Compact opto-electronic modules and fabrication methods for such modules

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9640709-B2
Application number	US-201414917104-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 20, 2014
Priority date	Sep 10, 2013
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

A wafer-level method of fabricating optoelectronic modules performing a first vacuum injection technique, using a first vacuum injection tool, to surround optoelectronic devices laterally with a transparent overmold region, performing a replication technique to form a respective passive optical element on a top surface of each overmold region, and performing a second vacuum injected technique to form sidewalls laterally surrounding and in contact with sides of each overmold region. The replication technique and the second vacuum injection technique are performed using a combined replication and vacuum injection tool.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wafer-level method of fabricating optoelectronic modules, the method comprising:
providing a support substrate on which are mounted a plurality of optoelectronic devices;
performing a first vacuum injection technique, using a first vacuum injection tool, to surround each optoelectronic device laterally with a transparent overmold region, wherein the overmold region also covers a top surface of each optoelectronic device;
performing a replication technique to form a respective passive optical element on a top surface of each transparent overmold region; and
performing a second vacuum injected technique to form sidewalls laterally surrounding and in contact with sides of each transparent overmold region,
wherein both the replication technique and the second vacuum injection technique are performed using a combined replication and vacuum injection tool, and wherein the replication technique includes placing a replication material onto the combined replication and vacuum injection tool and pressing each transparent overmold region into contact with the replication material so that the replication material is pressed between each transparent overmold region and corresponding replication sections of the combined replication and vacuum injection tool.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the sidewalls are composed of a material that is substantially non-transparent to light emitted by or detectable by the optoelectronic devices.

3. The method of claim 1 further including hardening vacuum injected material for each transparent overmold region by UV or thermal curing.

4. The method of claim 1 further including hardening vacuum injected material for the sidewalls by UV or thermal curing.

5. The method of claim 1 further including separating into individual modules.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein each overmold transparent region has a curved upper surface disposed above an upper surface of a respective one of the optoelectronic devices.

7. The method of claim 1 including removing, prior to performing the second vacuum injection technique, portions of overmold material applied during the first vacuum injection technique to form spaces in which the non-transparent material for the sidewalls is subsequently injected.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein removing portions of overmold material includes using a dicing technique.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein each optoelectronic module includes a respective lens disposed over each of the optoelectronic devices.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the each transparent overmold region is composed of an epoxy material.

11. The method of claim 2 wherein the non-transparent material of the sidewalls is composed of an epoxy material.

12. The method of claim 1 further including:
curing each transparent overmold region after performing the first vacuum injection technique; and
curing the material of the sidewalls after performing the second vacuum injection technique.

13. The method of claim 12 including hardening each transparent overmold region by UV or thermal curing.

14. The method of claim 12 including hardening the material for the sidewalls by UV or thermal curing.

15. The method of claim 1 further including separating into individual optoelectronic modules, each of which includes at least one of the optoelectronic devices laterally surrounded by the transparent overmold region whose sides are laterally surrounded by, and in contact with, substantially non-transparent sidewalls.

16. The method of claim 15 including separating into individual optoelectronic modules, each of which includes a plurality of the optoelectronic devices.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the replication material comprises a hardenable liquid, viscous or plastically deformable material.

Assignees

• Heptagon Micro Optics Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Gubser Simon
• Cesana Mario
• Rossi Markus
• Rudmann Hartmut

Classifications

• H01S5/02

  Structural details or components not essential to laser action · CPC title

• H01S5/183

  having only vertical cavities, e.g. vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers [VCSEL] · CPC title

• H10W90/734

  between a chip and a stacked insulating package substrate, interposer or RDL · CPC title

• H10W90/724

  between a chip and a stacked insulating package substrate, interposer or RDL · CPC title

• H10W74/15

  on active surfaces of flip-chip devices, e.g. underfills · CPC title