SEALING SYSTEM FOR HERMETIC MICROCHIP PACKAGES

SEALING SYSTEM FOR HERMETIC MICROCHIP PACKAGES A sealable hermetic microchip package includes a vent therein that permits gas to escape during the sealing operation, but then itself is sealed at the completion of the sealing operation to render the package hermetic. The venting of gas from the interior of the package avoids the buildup of internal pressure during the sealing operation that can introduce bubbles and other faults into the sealing material. The vent may be a channel in the sealing surface of the lid of the package that is initially open, and then fills with the seal material as it flows to effect the seal. The vent may also be a hole in the lid that is sealed by the flow of a bead of the seal material. An equivalent approach to venting provides that the lid be mounted on standoffs that flow during sealing to permit the lid to settle onto the base of the package.