Patent attributes
An improved semiconductor seal ring and method therefore is described. The seal ring comprises a thick layer wherein at least a portion of the thick layer is removed from a singulation street prior to singulation, thereby avoiding damage to the thick layer during the singulation process. A thin moisture-proof barrier layer is preferably deposited over at least a portion of the thick layer to seal at least an edge of the thick layer. A thick nonmetallic layer preferably used for fabrication of active circuit elements may advantageously be employed as the thick layer (for example, an aluminum nitride (AlN) layer in, for example, a bulk acoustic wave (BAW) filter device). A thin amorphous nonmetallic layer (e.g., a silicon nitride (SiN) layer) may preferably be deposited over the thick layer. Alternatively, other materials may be used.
