JP2002329851A - Image pickup module, its manufacturing method, and image pickup equipment having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an image pickup module having improved mass-production properties. SOLUTION: The image pickup module comprises a semiconductor chip 143 having a light receiving element arrangement, and a translucent member 102 arranged on the semiconductor chip. In the image pickup module, an electrode pad 145 is provided at one side or two sides of the semiconductor chip, an area on a region at one side or two sides where the electrode pad is provided is not covered with a translucent member, and the translucent member projects from the semiconductor chip at a side that opposes one side or two sides of the semiconductor chip.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image pickup module, a method for manufacturing the same, and an image pickup apparatus provided with the image pickup module.
The present invention relates to an image pickup module including a light-transmitting member disposed on the semiconductor chip, a method for manufacturing the same, and an image pickup apparatus including the image pickup module.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a miniaturized imaging module, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 09-027606 is an example of a distance measuring module.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. H10-115, an imaging lens and a semiconductor chip in which a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD or a CMOS sensor is formed on a semiconductor substrate such as a silicon wafer are integrated.

[0003] Fig. 12 is an explanatory view, Fig. 12 (A) is a sectional view of a distance measuring module, and Fig. 12 (B) is a plan view of a light shielding member. 51 is a lens member and 50 is a semiconductor chip. The semiconductor chip 50 has a configuration of COG (chip on glass). That is, the semiconductor chip 54 is attached to the lower surface of the glass substrate 53.

The lens member 51 is formed of plastic or glass, and includes lenses 51L and 51R for forming two images in order to measure a distance to an object based on the principle of triangulation. In addition, the semiconductor chip 54 is provided with light receiving element portions 57L and 57R formed of a one-dimensional light receiving element array,
Object light passing through the lens 51L is imaged on the light receiving element 57L, and object light passing through the lens 51R is imaged on the light receiving element 57R.

FIG. 12 shows a top view of the glass substrate 53.
The light-shielding layer 55 having the pattern shown in FIG. 3B is printed to form an aperture, while a light-shielding and conductive member 56 is formed on the lower surface of the glass substrate 53 as a connection terminal with the semiconductor chip 54 and an external terminal. .

[0006] By taking such a COG structure,
Since a sensor package made of plastic or the like is not required, and a lens barrel is not required by integrating a lens, manufacturing costs can be kept relatively low.

On the other hand, a technique for sealing a light receiving element portion with a thermo-ultraviolet curing resin is known. JP 11-121653
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. H11-163873 discloses an example of an imaging module having such a structure. 13 (A) to 13 (E) and FIGS. 14 (F) to 14 (H) are views showing the manufacturing process, FIG. 13 (A) is a sectional view of the semiconductor chip 1, and FIG. ) In FIG.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the semiconductor chip 1 shown in FIG.

In the manufacturing process, first, a semiconductor chip 1 is prepared. The semiconductor chip 1 has a plurality of electrode pads (bonding pads) 2 near the outer periphery and a microlens group 3 in which microlenses are densely arranged near the center. The electrode pad 2 is formed of, for example, Al or Cr. The micro lens group 3 is formed of, for example, a synthetic resin.

The semiconductor chip 1 is a solid-state image sensor including, for example, a photoelectric sensor and a CCD. The photoelectric sensor is, for example, a photodiode, and converts light received from outside through the microlens group 3 into an electric signal. The electric signal is transferred by the CCD, and an image signal is generated.

In the step of forming the microlens group 3, first, a synthetic resin layer is formed, and a resist film having a predetermined pattern is formed thereon. Next, heating is performed to round the corners of the resist film to form microlenses. In order to obtain the light collecting function of the microlens group 3, when attaching the semiconductor chip to the glass substrate, a hollow portion between the semiconductor chip and the glass substrate is formed at a position where the light receiving element is located.

Next, the semiconductor chip 1 and the glass substrate are
A case where connection is made with a gold ball and a conductive resin is shown as an example.

As shown in FIG. 13C, gold balls 4 are arranged on the electrode pads 2 of the semiconductor chip 1 by a ball bonding apparatus. Gold balls are, for example, 30-80μ
m.

Next, as shown in FIG. 13D, a conductive resin 5 is attached to the lower portion of the gold ball 4. For example, the conductive resin 5 can be attached to the gold balls 4 using a pallet in which the conductive resin 5 is applied to the entire surface. The conductive resin 5 is, for example, a material in which silver particles are dispersed in an epoxy resin (silver paste).

Next, as shown in FIG. 13E, the electrodes 6 of the transparent substrate (eg, glass substrate) 7 and the corresponding electrode pads 2 of the semiconductor chip 1 are brought into contact with each other with the gold ball 4 interposed therebetween. Heat. The conductive resin 5 is cured by heating, and the electrodes 6 of the transparent substrate 7 and the electrode pads 2 of the semiconductor chip 1 are electrically connected by predetermined wiring. The heating conditions are, for example, a heating temperature of 100 to 200 ° C. and a heating time of 30 minutes. The electrode 6 is, for example, Cr or Ni, is formed on the transparent substrate 7 by vapor deposition, plating, or sputtering, and is patterned by, for example, photolithography and etching.

The material of the transparent substrate 7 is a transparent insulating material, for example, glass, polycarbonate, polyester or Kapton, and glass is particularly preferable. Hereinafter, a case where a glass substrate is used as the transparent substrate 7 will be described.

[0016] As shown in FIG.
4 is disposed so as to face the lower surface of the glass substrate 7, and an electromagnetic wave (for example, ultraviolet light) 15 is irradiated from below the glass substrate 7. The light-shielding mask 14 has a predetermined pattern, and allows the electromagnetic wave 15 to pass only through the region 13 including the microlens group 3.

The electromagnetic waves 15 are, for example, ultraviolet rays, infrared rays,
Visible light or X-rays are preferable, and ultraviolet light is particularly preferable.
Hereinafter, a case where ultraviolet light is used as the electromagnetic wave 15 will be described. While irradiating the ultraviolet rays 15, for example, at room temperature, an insulating thermo-ultraviolet curing resin 12 is supplied from the capillary 11 between the semiconductor chip 1 and the glass substrate 7.

The thermo-ultraviolet curable resin 12 is used for the semiconductor chip 1
And between the glass substrate 7 and the glass substrate 7 from the end toward the center by capillary action.

The thermo-ultraviolet curing resin 12 is a resin which is cured by ultraviolet rays or heat. The thermal ultraviolet curable resin 12 is
It flows without being cured in a region where the ultraviolet rays 15 are not irradiated, and is cured in a region where the ultraviolet rays 15 are irradiated.
As a result, the thermo-ultraviolet curable resin 12a at the boundary between the region 13 irradiated with the ultraviolet light and the region not irradiated with the ultraviolet light is cured.

Once the thermo-ultraviolet curing resin 12a at the boundary is cured, the thermo-ultraviolet curing resin 12 does not flow into the ultraviolet irradiation region 13 any more. However, since it takes some time to cure the thermo-ultraviolet curable resin 12a, the thermo-ultraviolet curable resin 12a hardens after flowing into the ultraviolet irradiation region 13 a little.

The electrode pads 2 on the semiconductor chip 1 and the electrodes 6 on the glass substrate 7 are connected via gold balls 4.
The thermo-ultraviolet curable resin 12 includes the electrode pad 2 and the gold ball 4
And a part of the electrode 6.

When the thermo-ultraviolet curable resin 12 has sufficiently entered between the semiconductor chip 1 and the glass substrate 7, the supply of the thermo-ultraviolet curable resin 12 from the capillary 11 is stopped.

The ultraviolet irradiation area 13 shown in FIG.
Is a rectangular area projected from above, for example, as shown in FIG. However, it is not necessary to irradiate the center of the rectangle with ultraviolet rays. A hollow portion 13 is provided between the portion of the microlens group 3 of the semiconductor chip 1 and the glass substrate 7.
Is formed. The thermal ultraviolet curable resin 12 is formed so as to surround the hollow portion 13.

However, in this state, only the thermo-ultraviolet curable resin 12a at the boundary is cured, and the portion of the thermo-ultraviolet curable resin 12 not irradiated with the ultraviolet rays 15 is not cured.

Next, as shown in FIG. 14 (G), heat 16 is applied to cure the portion of the thermo-ultraviolet curable resin 12 not irradiated with the ultraviolet rays 15. The heating condition is, for example, 8
5 hours at 0 ° C. The thermal ultraviolet curing resin 12 in the entire region between the semiconductor chip 1 and the glass substrate 7 is completely cured by heating. The ultraviolet curing shown in FIG. 14F is temporary curing, and the thermal curing shown in FIG. 14G can be called main curing. Thus, the COG is completed.

FIG. 14H is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. The thermal ultraviolet curable resin 12 is formed so as to surround the hollow portion 13. The gold balls 4 electrically and mechanically connect the electrode pads 2 of the semiconductor chip 1 and the electrodes 6 of the glass substrate 7. However, since the mechanical connection strength of the gold ball 4 is weak, the thermal ultraviolet curing resin 12 reinforces the mechanical connection between the semiconductor chip 1 and the glass substrate 7. Since the thermal ultraviolet curing resin 12 is an insulating member, the electrical connection between the semiconductor chip 1 and the glass substrate 7 is not changed.

Through the above steps, the light-receiving element portion including the microlens is sealed with the transparent substrate and the thermo-ultraviolet curable resin, so that it is possible to prevent intrusion of dust and deterioration due to humidity in the air. In general, this microlens is formed of a convex surface facing the direction in which light enters, and collects incident light on a light receiving element portion smaller than the microlens due to refraction of light at an interface between air and resin or air / glass. Work. Therefore, the light receiving efficiency of the sensor can be increased.

Further, a method of mass-producing the above-mentioned image pickup module is disclosed in the publication.

FIG. 15 shows a transparent substrate (eg, a glass substrate).
FIG. 7 is a plan view of FIG. The glass substrate 7 is, for example, 150 m long.
m, width 150 mm, thickness 1 mm. This glass substrate 7 has an area of 10 × 10 blocks. One block is 15 mm long, 15 mm wide, and 1 mm thick.

The semiconductor chips 1 are mounted one by one on each block, and a total of 10 × 10 semiconductor chips 1 are mounted on the glass substrate 7. One semiconductor chip 1 is, for example, 8 mm long and 6 mm wide.

Next, a resin is supplied between the semiconductor chip 1 and the glass substrate 7 and temporarily fixed by ultraviolet rays or the like. Thereafter, the glass substrate 7 is placed in an oven at 150 ° C. for 30 minutes,
The resin is cured, and the semiconductor chip 1 is fixed to the glass substrate 7. The glass substrate 7 is cut along the block boundary line 43 with a cutter to separate each imaging module. Above, 1
00 imaging modules are completed.

[0032]

However, when an imaging module is manufactured using the above-described conventional technology, the following problems have been encountered and it has not been sufficient.

With the structure shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, an image pickup module which does not require a sensor package can be obtained. It is impossible to prevent deterioration of the microlens and the filter layer due to humidity.

In the case of a lens-integrated image pickup module, an active assembly of the imaging lens and the semiconductor chip is essential in the step of connecting the imaging lens and the semiconductor chip, and many adjustment steps are required.

Further, even if a large number of imaging lenses are integrated with the glass substrate 7 shown in FIG. 15, precise alignment with the corresponding imaging lens for each semiconductor chip is required, and many adjustments are required. It still takes man-hours.

It is necessary to form an ITO film for connection with an external electric circuit on a glass substrate, which is disadvantageous in cost.

In addition, when the miniaturization of the light receiving element portion is advanced due to a demand for an improvement in image quality, reduction of the yield due to dust is a major problem, and a countermeasure against the problem is insufficient in the related art.

The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and a first object of the present invention is to realize an imaging module integrated with an imaging lens in which a light receiving element portion is easily sealed. It is. A second object is to provide an imaging module integrated with an imaging lens which is inexpensive, has improved yield, and is highly productive, which simplifies the alignment process between the imaging lens and the semiconductor chip.

[0039]

In order to solve the above problems, an imaging module according to the present invention includes a semiconductor chip having a light receiving element array and a light transmitting member disposed on the semiconductor chip. In the imaging module, an electrode pad is provided on one or two sides of the semiconductor chip, and a region on one or two sides on which the electrode pad is provided is not covered with the translucent member, and the semiconductor chip The translucent member protrudes from the semiconductor chip on a side opposite to one or two sides of the chip.

In the present invention, the light-transmitting member is
It is preferable that the semiconductor chips have the same projection shape (the same external dimensions, for example, the same vertical and horizontal external dimensions) and are arranged so as to be shifted from each other. Further, it is preferable that at least one of a light-collecting function, a diaphragm function, an optical filter function, and a light-shielding function is added to the translucent member.

Further, in the method of manufacturing an image pickup module according to the present invention, the semiconductor substrate provided with a plurality of image pickup components provided with the light receiving element arrangement is fixed to the light transmitting substrate so as to face each other. And the light-transmitting substrate, respectively, and an imaging module including the imaging component, a semiconductor chip divided from the semiconductor substrate, and a light-transmitting member divided from the light-transmitting substrate. A method of manufacturing a plurality of imaging modules, wherein the division is such that the light-transmitting member is not covered on electrode pads provided on one side or two sides of the semiconductor chip, and one side of the semiconductor chip or On the side opposite to the two sides, the light transmitting member is formed so as to protrude from the semiconductor chip.

In the present invention, the semiconductor substrate and the translucent substrate are fixed with an adhesive, and the adhesive is arranged so as to surround the light receiving element array. It is desirable to provide an opening. In addition, it is preferable that a resist is disposed on the electrode pad portion of the semiconductor chip, the translucent substrate is adhered and fixed, and the resist is removed after being divided individually.

An imaging apparatus according to the present invention includes the above-described imaging module according to the present invention, an optical system for imaging light onto the imaging module, and a signal processing circuit for processing an output signal from the imaging module. Features.

(Operation) The imaging module of the present invention has a configuration capable of collectively producing a plurality of imaging modules, and is an imaging module excellent in mass productivity. Further, by using the manufacturing method according to the present invention, the light-transmitting member and the semiconductor chip,
A plurality of image pickup modules can be easily produced in the same process by fixing and dividing all at once.

In the present invention, since the light-transmitting member and the semiconductor chip have the same projection shape and are arranged so as to be shifted from each other, the number of dicing steps required for individual division is reduced, so that the number of manufacturing steps is reduced. That is, when the light-transmitting member and the semiconductor chip have different projection shapes (different external dimensions), unnecessary portions need to be cut, so that the dicing process is further increased. As a result, the number of man-hours for adjustment, such as alignment, which is a conventional problem, is reduced, and a mass-productive imaging module suitable for automation is provided.

Further, in the present invention, by adding an optical function or the like to the translucent member, an imaging module with higher performance and higher image quality can be realized. In particular, in this case, by adopting the manufacturing method according to the present invention, adjustment such as optical axis alignment can be performed collectively, and thus a high-performance imaging module with higher mass productivity is provided.

[0047]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an imaging module according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 154 denotes an imaging module, and the light-transmitting member 102 and the semiconductor chip 143 are bonded and fixed to each other with a sealant 144.

On the semiconductor chip 143, a light receiving element array (not shown) and a micro lens, a color filter, and the like are arranged in the area. The electrode pad 145 is an electrical connection area for externally supplying a signal, a power supply, and the like from the semiconductor chip 143.

The translucent member 102 is made of glass or a transparent resin, and is made of glass by a glass molding method, and is made of a resin by injection molding, compression molding, or the like. It is particularly preferable to use borosilicate glass for the light-transmitting member 102 because the difference in linear expansion from the semiconductor chip 143 is small and stability against temperature change is small. Note that in order to prevent the occurrence of α-ray-induced defects in the semiconductor chip, it is preferable that the translucent member 102 use optical glass having a low α-ray surface density.

In FIG. 1, the light-transmitting member 102 is arranged so as not to cover the electrode pad 145 in a direction opposite to the side where the electrode pad 145 is located (rightward on the paper), and protrudes from the semiconductor chip 143. Fixed in position. The light transmitting member 102 and the semiconductor chip 143 are connected to the sealing material 1.
It is adhesively fixed by 44. As a sealing material,
Use a thermo-ultraviolet curable resin or a two-component mixed curable resin.
Particularly, it is a thermo-ultraviolet curing type epoxy resin, and is cured by heating or irradiation of ultraviolet rays. Epoxy resins are suitable for this application because they cure slowly, have no unevenness in curing shrinkage, and relieve stress. Although there is a type of epoxy resin that is cured by heating, the reason for selecting the thermo-ultraviolet curing type here is that sufficient heat is applied to the semiconductor chip 143 to cure the thermosetting epoxy resin. This is because a color filter and a microlens (not shown) may be deteriorated.

Of course, in the case of a configuration and a material that does not cause deterioration, it can be selected from an adhesive material.

In this embodiment, assuming that there is a microlens (not shown) on the semiconductor chip 143, a sealing material 144 is formed between the light transmitting member 102 and the semiconductor chip 143 so that an air layer is formed. Has been arranged. This is because the light-collecting performance is significantly deteriorated when the sealing material is placed on the microlens.

By performing the sealing with the sealing material 144 in this manner, it is possible to prevent the entry of dust, deterioration of the microlens and filter layer due to humidity in the air, and corrosion of the aluminum layer.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment according to the present invention. In FIG. 2, the electrode pad 145 has only one side, and the translucent member 102 on the side facing the electrode pad 145 is arranged in a shape protruding from the semiconductor chip 143.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment according to the present invention. In FIG. 3, the electrode pad 145 is taken out from two sides, and the translucent member 102 has a shape protruding from the semiconductor chip 143 on the side opposite to the side.

The cross section of FIG. 1 is a cross section including the electrode pad 145 of FIGS.

The purpose of such a shape is described in FIG.
The manufacturing method shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a third embodiment according to the present invention, which is characterized in that an optical function is added to the semiconductor chip 143. The optical function refers to a light collecting function, an aperture function, an optical filter function such as a color filter, an infrared cut filter, a low-pass filter, and a light shielding function.

The imaging module 154 shown in FIG. 4 includes an optical element (constituting a light transmitting member) 107 and a semiconductor chip 14.
3 are integrated and have a structure that does not require a sensor package or a lens barrel. Optical element 1 from above
The object light that has entered 07 forms an object image on the semiconductor chip 143.

Further, the optical element 107 has two substrates 14.
It is a plate-shaped transparent body (translucent member) having a bonding structure of 0 and 141. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 140 denotes an upper substrate having a convex lens 140a which is an image forming section, and 141 denotes a lower substrate. On the upper surface of the lower substrate 141 inside the optical element 107, there is an aperture light-shielding layer 142 made by offset printing of a light-shielding paint. Upper substrate 140 and lower substrate 1
41 with a light-transmitting adhesive without any gaps,
By preventing an interface between the air and the substrate from being formed inside 7, ghost is prevented from occurring.

The upper substrate 140 and the lower substrate 141 are made of glass or transparent resin, and when made of glass, a glass molding method is used.
It is made by compression molding. Also, the upper substrate 14
Reference numeral 0 may be a structure in which a resin lens portion is added on a flat glass substrate by a replica manufacturing method. The use of borosilicate glass for the lower substrate 141 is particularly preferable in terms of stability with respect to temperature changes since the difference in linear expansion from the semiconductor chip 143 is small. In order to prevent the occurrence of α-ray-induced defects in the semiconductor chip, both the upper substrate 140 and the lower substrate 141
It is preferable to use optical glass having a low linear surface density. In particular, it is desirable that the lower substrate 141 near the semiconductor chip 143 has a lower α-ray surface density than the upper substrate 140.

The convex lens 140a is a circular axially symmetric aspherical lens or a spherical lens. Aperture opening 142a
The position in the optical axis direction determines the off-axis principal ray of the optical system, and the position is extremely important in controlling various aberrations. In a lens having a single surface convex to the object side, when there is no thick air layer between the convex lens 140a and the semiconductor chip 143, the distance is an intermediate position between the convex lens 140a and the semiconductor chip 143, and the distance is substantially internally divided into 1: 2. When the stop is placed at the position, various optical aberrations can be satisfactorily corrected. Therefore, the lower substrate 1
A circular stop aperture 142a coaxial with the convex lens 140a was formed by the 41 light shielding layers 142.

The optical element 107 is provided on the semiconductor chip 143.
An object image is formed by the
Photoelectric conversion is performed by a light receiving element array (not shown) provided above, and the light is detected as an electric signal. The light receiving element array is an array in which many pixels are arranged in a two-dimensional direction.When capturing a color image, a color filter is provided for each pixel, for example, an RGB filter array called a Bayer array is set, and further, an infrared cut function is provided. The upper and lower substrates 140, 1
An element that absorbs infrared light such as copper ions is included in both or one of the materials 41.

In the imaging module of the embodiment shown in FIG.
Since the optical element 107 having the same projected shape as that of the semiconductor chip 143 is fixed on the semiconductor chip 143 so as not to cover the electrode pad 145 on the semiconductor chip 143, electrical connection with an external electric circuit will be described later. The method shown in FIG.

The optical element 107 and the semiconductor chip 143 are bonded with a thermo-ultraviolet curable resin. Reference numeral 144 denotes a sealing material formed by screen-printing a thermo-ultraviolet curing epoxy resin. The thermo-ultraviolet curing type epoxy resin is cured by heating or irradiation of ultraviolet rays. Epoxy resins are suitable for this application because they cure slowly, have no unevenness in curing shrinkage, and relieve stress. Although there is a type of epoxy resin that is cured by heating, the reason for selecting the thermo-ultraviolet curing type here is that sufficient heat is applied to the semiconductor chip 143 to cure the thermosetting epoxy resin. This is because a color filter, a replica portion, a microlens, a printing paint of the aperture light-shielding layer 142, and the like (not shown) may be deteriorated.

In this bonding step, the optical element 107 is placed on the semiconductor chip 143, the epoxy resin of the sealing material 144 is semi-cured by irradiation with ultraviolet rays, and then completely cured by pressing and a slight heat treatment. The gap between the element 107 and the semiconductor chip 143 is set so that the object image is sharply formed on the light receiving element array (not shown). Since the gap between the optical element 107 and the semiconductor chip 143 is not filled with the resin and the gap is provided, the imaging position can be adjusted without requiring a large force.

By performing the sealing with the sealing material 144 in this manner, it is possible to prevent intrusion of dust, deterioration of the microlens and the filter layer due to humidity in the air, and electrolytic corrosion of the aluminum layer.

FIG. 5A is a plan view showing a lower substrate which is an element of the imaging module cut out after bonding the semiconductor wafer and the optical element assembly, and FIG. 5B is a plan view showing the same semiconductor chip. 6 and 7 are plan views of the optical element assembly, FIG. 7 is a plan view of the semiconductor wafer, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a dicing process of the optical element / semiconductor wafer assembly, and FIG. 9 is an electric circuit outside the imaging module. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a sealed state of a connection portion with the connection.

In FIG. 5A, 141 is a lower substrate which is an element of the image pickup module, 141a is a transparent region on the lower substrate 141, 149 is a stop light shielding layer, and 149a is a stop opening. In FIG. 5B, reference numeral 143 denotes a semiconductor chip;
43a is a light receiving element array, 145 is an electrode pad of the semiconductor chip 143, and 144 is a sealing material made of a thermo-ultraviolet curable resin. As shown in the figure, the sealing material 144
It has a shape having an opening 144a.

This is because the lower substrate 141 is
When sticking, if the sealing material 144 has a closed shape,
The internal air is compressed by pressure and heat, and the sealing material 14
This is to avoid breaking 4. Therefore, FIG.
By providing the opening 144a as shown in FIG. 9B and closing the opening with the sealing material 148 shown in FIG. 9, the light-receiving element array 143a is kept confidential from humidity.

The two broken lines between FIGS. 5A and 5B show the positional relationship between the lower substrate 141 and the semiconductor chip 143 in this imaging module.
1 and the semiconductor chip 143 have the same outer dimensions and are fixed in a manner shifted in the horizontal direction in the figure. 2 and 3 correspond to perspective views thereof.

Since the semiconductor chip 143 is connected to an external electric circuit via the electrode pad 145 at the end of the semiconductor chip 143, the seal member 144 is located inside the electrode pad 145.

The lower substrate and the semiconductor wafer before cutting that satisfy the above positional relationship are shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, respectively.
As shown in FIG. 6, in FIG.
Numeral 1 denotes a diaphragm light shielding layer, 132 denotes a diaphragm opening, and in FIG. 7, 133 denotes a semiconductor wafer, 134 denotes a boundary between semiconductor chips, and 135 denotes a sealing material. In this embodiment, after the lower substrate 130 and the semiconductor wafer 133 are first bonded,
An upper substrate (not shown) is bonded. With such a process,
The ultraviolet light irradiated toward the sealing material 135 is applied to the lower substrate 130.
Only reaches the seal material 135, so that light absorption in the substrate can be reduced. Therefore, the ultraviolet curable resin can be cured with a small amount of light, and the number of steps can be reduced.

Next, the process proceeds to a dicing step of cutting the optical element / semiconductor wafer assembly into image pickup modules.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the bonded optical element semiconductor wafer.
In the present embodiment, the optical element semiconductor wafer bonded body 138 is used.
Dicing from above and below. In FIG. 8, 13
Reference numeral 6 denotes a dicing blade for cutting the optical element portion, and 137 denotes a dicing blade for dicing the semiconductor wafer portion. During dicing, the dicing blades 136 and 137 are controlled along the position shown in FIG. In the dicing step, the optical element / semiconductor wafer bonded body 138 may be cut while being fed, or may be cut at once using a plurality of dicing blades. Alternatively, the upper and lower surfaces may be diced one by one. Alternatively, both sides may be diced at the same time.

At this time, the dicing mark is a groove formed by etching on the back surface of the semiconductor wafer 133 and the surface of the lower substrate 130 or the upper substrate 139, a metal mark formed by a photolithography technique, or a resin protrusion formed by a replica. In particular, if it is formed by a replica at the same time as the lens that is the imaging section, the number of manufacturing steps can be reduced.

In the dicing process, the semiconductor wafer 133
And half-cut dicing to leave the lower substrate 130 at 50 to 100 μm. In a breaking step following the dicing step, a portion of the semiconductor wafer left uncut by 50 to 100 μm is divided using a predetermined roller.

Alternatively, the same division can be performed by full cut instead of half cut. If the lower substrate 130 is made of glass, it is scratched with a diamond cutter,
It may be divided by a roller or the like.

The image pickup module obtained after being divided by the above-described steps has the form shown in FIG.

In FIG. 4, the protruding portion (right side in the drawing) of the optical element 107 from the semiconductor chip 143 is
Basically, the object of the present invention can be achieved by cutting, but extra man-hours are required for cutting.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a connection state of the image pickup module 154 to an external electric circuit and a sealed state. In FIG. 9, reference numeral 146 denotes a flexible printed board as an external electric circuit board; 147, a bonding wire for electrically connecting the electrode pad 145 of the imaging module 154 to the electrode pad on the flexible printed board 146; It is a sealing resin for sealing the periphery of the pad 145 and the bonding wire 147. The sealing resin 148 is applied over the entire periphery of the imaging module 154 in order to secure the mounting stability of the imaging module 154 to the flexible printed circuit board 146. In addition,
As the sealing resin, an ultraviolet curable resin, a thermo-ultraviolet curable resin, a silicone resin, a thermosetting epoxy resin, or the like can be used, and a thermo-ultraviolet curable resin is particularly desirable.

The reason why the thermo-ultraviolet curing resin is selected is that heating sufficient for curing the thermosetting epoxy resin is performed by a color filter (not shown) formed on the semiconductor wafer 133, a replica portion, a micro lens, a diaphragm, and the like. Light shielding layer 1
This is because there is a risk of deteriorating the printing paint 31 and the like.

In curing the thermo-ultraviolet curable resin 148, ultraviolet irradiation is performed mainly from above the upper substrate 140.
In order to prevent the electrode pads 145 of the semiconductor chip 143 from being corroded, the side surface of the lower substrate 141 and the thermal ultraviolet curing resin 148
Is very important.

The range of the aperture light-shielding layer 142 is changed to the sealing material 144.
Is not limited to the inside, the ultraviolet rays reach the sealing portion of the lower substrate 141 through the layer of the thermo-ultraviolet curable resin 148, so that this portion is hardened most recently. In the imaging module 154, the stop light shielding layer 142
Is limited to the inside of the sealing material 144,
There is an optical path of ultraviolet rays to the sealing portion of the lower substrate 141 indicated by the arrow E, and according to this optical path, the thermo-ultraviolet curable resin 14
8 without passing through the layer of heat-curable resin 14
8 can be reliably cured and sealed. In addition, in the optical path indicated by the arrow F, high attachment stability to the flexible printed circuit board 146 is obtained.

As described above, by performing sealing with the sealing material 144 and the thermo-ultraviolet curing resin 148, it is possible to surely prevent intrusion of dust, deterioration of the microlens and filter layers due to humidity in the air, and electrolytic corrosion of the aluminum layer. Can be prevented.

In the above embodiments, an active assembly of the imaging lens and the semiconductor chip is required for each image pickup module in the step of connecting the imaging lens and the semiconductor chip. For example, since the alignment with the optical element can be performed at once at the semiconductor wafer stage, the number of adjustment steps can be significantly reduced.

Since the surface electrode is connected to an external electric circuit by a bonding wire, an ITO film or a penetrating metal body is not required, and the device can be manufactured at low cost. Further, the present invention can be applied to electrical connection using a TAB film without using a bonding wire.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view illustrating a manufacturing method of another embodiment according to the present invention. In FIG. 10A, a plurality of semiconductor chips (not shown) are arranged on a semiconductor wafer 133, and electrode pads 145 are arranged on the semiconductor chips.

In FIG. 10B, a resist 200 (mainly a photosensitive resin) is applied on the semiconductor wafer 133, and a photolithography process is performed to cover the electrode pads 145 as shown in FIG. Deploy. Depending on the pitch and arrangement of the electrode pads 145, the resist may be arranged by a printing process.

The purpose of this resist 200 is to protect the electrode pad 145 from the sealing material 144 being crushed and protruding into the electrode pad 145, or the attachment of chips in a later dicing process.

Next, referring to FIG.
a on a lower substrate 130 which is a light-transmitting member in which a plurality of
The sealing member 144 arranged by printing is opposed to the semiconductor wafer 133.

In FIG. 10E, the semiconductor wafer 133
After the lower substrate 130 and the lower substrate 130 are adjusted to a desired position, they are pressure-bonded so as to have a desired thickness, and the sealing material 144 is cured by ultraviolet light or heat to form an optical element / semiconductor wafer bonded body 138.

The sealing material 144 and the lower substrate 130
The lens 130a formed above is similar to the manufacturing method and materials described above.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10F, the optical element / semiconductor wafer assembly 138 is divided into individual image pickup modules 154 by dicing.

The dicing is performed in the same manner as in the method described with reference to FIG.

The individually divided imaging module 154
Removes the resist 200 using a solvent or a remover. As a result, the electrode pad 145 can be kept clean due to contamination or the like in the steps so far, and the reliability and yield at the time of connection with an external circuit as shown in FIG. 9 are improved.

Next, an imaging device using the imaging module of each of the above embodiments will be described. An embodiment in which the imaging module of the present invention is applied to a still camera will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a case where the imaging module of the present invention is applied to a “still video camera”.

In FIG. 11, reference numeral 1101 denotes a barrier which serves as both a lens protect and a main switch; 1102, a lens for forming an optical image of a subject on the solid-state image pickup device 1104; Reference numeral 1104 denotes a solid-state imaging device for capturing a subject formed by the lens 1102 as an image signal. Lens 1102, aperture 1103, solid-state imaging device 11
04 constitutes an imaging module. Reference numeral 1106 denotes an A / D converter that performs analog-to-digital conversion of an image signal output from the solid-state imaging device 1104. Reference numeral 1107 performs various corrections on the image data output from the A / D converter 1106 and compresses the data. A signal processing unit 1108 is a timing generation unit that outputs various timing signals to the solid-state imaging device 1104, the imaging signal processing circuit 1105, the A / D converter 1106, and the signal processing unit 1107. An overall control / arithmetic unit 1111 is a memory unit for temporarily storing image data, 1111 is an interface unit for recording or reading on a recording medium, and 1112 is an interface unit for recording or reading image data. A removable recording medium such as a semiconductor memory, etc., communicates with an external computer, etc. It is the order of the interface unit.

Next, the operation of the still video camera at the time of photographing in the above-described configuration will be described.

When the barrier 1101 is opened, the main power is turned on, then the power of the control system is turned on.
Further, the power of the imaging system circuit such as the A / D converter 1106 is turned on.

Then, in order to control the exposure amount, the overall control / arithmetic unit 1109 controls the accumulation time of the solid-state image sensor 1104. The signal output from the solid-state imaging device 4 is A
After being converted by the / D converter 1106, the signal processing unit 110
7 is input. Exposure calculation is performed by the overall control / calculation unit 1109 based on the data.

The brightness is determined based on the result of the photometry, and the overall control / arithmetic unit 1109 controls the accumulation time again according to the result.

Then, after an appropriate exposure amount is confirmed, the main exposure starts. When the exposure is completed, the solid-state imaging device 110
The A / D converter 1106 converts the image signal output from
The signal is subjected to -D conversion, and is written to the memory unit through the signal processing unit 1107 and the overall control / operation 1109. Thereafter, the data stored in the memory unit 1110 is recorded on a removable recording medium 1112 such as a semiconductor memory through the recording medium control I / F unit under the control of the overall control / arithmetic unit 1109. Further, the image may be processed by inputting it directly to a computer or the like through the external I / F unit 1113.

Further, a configuration may be adopted in which moving images are recorded.

[0106]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The translucent member and the semiconductor chip can be bonded together, and an imaging module with high mass productivity can be manufactured.

Further, according to the present invention, by adding at least one of the light-collecting function, the aperture function, the optical filter function, and the light-shielding function to the translucent member, the position can be individually adjusted so far. The optical element and the semiconductor chip can be aligned at once from the process that has been performed.

According to the present invention, the semiconductor substrate and the translucent substrate are fixed with an adhesive, and the adhesive is arranged so as to surround each light receiving element array. Providing an opening, or arranging a resist in a portion of the semiconductor substrate that will become an electrode pad portion of the semiconductor chip, fixing the light-transmitting substrate, and dividing the semiconductor substrate and the light-transmitting substrate, respectively, By removing, the improvement in productivity and reliability can be achieved.

Further, since a semiconductor substrate such as a semiconductor wafer is bonded to a light-transmitting substrate, it is required in comparison with a process in which a semiconductor substrate is divided and a light-transmitting member is individually bonded as in the past.
It is possible to prevent adhesion of dust on the light receiving element array at an early stage. As a result, an improvement in yield due to dust in the manufacturing process can be expected.

As described above, in the present invention in which a semiconductor substrate as an aggregate of semiconductor chips and a translucent substrate as an aggregate with a translucent member can be processed in an aggregate unit, the present invention has been performed individually. This makes it possible to perform complicated adjustment processes.Especially, when a light-collecting function is added to the translucent member as an optical function, sufficient optical adjustment becomes possible, so that an imaging module that can obtain high-quality images can be used. Now available.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a first embodiment of an imaging module according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of an imaging module according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the imaging module according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a third embodiment of the imaging module according to the present invention.

FIG. 5A is a plan view showing a lower substrate, which is an element of an imaging module cut out after bonding a semiconductor wafer and an optical element assembly, and FIG. 5B is a plan view showing the same semiconductor chip. .

FIG. 6 is a plan view of an optical element assembly.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a semiconductor wafer.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a dicing step of a bonded optical element semiconductor wafer.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a sealed state of a connection portion of the imaging module with an external electric circuit.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view illustrating another manufacturing process of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a case where the imaging module of the present invention is applied to a still video camera.

12A is a cross-sectional view of a conventional distance measuring module, and FIG. 12B is a plan view of a light shielding member.

FIGS. 13A to 13E are diagrams illustrating a manufacturing process of a conventional imaging module.

FIGS. 14 (F) to (H) are diagrams showing a manufacturing process of the imaging module following FIG. 13 (E).

FIG. 15 is a plan view of a transparent substrate on which a plurality of semiconductor chips are mounted.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 1 semiconductor chip, 2 electrode pad, 3 micro lens group, 4 gold ball, 5 conductive resin, 6
Electrode, 7 transparent substrate, 11 capillary, 1
2 thermo-ultraviolet curable resin on boundary, 13 area including micro lens group, 14 light-shielding mask, 15 electromagnetic wave, 16 heat, 43 block boundary, 50 semiconductor chip, 51 lens member, 51R, 51L lens, 53 glass substrate, 54 semiconductor chips, 5
5 light shielding layer, 56 light shielding and conductive member, 57R, 57L
Light receiving unit, 102 translucent member, 107 optical element, 130 a resist, 130 lower substrate, 13
1 aperture light blocking layer, 132 aperture opening, 133 semiconductor wafer, 134 boundary line, 135 sealing material,
136 dicing blade, 137 dicing blade, 138 optical element semiconductor wafer assembly, 1
39 upper substrate, 140 upper substrate, 141 lower substrate,
141a transparent area, 142 aperture light shielding layer, 14
3 semiconductor chip, 143a light receiving element array, 14
4 sealing material, 145 electrode pad, 146 flexible printed circuit board, 147 bonding wire, 148 ultraviolet curing resin, 149 aperture light shielding layer,
149a aperture stop, 154 imaging module, 2
00 Resist, E, F Optical path direction of ultraviolet rays

Continued on the front page F term (reference) 4M118 AA10 AB01 AB03 BA10 GB01 GC07 GC08 GC11 GC14 GC20 GD03 HA11 HA23 HA24 HA27 5C024 AX01 BX01 CY47 CY48 EX22 EX23 EX24 EX25 EX43 EX52 5F088 AA01 BB03 JA12 JA13 KA10

Claims (7)

[Claims] A semiconductor chip having a light receiving element array;
An image pickup module comprising: a light-transmitting member disposed on the semiconductor chip; and an electrode pad provided on one or two sides of the semiconductor chip, and a region on one or two sides provided with the electrode pad. An imaging module, wherein the upper side is not covered with the light-transmitting member, and the light-transmitting member protrudes from the semiconductor chip on a side opposite to one or two sides of the semiconductor chip. 2. The imaging module according to claim 1, wherein the light-transmissive member and the semiconductor chip have the same projection shape and are arranged so as to be shifted from each other. 3. The imaging module according to claim 1, wherein at least one of a light-collecting function, an aperture function, an optical filter function, and a light-shielding function is added to the translucent member. 4. A semiconductor substrate on which a plurality of imaging components provided with a light receiving element array are arranged and a light-transmitting substrate are fixed to face each other, and then the semiconductor substrate and the light-transmitting substrate are divided. Then, a method of manufacturing an imaging module for manufacturing a plurality of imaging modules each including the semiconductor chip having the imaging component and divided from the semiconductor substrate and a translucent member divided from the translucent substrate In the division, the translucent member is not covered on an electrode pad provided on one side or two sides of the semiconductor chip,
A method for manufacturing an image pickup module, wherein the light transmitting member is protruded from the semiconductor chip on a side opposite to one or two sides of the semiconductor chip. 5. The fixing between the semiconductor substrate and the light-transmitting substrate is performed by an adhesive, the adhesive is arranged so as to surround each light receiving element array, and an opening is provided in a part of the enclosure of the adhesive. 5. The method for manufacturing an imaging module according to claim 4, wherein: 6. A resist is disposed on a portion of the semiconductor substrate to be an electrode pad portion of the semiconductor chip, the translucent substrate is fixed, and after the semiconductor substrate and the translucent substrate are respectively divided, the resist is formed. 5. The method for manufacturing an imaging module according to claim 4, wherein: 7. The image pickup module according to claim 1, an optical system that forms an image on the image pickup module, and a signal processing circuit that processes an output signal from the image pickup module. An imaging device comprising: