Package sealing method, manufacturing method of electronic device modules, sealing apparatus, and packaged product

Abstract

According to the present invention, a case housing a product and a lid made of material that transmits a laser beam are fixed to each other with a bonding member interposed between them, and thereafter, a laser beam is focused onto the bonding member through the lid so that the bonding member is melted. By doing so, the case and the lid are welded together via the bonding member.

1 . An sealing apparatus for welding a case housing a product and a lid together with a bonding member, comprising: 
 fixing means for fixing the case and the lid; and    a laser beam irradiation apparatus for irradiating the bonding member with a laser beam through the lid.    
   
   
       2 . The sealing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the fixing means is a pressure apparatus.  
   
   
       3 . The sealing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the fixing means is a suction apparatus for sucking the lid to the case, using a hole provided to the case.  
   
   
       4 . The sealing apparatus according to  claim 3 , which further includes a laser beam irradiation apparatus for melting a metal arranged in the hole provided to the case.  
   
   
       5 . The sealing apparatus according to  claim 1 , which further includes a laser scanner for scanning a laser beam to irradiate the bonding member point by point.  
   
   
       6 . The sealing apparatus according to  claim 1 , which further includes a phase hologram for forming a diffraction light pattern of the laser beam with which the bonding member is irradiated at a time as a whole.  
   
   
       7 . The sealing apparatus according to  claim 1 , which further includes a temperature monitor for monitoring a temperature distribution over a welding portion of the case and the lid during the laser irradiation of the bonding member.  
   
   
       8 . The sealing apparatus according to  claim 1 , which further includes a heater for preheating the bonding member.  
   
   
       9 . A package sealing apparatus comprising: 
 a case which houses a product and has an opening surface and a through hole provided in a wall of the case, and a lid that covers the opening surface, which is made of a material that is transparent to a laser beam having a predetermined wavelength; and    a bonding member interposed between the case and the lid, wherein    the lid and the case are fixed to each other by vacuum suction using the through hole,    the bonding member is irradiated with said laser beam through the lid so that the bonding member is melted to bond the case and the lid to each other with intervention of the bonding member,    a metal is arranged in the through hole, and    the metal is irradiated with a laser beam so that the metal is melted to seal the through hole with the molten metal.    
   
   
       10 . The package sealing apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein the laser beam for melting the bonding member and the laser beam for melting the metal have the same wavelength.  
   
   
       11 . The package sealing apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein said laser beam is scanned, to irradiate the bonding member point by point so that the case and the lid are bonded together.  
   
   
       12 . The package sealing apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein said laser beam is projected through a phase hologram to generate a diffraction light pattern, with which the bonding member is entirely irradiated at one time, so that the case and the lid are bonded together.  
   
   
       13 . The package sealing apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein part of a light energy of said laser beam incident on the phase hologram is reserved in the zero-th order diffracted beam from the phase hologram, and the diffraction light pattern is positioned by using the zero-th order diffracted beam.  
   
   
       14 . The package sealing apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein said laser beam is converged by a condensing lens, the phase hologram is arranged between the condensing lens and the lid, and a position of the phase hologram is controlled in an optical axis direction so as to obtain the diffraction light pattern at a desired location with desired dimensions.  
   
   
       15 . The package sealing apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein a temperature distribution over the bonded portion of the case and the lid is monitored during the laser irradiation of the bonding member.  
   
   
       16 . An electronic device module, comprising: 
 a case which houses an electronic device and has an opening surface and a through hole having a metal arranged therein, the through hole provided in a wall of the case, and a lid that covers the opening surface, which is made of a material that is transparent to a laser beam having a predetermined wavelength; and    a bonding member between the case and the lid, wherein    the lid and the case are fixed to each other by vacuum suction using the through hole;    the bonding member is irradiated with said laser beam through the lid so that the bonding member is melted to bond the case and the lid to each other with intervention of the bonding member, and    a metal is arranged in the through hole and irradiated with a laser beam so that the metal is melted to seal the through hole with molten metal.