Optical and optoelectronic assemblies including micro-spacers, and methods of manufacturing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020124831-A1
Application number	US-201916717239-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 17, 2019
Priority date	Jun 29, 2016
Publication date	Apr 23, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure describes optical and optoelectronic assemblies that, in some cases, include screen-printed micro-spacers, as well as methods for manufacturing such assemblies and modules. For example, an optoelectronic device mounted on a substrate can include an optical sub-assembly including a first optical element and a first micro-spacer on the optical element. The optical sub-assembly can be disposed over the optoelectronic device, with a first air or vacuum gap separating the first optical element from the optoelectronic device, and the first micro-spacer laterally surrounding the first air or vacuum gap.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An optoelectronic module comprising:
an optoelectronic device mounted on a substrate; an optical sub-assembly including a first optical element and a first micro-spacer on the optical element; wherein the optical sub-assembly is disposed over the optoelectronic device, a first air or vacuum gap separating the first optical element from the optoelectronic device, and wherein the first micro-spacer laterally surrounds the first air or vacuum gap.

2 . The optoelectronic module of claim 1 wherein the optical sub-assembly includes a second optical element, the first and second optical elements being separated by a second air or vacuum gap laterally surrounded by a second micro-spacer.

3 . The optoelectronic module of claim 1 including another optical sub-assembly including third and fourth optical elements separated by a second air or vacuum gap laterally surrounded by a second micro-spacer.

4 . The optoelectronic module of claim 1 wherein each micro-spacer is composed of an adhesive material.

5 . A method comprising:
forming trenches in an encapsulant that covers a wafer on which are mounted optoelectronic devices such that the trenches are formed in areas separating the optoelectronic devices from one another; providing a material in the trenches, wherein the material is opaque to a wavelength or range of wavelengths of radiation emitted by or detectable by the optoelectronic devices; and placing one or more singulated optical sub-assemblies onto support spacers formed by portions of the opaque material such that each of the one or more optical sub-assemblies is disposed over a respective one of the optoelectronic devices, wherein each of the optical sub-assemblies comprises: a first optical element; a second optical element separated from the first optical element by an air or vacuum gap; and a first micro-spacer on the first optical element or on the second optical element, and laterally surrounding the air or vacuum gap.

6 . The method of claim 5 wherein at least one of the first or second optical elements comprises an IR absorber layer, a dielectric optical filter layer, or an optical interference filter layer.

7 . The method of claim 5 wherein the material is provided in the trenches by a vacuum injection molding technique.

8 . The method of claim 7 including placing the one or more singulated optical sub-assemblies onto the support spacers using pick-and-place equipment.

9 . The method of claim 5 including dicing through the opaque material to form modules, each of which includes at least one of the optical sub-assemblies disposed over a respective at least one of the optoelectronic devices.

10 . The method of claim 5 further including attaching at least one of a light guide or optical diffuser over one of more of the optical sub-assemblies.

11 . A method comprising:
forming a spacer-wall formation on a carrier wafer, wherein the spacer-wall formation includes support spacers for supporting respective optical sub-assemblies and wall portions for laterally surrounding respective ones of the optical sub-assemblies; placing singulated optical sub-assemblies onto the support spacers; removing the carrier wafer from the spacer-wall formation; dicing through regions of the wall portions to form modules, each of which includes at least one of the optical sub-assemblies; and attaching one of the modules to a flexible cable on which is mounted an optoelectronic device such that the optical sub-assembly of the module is disposed over the optoelectronic device.

12 . The method of claim 11 wherein each optical sub-assembly comprises: a first optical element; a second optical element separated from the first optical element by an air or vacuum gap; and a first micro-spacer on the first optical element or on the second optical element, and laterally surrounding the air or vacuum gap.

13 . The method of claim 12 wherein at least one of the first or second optical elements comprises an IR absorber layer, a dielectric optical filter layer, or an optical interference filter layer.

14 . The method of claim 11 wherein the spacer-wall formation is formed by a vacuum injection molding technique.

15 . The method of claim 14 including placing the singulated optical sub-assemblies onto the support spacers using pick-and-place equipment.

16 . The method of claim 11 further including attaching at least one of a light guide or optical diffuser over one of more of the optical sub-assemblies.

Assignees

• Ams Sensors Singapore Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Wu Guo Xiong
• Lee Ming Jie
• Gubser Simon
• Yu Qichuan
• Tan Joon Heng

Classifications

• G02B13/16

  for use in conjunction with image converters or intensifiers {, or for use with projectors, e.g. objectives for projection TV} · CPC title

• G02B5/28

  Interference filters · CPC title

• G02B5/201

  in the form of arrays · CPC title

• G02B5/208

  for use with infrared or ultraviolet radiation, e.g. for separating visible light from infrared and/or ultraviolet radiation · CPC title

• G02B5/20

  Filters (polarising elements G02B5/30) · CPC title