode of each crystal resonator 5 can be partially deleted by laser light irradiation or the like, and the frequency thereof can be adjusted individually.

  In this case, the intermediate crystal wafer 30 is patterned on the upper and lower surfaces of each outer frame 6 in advance by removing the conductive metal thin film by the line width that is diced along the outline 38 of the crystal resonator. Similarly, the upper and lower crystal wafers 31 and 32 are formed by dicing the metal thin films corresponding to the metal thin films 14, 15 and 17 of the upper and lower substrates in advance along the outline 38 of the crystal resonator. Patterning is performed except for the width. As described above, the metal paste sealing materials 34 and 35 have good shape and are applied only on the conductive metal thin film. Therefore, each crystal vibrating piece 5 of the intermediate crystal wafer 30 is electrically separated and independent from other adjacent crystal vibrating pieces in the wafer state even before and after the primary and secondary sintering processes.

  The present invention can be similarly applied to piezoelectric devices having various package structures different from those of the first embodiment. 9A and 9B illustrate a process of sealing the crystal resonator of the second embodiment by the method of the present invention. The crystal unit 41 of the present embodiment has a package configuration including a rectangular box-shaped base 42 made of an insulating material and a flat lid 43. As shown in FIGS. 9A and 10, the base 42 is formed in a box shape in which a plurality of ceramic material thin plates 42 a to 42 c are stacked and the upper part is opened. A quartz crystal vibrating piece 45 is mounted in the cavity 44 defined inside the base 42.

  The quartz crystal vibrating piece 45 of this embodiment is a thickness-slip mode vibrating piece made of, for example, an AT-cut quartz plate. Exciting electrodes 46 and 46 are formed on the upper and lower surfaces, and one end portion, that is, the base end portion. 45a is formed with extraction electrodes 47, 47 from the respective excitation electrodes on the left and right. On the bottom surface of the cavity 44 of the base 42, a pair of electrode pads 48, 48 are formed near one end in the longitudinal direction. The quartz crystal vibrating piece 45 is electrically connected and cantilevered substantially horizontally by fixing each extraction electrode 47, 47 to the corresponding electrode pad 48, 48 at the base end portion 45a with a conductive adhesive 49. Has been.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the lid 43 of this embodiment is formed of a flat rectangular thin plate 50 made of a glass material. A metal thin film 51 is entirely covered on the lower surface of the lid 43. The metal thin film 51 may be formed only in the region 43a joined to the upper end surface of the base 42 along the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the lid 43, as indicated by an imaginary line in FIG. In another embodiment, the lid 43 can be formed of a thin plate of an insulating material such as quartz or ceramic, or a metal material such as Kovar or SUS. When the lid 43 is made of a metal material, the metal thin film 51 can be omitted depending on the material, and the metal surface can be used as it is as a bonding surface.

  A metal thin film 52 is attached to the upper end surface of the base 42. Similarly to the upper and lower substrates 3 and 4 of the first embodiment, the metal thin films 51 and 52 of the lid 43 and the base 42 are formed by a method such as sputtering, vapor deposition or plating, for example, Cr film, Ni film, Ni / Preferably, an Au film is laminated on a base film made of a Cr film, a Ti film, or a Ni—Cr film, or Al, Ag, Cu, Pd, Pt, Sn, Ti, Al / Si, or Ni It can also be formed of / Cr.

  According to the method of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 9A, the above-described metal paste sealing material 53 of the present invention is applied onto the metal thin film 52 on the upper end surface of the base 42. The metal paste sealing material is similarly applied by a method such as screen printing, dispenser, or ink jet. Next, as in the case of the first embodiment, the base 42 is heated at a relatively low temperature of about 200 to 300 ° C. to perform the primary sintering process. Thereby, the metal paste sealing material 53 sinters the metal particles to form a primary sintered body having the porous structure. Since the heating in the primary sintering process is at a relatively low temperature, the thermal stress exerted on the crystal vibrating piece 45 in the base 42 is suppressed.

  In this state, the characteristic test and frequency measurement of the crystal vibrating piece 45 can be performed, and the frequency can be adjusted by partially removing the excitation electrode 46 by laser light irradiation or the like. The application of the metal paste sealing material 53 and the primary sintering process may be performed either before or after the crystal vibrating piece 45 is mounted on the base 42.

  Next, the lid 43 is positioned and arranged on the upper end surface of the base 42, and a secondary sintering process is performed by applying pressure under the same conditions as in the first embodiment. Since the primary sintered body has an appropriate softness as described above, there is no possibility that the material is scattered by the pressurization and adheres to the crystal vibrating piece 45 or remains in the cavity 44. Therefore, the vibration characteristics of the quartz crystal vibrating piece 41 after sealing are maintained without deterioration.

  As shown in FIG. 9B, by the secondary sintering process, the primary sintered body forms a bonding film 54 in which the metal particles are fused more closely and recrystallized. The bonding film 54 also bonds and integrates the metal thin film and the metal particles closely at the interface between the lid and the metal thin film 51, and bonds the base 42 and the lid 43 with high airtightness. Since the bonding film 54 in which the metal particles are recrystallized does not have a possibility of being remelted in a high temperature environment unlike a bonding portion using a conventional brazing material, high airtightness is secured over time. Therefore, even if the crystal unit 41 is mounted on a circuit board or the like and heated by a repair process for defective parts, the airtightness is not impaired, and high reliability can be maintained.

  Furthermore, the secondary sintering treatment can be performed more favorably by applying pressure while heating at a temperature of about 200 to 350 ° C., for example. Since this heating is also at a relatively low temperature, thermal stress on the quartz crystal vibrating piece 45 is suppressed. The secondary sintering process can be performed in a vacuum or in a desired gas atmosphere, and the crystal vibrating piece 45 can be vacuum sealed or gas sealed.

  Also in this example, the metal paste sealing material of the present invention exhibits a good shape that is exhibited not only at the time of application but also after the primary and secondary sintering treatments, and the re-treatment of the metal particles after the secondary sintering treatment. Due to the high airtightness due to crystallization, the sealing width at the upper end surface of the base 42 can be made much narrower than before. As a result, the overall dimensions of the crystal unit 41 can be reduced by reducing the outer dimensions of the base 42. In addition, the size of the cavity 44 can be increased while maintaining the outer dimensions of the base 42, and the external dimensions of the crystal resonator element 45 that can be mounted can be increased accordingly, thereby improving the characteristics of the crystal resonator. .

  Similarly, the metal paste sealing material of the present invention is applied not only to the upper end surface of the base 42 but also to the metal thin film 51 of the lid 43, and a primary sintered body having the porous structure is formed by a primary sintering process. A secondary sintering process can be performed by bringing this into contact with the primary sintered body on the upper end surface of the base 43. Further, the metal paste sealing material of the present invention is applied only to the metal thin film 51 of the lid 43 to form a primary sintered body of the porous structure by primary sintering treatment, and this is formed into a metal thin film on the upper end surface of the base 42. The secondary sintering process can be performed in direct contact with 52. In this case, since the primary sintering process is performed only on the lid 43, there is no possibility that the heating temperature affects the crystal vibrating piece 45 mounted on the base 42.

  The present invention can be similarly applied to a piezoelectric device having a package structure different from those of the first and second embodiments. FIG. 12 shows a crystal oscillator 61 having a package structure similar to that of the second embodiment. Similarly to the base 42 of the second embodiment, the crystal oscillator 61 is formed in a box shape in which a plurality of thin ceramic material plates are stacked and the upper part is opened, and a crystal vibrating piece 65 is placed in a cavity 64 defined therein. Has been implemented.

  The quartz crystal vibrating piece 65 is a thickness-slip mode vibrating piece made of an AT-cut quartz plate. Exciting electrodes 66 and 66 are formed on the upper and lower surfaces thereof, and each of the exciting electrodes is provided at one end, that is, the base end 65a. Lead-out electrodes 67 and 67 are formed. On the bottom surface of the cavity 64 of the base 62, a pair of electrode pads 68, 68 are formed near one end in the longitudinal direction. The crystal vibrating piece 65 is electrically connected and cantilevered substantially horizontally by fixing each extraction electrode to the corresponding electrode pad 68, 68 at the base end portion 65a with a conductive adhesive 69. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 13, a metal thin film 70 having a predetermined width is deposited on the upper end surface of the base 62 along the outer periphery thereof. Furthermore, bonding pads 71 and 72 are formed on the upper end surfaces of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the base 62 inside the metal thin film 70 and apart from the metal thin film. Each of the bonding pads is used as a terminal connected to the excitation electrode of the crystal vibrating piece 65 or an external power source, circuit, or the like by a wiring (not shown).

  The lid 63 of this embodiment is formed of a flat rectangular thin plate made of silicon material. As shown in FIG. 14, a metal coating 73 having a predetermined width is attached to the lower surface of the lid 63 at a portion joined to the upper end surface of the base 62 along the outer periphery thereof. Inside the metal coating 73, bonding pads 74 and 75 are provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the lid 63 as terminals directly connected to the bonding pads 71 and 72 on the upper end surface of the base 62, respectively. Yes. Further, an integrated circuit for controlling the driving of the crystal vibrating piece 65 and a wiring connecting the bonding pad 74 and 75 are formed in an inner region of the metal film 73 of the lid 63 (not shown).

  The base 62 and the lid 63 are joined as shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B using the method of the present invention. As in the case of the second embodiment, the metal paste sealing material 76 of the present invention is applied on the metal thin film 70 on the upper end surface of the base 62 by the above-described method such as screen printing. The base 62 is heated at a relatively low temperature of about 200 to 300 ° C. to perform a primary sintering process, and the metal paste sealing material 76 is made a primary sintered body having a porous structure. On the other hand, on each bonding pad of the base 62, as shown in FIG. 15A, for example, Au balls 78 are welded to form bumps. In addition to Au, various known conductive materials such as solder can be used for the bumps. The bumps may be formed on the bonding pads of the lid 63 instead of the bonding pads of the base 62.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 15B, a lid 63 is positioned and arranged on the upper end surface of the base 62, and a secondary sintering process is performed by applying pressure while heating in the same manner as in the above embodiments. As a result, the primary sintered body of the metal paste sealing material 76 is recrystallized because the metal particles contained therein are densely fused, and integrated with the metal thin film 70 of the base 62 and the metal coating 73 of the lid 63. Thus, the bonding film 77 is formed. At the same time, the bumps 79 are welded to the bonding pads of the lid 63 by the heating and pressing action of the secondary sintering process. Thereby, the bonding pads 71 and 72 of the base 62 and the corresponding bonding pads 74 and 75 of the lid 63 are electrically connected.

  The bonding pad of the base 62 and the bonding pad of the lid 63 can be electrically connected by various known conductive connection materials other than metal bumps such as Au. For example, a conductive adhesive, a conductive paste, a metal paste, or the like can be used.

  The base film 62 and the lid 63 are bonded with high airtightness by the bonding film 77, and the crystal vibrating piece 65 is vacuum sealed or gas sealed inside the package. Further, according to the present embodiment, the surface mounting is further reduced in size and height by airtightly bonding the lid 63 functioning as a driving IC chip for the crystal vibrating piece to the base 62 on which the crystal vibrating piece 65 is mounted. Type crystal oscillator can be realized.

  Thus, the crystal oscillator in which the IC chip for driving the crystal resonator element is integrated can be applied to the package structure of the first embodiment. FIG. 16 shows a crystal oscillator 81 having a package structure similar to that of the first embodiment. Similar to the crystal resonator 1 of the first embodiment, the crystal oscillator 81 is formed by laminating an upper substrate 83 serving as a lid of a package and a lower substrate 84 serving as a base above and below an intermediate crystal plate 82 having a crystal resonator element. Are joined together. In this embodiment, the intermediate crystal plate 82 is formed of an AT-cut crystal plate having a uniform thickness, and the lower substrate 84 is formed of a crystal thin plate, a glass material, silicon, or the like, whereas the upper substrate 83 is formed of silicon. Formed of material.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the intermediate crystal plate 82 includes a thickness-shear mode crystal vibrating piece 85 and an outer frame 86 that is integrally coupled at the base end portion 85 a. Excitation electrodes 87 and 87 are formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the crystal vibrating piece 85, and the wiring film 87a is drawn from the base end portion 85a to the end portion in the longitudinal direction of the outer frame 86 on the side where it is coupled. A conductive metal thin film 88 having a predetermined width is formed on the upper surface of the outer frame 86 along the outer periphery thereof. As shown in the figure, the conductive metal thin film 88 and the wiring film 87a are separated in this embodiment, but they may be electrically connected.

  The lower surface of the intermediate crystal plate 82 is formed in the same manner as the intermediate crystal plate 2 of FIG. A conductive metal thin film is formed on the entire lower surface of the outer frame 86 and is electrically connected to the wiring film drawn from the excitation electrode on the lower surface of the crystal vibrating piece 85. A conductive metal thin film separated from the wiring film is formed at the longitudinal end of the lower surface of the outer frame 86 on the side where the crystal vibrating piece 85 is coupled. Connected. Further, bonding pads 90 and 91 are formed on the upper surface of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the outer frame 86 inside the conductive metal thin film 88 and apart from the metal thin film. The bonding pads 90 and 91 are used as terminals connected to the excitation electrode of the crystal vibrating piece 85 or an external power source, circuit, etc. by wiring not shown.

  As shown in FIG. 18, the upper substrate 83 has a recess 83 a formed on the surface facing the intermediate crystal plate 82, that is, the lower surface. A peripheral portion surrounding the concave portion 83a on the lower surface of the upper substrate 83 forms a joint surface with the intermediate crystal plate 82, and is covered with a metal thin film 92 corresponding to the conductive metal thin film 88 of the outer frame. Inside the metal film 92, bonding pads 93 and 94 are provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the upper substrate 83 as terminals directly connected to the bonding pads 90 and 91 on the upper surface of the outer frame 86 of the intermediate crystal plate 82, respectively. It is provided in the position to do. Further, an integrated circuit for controlling the driving of the crystal vibrating piece 85 and wirings connecting the bonding pads 93 and 94 to the inner region of the metal film 92 of the upper substrate 83 are formed (not shown).

  The intermediate crystal plate 82 and the upper and lower substrates 83 and 84 are bonded using the method of the present invention. As in the case of the first embodiment, the metal paste sealing material of the present invention is applied to the conductive metal thin films on the upper and lower surfaces of the outer frame 86 of the intermediate crystal plate 82. The intermediate crystal plate 82 is heated at a relatively low temperature of about 200 to 300 ° C. to perform a primary sintering process, and the metal paste sealing material is made a porous sintered body. On each of the bonding pads on the upper surface of the outer frame 86 of the intermediate crystal plate 82, bumps made of various known conductive materials such as Au balls are formed as in FIG. The bumps may be formed not on the intermediate crystal plate 82 but on the bonding pads of the upper substrate 83.

  Next, the upper and lower substrates 83 and 84 are aligned and superposed on the upper and lower surfaces of the intermediate crystal plate 82, respectively, and subjected to a secondary sintering process by applying pressure while heating as in the first embodiment. As a result, between the upper and lower surfaces of the intermediate crystal plate 82 and the upper and lower substrates 83 and 84, the primary sintered body of the metal paste sealing material has the metal particles contained therein densely fused. Recrystallization is performed to form bonding films 95 and 96. At the same time, the bumps 97 and 98 are welded by the heating and pressurizing action of the secondary sintering process, so that the bonding pads 90 and 91 of the intermediate crystal plate 82 and the corresponding bonding pads 93 and 94 of the upper substrate 83 Are electrically connected.

  Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to crystal devices such as crystal resonators and crystal oscillators having a tuning fork type crystal resonator element. FIG. 19 shows a tuning fork type crystal resonator 101 having the package structure of the first embodiment of FIG. Similar to the crystal unit 1 of the first embodiment, the crystal unit 101 has an upper substrate 103 that serves as a lid of a package and a lower substrate that serves as a base above and below a flat intermediate crystal plate 102 having a crystal resonator element. 104 are laminated and joined together. The intermediate crystal plate 102 is formed of an AT-cut crystal plate having a uniform thickness, and the upper and lower substrates 103 and 104 are preferably formed of a crystal thin plate, glass material, silicon, or the like.

  As shown in FIGS. 20A and 20B, the intermediate crystal plate 102 includes a tuning fork type crystal vibrating piece 105 having a pair of vibrating arms, and an outer frame 106 integrally coupled at a base end portion 105a thereof. Have One excitation electrode 107 formed on the surface of the vibrating arm is pulled out from the base end portion 105 a and is electrically connected to the conductive metal thin film 108 on the upper surface of the outer frame 106. Similarly, the other excitation electrode 109 on the surface of the vibrating arm is pulled out from the base end portion and electrically connected to the conductive metal thin film 110 on the lower surface of the outer frame 106. A conductive metal thin film 112 separated from the conductive metal thin film 110 on the lower surface of the outer frame 106 is disposed at the end in the longitudinal direction of the outer frame 106 on the side where the crystal vibrating piece 105 is coupled via the conductive film inside the through hole 111. The conductive metal thin film 108 on the upper surface 106 is electrically connected.

  As shown in FIG. 21, the upper substrate 103 has a concave portion 103a formed on the surface facing the intermediate crystal plate 102, and a metal thin film 113 formed on a peripheral portion surrounding the concave portion, that is, a bonding surface with the intermediate crystal plate 102. Yes. As shown in FIG. 22, the lower substrate 104 has a recess 104 a formed on the surface facing the intermediate crystal plate 102, and a peripheral portion surrounding the recess, that is, a joint surface with the intermediate crystal plate 102, Metal thin films 114 and 115 corresponding to the conductive metal thin films 110 and 112 are formed. The quartz crystal vibrating piece 105 is held and cantilevered at the base end portion 105a in the cavity defined by the concave portions. Further, the lower substrate 104 has a sealing hole 116 formed substantially at the center thereof.

  The intermediate crystal plate 102 and the upper and lower substrates 103 and 104 are bonded using the method of the present invention. As in the case of the first embodiment, the metal paste sealing material of the present invention is applied to the conductive metal thin films 108, 110, and 112 on the upper and lower surfaces of the outer frame 106 of the intermediate crystal plate 102. The intermediate crystal plate 102 is heated at a relatively low temperature of about 200 to 300 ° C. to perform a primary sintering process, and the metal paste sealing material is made a porous sintered body. Next, the upper and lower substrates 103 and 104 are aligned and superposed on the upper and lower surfaces of the intermediate crystal plate 102, respectively, and pressed to perform secondary sintering. As a result, the primary sintered body of the metal paste sealing material is recrystallized by densely bonding the metal particles contained therein, and the upper and lower surfaces, the upper and lower substrates 103 and 104 of the intermediate crystal plate 102, In the meantime, the bonding films 117 to 119 are formed, and the crystal vibrating piece 105 is sealed in the package.

  Next, the package is placed in a vacuum atmosphere, and the sealing hole 116 is hermetically closed with the sealing material 120. For the sealing material 120, a low-melting-point metal material such as Au—Sn can be used, for example, and the metal material is disposed in the sealing hole and welded by irradiating a laser beam or the like from the outside. The inner surface of the sealing hole is preferably coated with a metal film in advance because the metal material can be welded better. In this embodiment, by using the sealing hole in this way, unnecessary gas that may be generated from the metal paste sealing material at the time of hermetic sealing of the package can be eliminated from the inside of the package. It can be sealed with a higher degree of vacuum.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the present invention can be carried out with various modifications and changes made to the above embodiments within the technical scope thereof. . For example, the intermediate quartz plate can be formed of various other known piezoelectric materials such as lithium tantalate and lithium niobate in addition to quartz. The present invention can also be applied to piezoelectric devices such as a resonator, a filter, and a sensor in addition to a vibrator or an oscillator. In the same structure as the second embodiment, an IC element or the like can be mounted in the package. Also, a piezoelectric gyro sensor can be configured by mounting a piezoelectric vibration gyro element instead of the quartz crystal vibrating piece.

  Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to hermetically seal various electronic components other than piezoelectric devices in a package. In this case, each component constituting the package has a metal surface at the joint surface thereof, and the metal paste sealing material of the present invention is applied to at least one of the metal surfaces and heated in the same manner as in the above embodiments. Thus, a primary sintering process is performed. Thus, after forming the primary sintered body having the porous structure, both component parts are overlapped by bringing one metal surface on which the primary sintered body is formed into contact with the other metal surface. A secondary sintering process is performed by pressurizing the primary sintered body and recrystallizing the metal particles densely while heating by heating. As a result, the package can be hermetically joined and the electronic component can be hermetically sealed therein.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views showing a process of sealing the crystal resonator of the first embodiment according to the method of the present invention. (A) is a top view of an intermediate crystal plate constituting the crystal resonator of the first embodiment, (B) is a bottom view thereof, and (C) is a sectional view thereof. (A) is a bottom view of the upper substrate constituting the crystal resonator of the first embodiment, and (B) is a sectional view thereof. (A) is a top view of a lower substrate constituting the crystal resonator of the first embodiment, and (B) is a sectional view thereof. (A) The figure-(C) figure are the fragmentary expanded sectional views which show typically the process in which the metal paste sealing material recrystallizes from a paste state in the sealing process of FIG. (A) is a schematic perspective view showing three crystal wafers bonded together in a manufacturing process of a crystal resonator to which the method of the present invention is applied, and (B) is an intermediate crystal coated with a metal paste sealing material. The partial expanded sectional view which shows a wafer. (A) The figure is explanatory drawing which shows the point which joins the three quartz wafers, (B) The figure is a schematic perspective view which shows the joined body of the three quartz wafers. The partial enlarged plan view which shows the intermediate | middle crystal wafer of FIG. 6 which apply | coated the metal paste material. FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view showing a process of sealing a crystal resonator of a second embodiment by the method of the present invention, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view showing a crystal resonator of the second embodiment sealed. The top view of the base of the crystal oscillator of the 2nd example. The bottom view of the lid of the crystal oscillator of the 2nd example. Sectional drawing of the crystal oscillator to which this invention is applied. The top view of the base of the crystal oscillator of FIG. The bottom view of the lid of the crystal oscillator of FIG. (A), (B) figure is a partial expanded sectional view which shows the sealing process of the crystal oscillator of FIG. Sectional drawing of another crystal oscillator to which this invention is applied. FIG. 17 is a top view of an intermediate crystal plate of the crystal oscillator of FIG. 16. FIG. 17 is a bottom view of the upper substrate of the crystal oscillator of FIG. 16. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a tuning fork type crystal resonator to which the present invention is applied. (A) is a top view of an intermediate crystal plate of the crystal resonator of FIG. 19, and (B) is a bottom view thereof. FIG. 20 is a bottom view of the upper substrate of the crystal unit of FIG. 19. FIG. 20 is a top view of the lower substrate of the crystal unit of FIG. 19.

Explanation of symbols

1, 41, 61, 81, 101 ... crystal resonator, 2, 82, 102 ... intermediate crystal plate, 3, 83, 103 ... upper substrate, 3a, 4a, 83a, 103a, 104a ... recess, 4, 83, 104 ... Lower substrate, 5, 45, 65, 85, 105 ... Quartz vibrating piece, 5a, 45a, 65a, 85a, 105a ... Base end, 6, 86, 106 ... Outer frame, 7, 8, 46, 66, 87,107,109 ... excitation electrode, 7a, 8a, 87a ... wiring film, 9,10,13,88,108,110,112 ... conductive metal thin film, 11,89,111 ... through hole, 12, 16, 30a ... region 14, 15, 17, 51, 52, 70, 73, 92, 113 to 115 ... metal thin film, 18 to 20, 34, 35, 39, 53, 76 ... metal paste sealing material, 21 ... metal particles 22 ... chipping, 23 ... resin, 2 ... primary sintered body, 25 to 27, 54, 77, 95, 96, 117 to 119 ... bonding film, 28, 44 ... cavity, 30 ... intermediate crystal wafer, 31 ... upper crystal wafer, 32 ... lower crystal wafer , 33 through-holes, 36 dispensers, 37 wafer stacks, 38 outer lines, 42, 62 bases, 42a to 42c, ceramic material thin plates, 43, 63 lids, 47, 67 lead electrodes, 48,. 68 ... Electrode pad, 49, 69 ... Conductive adhesive, 50 ... Thin plate, 71, 72, 74, 75, 90, 91, 93, 94 ... Bonding pad, 78 ... Au ball, 79, 97, 98 ... Bump, 116: Sealing hole, 120: Sealing material.

Claims (12)

  A crystal resonator element and a package made of a plurality of components are provided, and metal particles having an average particle diameter of 0.1 to 1.0 μm, an organic solvent, and a resin material are 88 to 93 wt%, 5 to 15 wt%, 0 A quartz crystal device, wherein the component parts are joined using a metal paste sealing material blended at a ratio of 0.01 to 4.0% by weight, and the quartz crystal resonator element is hermetically sealed in the package.   The crystal device according to claim 1, wherein the metal particles of the metal paste sealant are made of one or more of Au, Ag, Pt, or Pd.   The plurality of components are an intermediate crystal plate in which the crystal vibrating piece and an outer frame are integrally coupled, and an upper substrate and a lower side bonded to the upper and lower surfaces of the intermediate crystal plate by the metal paste sealing material, respectively. A substrate, the upper substrate is made of a silicon material forming an integrated circuit for driving the crystal resonator element, and has a terminal connected to the integrated circuit on its lower surface, and the intermediate crystal plate is the outer crystal plate It has a terminal provided at a position corresponding to the terminal of the upper substrate on the upper surface of the frame, and the terminal of the upper substrate and the terminal of the intermediate crystal plate are directly connected by a conductive connecting material, The crystal device according to claim 1 or 2.   The plurality of component parts are formed in a box shape having an open top and the quartz crystal resonator element is mounted therein, and a lid airtightly joined to the upper end surface of the base by the metal paste sealing material. The lid is made of a silicon material forming an integrated circuit for driving the quartz crystal resonator element and has a terminal connected to the integrated circuit on its lower surface, and the base is on the upper end surface of the lid. 3. The crystal according to claim 1, further comprising: a terminal provided at a position corresponding to the terminal, wherein the terminal of the lid and the terminal of the base are directly connected by a conductive connection material. device. An upper substrate and a lower substrate are bonded to the upper and lower surfaces of an intermediate crystal plate in which the crystal vibrating piece and the outer frame are integrally bonded, and the crystal vibrating piece is hermetically sealed in a cavity defined between them. To do
The intermediate crystal plate has a metal thin film on the upper surface and the lower surface of the outer frame, and the upper substrate and the lower substrate each have a metal thin film on a joint surface with the outer frame,
The metal paste sealing material according to claim 1 or 2 is applied to at least one of the metal thin film on the upper surface of the outer frame or the metal thin film on the upper substrate, and heated to thereby have a Young's modulus of 9 to 16 GPa and a density of 10 A first primary sintering treatment step of forming a primary sintered body having a porous structure of ˜17 g / cm ³ ;
By applying the metal paste sealing material to at least one of the metal thin film on the lower surface of the outer frame or the metal thin film on the lower substrate and heating, the Young's modulus is 9 to 16 GPa and the density is 10 to 17 g / cm ³ . A second primary sintering process for forming a primary sintered body having a porous structure;
The intermediate crystal plate and the upper substrate are overlapped by bringing one of the metal thin films forming the primary sintered body into contact with the other metal thin film, and pressurizing the primary sintered body. A first secondary sintering treatment step in which the metal particles are densely recrystallized to be airtightly bonded in the outer frame;
The intermediate crystal plate and the lower substrate are overlapped by bringing one of the metal thin films forming the primary sintered body and the other metal thin film into contact with each other, and adding the primary sintered body. And a second secondary sintering treatment step in which the metal particles are tightly recrystallized by pressurization to tightly recrystallize the metal particles. To form a box shape with the top open and to bond the lid to the upper end surface of the base on which the crystal vibrating piece is mounted, and hermetically seal it,
The base has a metal surface at the upper end surface, and the lid has a metal surface at a joint surface with the upper end surface;
By applying the metal paste sealing material according to claim 1 or 2 to at least one of the metal surface of the upper end surface of the base or the metal surface of the lid, and heating, the Young's modulus is 9 to 16 GPa and the density is 10 to 10. A primary sintering treatment step of forming a primary sintered body having a porous structure of 17 g / cm ³ ;
The lid is placed on the base so that one of the metal surfaces on which the primary sintered body is formed and the other metal surface are brought into contact with each other, and the primary sintered body is pressed to form the lid. A method for sealing a quartz device, comprising: a secondary sintering treatment step in which metal particles are densely recrystallized to be airtightly bonded.   6. The method for sealing a crystal device according to claim 5, wherein the upper substrate and the lower substrate are made of quartz.   The upper substrate is made of a silicon material and includes an integrated circuit for driving the crystal resonator element and a terminal connected to the integrated circuit, and the intermediate crystal plate is provided on the upper surface of the outer frame and on the terminal of the upper substrate. A terminal to be connected, and when the intermediate crystal plate and the upper substrate are overlapped in the first secondary sintering process, the terminal of the upper substrate and the terminal of the intermediate crystal plate are 6. The crystal device sealing method according to claim 5, wherein direct connection is made by a conductive connection material.   7. The method for sealing a crystal device according to claim 6, wherein the lid is made of a glass plate, and the metal surface is provided by forming a metal film on one surface thereof.   The method for sealing a quartz crystal device according to claim 6, wherein the lid is made of a metal plate and has the metal surface on one surface thereof.   The lid is made of a silicon material and includes an integrated circuit for driving the quartz crystal resonator element and a terminal connected to the integrated circuit, and the base is connected to the terminal of the lid on the upper end surface thereof. When the lid is superimposed on the base in the secondary sintering treatment step, the terminal of the lid and the terminal of the base are directly connected by a conductive connecting material. The method for sealing a quartz crystal device according to claim 6.   The method for sealing a crystal device according to any one of claims 5 to 11, wherein heating is performed simultaneously with pressurization in the secondary sintering treatment step.

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