Wafer level camera module with molded housing and method of manufacturing

• US 20110037886A1
• Filed: 08/14/2009
• Published: 02/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nan Chang O-Film Optoelectronics Technology, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nan Chang O-Film Optoelectronics Technology, Ltd.
• Inventors: Singh, Harpuneet, Shangguan, Dongkai, Tam, Samuel Waising
• Granted Patent: US 9,419,032 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/340
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/0085 employing wafer level optics
• 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 27/14685 Process for coatings or optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/57 Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/3436 having an array of bottom contacts, e.g. pad grid array or ball grid array components
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A disclosed method of manufacturing a camera module includes providing an optical assembly, providing an integrated circuit image capture device (ICD), fixing the optical assembly directly to the ICD, then forming a housing directly over the optical assembly. The method further includes forming the housing over the ICD and the optical assembly via transfer molding. The method further includes forming solder balls on the rear surface of the ICD so as to enable the camera module to be reflow soldered to a host device. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the method includes providing a second ICD, providing a second optical assembly, providing a housing substrate, fixing the first optical assembly over the first ICD, fixing the second optical assembly over the second ICD, and forming the housing substrate over both the first and second optical assemblies. The alternative method further includes separating the housing substrate in to a first portion formed over the first optical assembly and second portion formed over the second optical assembly, providing a second housing substrate, and forming the second housing substrate over the first and second portions.

Claims

1. A camera module comprising:

an integrated circuit image capture device including a set of contacts and an image sensor array, said contacts facilitating an electrical connection between said camera module and a camera module hosting device;

an optical assembly mounted directly on said image capture device; and

a housing formed directly on said optical assembly.

2. A camera module according to claim 1, wherein said camera module is mountable directly to a circuit board of a camera hosting device via reflow soldering.

3. A camera module according to claim 2, wherein said contacts of said integrated circuit image capture device facilitate said reflow soldering of said camera module to said circuit board of said camera hosting device.

4. A camera module according to claim 3, wherein said contacts of said integrated circuit image capture device each include a solder ball formed thereon.

5. A camera module according to claim 1, wherein said housing is formed via molding.

6. A camera module according to claim 5, wherein said housing is formed directly over said optical assembly and said image capture device.

7. A camera module according to claim 1, wherein said optical assembly includes a lens mounted over said image sensor array.

8. A camera module according to claim 1, wherein said optical assemble includes a transparent substrate mounted over said image sensor array.

9. A camera module according to claim 8, wherein said optical assembly further includes a lens stack mounted over said transparent substrate.

10. A camera module according to claim 9, wherein said housing is molded directly over said lens stack.

11. A camera module according to claim 1, wherein said optical assembly is a lens stack mounted directly on said integrated circuit image capture device over said sensor array.

12. A camera module according to claim 11, wherein said housing is formed directly on said lens stack via molding.

13. A method for manufacturing a camera module, said method including:

providing an integrated circuit image capture device;

providing an optical assembly;

mounting said optical assembly directly to said integrated circuit image capture device; and

forming a housing over said optical assembly after said optical assembly is mounted to said image capture device.

14. A method for manufacturing a camera module according to claim 13, wherein said step of providing an integrated circuit image capture device includes providing an integrated circuit image capture device including a set of contacts operable to facilitate the reflow soldering of said camera module to a circuit board of a camera module hosting device.

15. A method for manufacturing a camera module according to claim 14, said method further including forming solder balls on said contacts.

16. A method for manufacturing a camera module according to claim 13, wherein said step of forming a housing over said optical assembly includes molding said housing over said optical assembly.

17. A method for manufacturing a camera module according to claim 16, wherein said step of forming a housing over said optical assembly further includes forming said housing over said integrated circuit image capture device.

18. A method for manufacturing a camera module according to claim 13, wherein said step of mounting said optical assembly over said integrated circuit image capture device further includes mounting a transparent substrate over said sensor array of said integrated circuit image capture device.

19. A method for manufacturing a camera module according to claim 18, wherein said step of mounting said transparent substrate over said sensor array includes adhering a rigid transparent substrate over said sensor array.

20. A method for manufacturing a camera module according to claim 18, wherein said step of mounting said transparent substrate over said sensor array includes adhering a transparent substrate directly on said integrated circuit image capture device.

21. A method for manufacturing a camera module according to claim 18, wherein said step of mounting said transparent substrate over said integrated circuit image capture device includes mounting a lens directly over said sensor array.

22. A method for manufacturing a camera module according to claim 18, wherein said step of mounting said optical assembly over said integrated circuit image capture device includes providing a lens assembly and mounting said lens assembly on said transparent substrate.

23. A method for manufacturing a camera module according to claim 22, wherein said step of forming a housing over said optical assembly includes molding a housing directly over said lens assembly and said transparent substrate.

24. A method for manufacturing a camera module according to claim 23, wherein said step of mounting said optical assembly further includes mounting said optical assembly in a focused position before said step of forming said housing on said optical assembly.

25. A method for manufacturing a camera module, said method including:

providing an integrated circuit image capture device;

forming an optical assembly directly on said integrated circuit image capture device; and

forming a housing directly over said optical assembly.

26. A method for manufacturing a camera module according to claim 25, wherein said step of forming said optical assembly further includes forming a focused optical assembly directly on said integrated circuit image capture device before said step of forming said housing.

27. A method for manufacturing a camera module according to claim 25, wherein said step of providing an image capture device further includes forming a plurality of solder balls on said image capture device.

28. A method for manufacturing camera modules, said method including:

providing a first image capture device;

providing a first optical assembly;

providing a second image capture device;

providing a second optical assembly;

mounting said first optical assembly on said first image capture device;

mounting said second optical assembly on said second image capture device;

forming a housing substrate over said first optical assembly and said second optical assembly after said first optical assembly is mounted to said first image capture device and said second optical assembly is mounted to said second image capture device; and

separating said first housing substrate into a first portion and a second portion after said first housing substrate is formed over said first optical assembly and said second optical assembly, said first portion of said first housing substrate forming a housing over said first optical assembly, and said second portion of said first housing substrate forming a housing over said second optical assembly.

29. A method for manufacturing camera modules according to claim 28, said method further including:

forming a second housing substrate over said first portion of said first housing substrate, said first image capture device, said second portion of said first housing substrate, and said second image capture device.

30. A method for manufacturing camera modules according to claim 29, said method further including forming a first set of solder balls on said first image capture device and forming a second set of solder balls on said second image capture device after said second housing substrate is formed over said first portion of said first housing substrate, said first image capture device, said second portion of said first housing substrate, and said second image capture device.

31. A method for manufacturing camera modules according to claim 30, said method further including separating said second housing substrate into a first portion and a second portion after said first set of solder balls are formed on said first image capture device and said second set of solder balls are formed on said second image capture device, said first portion of said second housing substrate being formed over said first portion of said first housing substrate and said second portion of said second housing substrate being formed over said second portion of said first housing substrate.

32. A method for manufacturing camera modules according to claim 28, said method further including forming a first set of solder balls on said first image capture device and forming a second set of solder balls on said second image capture device before said step of separating said first housing substrate.

33. A method for manufacturing camera modules according to claim 28, wherein said step of providing a first image capture device and said step of providing said second image capture device include providing a unitary integrated circuit substrate, said first image capture device and said second image capture device being formed on said unitary integrated circuit substrate.

34. A method for manufacturing camera modules according to claim 33, said method further including separating said first image capture device from said second image capture device after said first housing substrate is formed over said first optical assembly and said second optical assembly.

35. A method for manufacturing camera modules according to claim 34, wherein said step of separating said first housing substrate further includes separating said first image capture device from said second image capture device.

36. A method for manufacturing camera modules according to claim 34, said method further including:

molding a second housing substrate into a single body formed over said first portion of said first housing substrate, said first image capture device, said second portion of said first housing substrate, and said second image capture device.

37. A method for manufacturing camera modules according to claim 36, said method further including forming a first set of solder balls on said first image capture device and forming a second set of solder balls on said second image capture device after said second housing substrate is formed over said first portion of said first housing substrate, said first image capture device, said second portion of said first housing substrate, and said second image capture device.

38. A method for manufacturing camera modules according to claim 37, said method further including separating said second housing substrate into a first portion and a second portion after said first set of solder balls is formed on said first image capture device and said second set of solder balls is formed on said second image capture device, said first portion of said second housing substrate being formed over said first portion of said first housing substrate and said second portion of said second housing substrate being formed over said second portion of said first housing substrate.

39. A method for manufacturing camera modules according to claim 28, wherein:

said steps of providing said first image capture device and said second image capture device include providing an integrated circuit substrate having a plurality of discrete image capture devices formed thereon;

said steps of providing said first optical assembly and said second optical assembly include providing a plurality of pre-focused optical stack assemblies;

said steps of mounting said first optical assembly to said first image capture device and mounting said second optical assembly to said second image capture device include mounting each of said plurality of pre-focused optical stack assemblies to a respective one of said plurality of image capture devices; and

said step of forming said housing substrate over said first optical assembly and said second optical assembly includes forming said housing substrate over said plurality of focused optical assemblies after said step of mounting said plurality of optical assemblies to said plurality of image capture devices; and

said step of separating said first housing substrate includes separating said first housing substrate into a plurality of respective discrete housing portions each formed over a respective one of said plurality of pre-focused optical stack assemblies.

40. A method for manufacturing camera modules according to claim 39, said method further including providing a second housing substrate and forming said second housing substrate over said plurality of housing portions and said plurality of said image capture devices.

41. A method for manufacturing camera modules according to claim 40, said method further including forming a set of solder balls on each of said plurality of image capture devices.

42. A method for manufacturing camera modules according to claim 41, said method further including separating said second housing substrate into a plurality of discrete camera modules after said step of forming a set of solder balls on each of said plurality of image capture devices.

43. A method for manufacturing camera modules according to claim 28, wherein said step of forming said first housing substrate over said first optical assembly and said second optical assembly includes molding said housing substrate into a single body formed directly over said first optical assembly and said second optical assembly.

44. A camera module host device comprising:

a printed circuit board; and

a camera module electrically connected to said printed circuit board, said camera module including an image capture device, an optical assembly, and a housing, said optical assembly being fixed directly to said image capture device, said housing being formed directly on said optical assembly.

45. A camera module host device according to claim 44, wherein said camera module is reflow soldered to said printed circuit board.

46. A camera module hosting device according to claim 44, wherein said camera module is mounted to said printed circuit board using pick and place technology.