A four-point-bending-test for the stability assessment of glass frit bonded molded microsensors

For increasingly miniaturized micromechanical sensors the silicon package is thinned and therefore more sensitive to thermomechanical stresses caused by the production stages. We present a four-point-bending-test that enables the investigation of reliability relevant loading like warping. The initiation of crack growth at the glass frit bonding frame is observed by an infrared camera and critical fracture mechanical parameters are determined for different tensile and shear mode contributions. Based on this crucial fracture mechanical data the stability of silicon packages can be assessed.