MICROELECTRONIC IMAGERS WITH STACKED LENS ASSEMBLIES AND PROCESSES FOR WAFER-LEVEL PACKAGING OF MICROELECTRONIC IMAGERS
First Claim
1. A wafer level imager assembly, comprising:
- an imager substrate including a plurality of imager dies, wherein individual imager dies have an image sensor and a plurality of through substrate interconnects electrically coupled to the image sensor;
a plurality of stacked lens assemblies attached to the imager substrate over corresponding imager dies such that the stacked lens assemblies are spaced apart from each other by gaps, wherein individual stacked lens assemblies have a first lens unit including a first substrate, a base spacer between the first lens unit and the imager substrate, a second lens unit including a second substrate, and an intermediate spacer between the first lens unit and the second lens unit; and
an encapsulant disposed in the gaps between the stacked lens assemblies.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Microelectronic imagers including stacked lens assemblies and process for wafer-level packaging of microelectronic imagers. One embodiment of a method for manufacturing stacked lens assemblies for integrated imagers comprises attaching a first lens substrate to a base spacer, fixing an intermediate spacer to the first lens substrate, and mounting a second lens substrate to the intermediate spacer. In a specific embodiment, the first lens substrate can be a component of a first lens unit and the second lens substrate can be a component of a second lens unit. Additionally, the first and second lens substrates can have one or more lens elements, aperture layers and/or filters on the substrates as described above or in other combinations.
160 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A wafer level imager assembly, comprising:
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an imager substrate including a plurality of imager dies, wherein individual imager dies have an image sensor and a plurality of through substrate interconnects electrically coupled to the image sensor; a plurality of stacked lens assemblies attached to the imager substrate over corresponding imager dies such that the stacked lens assemblies are spaced apart from each other by gaps, wherein individual stacked lens assemblies have a first lens unit including a first substrate, a base spacer between the first lens unit and the imager substrate, a second lens unit including a second substrate, and an intermediate spacer between the first lens unit and the second lens unit; and an encapsulant disposed in the gaps between the stacked lens assemblies. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A packaged integrated imager, comprising:
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an imager die having a semiconductor substrate including a first side and a second side, an image sensor at the first side, and a plurality of interconnects electrically coupled to the image sensor and extending to the second side of the substrate; and a stacked lens assembly attached to the imager die, the stacked lens assembly comprising a plurality of substrates, lens elements on the substrates, and a plurality of spacers, wherein the substrates and the spacers have common coefficients of thermal expansion. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A wafer level stacked lens assembly, comprising:
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a base spacer having a plurality of apertures arranged in a lens pattern; a first lens unit attached to the base spacer, wherein the first lens unit has a first substrate and a plurality of first lenses arranged in the lens pattern; an intermediate spacer attached to the first lens unit, wherein the intermediate spacer has a plurality of openings arranged in the lens pattern; and a second lens unit attached to the intermediate spacer, wherein the second lens unit has a second substrate and a plurality of second lenses arranged in the lens pattern, and wherein individual second lenses are aligned with corresponding first lenses. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of manufacturing stacked lens assemblies for integrated imagers, comprising:
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attaching a first lens unit having a plurality of first lenses arranged in a lens pattern to a base spacer having a plurality of apertures arranged in the lens pattern such that individual first lenses are aligned with corresponding apertures; fixing an intermediate spacer having a plurality of openings arranged in the lens pattern to the first lens unit such that individual openings are aligned with corresponding first lenses; and mounting a second lens unit having a plurality of second lenses arranged in the lens pattern to the intermediate spacer such that individual second lenses are aligned with corresponding openings of the intermediate spacer. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of manufacturing packaged imager assemblies, comprising:
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forming a plurality of imager dies on an imager substrate having a first side and a second side, wherein individual imager dies have an image sensor and through substrate interconnects electrically coupled to the imager sensor, and wherein the image sensors are at the first side of the imager substrate and the through substrate interconnects have terminals at the second side of the substrate; attaching individual stacked lens assemblies to the imager substrate at corresponding imager dies such that the stacked lens assemblies are spaced apart from each other by gaps, wherein individual stacked lens assemblies have a first lens unit and a second lens unit spaced apart from the first lens unit; disposing an encapsulant in the gaps between the stacked lens assemblies; and cutting through the imager substrate and the encapsulant between the dies such that encapsulant covers sides walls of the stacked lens assemblies. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification