Imager module with castellated interposer chip

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9706092-B1
Application number	US-201514642460-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 9, 2015
Priority date	Mar 9, 2015
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

An imager module having an interposer chip with castellated contacts electrically connected to and routing signals between an image sensor, a printed circuit board (PCB), and a voice coil motor (VCM) is disclosed. The VCM may be electrically coupled to the interposer chip via the castellated contacts. The castellated contacts may be formed by fabricating annular through silicon vias (TSVs) and then sawing through those annular TSVs. In some example embodiments, one or more surface mount devices (SMDs) may further be attached to the interposer chip with castellated contacts. The interposer chip may further have a cavity therein within which the image sensor may be attached.

First claim

That which is claimed:

1. A mobile device, comprising:
an interposer with a first side and an opposing second side and an edge, wherein the interposer further includes a first set of bond pads on the first side, a second set of bond pads on the second side, and a plurality of castellated contacts on the edge;
a lens assembly including one or more lenses disposed on the first side of the interposer;
an image sensor electrically coupled to the first set of bond pads and disposed such that one or more photosensitive pixels of the image sensor are configured to receive light through the lens assembly and wherein the image sensor is configured to generate image data corresponding to light sensed by the photosensitive pixels of the image sensor;
a voice coil motor (VCM) mechanically coupled to the lens assembly and electrically coupled to the castellated contacts, wherein the VCM is configured to receive a VCM control signal and actuate the lens assembly; and
a printed circuit board (PCB) electrically coupled to the second set of bond pads of the interposer, wherein the second set of bond pads are configured to receive the VCM control signal from the PCB, wherein the interposer is configured to route the VCM control signal to the castellated contacts, and wherein the interposer is further configured to route image sensor data from the first set of bond pads to the second set of bond pads.

2. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the interposer includes a third set of bond pads on the first side, the third set of bonds pads electrically coupling one or more surface mount devices (SMDs) to the interposer.

3. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the castellated contacts include copper contacts separated from a silicon bulk material of the interposer by a diffusion inhibiting layer to prevent metal diffusion into the silicon bulk material and wherein VCM contacts are soldered to the copper contacts.

4. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the interposer includes a recessed region on the first side and the image sensor is disposed in the recessed region and wherein the image sensor is coupled to the first set of bond pads using wire bonds.

5. A method, comprising:
forming an interposer die having a first side, an opposing second side and an edge, wherein the interposer die includes a first set of bond pads on the first side, a second set of bond pads on the second side, castellated contacts on the edge;
singulating the interposer die from a substrate;
attaching an image sensor onto the first side;
electrically coupling the image sensor to the first set of bond pads;
attaching a printed circuit board (PCB) onto the second set of bond pads; and
attaching an electromechanical device to the castellated contacts.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising attaching one or more surface mount devices (SMDs), prior to singulating the interposer die, to a third set of bond pads disposed on the first side of the interposer die.

7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising forming a recessed region within the interposer die, wherein attaching an image sensor onto the first side comprises placing the image sensor in the recessed region, and wherein electrically coupling the image sensor to the first set of bond pads comprises wire bonding electrical contacts of the image sensor to the first set of bond pads.

8. The method of claim 5 , further comprises forming a through silicon via extending from the first side to the second side and configured to propagate image data from the first set of bond pads to the second set of bond pads.

9. The method of claim 5 , wherein forming the castellated contacts include forming copper contacts separated from a silicon bulk material of the interposer die by a diffusion inhibiting layer and wherein attaching the electromechanical device to the castellated contacts further comprises soldering contacts of the electromechanical device to the copper contacts.

10. The method of claim 5 , wherein the castellated contacts each have a width of about one millimeter or less.

11. The method of claim 5 , further comprising attaching a lens assembly to the first side of the interposer die, wherein the lens assembly is mechanically coupled to and movable by the electromechanical device.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the interposer die is configured to
receive, via the PCB, a control signal; and
provide, via the castellated contacts, the control signal to the electrometrical device to move the lens assembly.

13. The method of claim 5 , wherein forming an interposer die further comprises:
forming an annular opening through the interposer die extending from the first side to the second side, wherein the annular opening has a sidewall extending from the first side to the second side and an inner plug of silicon;
depositing a diffusion inhibitor material on the sidewall;
plating metal to fill or partially fill the annular opening; and
removing the inner plug to form an annular via,
wherein singulating the interposer die from the substrate comprises sawing through the annular via to form the castellated contacts.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising bonding the interposer die to a carrier wafer, the bonding surface having a copper seed layer, wherein plating metal comprises electroless plating copper using the copper seed layer.

15. An imager module, comprising:
an interposer with a first side, an opposing second side and an edge with a castellated contact;
an image sensor electrically coupled to the interposer on the first side such that the image sensor is configured to receive light and generate image data corresponding to the light;
a lens assembly including one or more lenses disposed on the first side and configured to pass light to the one or more photosensitive pixels;
an electromechanical device mechanically coupled to the lens assembly and electrically coupled to the castellated contact, the castellated contact including a first contact separated from a silicon bulk material of the interposer by a diffusion inhibiting layer; and
a printed circuit board (PCB) electrically coupled to the interposer on the second side, wherein the interposer is configured to receive image sensor data from the image sensor and provide the image sensor data to the PCB.

16. The imager module of claim 15 , wherein the PCB is configured to route control signals to the electromechanical device via the interposer.

17. The imager module of claim 15 , wherein the first contacts a copper contact and wherein an electromechanical device contact is soldered to the copper contact.

18. The imager module of claim 15 , wherein the interposer has a first bond pad on the first side and a second bond pad on the second side and wherein the interposer die is configured to route image data from the first bond pad to the second bond pad.

19. The imager module of claim 15 , further comprising a through silicon via extending from the first side to the second side and configured to propagate image data from the first side to the second side.

20. The imager module of claim 15 , wherein the interposer includes a recessed region on the first side and the image sensor is disposed in the recessed region.

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Tam Samuel Waising
• Pang Tak Shing

Classifications

• H04N23/55 Primary

  Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof · CPC title

• H04N23/54

  Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils · CPC title

• H04N5/2254 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic