Integration and Packaging for Water Monitoring Systems

Electronic packaging is traditionally defined as the back-end process that transforms bare integrated circuits (IC) into functional products. To be precise, electronic packaging is an interconnect between different electronic devices. For example, an IC with electronic components in an electronic package. As we look at the trend of electronic devices in the last decades, the devices have followed Moore's law resulting in a smaller form-factor and higher density. This has subsequently broadened the application spectrum for electronic devices from conventional applications to biomedical, power devices, and IoT. As packaging plays a significant part in the reliability and the cost of electronic devices, therefore, is an essential part of the development of electronic devices. These characteristics are mostly governed by the materials and fabrication techniques used for developing a package. In this book chapter, we will look through some of the packaging techniques and the materials used in the fabrication of environmentally friendly electronic devices. For electronic devices for use in highly humid or water quality monitoring, the packaging should be water-resistant. To cater these, specific water-resistant materials such as PVC and acrylic are used. For small form-factor sensors or devices, they can be laminated or embedded with materials like polyimide or PDMS.