Patent ID: 7892839
Filing Date: 2011-02-22
Classification: B81C,G01M

Abstract:
1. A method for measuring the hermeticity of a closed cavity of at least one micrometric component, the micrometric component including a structure made on or in one portion of a substrate and a cap fixed onto a zone of the substrate to protect the structure, the closed cavity being delimited by the inner surface of the cap, the structure and the zone of the substrate, the method including steps of: placing the micrometric component in a container, wherein the component includes an indicator element comprising a palladium resistor describing a coil that is housed entirely in the closed cavity, wherein electrical properties of the indicator element are changed permanently in the presence of a reactive gas capable of reacting with the indicator element, thereby checking hermeticity of the closed cavity, hermetically sealing the container that contains the component, filling the container with a reactive gas under a gas pressure higher than a pressure in the closed cavity, wherein the component is subjected to be in the higher gas pressure for a determined time period, and electrically checking a variation in properties of the indicator element as a function of the quantity of a reactive gas that has penetrated the closed cavity and reacted with the indicator element to determine the hermeticity of the closed cavity.