TIR IMAGING LENS, IMAGE CAPTURING SYSTEM HAVING THE SAME, AND ASSOCIATED METHODS

• US 20150109456A1
• Filed: 01/05/2015
• Published: 04/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: FLIR Systems, Inc. (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: FLIR Systems, Inc. (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: OVRUTSKY, David, HUDDLESTON, Jeremy, ELLIOTT, Paul, KELLER, David, JONES, Richard, MERCIER, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US14/589,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20150109456A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/164
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/14 for use with infrared or ultraviolet radiation G02B13/008, G02B13/16 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/22 Telecentric objectives or lens systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/23 from thermal infrared radiation
• 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: H04N 5/33 Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20

Abstract

A method of manufacturing lenses includes creating a wafer-level master, overmolding the wafer-level master to form a daughter replica, casting a polymer lens shapes onto a wafer using the daughter replica, transferring the polymer lens shapes into the wafer, and singulating the wafer to create individual dies with a lens thereon. The wafer may be silicon, e.g., silicon having a resistivity between 0.1 and 100 Ωcm.

Claims

1. An imaging lens for use with an operational waveband over any subset of 7.5-13.5 μ

m, the imaging lens comprising;

a silicon element having an image side surface and an object side surface, at least one of the image side and object side surfaces being an optically powered surface with a lens having a surface finish with a roughness of less than 20 nm Ra.

2. The imaging lens as claimed in claim 1, wherein the optically powered surface includes a blend region beyond a clear aperture of the lens, the blend region terminating at a flat region.

3. The imaging lens as claimed in claim 2, wherein the flat region is higher than a lowest point of the lens.

4. The imaging lens as claimed in claim 3, wherein the flat region is higher than a lowest point of the blend region.

5. The imaging lens as claimed in claim 1, wherein the silicon element is non-circular.

6. The imaging lens as claimed in claim 5, wherein the silicon element is polygonal.

7. The imaging lens as claimed in claim 1, wherein the silicon element further includes die features on at least one of the image side and object side surfaces.

8. The imaging lens as claimed in claim 7, wherein the die features include at least one of a die alignment mark, a wafer alignment mark, and a die identifier.

9. The imaging lens as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

an optical element having an image side surface and an object side surface, at least one of the image side and object side surfaces being an optically powered surface.

10. The imaging lens as claimed in claim 9, wherein the optical element made of silicon.

11. The imaging lens as claimed in claim 10, wherein the optical element is non-circular.

12. The imaging lens as claimed in claim 1, wherein the silicon element has a resistivity between 0.1 and 100 Ω

cm.

13. The imaging lens as claimed in claim 12, wherein the silicon element has a resistivity between 1 and 3.5 Ω

cm.

14. The imaging lens as claimed in claim 12, wherein the silicon element is n-type silicon.

15. The imaging lens as claimed in claim 1, wherein the optically powered surface is aspheric.

16-42. -42. (canceled)

43. An imaging lens for use with an operational waveband over any subset of 7.5-13.5 μ

m, the imaging lens comprising;

a silicon element having an image side surface and an object side surface, at least one of the image side and object side surfaces being an optically powered surface, the silicon element having a resistivity between 0.1 and 100 Ω

cm.

44. The imaging lens as claimed in claim 43, wherein the silicon element has a resistivity between 1 and 10 Ω

cm.

45. An imaging system for use with an operational waveband over any subset of 7.5-13.5 μ

m, the imaging system comprising;

a sensor; and

a silicon element having an image side surface and an object side surface, at least one of the image side and object side surfaces being an optically powered surface, the silicon element having a resistivity between 0.1 and 100 Ω

cm.

46. The imaging system as claimed in claim 45, further comprising a non-silicon element having an image side surface and an object side surface, at least one of the image side and object side surfaces being an optically powered surface.