Semiconductor device manufacturing: process – Making device or circuit responsive to nonelectrical signal – Responsive to electromagnetic radiation
Reexamination Certificate
2002-12-27
2004-05-18
Whitehead, Jr., Carl (Department: 2813)
Semiconductor device manufacturing: process
Making device or circuit responsive to nonelectrical signal
Responsive to electromagnetic radiation
C438S068000, C438S113000, C438S119000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06737292
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image sensor module applied to a thin image sensor device. More particularly, the present invention provides an image sensor module and a method of fabricating the same, comprising the steps of forming a bump on a glass, attaching the glass to an image sensor at a wafer level, and firstly and secondly dicing the resulting structure, and so fabrication of an inferior image sensor module is reduced, thus improving the quality of the image sensor module, productivity of the image sensor module is improved because the image sensor module is fabricated at the wafer level, and a gold wiper process is omitted in order to reduce fabrication costs of the image sensor module.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As is well known to those skilled in the art, recently, digital cameras have been widely used for internet images and communication. Particularly, demands for a small-sized camera module have increased according to widespread use of a next-generation mobile telecommunication terminal for PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) and IMT-2000 (International Mobile Telecommunication-2000). For example, a compact mobile telecommunication terminal is being increasingly applied to internet audiovisual communication. In other words, there is a great demand for slim camera modules used to produce the digital cameras with improved functions.
Particularly, it is expected that PDA terminals will be utilized as multimedia equipment using various peripheral devices such as a camera module and a mobile telecommunication module, as well as being used to check the daily schedule. Accordingly, it is necessary to provide telecommunication services capable of storing, transporting, and providing audio data, pictures, and moving pictures, and demands for compact slim camera modules will increase.
Therefore, in the case of an image sensor module using a CCD (charge coupled device) or CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) image sensor which is a basic component of the camera module, a CLCC (ceramic leadless chip carrier) or COB (chip on board) package having a hall is used to reduce the height of the module.
FIGS. 1
to
6
schematically illustrates fabrication of a conventional image sensor module. As in
FIG. 1
, a plurality of image sensor chips positioned on a wafer are divided into individual image sensor chips. At this time, an image region
52
for substantially perceiving an image exists in the image sensor chip
51
.
With reference to
FIG. 2
, the individual image sensor chip
51
is subjected to a die-bonding to connect it to a circuit board
50
. The resulting structure is then subjected to a wire-bonding using a wire
53
to electrically connect the image sensor chip to the circuit board, as shown in FIG.
3
.
Referring to
FIG. 4
, a cover glass or an IR-filter
30
is adhered to a housing
10
by using a synthetic resin
40
. The housing
10
is solidly adhered to the circuit board having the image sensor chip with the use of the synthetic resin
40
, as shown in FIG.
5
.
Turning now to
FIG. 6
, a holder
20
provided with a lens
21
is mounted or screwed onto an opening of the housing
10
.
The resulting image sensor device module package is provided with the housing
10
having a space
11
.
The holder
20
mounted on the opening of the housing
10
is provided with the lens
21
for precisely focusing the image.
An iris, that is to say, an IR filter
30
is adhered to the space
11
of the housing
10
with the use of a synthetic resin such as an epoxy resin
40
, and an end of the housing is adhered to the ceramic circuit board
50
with the use of a synthetic resin
40
.
The image sensor
51
is positioned on the circuit board
50
.
At this time, the image sensor
51
is adhered to the circuit board by the die-bonding and wire-bonding processes.
This conventional image sensor module does not have any operational problems, but is disadvantageous in that it has a large volume due to the wire-bonding process, and so it is unsuitably applied to a compact machine.
Another disadvantage is that the conventional image sensor module is individually packaged, thereby reducing productivity of the image sensor module and increasing its fabrication cost.
With reference to
FIG. 7
, a solid image sensor device is suggested in order to avoid the above disadvantages of the conventional image sensor as shown in
FIGS. 1
to
6
, which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 2001-068654. According to this publication, the solid image sensor device is characterized in that a transparent substrate
101
is attached to a side of a FPCB
102
which has an opening, a solid image sensor device
104
is then attached to another side of the FPCB
102
so as to face an image sensor surface towards the opening in order to electrically connect to the FPCB
102
by a bump
103
, and the above components are attached to each other by applying a sealing agent
105
to lateral sides of the solid image sensor device.
At this time, packaging of the solid image sensor device is conducted by attaching the FPCB to the solid image sensor device through a Au-bump, sealing lateral sides of the solid image sensor device with an adhesive agent, and attaching the FPCB to the transparent substrate having an electric circuit pattern on a surface thereof through use of a thermosetting sheet
106
.
However, this patent is disadvantageous in that inferior products may be fabricated due to inferior particles and pixel damage because the bump is directly formed on a CMOS image sensor wafer, and productivity of the solid image sensor device is reduced because the packaging of the image sensor module is conducted with the use of individual chips.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to avoid the above disadvantages, and to provide an image sensor module which can be applied to a thin image sensor device. More particularly, the present invention provides an image sensor module and a method of fabricating the same, comprising the steps of forming a bump on a glass, attaching the glass to an image sensor at a wafer level, and firstly and secondly dicing the resulting structure, and so fabrication of an inferior image sensor module is reduced, thus improving a quality of the image sensor module, productivity of the image sensor module is improved because the image sensor module is fabricated at the wafer level, and a gold wiper process is omitted in order to reduce fabrication cost of the image sensor module.
The above objects of the present invention can be accomplished by providing an image sensor module connected to a flexible printed circuit board (flexible PCB), comprising the flexible printed circuit board of a perforation, positioned at a side portion thereof, and a conductive pattern for forwarding and transmitting an electric signal to a device connected to another side portion thereof; an image chip mounted on the perforation of the flexible printed circuit board; a transparent medium with a predetermined area wholly covering an upper side of the image chip; a bump, positioned on a side portion of the transparent medium, for securing an electric conductivity; an adhesive layer formed by layering the transparent medium having the bump positioned thereon with the image chip in such a way that the bump tightly is adhered to the pad; and an epoxy resin to mold a junction of a portion around the perforation of the flexible printed circuit board with a lower lateral portion of the image chip. The image chip has an image sensor positioned at the center thereof and a pad, positioned around the image sensor, connected to a metal pattern to allow for the flow of an electric signal.
The transparent medium consists of a glass or an IR filter, the bump consists of a medium with a high conductivity such as gold or lead, and the adhesive layer consists of an anisotropic conductive paste (ACP), an anisotropic conductive film (ACF), or a nonconductive paste (NCP).
Furthermore, the present invention provi
Darby & Darby
Jr. Carl Whitehead
Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co. Ltd.
Smoot Stephen W.
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