Electronic component and package

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to a package and an electronic component that has a package structure hermetically sealing a chip, and more particularly, to a package and an electronic component that has a package structure suitable for improving electrical characteristics such as stop-band attenuation of a filter device such as a surface acoustic wave device.

2. Description of the Related Art

Conventionally, surface acoustic wave devices (hereinafter referred to simply as SAW devices) have been used as electronic components each having a package in which a chip is hermetically sealed. A conventional SAW device normally includes a SAW device chip having a SAW element formed on a piezoelectric substrate, and a package in which the SAW device chip is hermetically sealed.

Such SAW devices are widely used in filter devices and oscillators of television (TV) receivers, videotape recorders (VTRs), DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) recorders, and cellular phone devices. More specifically, SAW devices are widely used in various kinds of circuits that process radio signals in frequency bands of 45 MHz to 2 GHz. Such circuits include transmission band-pass filters, reception band-pass filters, local oscillation filters, antenna duplexers, intermediate frequency filters, and frequency modulators.

As those signal processing apparatuses have dramatically become smaller in size in recent years, there is an increasing demand for smaller electronic components such as SAW devices to be employed in those apparatuses. Especially, surface-mounted type SAW devices that are low in height are strongly required for portable electronic devices such as cellular phone devices.

So as to perform surface-mounting of a SAW device, a package structure made of ceramics is normally used. Such a package structure is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-336186, for example. If the package size is large, however, a ceramic package is likely to be expensive.

Meanwhile, a less expensive package that is not made of ceramics has also been suggested, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-60842. Such a package structure has a metal portion and an insulating portion. The insulating portion is formed in through holes in the metal portion, and leads for external connections are embedded in the insulating portion. A crystal oscillator to be housed in the package is supported at both ends, and is attached to the package in such a manner that oscillation is not hindered.

The package disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-60842, however, is not suitable for housing a chip such as a SAW device chip that is to be wire-bonded and die-mounted onto a package, because a crystal vibrator is supported by the package at both ends.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an electronic component and a package in which the above disadvantage is eliminated.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide an electronic component and a package that can be easily wire-bonded to each other and exhibit high reliability.

The above objects of the present invention are achieved by an electronic component comprising: a package that includes a metal portion formed by pressing a metal, and an insulating portion attached to the metal portion through fusing; a chip housed in the package; first external terminals that are electrically connected to the chip with metal wires, and are partially embedded in the insulating portion; and ground terminals that are convexities of the metal portion and are electrically connected to the chip with metal wires, connecting points between the first external terminals and the chip being located at the same height as connecting points between the ground terminals and the chip.

The above objects of the present invention are also achieved by a package comprising: a metal portion formed by pressing a metal; an insulating portion that is attached to the metal portion through fusing; first external terminals that are partially embedded in the insulating portion; and ground terminals that are convexities of the metal portion, inner connecting points of the first external terminals being located at the same height as inner connecting points of the ground terminals.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A is a plan view of the package of a SAW device shown as a comparative example;

FIG. 1B is a plan view of the inside of the SAW device, seen through an outer lid;

FIG. 1C is a bottom view of the SAW device as the comparative example;

FIG. 1D is a section view of the SAW device, taken along the line A—A of FIG. 1B ;

FIG. 2A is a plan view of the package of a SAW device shown as another comparative example;

FIG. 2B is a plan view of the inside of the SAW device, seen through an outer lid;

FIG. 2C is a bottom view of the SAW device as another comparative example;

FIG. 2D is a section view of the SAW device, taken along the line B—B of FIG. 2B ;

FIG. 3A is a plan view of the package of a SAW device in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3B is a plan view of the inside of the SAW device, seen through an outer lid;

FIG. 3C is a section view of the SAW device, taken along the line C—C of FIG. 3A ;

FIG. 4 is a graph showing the frequency characteristics of a SAW device that employs a 250 MHz band SAW filter as the SAW device chip in accordance with the first embodiment;

FIG. 5A is a plan view of the package of a SAW device in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5B is a plan view of the inside of the SAW device, seen through an outer lid;

FIG. 5C is a section view of the SAW device, taken along the line D—D of FIG. 5A ;

FIG. 6A is a plan view of the package of a SAW device in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6B is a plan view of the inside of the SAW device, seen through an outer lid;

FIG. 6C is a section view of the SAW device, taken along the line E—E of FIG. 6A ; and

FIG. 7 is a section view of the SAW device, taken along the line E′—E′ of FIG. 6 A.

For better understanding of the present invention, comparative examples will be first described. Each of the comparative examples shows a package that includes a metal portion formed by pressing a metal and an insulating portion attached to the metal portion through fusing, and a SAW device that includes a SAW device chip die-mounted in the package.

FIGS. 1A through 1D illustrate such a SAW device. FIG. 1A is a plan view of a package 100 A. FIG. 1B is a plan view of the inside of the SAW device, seen through a later described plate member to serve as a lid 60 . FIG. 1C is a bottom view of the SAW device. FIG. 1D is a section view of the SAW device, taken along the line A—A of FIG. 1 B.

The SAW device shown in FIGS. 1A through 1D is an electronic component that includes the package 100 A and a SAW device chip 40 housed in the package 100 A. The package 100 A has a metal portion 10 A that is formed by pressing a metal, and an insulating portion 30 A that is attached to the metal portion 10 A through fusing. The SAW device further includes first external terminals 20 that are electrically connected to the SAW device chip 40 and are aligned and embedded in the insulating portion 30 A, and a plate member 15 A that supports the SAW device chip 40 . The metal portion 10 A has concave portions 19 that form second external terminals, and the plate member 15 is placed to cover the concave portions 19 .

More specifically, the SAW device shown in FIGS. 1A through 1D includes the package 100 A and the SAW device chip 40 hermetically sealed in the package 100 A. The package 100 A includes the metal portion 10 A and the insulating portion 30 A, and the SAW device chip 40 is housed in the cavity of the package 100 A. The metal portion 10 A is formed by pressing a metal. The metal portion 10 A has a thickness of 50 μm, and forms the principal outer wall of the package 100 A. The metal portion 10 A also has the concave portions 19 . Each of the concave portions 19 has the form of a concavity when seen from the inside of the package 100 A, but has the form of a convexity when seen from the outside of the package 100 A. Each of the concave portions 19 has a C-shaped section. The concave portions 19 are also formed by pressing the metal. The exterior of each of the concave portions 19 is flat so that the concave portions 19 form the areas for external connections. The concave portions 19 serve as second external terminals that will be also denoted by reference numeral 19 in the following. The second external terminals 19 are part of the package 100 A, as well as part of the metal portion 10 A. The second external terminals 19 are not connected directly to the SAW device chip 40 , and function as the ground terminals of the package 100 A. When the SAW device is mounted on the print-circuit board, the second external terminals 19 have the same potentials (the ground potential), though not being connected directly to the SAW device chip 40 .

The plate member 15 A may be a metal plate with a rectangular shape, and is placed to cover the concave portions 19 . The plate member 15 A has a joining point 70 that is welded and fixed to the inner surface (the inner wall) of the metal portion 10 A of the package 10 A. The plate member 15 A serves to provide a flat area onto which the SAW device chip 40 is mounted (die-mounted) and bonded. The terminals on the SAW device chip 40 and the first external terminals 20 are electrically connected with metal wires 50 .

The insulating portion 30 A is provided on the bottom surface of the package 100 A. More specifically, the insulating portion 30 A is attached to the bottom surface of the package 100 A through fusing and completely fill through holes 18 . The insulating portion 30 A slightly protrudes inward from the through holes 18 .

The first external terminals 20 are embedded in the insulating portion 30 A. While being embedded in the insulating portion 30 A, the first external terminals 20 penetrate the aligned through holes 18 . The first external terminals 20 are formed by pressing a plate-like metal, and are attached to the insulating portion 30 A through fusing. One end of each of the first external terminals 20 is exposed to the inside of the cavity through each corresponding insulating portion 30 A. The other end of each of the first external terminals 20 forms part of the bottom surface of the package 100 A. This part of the bottom surface serves as the area for connecting to the outside. When the insulating portion 30 A is attached to the metal portion 10 A through fusing, the first external terminals 20 are straight. After the insulating portion 30 A is attached to the metal portion 10 A through fusing, however, each of the first external terminals 20 is bent. Accordingly, the inner surface of each of the first external terminals 20 is not welded to the insulating portion 30 A, and there is a small gap formed between each of the first external terminals 20 and each corresponding insulating portion 30 A. The connecting areas of the first external terminals 20 , the exposed surfaces of the insulating portion 30 A, and the concave portions 19 , which are the second external terminals 19 , form the bottom surface of the package 100 A, or the bottom surface (the mounting surface) of the SAW device. Here, the bottom surface is generally flat.

The SAW device chip 40 has interdigital transducers (IDTs) 13 and electrode terminals 11 formed by patterning on a piezoelectric substrate 12 . The SAW device chip 40 also has resin materials 14 printed thereon to reduce reflection of surface acoustic waves (SAW). The resin materials 14 are placed to cover the IDTs 13 . The end surfaces of the piezoelectric substrate 12 in the SAW propagating direction each forms a predetermined angle with respect to the SAW propagating direction, so that filter characteristics deterioration due to reflection on the end surfaces of the piezoelectric substrate 12 can be prevented. Further, the IDTs 13 are designed to have such electrode finger intervals and weighting forms as to achieve desired filter characteristics. In a case where a TV intermediate frequency filter of a 30 MHz to 75 MHz band is formed as the SAW device chip 40 , the size of the SAW device chip 40 is approximately 10 mm×2 mm. However, various other filters may also be employed, such as 1.9 GHz band SAW filters and 250 MHz band SAW filters.

The lid 60 is formed by pressing a metal, and is attached to a flange 16 formed along the edge of the outer wall of the package 100 A. With the lid 60 , the inside of the package 100 A is hermetically sealed.

The metal portion 10 A, the first external terminals 20 , and the lid 60 of the package 100 A, can be made of a metal such as an industry standard SPC material (a cold-rolled steel sheet), 42-alloy, or Kovar. Preferably, plating with nickel (Ni) or gold (Au) is performed on the surfaces of the metal portion 10 A, the first external terminals 20 , and the lid 60 . The insulating portion 30 A may be made of an insulating material such as glass or glass ceramics that can be easily attached to a metal through fusing. These materials may easily be attached and bonded to metal and enhance resistance to mechanical shock. The metal wires 50 may be Au wires or aluminum (Al) wires. The joining of the lid 60 and the flange 16 of the package 100 A may be performed by resistance heat welding, seam welding, or laser welding.

The package 100 A includes at least the metal portion 10 A and the insulating portion 30 A, but the first external terminals 20 and the lid 60 may also be considered to be part of the package 100 A.

FIGS. 2A through 2D illustrate a SAW device that will now be described as another comparative example. FIG. 2A is a plan view of a package 100 B. FIG. 2B is a plan view of the inside of the SAW device, seen through a lid 60 . FIG. 2C is a bottom view of the SAW device. FIG. 2D is a section view of the SAW device, taken along the line B—B of FIG. 2 B. In FIGS. 2A through 2D , the same components as those shown in FIGS. 1A through 1D are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1A through 1D . This comparative example differs from the foregoing comparative example shown in FIGS. 1A through 1D in that the second external terminals are not formed by the metal portion of the package but are formed with a separate material from the package, and in that the SAW device chip is attached directly to the metal portion of the package.

More specifically, the SAW device shown in FIGS. 2A through 2D includes the package 100 B and a SAW device chip 40 that is hermetically sealed in the package 100 B. The package 100 B includes a metal portion 10 B and an insulating portion 30 B, and the SAW device chip 40 is housed in the inner cavity of the package 100 B. The metal portion 10 B is formed by pressing a metal. The metal portion 10 B has a thickness of 50 μm, and forms the principal outer wall of the package 100 B. The metal portion 10 B also has a chip mounting portion 15 B that is also formed by pressing the metal. The chip mounting portion 15 B has a flat outer surface onto which second external terminals 21 are attached by welding, or the like. The second external terminals 21 are not connected directly to the SAW device chip 40 , and function as the ground terminals of the package 100 B. Each of the second external terminals 21 has an L-shaped section, and is electrically connected to the metal portion 10 B at a joining point 71 . When the SAW device is mounted on the print-circuit board, the second external terminals 21 have the same potentials (ground potential). Being not directly connected to the SAW device chip 40 , the second external terminals 21 also function as dummy terminals.

In the SAW device shown in FIGS. 1A through 1D , the ground patterns on the SAW device chip 40 are not directly connected to the second external terminals 19 that serve as the ground terminals of the package 100 A. In the SAW device shown in FIGS. 2A through 2D , the ground patterns on the SAW device chip 40 are not directly connected to the second external terminals 21 that serve as the ground terminals of the package 100 B. For this reason, the stop-band attenuation, which is the electrical characteristics of a SAW device, cannot be sufficiently secured in both of the two comparative examples. Also, to connect the ground patterns on each SAW device to the metal portion 10 A/ 10 B of the package 100 A/ 100 B, the ground patterns need to be connected directly to the metal portion of the chip mounting surface with metal wires. However, the chip mounting surface might have some adhesive resin oozing out from the bonding area between the SAW device chip 40 and the package 100 A/ 100 B, and the reliability in the connection using the metal wires 50 might not be sufficiently high. Furthermore, when metal wires are connected to the chip mounting surface that is located at a lower height than the surface of the SAW device chip 40 , the bonding tool and the metal wires interfere with the SAW device chip 40 , resulting in an unreliable wire connection.

In view of the above facts, the present invention provides a small-sized, reliable electronic component and a package in which the metal portion is connected to the ground patterns on a chip such as a SAW device chip with metal wires, so that the electrical characteristics of the electronic component such as a SAW device can be improved. With the electronic component and the package, reliable wire-bonding can be easily performed. The following is a description of preferred embodiments of the present invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(First Embodiment)

Referring now to FIGS. 3A through 3C , a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. FIGS. 3A through 3C illustrate a SAW device in accordance with this embodiment. FIG. 3A is a plan view of a package 100 C. FIG. 3B is a plan view of the inside of the SAW device, seen through a lid 60 . FIG. 3C is a section view of the SAW device, taken along the line C—C of FIG. 3 A. In FIGS. 3A through 3C , the same components as those shown in FIGS. 1A through 2D are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1A through 2D .

As shown in FIGS. 3A through 3C , the SAW device in accordance with this embodiment is an electronic component that includes the package 100 C and a SAW device chip 40 housed in the package 100 C. The package 100 C includes a metal portion 10 C that is formed by pressing a metal, and an insulating portion 30 C that is attached to the metal portion 10 C through fusing. The SAW device further includes first external terminals 20 that are electrically connected to the SAW device chip 40 and are aligned and embedded in the insulating portion 30 C, and a plate member 15 C that supports the SAW device chip 40 . The metal portion 10 C has concave portions 19 that form second external terminals, and the plate member 15 C is placed to cover the concave portions 19 . The metal portion 10 C has ground terminals 22 C in the form of convexities that are placed to sandwich the aligned first external terminals 20 . The ground terminals 22 C are electrically connected to the ground patterns on the SAW device chip 40 .

More specifically, the SAW device shown in FIGS. 3A through 3C includes the package 100 C and the SAW device chip 40 that is hermetically sealed in the package 100 C. The package 100 C includes the metal portion 10 C and the insulating portion 30 C, and the SAW device chip 40 is housed in the inner cavity of the package 100 C. The metal portion 10 C is formed by pressing a metal. The metal portion 10 C has a thickness of 50 μm, and forms the principal outer wall of the package 100 C. The metal portion 10 C also has the concave portions 19 . Each of the concave portions 19 has the form of a concavity when seen from the inside of the package 100 C, but has the form of a convexity when seen from the outside of the package 100 C. Each of the concave portions 19 has a C-shaped section. The concave portions 19 are also formed by pressing the metal. The exterior of each of the concave portions 19 is flat so that the concave portions 19 form the connecting areas for external connections. The concave portions 19 serve as second external terminals. The second external terminals 19 are part of the package 100 C, as well as part of the metal portion 10 C. The metal portion 10 C has the ground terminals 22 C that are convexities formed by pressing the metal and are placed to sandwich the aligned first external terminals 20 . The upper portion of each of the ground terminals 22 C is flat in the direction of mounting the SAW device chip 40 , and serves as a terminal that connects to the SAW device chip 40 with metal wires 50 . The ground terminals 22 C are linked to the second external terminals 19 via the metal portion 10 C, and the ground terminals of the SAW device chip 40 are connected to the ground terminals 22 C of the package 100 C with the metal wires 50 .

The terminals on the SAW device chip 40 , the first external terminals 20 , and the ground terminals 22 C, are electrically connected with the metal wires 50 . These connections are established through thermal compression or ultrasonic welding. To increase the reliability in the electric connection using the metal wires 50 , it is preferable to arrange the inner connecting points between the first external terminals 20 and the ground terminals 22 C on the same plane (at the same height) as the connecting points (or the terminals) of the SAW device chip 40 . Here, the tolerable difference in height between the inner connecting points and the connecting points of the SAW device chip 40 should be within ±50 μm, which difference substantially means the same plane or height.

The ground terminals 22 C are convexities that are formed from the metal portion 10 C by pressing the metal, and insulating members integrally formed with the insulating portion 30 C fill the concave portions formed at the rears of the terminals on the front side. With the insulating members filling the concave portions on the rear surfaces of the ground terminals 22 C, the ground terminals 22 C are prevented from being damaged by the weight and ultrasonic oscillation that are caused when the metal wires 50 are joined to the ground terminals 22 C.

Referring now to FIG. 4 , the electrical characteristics of the SAW device of this embodiment having the above described structure will be described. FIG. 4 shows the frequency characteristics of a SAW device that employs a 250 MHz band SAW filter as the SAW device chip 40 in accordance with this embodiment. In FIG. 4 , the solid line indicates the frequency characteristics of the SAW device of this embodiment in which the terminals on the SAW device chip 40 are electrically connected to the first external terminals 20 and the ground terminals 22 with the metal wires 50 . The broken line indicates the frequency characteristics of either of the two comparative examples in which the terminals on the SAW device chip 40 are not connected to the first external terminals 20 and the second external terminals 19 / 21 . As is apparent from FIG. 4 , the terminals on the SAW device chip 40 are electrically connected to the first external terminals 20 and the ground terminals 22 C, so that the stop-band attenuation of the SAW device is improved by 10 dB or more. This effect can be obtained not only with a 250 MHz band filter but also with any of filters utilizing other various frequency bands that should be selected according to the purpose.

To connect the ground patterns on the SAW device to the metal portion 10 C of the package 100 C of this embodiment, the ground patterns on the SAW device need to be connected directly to the metal portion of the chip mounting surface with metal wires, as in the comparative examples. In this embodiment, however, the ground terminals 22 C that are convexities formed by pressing part of the metal portion 10 C of the package 100 C can prevent defective connections with the metal wires 50 that might be caused by an adhesive resin oozing out from the die-bonding area between the SAW device chip 40 and the package 100 C. Also, the ground terminals 22 C that are in the form of convexities are arranged substantially at the same height as the SAW device chip 40 , so that interference with the SAW device chip 40 by bonding tool and metal wires can be prevented. Thus, reliable wire-connecting can be performed.

(Second Embodiment)

A second embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIGS. 5A through 5C illustrate a SAW device in accordance with this embodiment. FIG. 5A is a plan view of a package 100 D. FIG. 5B is a plan view of the inside of the SAW device, seen through a lid 60 . FIG. 3C is a section view of the SAW device, taken along the line D—D of FIG. 5 A. In FIGS. 5A through 5 C, the same components as those shown in FIGS. 1A through 3C are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1A through 3C .

The SAW device of this embodiment differs from the SAW device of the first embodiment in that the second external terminals are formed with separate members from the package, instead of the metal portion of the package, and in that the SAW device chip is mounted directly onto the metal portion of the package.

As shown in FIGS. 5A through 5C , the SAW device in accordance with this embodiment is an electronic component that includes the package 100 D and a SAW device chip 40 housed in the package 100 D. The package 100 D includes a metal portion 10 D that is formed by pressing a metal, and an insulating portion 30 D that is attached to the metal portion 10 D through fusing. The SAW device further includes first external terminals 20 that are electrically connected to the SAW device chip 40 and are aligned and embedded in the insulating portion 30 D, and second external terminals 21 that are attached to the outer surface of the metal portion 10 D (like the second external terminals 21 of the SAW device shown as a comparative example in FIGS. 2 A through 2 D). The SAW device chip 40 is die-mounted onto the inner surface of the metal portion 10 D, and is placed to face the second external terminals 21 . The metal portion 10 D has ground terminals 22 D in the form of convexities that are placed to sandwich the aligned first external terminals 20 . The ground terminals 22 D are electrically connected to the ground patterns on the SAW device chip 40 .

More specifically, the SAW device shown in FIGS. 5A through 5C includes the package 100 D and the SAW device chip 40 that is hermetically sealed in the package 100 D. The package 100 D includes the metal portion 10 D and the insulating portion 30 D, and the SAW device chip 40 is housed in the inner cavity of the package 100 D. The metal portion 10 D is formed by pressing a metal. The metal portion 10 D has a thickness of 50 μm, and forms the principal outer wall of the package 100 D. The metal portion 10 D has a chip mounting portion 15 D that is formed by pressing the metal. The chip mounting portion 15 D has a flat outer surface onto which the second external terminals 21 are attached by welding, or the like. The second external terminals 21 are not connected directly to the SAW device chip 40 , and function as the ground terminals of the package 100 D. Each of the second external terminals 21 has an L-shaped section, and is electrically connected to the metal portion 10 D at a joining point 71 . When the SAW device is mounted on the print-circuit board, the second external terminals 21 have the same potentials (ground potential). Being not connected directly to the SAW device chip 40 , the second external terminals 21 also function as dummy terminals.

The terminals on the SAW device chip 40 , the first external terminals 20 , and the ground terminals 22 D, are electrically connected with the metal wires 50 . These connections are established through thermal compression or ultrasonic welding. To increase the reliability in the electric connections using the metal wires 50 , it is preferable to arrange the inner connecting points between the first external terminals 20 and the ground terminals 22 D on the same plane (at the same height) as the connecting points (or the terminals) of the SAW device chip 40 . Here, the difference in height between the inner connecting points and the connecting points of the SAW device chip 40 should be within ±50 μm.

The ground terminals 22 D are convexities that are formed from the metal portion 10 D by pressing the metal, and insulating members integrally formed with the insulating portion 30 D fill the concave portions formed at the rears of the terminals on the front side. With the insulating members filling the concave portions on the rear surfaces of the ground terminals 22 D, the ground terminals 22 D are prevented from being damaged by the weight and ultrasonic oscillation that are caused when the metal wires 50 are joined to the ground terminals 22 D.

With the above structure, the terminals on the SAW device chip 40 can be electrically connected to the first external terminals 20 and the ground terminals 22 D. Thus, like the first embodiment, this embodiment can improve the stop-band attenuation of the SAW device by 10 dB or more (see FIG. 4 ).

To connect the ground patterns on the SAW device to the metal portion 10 D of the package 100 D of this embodiment, the ground patterns on the SAW device need to be connected directly to the metal portion of the chip mounting surface with metal wires, as in the comparative examples. In this embodiment, however, the ground terminals 22 D that are convexities formed by pressing part of the metal portion 10 D of the package 100 D can prevent defective connections with the metal wires 50 that might be caused by an adhesive resin oozing out from the bonding area between the SAW device chip 40 and the package 100 D. Also, the ground terminals 22 D that are in the form of convexities are arranged substantially at the same height as the SAW device chip 40 , so that interference with the SAW device chip 40 by bonding tool and metal wires can be prevented. Thus, reliable wire-connecting can be performed.

(Third Embodiment)

A third embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIGS. 6A through 6C and FIG. 7 illustrate a SAW device in accordance with this embodiment. FIG. 6A is a plan view of a package 100 E. FIG. 6B is a plan view of the inside of the SAW device, seen through a lid 60 . FIG. 6C is a section view of the SAW device, taken along the line E—E of FIG. 6 A. FIG. 7 is a section view of the SAW device, taken along the line E′—E′ of FIG. 6 A. In FIGS. 6A through 6C and FIG. 7 , the same components as those shown in FIGS. 1A through 5C are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1A through 5C .

The SAW device of this embodiment differs from the SAW devices of the first and second embodiments in that the first external terminals are arranged on both sides of the SAW device chip.

As shown in FIGS. 6A through 6C and FIG. 7 , the SAW device in accordance with this embodiment is an electronic component that includes the package 100 E and a SAW device chip 40 housed in the package 100 E. The package 100 E includes a metal portion 10 E that is formed by pressing a metal, and an insulating portion 30 E that is attached to the metal portion 10 E through fusing. The SAW device further includes first external terminals 20 that are electrically connected to the SAW device chip 40 and are embedded in the insulating portion 30 E. The first external terminals 20 of this embodiment are aligned on both sides of the SAW device chip 40 . The metal portion 10 E has ground terminals 22 E in the form of convexities that are formed by pressing the metal and are placed to sandwich both of the two rows of first external terminals 20 . The ground terminals 22 E are electrically connected to the ground patterns on the SAW device chip 40 .

More specifically, the SAW device shown in FIGS. 6A through 6C and FIG. 7 includes the package 100 E and the SAW device chip 40 that is hermetically sealed in the package 100 E. The package 100 E includes the metal portion 10 E and the insulating portion 30 E, and the SAW device chip 40 is housed in the inner cavity of the package 100 E. The metal portion 10 E is formed by pressing a metal. The metal portion 10 E has a thickness of 50 μm, and forms the principal outer wall of the package 100 E. The metal portion 10 E has a chip mounting portion 15 E that is flat and formed by pressing the metal.

The terminals on the SAW device chip 40 , the first external terminals 20 , and the ground terminals 22 E, are electrically connected with the metal wires 50 . These connections are established through thermal compression or ultrasonic welding. To increase the reliability in the electric connections using the metal wires 50 , it is preferable to arrange the inner connecting points between the first external terminals 20 and the ground terminals 22 E on the same plane (at the same height) as the connecting points (or the terminals) of the SAW device chip 40 . Here, the difference in height between the inner connecting points and the connecting points of the SAW device chip 40 should be within ±50 μm.

The ground terminals 22 E are convexities that are formed from the metal portion 10 E by pressing the metal, and insulating members integrally formed with the insulating portion 30 E fill the concave portions formed at the rears of the terminals on the front side. With the insulating members filling the concave portions on the rear surfaces of the ground terminals 22 E, the ground terminals 22 E are prevented from being damaged by the weight and ultrasonic oscillation that are caused when the metal wires 50 are joined to the ground terminals 22 E.

With the above structure, the terminals on the SAW device chip 40 can be electrically connected to the first external terminals 20 and the ground terminals 22 E. Thus, like the first embodiment, this embodiment can improve the stop-band attenuation of the SAW device by 10 dB or more (see FIG. 4 ).

To connect the ground patterns on the SAW device to the metal portion 10 E of the package 100 E of this embodiment, the ground patterns on the SAW device need to be connected directly to the metal portion of the chip mounting surface with metal wires, as in the comparative examples. In this embodiment, however, the ground terminals 22 E that are convexities formed by pressing part of the metal portion 10 E of the package 100 E can prevent defective connections with the metal wires 50 that might be caused by an adhesive resin oozing out from the bonding area between the SAW device chip 40 and the package 100 E. Also, the ground terminals 22 E that are in the form of convexities are arranged substantially at the same height as the SAW device chip 40 , so that interference with the SAW device chip 40 by bonding tool and metal wires can be prevented. Thus, reliable wire-connecting can be performed.

Although a few preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.