Net-shape ceramic processing for electronic devices and packages

Abstract

A method of producing electronic device packages is provided, consisting of the steps of shaping a package preform and heating the package preform in a nitrogen-containing atmoshpere to nitride the package preform. The shaped package preform may consist of package base, sidewall, conductor, resistor, or capacitor components. The package base and sidewall components may be formed of silicon powder. The method also accommodates the step of inserting a semiconducting material into the package preform and heating the semiconducting material component along with the package preform. The inserted semiconducting material component may be processed to define active electronic device areas on the component either before or after the step of heating the shaped package preform and inserted semiconducting material component. The package production methods of the invention provide the ability to produce reaction bonded structural and dielectric package components by way of a nitriding process that causes minimal overall shrinkage of the package. As a result, reaction formed electronic device packages of the invention may be shaped to finished dimensions before the nitriding process with complicated and tight-tolerance geometries of package structural, conducting, resistive, and capacitive components. The package production methods of the invention also provide the ability to interleave electronic device and packaging manufacturing sequence steps, resulting in increased manufacturing efficiency, as well as improved performance in the devices and packages produced. Device substrates or partially fabricated devices may be embedded into semi-finished packages, whereby completion of device fabrication coincides with completion of package fabrication. This makes possible the fabrication of active devices and circuits in a fully packaged environment.