Image sensor module and a method for evaluating an image sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10210526-B2
Application number	US-201514690425-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 19, 2015
Priority date	Apr 19, 2015
Publication date	Feb 19, 2019
Grant date	Feb 19, 2019

Abstract

An image sensor module that comprises a die, wherein the die comprises light sensors and optics; and wherein the optics comprises luminescent elements that represent die manufacturing information that is indicative of a manufacturing process of the die.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image sensor module that comprises a die, wherein the die comprises light sensors and optics; wherein the optics comprises luminescent elements that have an expected optical property that once detected authenticates the image sensor module; wherein the light sensors are configured to receive light that passed through the luminescent elements; wherein the optics comprises a group of lenses and a group of color filters; and wherein two color filters of the group of color filters form luminescent elements that differ from each other by at least one out of composition and concentration.

2. The image sensor module according to claim 1 wherein the expected optical property of the luminescent elements is a spectral response of the luminescent elements.

3. The image sensor module according to claim 1 wherein the expected optical property of the luminescent elements is luminescence decay kinetics of the luminescent elements.

4. The image sensor module according to claim 1 wherein at least one lens of the group of lenses and at least one color filter of the group of color filters form luminescent elements that differ from each by at least one out of composition and concentration.

5. The image sensor module according to claim 1 wherein the optics is made of a polymer material.

6. The image sensor module according to claim 1 wherein the optics is made of a photoresist.

7. The image sensor module according to claim 1 wherein the optics is positioned on a backside of the die.

8. The image sensor module according to claim 1 wherein the optics is positioned on a front side of the die.

9. The image sensor module according to claim 1 wherein the die further comprises a readout circuit that is configured to receive signals from the light sensors.

10. The image sensor module according to claim 1 wherein a concentration of a luminescent material within a luminescent element does not exceed five percent.

11. The image sensor module according to claim 1 wherein the luminescent elements exhibit a luminescence decay time that ranges between fifty milliseconds and one second.

12. The image sensor module according to claim 1 wherein a luminescent element of the luminescent element has an attenuation that is less than ten percent to radiation sensed by a light sensor of the light sensors.

13. The image sensor module according to claim 1 wherein radiation emitted by the luminescent elements is below a detection level of the light sensors.

14. An image sensor module that comprises a die, wherein the die comprises light sensors and optics; wherein the optics comprises luminescent elements that have an expected optical property that once detected authenticates the image sensor module; wherein the light sensors are configured to receive light that passed through the luminescent elements; wherein the optics comprises a group of lenses and a group of color filters; and wherein at least one of the following is true: (a) at least two color filters of the group of color filters form luminescent elements luminescent elements that have a same composition and concentration; and (b) at least one lens of the group of lenses and at least one color filter of the group of color filters form luminescent elements luminescent elements that have the same composition and concentration.

15. The image sensor module according to claim 14 wherein at least one lens of the group of lenses and at least one color filter of the group of color filters form luminescent elements that have a same composition and concentration.

16. An image sensor module that comprises a die, wherein the die comprises light sensors and optics; wherein the optics comprises luminescent elements that have an expected optical property that once detected authenticates the image sensor module; wherein the light sensors are configured to receive light that passed through the luminescent elements; wherein the image sensor further comprises a readout circuit, wherein the light sensors and the readout circuit are included in different dice of the image sensor module.

17. A method for evaluating an image sensor module, the method comprises:
illuminating the image sensor module by illuminating radiation for triggering an excitation of luminescent elements of the image sensor module; wherein the image sensor module comprises a die, wherein the die comprises light sensors and optics; wherein the optics comprises the luminescent elements; wherein the luminescent elements are positioned between a source of the illuminating radiation and the light sensors; wherein the optics comprises a group of lenses and a group of color filters; and wherein at least one lens of the group of lenses and at least one color filter of the group of color filters form luminescent elements that have the same composition and concentration;
detecting a response of the luminescent elements to the illumination by the illuminating radiation; and
processing the response in order to extract die manufacturing information that is indicative of a manufacturing process of the die or authenticate the image sensor module.

18. The method according to claim 17 comprising processing the response to extract only die manufacturing information.

19. The method according to claim 17 comprising processing the response to extract, during the authentication of the image sensor module, authentication information.

20. The method according to claim 17 wherein the detecting of the response is executed by the image sensor module.

21. The method according to claim 17 wherein the die manufacturing information is timing information about a timing of execution of the manufacturing process of the die.

22. An image sensor module that comprises a die, wherein the die comprises light sensors and optics; wherein the optics comprises luminescent elements that have an expected optical property that once detected authenticates the image sensor module; wherein the light sensors are configured to receive light that passed through the luminescent elements wherein a luminescent element of the luminescent element is configured to perform frequency down-conversion at a first frequency, perform frequency up-conversion at a second frequency and perform a luminescence decay at a third frequency.

Assignees

• Tower Semiconductor Ltd
• Hillberry Gat Ltd

Inventors

• Roizin Yakov
• Goldovsky Viktor
• Strum Avi
• Davidovich Yohanan
• Fenigstein Amos
• Lahav Assaf
• Avner David

Classifications

• H01L27/14625

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L27/14634

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L27/14621

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L27/14627

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G06Q30/018 Primary

  Certifying business or products · CPC title