Compact camera modules with features for reducing Z-height and facilitating lens alignment and methods for manufacturing the same
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A solid state camera module, comprising:
- an over-molded circuit board containing an aperture;
an image sensor coupled in flip-chip orientation to the circuit board and including an optically active area that is aligned to the aperture;
a lens barrel coupled to the circuit board and being physically aligned to the image sensor by contacting a top surface of the image sensor through the aperture; and
electrical interconnections between the circuit board and the image sensor.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A miniature camera module component is formed by creating replicated lens shapes on a protective cover wafer and depositing material to form multiple cavities with the replicated lens shapes respectively disposed therein. A carrier wafer is coupled to the protective cover wafer before it is diced. An intermediate wafer is coupled to the protective cover wafer, and the carrier wafer is removed. An image sensor wafer is coupled to the protective cover wafer, and the intermediate wafer is removed.
-
Citations
46 Claims
-
1. A solid state camera module, comprising:
-
an over-molded circuit board containing an aperture; an image sensor coupled in flip-chip orientation to the circuit board and including an optically active area that is aligned to the aperture; a lens barrel coupled to the circuit board and being physically aligned to the image sensor by contacting a top surface of the image sensor through the aperture; and electrical interconnections between the circuit board and the image sensor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
-
-
6. A solid state camera module, comprising:
-
a printed circuit having a molding formed thereon and containing an aperture through the printed circuit board and the molding; an image sensor coupled in flip-chip orientation to the circuit board and including an optically active area that is aligned to the aperture; a lens barrel coupled to the circuit board and the molding, the lens barrel being physically aligned to the image sensor by contacting a top surface of the image sensor through the aperture; and electrical interconnections between the circuit board and the image sensor. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
-
-
14. A miniature camera module, comprising:
-
a substrate; an image sensor coupled to the substrate; an optical train including one or more lenses coupled to the substrate and aligned with the image sensor to define an optical path of the camera module; an aperture defined along the optical path between at least one lens of the optical train and the image sensor; and a printed circuit coupled to the image sensor such that a thickness of a printed circuit does not contribute to a physical Z height in addition to a thickness of the substrate. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
-
-
23. A miniature camera module, comprising:
-
a substrate; an image sensor coupled to the substrate; an optical train including one or more lenses coupled to the substrate and aligned with the image sensor to define an optical path of the camera module; an aperture defined along the optical path between at least one lens of the optical train and the image sensor; and a printed circuit coupled to the image sensor; wherein at least one lens, of the optical train, that is closest to the image sensor is formed from a protective cover that is disposed over the image sensor, such that a physical Z height is reduced compared with a camera having separate optical elements for protective cover and closest lens to the image sensor. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
-
-
30. A miniature camera module, comprising:
-
a substrate defining a cavity; an image sensor coupled to the substrate; an optical train including one or more lenses coupled to the substrate and aligned with the image sensor to define an optical path of the camera module; a housing coupled to the substrate and at least partially encompassing the optical train; an aperture defined along the optical path between at least one lens of the optical train and the image sensor; a printed circuit coupled to the image sensor; and a protective cover over an active sensor area of the image sensor and disposed within said cavity of said substrate such that at least a significant portion of a thickness of the protective cover does not contribute to a physical Z height in addition to a thickness of the substrate; and
whereinthe miniature camera module is configured such that the printed circuit also does not contribute to the physical Z height of the camera module in addition to the thickness of the substrate. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34)
-
-
35. A miniature camera module, comprising:
-
a substrate defining a cavity; an image sensor coupled to the substrate and disposed within said cavity such that at least a significant portion of a thickness of the image sensor does not contribute to a physical Z height in addition to a thickness of the substrate; an optical train including one or more lenses coupled to the substrate and aligned with the image sensor to define an optical path of the camera module; a housing coupled to the substrate and at least partially encompassing the optical train; an aperture defined along the optical path between at least one lens of the optical train and the image sensor; a printed circuit coupled to the image sensor; and a protective cover over an active sensor area of the image sensor; and
whereinthe miniature camera module is configured such that a thickness of the printed circuit does not contribute to physical Z height in addition to the thickness of the substrate. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39)
-
-
40. A miniature camera module, comprising:
-
a substrate; an image sensor coupled to the substrate; an optical train including one or more lenses coupled to the substrate and aligned with the image sensor to define an optical path of the camera module; an aperture defined along the optical path between at least one lens of the optical train and the image sensor; a printed circuit coupled to the image sensor for carrying electronic signals corresponding to image data from the image sensor; and a protective cover over an active sensor area of the image sensor, and wherein the miniature camera module is configured such that neither a thickness of (i) the image sensor, (ii) the protective cover, (iii) the printed circuit, nor (iv) a lens of the optical train that is closest to the image sensor contributes to a physical Z height in addition to a thickness of the substrate. - View Dependent Claims (41)
-
-
42. A miniature camera module, comprising:
-
a substrate; an image sensor coupled to the substrate; an optical train including one or more lenses coupled to the substrate and aligned with the image sensor to define an optical path of the camera module; an aperture defined along the optical path between at least one lens of the optical train and the image sensor; a printed circuit coupled to the image sensor for carrying electronic signals corresponding to image data; and a protective cover over an active sensor area of the image sensor, and wherein the miniature camera module is configured such that a thickness of the printed circuit does not contribute to a physical Z height in addition to a thickness of the substrate. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44)
-
-
45. A miniature camera module, comprising:
-
a substrate defining a cavity including an aperture; an image sensor coupled to the substrate at least partially within the cavity and including an active sensor area overlapping the aperture; a transparent protective cover coupled to the image sensor over the active sensor area; an optical housing coupled to the substrate containing therein a train of one or more imaging optics overlapping the aperture and forming an optical path from a first optic of the train through the aperture and transparent protective cover to the active sensor area; and a flexible printed circuit coupled to the image sensor to carry electrical signals corresponding to image data from the image sensor; and
whereinthe transparent cover comprises a lens that is closest to the image sensor such that a physical Z height is reduced compared with a camera module having separate optical elements for the protective cover and the closest lens to the image sensor. - View Dependent Claims (46)
-
Specification