METHOD OF HERMETICALLY PACKAGING AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE

摘要

A method of hermetically packaging an electronic device ( 8 ), in an enclosure ( 2 ) comprising mutually inter-engageable first and second housing members ( 4, 6 ), comprising the steps of securing the electronic device ( 8 ) to the first housing member ( 4 ), engaging the first ( 4 ) and second ( 6 ) housing members such that an hermetic seal is provided there between, wherein the engagement step is performed in a controlled atmosphere. The hermetic seal may be provided by an interference fit between the first ( 4 ) and second ( 6 ) housing members or via sealing means ( 16 ) interposed between the housing members ( 4, 6 ). The second housing member ( 6 ) may comprise an optical element ( 20 ), for example a window or lens. The packaging method is particularly applicable to packaging thermal detectors, for example microbolometer arrays.