JP5011819B2 - The camera module - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a camera module, and more particularly to a camera module that is reduced in size, thickness, and weight.

  In recent years, camera modules have been actively adopted in mobile phones, portable computers, and the like, and accordingly, camera modules have been required to be smaller, thinner, and lighter. For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-120615, a solid-state imaging device is mounted on a DSP as a structure in which a solid-state imaging device and other semiconductor components such as a DSP (Digital Signal Processing) are mounted as means for downsizing a camera module. A structure of a camera module is disclosed in which chip components such as resistors, capacitors, and inductors other than the solid-state imaging device and the DSP are mounted on the same plane as the solid-state imaging device. Yes.

  However, in the case where the chip parts are arranged two-dimensionally on the same plane as the solid-state imaging device as described above, the size of the camera module depends on the arrangement area of the chip parts, and the arrangement area Due to this limitation, the size of the camera module could not be reduced sufficiently.

In particular, in recent years, there has been a demand for simultaneously increasing the number of pixels of the image sensor and reducing the size of the camera module, and the above-described conventional methods have not been able to satisfy such requirements.
JP 2004-120615 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a novel camera module that can be reduced in size, thickness, and weight.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides:
An insulating base material having a predetermined opening formed so as to penetrate in the thickness direction;
A lens fixed across the width direction in the opening of the insulating substrate;
On the back side of the insulating base material, the solid-state imaging device provided to seal the opening and to face the lens;
A wiring pattern provided on at least the main surface and the back surface of the insulating substrate;
The wiring pattern is formed so as to be connectable to an external circuit on the main surface of the insulating base,
The camera module, wherein a wiring pattern provided on the back surface is electrically and mechanically connected to the solid-state imaging device, and at least a part of the wiring pattern is electrically and mechanically connected. .

  The present inventor has intensively studied to solve the above problems. As a result, a predetermined insulating substrate is prepared, an opening that penetrates the insulating substrate in the thickness direction is formed, and the lens is fixed across the width in the opening. Then, on the back side of the insulating base material, the solid-state imaging device is disposed so as to seal the opening and to face the lens. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide a housing for fixing the lens, and the thickness of the insulating base material corresponding to the overcoat resin layer disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-120615 and the solid-state image sensor The thickness of the entire camera module can be determined only by considering the thickness (height) of the camera module. Therefore, the entire camera module including the solid-state imaging device can be thinned due to the fact that a conventional housing is not used.

  In addition, other necessary resistors, capacitors, chip parts which are electric / electronic parts such as inductors, and the like can be appropriately embedded in the insulating base material. Therefore, the size of the camera module is mainly determined by the size of the solid-state imaging device, and an increase in module area due to the installation of the electric / electronic components can be suppressed. Therefore, the obtained camera module can be sufficiently downsized.

  Further, as described above, since it is not necessary to prepare a housing that holds the entire camera module, the camera module of the present invention can be sufficiently reduced in weight.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, on the back surface side of the insulating base material, a semiconductor element is disposed on the side opposite to the lens with respect to the solid-state imaging element. In this case, it is not necessary to provide an external circuit for driving the solid-state imaging device, and it is not necessary to provide an additional wiring pattern for connecting to the external circuit. Therefore, when the camera module is put into practical use, there is no need to complicate the configuration of the camera module. In addition, the area of the camera module is not determined in consideration of the total area of the solid-state image sensor and the semiconductor element, and as described above, is determined only by the size of the solid-state image sensor. Therefore, the size of the camera module can be reduced.

  Furthermore, in one aspect of the present invention, a resin mold is formed so as to cover the solid-state imaging element and / or the semiconductor element. Thereby, the solid-state imaging element and / or the semiconductor element can be effectively protected, and damage due to contact or the like can be prevented.

  In the above aspect, a plurality of wiring patterns are provided, and at least one of the plurality of wiring patterns is provided on the back surface of the insulating base, and the remaining wiring patterns are in the insulating base. The wiring pattern is formed on the surface of the insulating substrate, and at least a part of these wiring patterns can be electrically and mechanically connected to each other. Thereby, the solid-state imaging device and / or the semiconductor device can be easily and electrically connected to an external circuit or the like through a wiring pattern formed on the main surface of the insulating base. Moreover, since it is not necessary to form a wiring pattern in the surface direction, an increase in the size (area) of the camera module can be suppressed. Therefore, the camera module can be miniaturized.

  In the above aspect, the plurality of wiring patterns have an axis coinciding with the thickness direction of the insulating base material, and the at least part of the wiring patterns are formed by a first interlayer connection body having a constant diameter in the axial direction. Can be configured to connect electromechanically.

  Further, in the above aspect, the plurality of wiring patterns have an axis that coincides with a thickness direction of the insulating base material, and a second diameter in which the diameter in the axial direction changes in the thickness direction of the insulating base material. It is possible to connect the at least one part electromechanically by the interlayer connector.

  Further, the plurality of wiring patterns may be electrically and mechanically connected to each other by an inner wall conductor formed in a through hole formed in a thickness direction of the insulating base. it can.

  According to the first interlayer connection body, the second interlayer connection body, and the inner wall conductor as described above, the electrical and mechanical connection of the plurality of wiring patterns described above can be easily performed.

  Further, the first interlayer connector, the second interlayer connector, and the inner wall conductor can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

  As mentioned above, according to this invention, the novel camera module which can implement | achieve size reduction, thickness reduction, and weight reduction can be provided.

  Hereinafter, specific features of the present invention will be described based on the best mode for carrying out the invention.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram showing an example of a camera module of the present invention. The camera module 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes an insulating base 11 having an opening 11A formed at a substantially central portion, and a lens fixed by a fixing member 15 across the width direction in the opening 11A of the insulating base 11. 13 and a solid-state imaging device 12 provided on the back surface of the insulating base material 11 to seal the opening 11A and to face the lens 13.

  Further, a driving IC 14 as a semiconductor element for driving the solid-state imaging device 12 is provided on the back side of the solid-state imaging device 12 with respect to the lens 13 (flip chip mounting). Therefore, the solid-state imaging device 12 is driven based on the control signal from the driving IC 14. Further, the solid-state imaging device 12 and the driving IC 14 are covered with a resin mold 17.

  In FIG. 1, the lens 13 can be fixed at an arbitrary height position in the opening 11 </ b> A by adjusting the mounting position of the fixing member 15 in the height direction in the opening 11 </ b> A.

  A first wiring pattern 21 is formed on the main surface of the insulating base material 11, and a second wiring pattern 22 is formed on the back surface of the insulating base material 11. A third wiring pattern 23 and a fourth wiring pattern 24 are formed so as to be substantially parallel to the first wiring pattern 21 and the second wiring pattern 22.

  The first wiring pattern 21 to the fourth wiring pattern 24 have an axis coinciding with the thickness direction of the insulating base material 11, and the interlayer connection in which the diameter in the axial direction changes in the thickness direction of the insulating base material 11. Electrically and mechanically connected by body 26. In addition, the driving IC 14 is electrically connected to the second wiring pattern 22 via the wire 16, and the solid-state imaging device 12 and the driving IC 14 are electrically connected to each wiring pattern via the wire.

  In FIG. 1, the third wiring pattern 23 and the fourth wiring pattern 24 of the insulating base material 11 are arranged on a line drawn by a broken line, but the line indicated by the broken line is In the process of forming the insulating base material 11, a plurality of insulating layers are stacked, and the wiring pattern is formed in the stacking process. Accordingly, the insulating layers may be unidentified as being integrated or may be identifiable to some extent.

  The solid-state image sensor 12 can be composed of a CCD or a CMOS.

  In the camera module 10 shown in FIG. 1, an insulating base material 11 is prepared, and an opening portion 11A that penetrates the insulating base material 11 in the thickness direction is formed, and the width direction in the opening portion 11A is formed. The lens 13 is fixed over it. Then, on the back surface of the insulating base material 11, the solid-state imaging device 12 is disposed so as to seal the opening 11 </ b> A and to face the lens 13. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide a housing for fixing the lens 13, and the thickness of the insulating base 11 corresponding to the overcoat resin layer and the solid-state imaging device 12 disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-120615 and the like. The thickness of the entire camera module can be determined only by considering the thickness (height) of the camera module. Therefore, the entire camera module including the solid-state imaging device 12 can be thinned due to the fact that a conventional housing is not used.

  Further, although not particularly shown, other necessary resistors, capacitors, chip parts which are electric / electronic parts such as inductors, and the like can be appropriately embedded in the insulating substrate 11. Therefore, the size (area) of the camera module is mainly determined by the size (area) of the solid-state imaging device 12, and an increase in the module area accompanying the installation of the electric / electronic components can be suppressed. Therefore, the camera module 10 can be sufficiently downsized.

  Further, as described above, since it is not necessary to prepare a housing that holds the entire camera module, the camera module of the present invention can be sufficiently reduced in weight.

  In addition, on the back surface side of the insulating base material 11, a driving IC 14 is provided on the opposite side of the lens 13 with respect to the solid-state imaging device 12. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide an external circuit for driving the solid-state imaging device 12, and it is not necessary to provide an additional wiring pattern for connecting to the external circuit. Therefore, when the camera module 10 is put into practical use, it is not necessary to make the configuration of the camera module 10 complicated. Further, the area of the camera module 10 is not determined in consideration of the total area of the solid-state imaging device 12 and the driving IC 14 but is determined only by the size of the solid-state imaging device 12 as described above. Therefore, the camera module 10 can be sufficiently downsized.

  Furthermore, since the solid-state imaging device 12 and the driving IC 14 are covered with the resin mold 17, the solid-state imaging device 12 and the driving IC 14 can be effectively protected, and damage caused by contact or the like can be prevented. it can.

  Further, the solid-state imaging device 12 and the driving IC 14 are electrically and mechanically connected to each wiring pattern via wires 16, and in particular, electrically connected to the first wiring pattern 21 formed on the main surface of the insulating base material 11. It is configured to be connected to. Therefore, the solid-state imaging device 12 and the driving IC 14 can be easily and electrically connected to an external circuit or the like through the first wiring pattern 21 in particular. Moreover, since it is not necessary to form a wiring pattern in the surface direction, an increase in the size (area) of the camera module can be suppressed. Therefore, the camera module can be miniaturized.

  FIG. 2 is a modification of the camera module shown in FIG. In addition, about the component similar to the component shown in FIG. 1, it represents using the same referential mark.

  In the camera module 10 shown in FIG. 2, the through hole 31 is formed at the right end in the insulating base material 11 without forming the third wiring pattern 23 and the fourth wiring pattern 24. An inner wall conductor 32 is formed inside, and the first wiring pattern 21 and the second wiring pattern 22 are directly and mechanically connected. Thus, the wiring patterns can be electrically and mechanically connected also by using the inner wall conductor 32 instead of the interlayer connector 26.

  In addition, although not specifically illustrated, instead of or in addition to the above-described interlayer connection body 26 and the inner wall conductor 32, an axis that coincides with the thickness direction of the insulating base material 11 and the diameter in the axial direction is provided. The wiring patterns can also be electrically and mechanically connected by using an interlayer connector having a constant.

  The interlayer connector 15 and the inner wall conductor 17 can be made of a single material such as gold, silver, or copper, which is a good conductor, or a material in which the metal fine particles are dispersed in a predetermined resin. Further, in addition to the metal or the like, a carbon material can be used, and similarly to the above, the carbon material can be constituted by dispersing carbon fine powder in a predetermined resin.

  Moreover, in the example shown in FIG.1 and FIG.2, although the 3rd wiring pattern 23 and the 4th wiring pattern 24 are provided in the insulating base material 11, it seems that it was embed | buried in such an insulating base material 11. Without providing the wiring pattern, for example, as shown on the right side of the insulating base in FIG. 2, the first wiring pattern 21 and the second wiring pattern 22 can be directly and mechanically connected. .

  Furthermore, when embedding wiring patterns in the insulating base material 11, the number is not limited to two wiring patterns as typified by the third wiring pattern 23 or the fourth wiring pattern 24, but can be arbitrarily determined as necessary. The number of

  Next, the manufacturing method of the camera module of this invention is demonstrated. As a typical manufacturing method, a manufacturing method of the camera module shown in FIG. 1 will be described. 3 to 6 are process diagrams showing a method for manufacturing the camera module shown in FIG.

  First, bumps are formed on a metal (for example, copper) foil 231, the insulating layer 113 is disposed so that the bump penetrates and is embedded therein, and further, a metal (for example, copper) foil 211 is disposed. Form a double-sided metal (copper) -clad plate. Next, the metal wiring 231 is etched to form a third wiring pattern 23. Similarly, a double-sided metal (copper) -clad plate related to the insulating layer 111 is formed, bumps are formed on the third wiring pattern 23, and the insulating layer 112 is disposed and penetrated with respect to the bumps. Thereafter, the double-sided board relating to the insulating layer 111 and the double-sided board relating to the insulating layer 113 are aligned and arranged, and a four-layer wiring board is produced by performing a heating and pressing press. Thereafter, the outer metal foils 221 and 211 are etched to produce the insulating substrate 11 as shown in FIG.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4, an opening 11 </ b> A that penetrates the insulating base material 11 is formed by performing, for example, etching, pressing, or machining by a drill / router on the substantially central portion of the insulating base material 11. To do.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the solid-state imaging device 12 and the driving IC 14 are sequentially provided on the back surface of the insulating base 11 (flip chip mounting), and the driving IC 14 and the second wiring pattern 22 are connected to the wires 16. Bonding and electrical connection.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the fixing member 15 is provided in the opening 11 </ b> A, and the lens 13 is fixed by the fixing member 15 so as to face the solid-state imaging device 12 in the width direction in the opening 11 </ b> A. To do. Thereafter, a resin mold 17 is formed so as to cover the solid-state imaging device 12 and the driving IC 14, and the camera module 10 as shown in FIG. 1 is completed.

  The manufacturing method described above is merely an example of the camera module shown in FIG. 1 and can be manufactured in the same manner by using other methods.

  The present invention has been described in detail based on the above specific examples. However, the present invention is not limited to the above specific examples, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  For example, a reinforcing material such as a glass cloth, an aramid cloth, a glass nonwoven fabric, or an aramid nonwoven fabric may be appropriately contained in the insulating layer when the insulating base material 11 is manufactured. In addition, electrical / electronic components such as a chip capacitor, a chip resistor, and an inductor can be incorporated in both ends of the insulating base 11 as necessary.

  Since the camera module of the present invention has been reduced in size, thickness, and weight, it can be used in various fields such as a mobile phone and a portable computer.

It is a section lineblock diagram showing an example of a camera module of the present invention. It is a cross-sectional block diagram which shows the modification of the camera module shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows 1 process in the manufacturing method of the camera module shown in FIG. Similarly, it is a figure which shows one process in the manufacturing method of the camera module shown in FIG. Similarly, it is a figure which shows one process in the manufacturing method of the camera module shown in FIG. Similarly, it is a figure which shows one process in the manufacturing method of the camera module shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Camera module 11 Insulation base material 11A Opening part 12 Solid-state image sensor 13 Lens 14 Driving IC
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 Fixing member 16 Wire 21 1st wiring pattern 22 2nd wiring pattern 23 3rd wiring pattern 24 4th wiring pattern 26 Interlayer connection body 111,112,113 Insulating layer 211,211,231,241 Metal foil

Claims (10)

An insulating base material having a predetermined opening formed so as to penetrate in the thickness direction;
A lens fixed across the width direction in the opening of the insulating substrate;
On the back side of the insulating base material, the solid-state imaging device provided to seal the opening and to face the lens;
A wiring pattern provided on at least the main surface and the back surface of the insulating substrate;
The wiring pattern is formed so as to be connectable to an external circuit on the main surface of the insulating base,
A camera module, wherein a wiring pattern provided on the back surface is electrically and mechanically connected to the solid-state imaging device, and at least a part of the wiring pattern is electrically and mechanically connected.  The camera module has a semiconductor element on the opposite side of the lens on the back surface side of the insulating substrate, and is electrically connected to the solid-state image sensor to drive the solid-state image sensor. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein:  The camera module according to claim 1, further comprising a resin mold formed so as to cover the solid-state imaging device.  The camera module according to claim 2, further comprising an additional resin mold formed so as to cover the semiconductor element.  The wiring pattern is composed of a plurality of wiring patterns, and the remaining wiring patterns other than the wiring patterns provided on the main surface and the back surface of the insulating base material are embedded in the insulating base material, and The camera module according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the plurality of wiring patterns is electrically and mechanically connected.  The plurality of wiring patterns have an axis that coincides with the thickness direction of the insulating base material, and the at least some of the wiring patterns are electrically and mechanically connected by a first interlayer connection body having a constant diameter in the axial direction. The camera module according to claim 5, wherein the camera module is connected.  The plurality of wiring patterns have an axis coinciding with the thickness direction of the insulating base material, and the second interlayer connector has a diameter in the axial direction that changes in the thickness direction of the insulating base material. The camera module according to claim 5, wherein at least a part of the camera modules is electrically and mechanically connected.  The plurality of wiring patterns are characterized in that the at least some of the wiring patterns are electrically and mechanically connected by an inner wall conductor formed in a through hole formed in a thickness direction of the insulating base material. The camera module according to any one of claims 5 to 7.  The camera module according to claim 1, wherein the solid-state imaging device is a CCD or a CMOS.  10. The solid-state imaging device and / or the semiconductor device is electrically connected to an external circuit through a wiring pattern formed on the main surface of the insulating base material. The camera module as described in any one.

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