Optical apparatus and method for making the same

• US 6,906,750 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2003
• Issued: 06/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Pixert Imaging Incorporated
• Inventors: Hsu, Fang-Sheng, Li, Kuo-Hsiung
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelms, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dao H.
• Application Number:
  US10/355,340
• Publication Number:
  US 20040004276A1
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• Field of Search: 257/59, 257/676, 257/738, 348/335, 348/360, 348/363
• US Class Current: 348/335
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/423 using guiding surfaces for the alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73265 Layer and wire connectors
• 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 31/0203 Containers; Encapsulations , e.g. encapsulation of photodiodesfor photovoltaic devices H01L31/048; for organic photosensitive devices H10K30/80
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/182 associated with components mounted in the printed circuit board, e.g. insert mounted components [IMC]

Abstract

An optical apparatus includes an optical semiconductor device and a lens assembly mounted on opposite surfaces of a substrate. The height of a surrounding wall and the thickness of a cover member of a semiconductor package of the optical semiconductor device are selected so that, when the cover member and the lens assembly abut directly against the opposite surfaces of the substrate, an optimum optical distance will be formed between a lens set of the lens assembly and a light-sensing portion of an optical semiconductor chip in the semiconductor package. A method for making the optical apparatus is also disclosed.

Claims

1. An optical apparatus comprising:

a substrate having a first surface, a second surface opposite to said first surface, and a light passage formed through said first and second surfaces;

an optical semiconductor device including

a semiconductor package including a base wall, a surrounding wall extending from a periphery of said base wall and cooperating with said base wall to form a chip-receiving space, and a cover member disposed opposite to said base wall and secured to said surrounding wall for closing said chip-receiving space, said cover member having a wall-connecting surface connected to said surrounding wall and a substrate-abutting surface that abuts directly against said first surface of said substrate, said cover member having a light-guiding portion that is optically aligned with said light passage to permit passage of light into said chip-receiving space,

a lead frame including a chip carrier mounted on said base wall in said chip-receiving space, and a plurality of leads, each of which has a chip-connecting portion disposed in said chip-receiving space, and a substrate-connecting portion extending through said surrounding wall and mounted on said substrate to secure said optical semiconductor device on said first surface of said substrate, and

an optical semiconductor chip having a carrier-mounting portion and a light-sensing portion opposite to said carrier-mounting portion, said carrier-mounting portion being mounted on said chip carrier such that said light-sensing portion is optically aligned with said light guiding portion, said optical semiconductor chip being connected electrically to said chip-connecting portions of said leads such that electrical connection between said optical semiconductor chip and said substrate is possible through said leads; and

a lens assembly including a lens frame and a lens set mounted in said lens frame, said lens frame having a mounting surface mounted on said second surface of said substrate such that said lens set is optically aligned with said light passage;

wherein said surrounding wall has a height and said cover member has a thickness that cooperate to form an optimum optical distance between said lens set and said light-sensing portion of said optical semiconductor chip.

2. The optical apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said optical semiconductor device further includes a plurality of bonding wires for wire-bonding said optical semiconductor chip to said chip-connecting portions of said leads, respectively.

3. The optical apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said substrate is further formed with a plurality of lead holes through said first and second surfaces and disposed around said light passage, said substrate-connecting portion of each of said leads being soldered to said substrate in a respective one of said lead holes.

4. The optical apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said light-guiding portion projects from said substrate-abutting surface of said cover member and extends into said light passage, said lens frame having a tubular coupling portion projecting from said mounting surface and extending into said light passage for coupling with said light-guiding portion.

5. The optical apparatus as claimed in claim 4, further comprising an interlocking unit that includes a locking tongue provided on one of said tubular coupling portion and said light-guiding portion, and a locking groove provided in the other of said tubular coupling portion and said light-guiding portion to engage said locking tongue.

6. An optical apparatus adapted to be mounted on a substrate that has a first surface, a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a light passage formed through the first and second surfaces, said optical apparatus comprising:

an optical semiconductor device including

a semiconductor package including a base wall, a surrounding wall extending from a periphery of said base wall and cooperating with said base wall to form a chip-receiving space, and a cover member disposed opposite to said base wall and secured to said surrounding wall for closing said chip-receiving space, said cover member having a wall-connecting surface connected to said surrounding wall and a substrate-abutting surface adapted to abut directly against the first surface of the substrate, said cover member having a light-guiding portion that is to be disposed in optical alignment with the light passage to permit passage of light into said chip-receiving space when said substrate-abutting surface abuts directly against the first surface of the substrate,

a lead frame including a chip carrier mounted on said base wall in said chip-receiving space, and a plurality of leads, each of which has a chip-connecting portion disposed in said chip-receiving space, and a substrate-connecting portion extending through said surrounding wall and adapted to be mounted on the substrate so as to secure said optical semiconductor device on the first surface of the substrate, and

an optical semiconductor chip having a carrier-mounting portion and a light-sensing portion opposite to said carrier-mounting portion, said carrier-mounting portion being mounted on said chip carrier such that said light-sensing portion is optically aligned with said light-guiding portion, said optical semiconductor chip being connected electrically to said chip-connecting portions of said leads such that electrical connection between said optical semiconductor chip and the substrate is possible through said leads; and

a lens assembly including a lens frame and a lens set mounted in said lens frame, said lens frame having a mounting surface adapted to be mounted on the second surface of the substrate such that said lens set is disposed in optical alignment with the light passage;

wherein said lens set and said light-sensing portion of said optical semiconductor chip form an optimum optical distance therebetween, said substrate-abutting surface of said cover member and said mounting surface of said lens frame forming a clearance corresponding to the thickness of the substrate to permit said substrate-abutting surface and said mounting surface to abut directly and respectively against the first and second surfaces of the substrate when said optical apparatus is mounted on the substrate.

7. The optical apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said optical semiconductor device further includes a plurality of bonding wires for wire-bonding said optical semiconductor chip to said chip-connecting portions of said leads, respectively.

8. The optical apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said substrate-connecting portions of said leads are adapted to be soldered to the substrate at positions around the light passage.

9. The optical apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said light-guiding portion projects from said substrate-abutting surface of said cover member so as to be adapted to extend into the light passage, said lens frame having a tubular coupling portion projecting from said mounting surface and adapted to extend into the light passage for coupling with said light-guiding portion.

10. The optical apparatus as claimed in claim 9, further comprising an interlocking unit that includes a locking tongue provided on one of said tubular coupling portion and said light-guiding portion, and a locking groove provided in the other of said tubular coupling portion and said light-guiding portion to engage said locking tongue.