Miniature wafer-level camera modules

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9876051-B2
Application number	US-201514969317-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2015
Priority date	Mar 25, 2011
Publication date	Jan 23, 2018
Grant date	Jan 23, 2018

Abstract

In one aspect, a method includes providing a lens substrate having an array of lenses. The lens substrate includes an overflow region next to each lens of the array. Each overflow region includes an overflow lens material. The method also includes separating the lens substrate into a plurality of smaller lens substrates. Each of the smaller lens substrates has one of the single lens and the plurality of stacked lenses. Separating the lens substrate into the smaller lens substrates may include removing or substantially removing the overflow regions. In one aspect, the method may be performed as a method of making a miniature camera module. Other methods are also described, as are miniature camera modules.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A manufacturing method for miniature wafer-level camera modules, the manufacturing method comprising:
providing a lens substrate having an array of lenses, the lens substrate including an overflow region next to each lens of the array, each overflow region including an overflow lens material;
providing an image sensor array substrate having an array of image sensor arrays;
bonding the lens substrate with the image sensor array substrate; and
separating the lens substrate and the image sensor array substrate into a plurality of smaller substrates, each of the smaller substrates having one of a single lens, a plurality of stacked lenses, and an image sensor array, wherein separating the lens substrate into the plurality of smaller lens substrates includes substantially removing the overflow regions,
wherein separating the lens substrate into the smaller substrates comprises making two or more cuts between a pair of adjacent lenses to separate the lenses from one another and substantially remove overflow regions between the pair of adjacent lenses.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein separating the lens substrate into the smaller substrates comprises dicing the lens substrate.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein substantially removing the overflow regions includes removing at least 60% of the overflow regions.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein substantially removing the overflow regions includes removing at least 80% of the overflow regions.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein separating the lens substrate into the smaller substrates comprises separating the lens substrate into smaller substrates having lateral areas that are less than 1.2millimeters by 1.2 millimeters.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the lateral areas are less than 0.9millimeters by 0.9 millimeters.

7. A manufacturing method for miniature wafer-level camera modules, the manufacturing method comprising:
providing a lens substrate having an array of lenses, the lens substrate including an overflow region next to each lens of the array, each overflow region including an overflow lens material, wherein the lens substrate is molded with a lens molding master comprising lens cavities for the array of lenses, overflow cavities for the overflow regions, and flat contact surfaces around the lens cavities and between the lens cavities and the overflow cavities, and wherein the flat contact surfaces are designed to contact the lens substrate when the molding master is brought into contact with the lens substrate;
providing an image sensor array substrate having an array of image sensor arrays;
bonding the lenses with the image sensor array substrate; and
performing one or more sets of dicing operations to dice the lens substrate and the image sensor array substrate into individual modules each having an image sensor array and one of a single lens and a plurality of stacked lenses, wherein performing the one or more sets of dicing operations includes substantially removing the overflow regions.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said bonding and said performing the one or more sets of dicing operations comprises:
wafer bonding the lens substrate having the array of lenses and the image sensor array substrate; and
dicing the bonded lens and image sensor array substrates into the individual modules, wherein the dicing substantially removes the overflow regions.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein said bonding and said performing the one or more sets of dicing operations comprises:
dicing the lens substrate having the array of lenses into individual lens die each having one of a single lens and a plurality of stacked lenses;
bonding each lens die to a corresponding image sensor array of the image sensor array substrate; and
dicing the image sensor array substrate having the lens die bonded thereto into the individual modules.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein dicing the lens substrate substantially removes the overflow regions.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein performing the one or more sets of dicing operations to dice the lens substrate and the image sensor array substrate into the individual modules comprises dicing into individual modules having lateral areas that are less than 1.2 millimeters by 1.2 millimeters.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein providing the image sensor array substrate comprises providing an image sensor array substrate having one or more through-silicon vias.

Assignees

• Omnivision Tech Inc

Inventors

• Kubala Kenneth
• Silveira Paulo E X
• Tachihara Satoru

Classifications

• H04N23/55

  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

• H04N23/57

  Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices · CPC title

• H04N23/555

  for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes · CPC title

• Y10T156/1052

  with cutting, punching, tearing or severing · CPC title