In the sensor packaging process, the principal concern is to protect the delicate components of the
sensor while retaining a sensing-channel above the silicon membrane. A variety of sensor packaging
techniques have been proposed in recent years [1-3]. Pressure sensors have been packaged using a
two-step process in which a pre-mold plastic host was embedded within a lead-frame substrate. In an
attempt to improve the throughput of the packaging process, while reducing the cost and ensuring
compliancy with the SMD process used throughout the electronics and semiconductor fields,
researchers have proposed a variety of packaging techniques [4-8] in which the pressure sensor is
initially adhered to a lead-frame substrate and then encapsulated using a suitable plastic molding
compound. Typical examples of such techniques include the so-called Quad Flat Package (QFP), Dual
In-Line Package (DIP), and Small Outline Integrated Circuit (SOIC) packages. However, extra-space
has to be reserved for the lead-frame substrates used in these techniques, which inevitably increases
the package size