Integrally packaged imaging module

• US 20050077458A1
• Filed: 10/14/2003
• Published: 04/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aptina Imaging Corporation (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Afshari, Bahram, Ma, Guolin
• Granted Patent: US 7,329,861 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/239
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/02377 Fan-in arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05001 Internal layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05008 Bonding area integrally formed with a redistribution layer on the semiconductor or solid-state body, e.g.
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05024 the internal layer being disposed on a redistribution layer on the semiconductor or solid-state body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05099 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05548 Bonding area integrally formed with a redistribution layer on the semiconductor or solid-state body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05569 the external layer being disposed on a redistribution layer on the semiconductor or solid-state body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05599 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/13 of an individual bump connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/05 of an individual bonding area
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14618 Containers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14625 Optical elements or arrangements associated with the device
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02325 the optical elements not being integrated nor being directly associated with the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/57 Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices

Abstract

An integrally packaged imaging module includes an integrated circuit (IC), including an image sensing device formed on a semiconductor substrate, and wafer level packaging enclosing the IC. The wafer level packaging includes a transparent enclosure portion adapted to permit image acquisition of an image by the image sensing device over a desired range of wavelengths, and a first spacing structure providing a cavity between an inner surface of the transparent enclosure portion and the image sensing device. A depth of the cavity is configurable along an axis perpendicular to the semiconductor substrate to control a distance between an outer surface of the transparent enclosure portion and the image sensing device.

Claims

1. An integrally packaged imaging module, comprising:

an integrated circuit (IC) including an image sensing device formed on a semiconductor substrate;

wafer-level packaging enclosing the IC, and including;

a transparent enclosure portion adapted to permit image acquisition of an image by the image sensing device over a desired range of wavelengths; and

a first spacing structure providing a cavity between an inner surface of the transparent enclosure portion and the image sensing device, wherein a depth of the cavity is configurable along an axis perpendicular to the semiconductor substrate to control a distance between an outer surface of the transparent enclosure portion and the image sensing device.

2. The integrally packaged imaging module of claim 1, wherein the transparent enclosure portion includes material having infra-red filtering properties, wherein the desired range of wavelengths consists of wavelengths shorter than a cutoff wavelength associated with the infra-red filtering material.

3. The integrally packaged imaging module of claim 1, wherein the configurable depth is controlled within a tolerance of +/−

50 microns.

4. The integrally packaged imaging module of claim 1, wherein the configurable depth is controlled to focus an image directed through the transparent enclosure portion onto the image sensing device.

5. The integrally packaged imaging module of claim 1, wherein the transparent enclosure portion includes a lens optically coupled with a multiplicity of pixels of the image sensing device.

6. The integrally packaged imaging module of claim 1, wherein the wafer-level packaging includes a lens support adapted to interface with a lens and to suspend the lens over the transparent enclosure portion.

7. The integrally packaged imaging module of claim 6, wherein the lens support and the lens are preassembled into a lens assembly.

8. A method of fabricating integrally packaged imaging modules, the method comprising:

forming an array of integrated circuits (ICs) on a semiconductor wafer, each IC including an image sensing device;

integrally packaging the array of ICs, the packaging step comprising;

enclosing the array of ICs on a first side with a transparent enclosure layer so that each image sensing device of each IC in the array can detect an image consisting of a desired range of wavelengths through the transparent enclosure layer;

aligning and attaching an array of lens supports to another packaging layer such that lenses used with the array of lens supports are optically aligned with corresponding image sensing devices; and

dicing the packaged array of ICs into individual integrally packaged imaging modules.

9. The method of claim 8, and further comprising:

controlling a spacing between aligned lenses used with the lens supports and the corresponding image sensing devices, wherein the controlling includes providing a spacing structure array between the array of ICs and the array of lens supports.

10. The method of claim 8, and further comprising:

forming a cavity array between each IC and the transparent enclosure layer, wherein the forming of the cavity array includes situating a spacer array between the semiconductor wafer and the transparent enclosure layer, and controlling a cavity dimension along an axis perpendicular to the semiconductor wafer to within a tolerance of 50 microns.

11. An integrally packaged imaging module, comprising:

an integrated circuit (IC) including an image sensing device formed on a semiconductor substrate;

wafer-level packaging enclosing the IC, and including;

a transparent enclosure portion adapted to permit image acquisition of an image by the image sensing device over a desired range of wavelengths;

a first lens support adapted to suspend a first lens so that the first lens directs the image onto the image sensing device; and

a first spacing structure adapted to provide a spacing between the suspended first lens and the image sensing device.

12. The integrally packaged imaging module of claim 11 wherein the transparent enclosure portion prevents unwanted wavelengths from illuminating the image sensing device.

13. The integrally packaged imaging module of claim 11, wherein the first spacing structure is configurable during assembly of the integrally packaged imaging module to achieve a desired focus of the image onto the image sensing device.

14. The integrally packaged imaging module of claim 11, wherein the first spacing structure is situated between the transparent enclosure portion and the suspended first lens, and further comprising:

a second spacing structure situated between the semiconductor substrate and the transparent enclosure portion, and forming a cavity between the image sensing device and the transparent enclosure portion.

15. The integrally packaged imaging module of claim 11, wherein the first spacing structure is a part of the first lens support.

16. The integrally packaged imaging module of claim 11, wherein the first spacing structure forms a cavity between the image sensing device and the transparent enclosure portion.

17. The integrally packaged imaging module of claim 11, wherein a thickness of a packaging layer is configurable during fabrication of the integrally packaged imaging module to achieve a desired focus of the image directed onto the image sensing device.

18. The integrally packaged imaging module of claim 11, wherein the transparent enclosure portion includes the first lens support.

19. The integrally packaged imaging module of claim 11, wherein the first lens support is preassembled with the first lens into a first lens assembly.

20. The integrally packaged imaging module of claim 11, wherein the wafer-level packaging further includes a second lens support coupled to the first lens support, the second lens support adapted to suspend a second lens so that the second lens directs the image onto the image sensing device through the first lens.