Semiconductor photo-sensor and method for manufacturing the same

• US 5,912,504 A
• Filed: 01/26/1998
• Issued: 06/15/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sato, Toshiaki, Yamashita, Hiromichi, Ohtaka, Keiji, Sugimoto, Taichi, Mihara, Akio, Ohnuki, Ichiro, Suda, Yasuo, Yoshizawa, Tetsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo , Ngan V.
• Application Number:
  US09/013,031
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• Field of Search: 257/680, 257/687, 257/702, 257/729, 257/730
• US Class Current: 257/730
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48247 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• 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 2924/1815 Shape
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3025 Electromagnetic shielding
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0203 Containers; Encapsulations , e.g. encapsulation of photodiodesfor photovoltaic devices H01L31/048; for organic photosensitive devices H10K30/80
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02325 the optical elements not being integrated nor being directly associated with the device

Abstract

A semiconductor optical device is provided with a photo-electric conversion unit having plural photo-electric conversion elements and is entirely sealed by a sealing member. The photo-electric conversion elements are connected to external leads with electrical connectors. The distance D between a planar outer surface and a photoelectric conversion area satisfies the equation, D≧/2·l/tan θ, where θ is a critical angle of total reflection of the sealing member with respect to air and l is the maximum length of said photoelectric conversion area.

Claims

1. A semiconductor optical device comprising:

a photo-electric conversion unit comprising a plurality of photo-electric conversion elements arranged therein defining a photo-electric conversion area;

plural external leads;

electrical connection means for electrically connecting said photo-electric conversion unit to said plural external leads; and

a sealing member comprising transparent resin for entirely sealing said photo-electric conversion unit and said electrical connection means,

wherein a distance D between a substantially planar outer surface of said sealing member for receiving light incident on said photo-electric conversion unit and the photo-electric conversion area of said photo-electric conversion elements satisfies a relation, D≧

(1/2)·

l/tan θ

, wherein γ

is a critical angle of total reflection of said sealing member with respect to air, and l is the maximum length of the photo-electric conversion area.

2. A semiconductor photo-sensor according to claim 1 wherein said sealing member further comprises a light transmitting member of different material than said resin.

3. A semiconductor photo-sensor according to claim 2, wherein said light transmitting member is bonded to said sealing member by a bonding layer.

4. A semiconductor photo-sensor according to claim 2, wherein said light transmitting member is made of glass.

5. A semiconductor photo-sensor according to claim 1 wherein said photo-electric conversion elements are a focusing sensor.

6. A semiconductor photo-sensor according to claim 3, wherein said light transmitting member is made of glass.

8. A semiconductor photo-sensor according to claim 6, wherein said transparent member is bonded to said light sealing member by a bonding layer.

9. A semiconductor photo-sensor according to claim 6, wherein said transparent member is made of glass.

10. A semiconductor photo-sensor according to claim 6, wherein said photo-electric conversion element is a focusing sensor.

11. A semiconductor photo-sensor according to claim 3, wherein said light transmitting member is made of glass.

7. A semiconductor optical device comprising:

a photo-electric conversion unit comprising a plurality of photo-electric conversion elements arranged therein defining a photo-electric conversion area;

a plural external leads;

electrical connection means for electrically connecting said photo-electric conversion unit to said plural external leads;

a sealing member comprising transparent resin for entirely sealing said photo-electric conversion unit and said electrical connection means; and

a transparent member comprising a material different from that of said transparent resin provided on said sealing member for receiving light incident on said photo-electric conversion unit,

wherein a distance D between a substantially planar outer surface of said transparent member and the photo-electric conversion area satisfies a relation, D≧

(1/2)·

l/tan θ and

the distance d₁ between an outersurface from which a light is indicant into said transparent resin and said photoelectric conversion area is less than (1/2)·

l/tan θ

, wherein θ

is a critical angle of total reflection of said transparent and of said transparent member with respect to air, and l is the maximum length of said photo-electric conversion area.

12. A semiconductor photo-sensor comprising an array (1) of photo-sensing cells encapsulated in a light transmissive resin (4);

said array (1) being located at a depth D from a bounding surface of said photo-sensor on a light incident side of said array (1),

characterized in that the depth D is more than l₂ /4 tan θ

_1'"'"', so that the light reflected from the photosensing cell and further reflected from a bounding surface of the transmissive resin falls predominantly outside of the periphery of the photo-sensing array;

wherein l₂ is a maximum dimension of a length of said array (1) and the angle θ

₁ is the critical angle of total internal reflection for light internally reflected from said bounding surface of the transmissive resin.