KR101210159B1 - Camera Module and Manufacturing Method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a camera module, and more particularly, a mounting frame having an opening on which an image sensor chip can be mounted is formed on a lead frame, and the image housing chip is assembled by assembling a housing for mounting a lens barrel thereon. By packaging, it is related with the camera module which improved the assembly property of a camera module, and its manufacturing method.

The camera module according to the present invention comprises an image sensor chip; A lens for condensing light on the image sensor chip; A lead frame including a chip pad on which the image sensor chip is mounted, an inner lead connected to the chip pad, and an outer lead connected to the inner lead; A mounting frame formed by a sealing resin is formed in a shape having an opening to seal a portion of the inner lead and the outer lead and to expose a chip pad region and a portion of the inner lead adjacent thereto.

Camera, module, package

Description

Camera module and manufacturing method

1 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a camera module manufactured by the prior art,

2 is a top view schematically showing a camera module according to the present invention;

3 is an exploded cross-sectional view illustrating an assembled state of a camera module according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

4 is an exploded cross-sectional view illustrating an assembled state of a camera module according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Description of the Related Art

10, 100: camera module 11: circuit board

12, 120: image sensor chip # 110: lead frame

13, 130: housing 111: seating frame

15, 150: lens barrel 16, 160: lens

14, 140a, 140b: filter 111b: base portion

The present invention relates to a camera module.

In general, a camera module is mounted on a portable terminal, a PC camera, a PDA, etc. to recognize an image, and has an image sensor chip having pixels for converting optical energy obtained through a lens into an electrical signal, and an optical sensor on the image sensor chip. It consists of a lens for condensing light.

The manufacturing process of such a camera module will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the camera module 10 inserted into a portable terminal is coated with epoxy on the upper surface of the circuit board 11 and the image sensor chip 12 is mounted thereon. The electrode pad of the sensor chip 12 and the electrode pad of the circuit board 11 are wire-bonded and electrically connected.

In addition, the housing 13 is formed at a height capable of accurately securing a focal length between the lens and the image pixel region so that light can be accurately obtained in the image pixel region of the image sensor chip 12 made of pixels. The housing 13 is seated on the circuit board 11 coated with epoxy and aligned, and then the housing 13 is bonded to the circuit board 11 by curing the epoxy 19.

Thereafter, the lens barrel 15 including the lens 16 is screwed into the upper opening of the housing 13 in which the glass filter or the infrared ray filter 14 is mounted, and then the connector 18 is connected to one side. Is attached to the electrode pad of the circuit board 11 and connected.

In the conventional camera module manufactured by the above method, the epoxy is coated on the upper surface of the circuit board, and the housing 13 is press-fitted and fixed to the upper portion thereof, and the epoxy is subjected to a curing process at a predetermined temperature. Since the adhesive bonds the housing and the circuit board, many defects occur in the bonding portion of the housing and the circuit board depending on the amount of epoxy.

For example, when epoxy is spot-coated on a substrate along the area where the housing is to be seated, there is a gap between the substrate and the housing portion where the epoxy is not applied and light enters the package through this gap. Since unnecessary light is incident on the image pixel area, the image quality deteriorates.

On the other hand, when the epoxy is excessively applied along the housing seating area to be completely sealed, poor assembly occurs due to the degree of curing according to the temperature of the epoxy, which is an elastic and viscous adhesive as a viscoelastic material.

Epoxy resins are thermosetting resins, which are hardened by a chemical reaction when heat is applied, and the viscosity is sharply lowered in a specific Cure temperature range.

In particular, since the viscosity drops sharply in the 70 ° C. to 80 ° C. temperature range, the excessively applied epoxy is pushed out of the junction between the housing and the circuit board and penetrates into the image sensor chip to cause contamination of the sensor.

As a result, image quality defects occur, and as the housing aligned on the substrate is slightly tilted during the curing process due to the change in viscosity of the epoxy, the center and the image of the lens seated on the upper part of the housing Since the centers of the pixel areas of the sensor chip do not exactly match, the reliability of the camera module is degraded.

In addition, since the poor focus due to the distortion of the housing is revealed in the process of inspecting the camera module equipped with the lens barrel, the assembly yield is reduced in the process of disassembling and reassembling the completed camera module.

In addition, since the conventional camera module is connected to a circuit board such as a portable terminal through a flexible circuit board, it is not possible to satisfy the thinning requirements of electronic products due to the electrical connection method and the volume problem in the installation space.

The present invention has an object to improve the assembly and productivity of the camera module.

It is also an object of the present invention to simplify the structure of the camera module.

Furthermore, the present invention has an object to improve the product reliability of the camera module.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to reduce the image quality defect of the camera module by preventing unnecessary light is incident on the image sensor chip.

The camera module according to the present invention comprises an image sensor chip; A lens for condensing light on the image sensor chip; A lead frame including a chip pad on which the image sensor chip is mounted, an inner lead connected to the chip pad, and an outer lead connected to the inner lead; A mounting frame formed by a sealing resin is formed in a shape having an opening to seal a portion of the inner lead and the outer lead and to expose a chip pad region and a portion of the inner lead adjacent thereto.

Furthermore, a filter formed of glass or plastic on the lead frame and having a partition wall having a predetermined height is installed to cover the inner lead, and the image sensor chip and a portion of the inner lead are sealed by the filter.

Referring to the structure of the camera module according to the present invention in detail as follows.

As shown in FIG. 2, the image sensor chip 120 of the camera module 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a chip pad 112, an inner lead 113, and an outer lead 114. It is placed on the lead frame 110.

In other words, the image sensor chip 120 is placed on the chip pad 112, and the electrode pad 122 and the inner lead 113 of the image sensor chip 120 are electrically connected inside the seating frame 111. The inner lead 113 and the outer lead 114 are electrically connected to each other through the seating frame 111.

In the image sensor chip 120, an image pixel region 121 including millions of pixels and an electrode pad 122 formed at a periphery thereof are formed on one side of the image sensor chip 120.

The image sensor chip 120 is fixed by epoxy on the chip pad 112 so that the image pixel region 121 is exposed upward, and the electrode pad 122 of the image sensor chip 120 is fixed to the image sensor chip 120. The inner leads 113 of the lead frame 110 are electrically connected to each other through a wire 123.

In addition, the lead frame 110 includes an outer lead 114 from a partial region of the inner lead 113 of the lead frame so that the seating frame 111 surrounds the portion of the image sensor chip mounted on the chip pad 112. It is formed over some areas.

The seating frame 111 is an encapsulation resin (EMC: Epoxy Mold Compound) structure formed on the lead frame 110 by an injection molding method, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the inner of the lead frame 110 A portion of the lead 113 and the outer lead 114 is sealed and has an opening through which the chip pad 112 region and a portion of the inner lead 113 adjacent thereto are exposed.

That is, the seating frame 111 includes a base part 111b encapsulating the lead frame 110 and a step part 111a formed to have a predetermined step with respect to the base part.

The stepped part 111a of the seating frame 111 may prevent unnecessary light, other than the light flowing through the lens, from entering the pixel area 121 of the image sensor chip 120. It is engaged with the lower end of the housing 130 mounted on the upper portion of the 111.

In particular, since the center of the lens 160 aligned with the top of the image sensor chip 120 and the center of the image pixel area 121 must exactly match, the housing 130 to which the lens barrel 150 is coupled is mounted. It should be fixed at the correct position on the top of the frame 111. This can eliminate the bonding process of the holder and the substrate by replacing the existing holder with packaging.

In addition, a stepped portion 130a is formed on the lower inner circumferential surface of the housing, and the stepped portion 130a is combined with the stepped portion 111a of the seating frame 111, so that the lower inner surface of the housing is seated. The upper surface of the frame 111 is seated.

At this time, the height of the stepped portion 111a of the seating frame 111 may be formed slightly higher than the height of the stepped portion 130a of the housing 130, so that a gap is formed between the seating frame and the housing.

As a result, when the amount of epoxy applied on the upper surface of the seating frame is excessive, excess epoxy may be present on the gap between the seating frame and the housing, and the excess of adhesive may be eliminated.

Meanwhile, a glass filter or an IR filter (140a) is mounted inside the housing 130, and an internal thread is formed on an upper inner surface of the housing 130, and the female thread is an image pixel region ( It is coupled to the male screw thread formed on the outer circumferential surface of the lens barrel 150 provided with the lens 160 so as to focus on 121 accurately.

Unlike the above description, the camera module according to the second embodiment of the present invention does not mount the glass filter or the IR filter 140b inside the housing 130 according to the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4. Instead, it is installed on the image sensor chip 120.

The filter 140b according to the second embodiment of the present invention is a transparent plastic or glass filter having a barrier height higher than the wire bonding height for the electrical connection between the image sensor chip and the inner lead, and the inner of the lead frame 110. It is mounted on the lead and adhered to the lead frame 110 so as to cover the ends of the image sensor chip and the inner lead. Accordingly, while allowing the light to be incident through the filter 140b, it is possible to block foreign substances from flowing from the outside.

After sealing the image sensor chip 120 and the inner lead by using a filter, an opening is formed by using a sealing resin on the lead frame 110 to expose a portion corresponding to the image pixel area of the image sensor chip. A seating frame 170 having a shape is formed to encapsulate the lead frame. This is a structure in which the seating frame 170 and the lead frame 110 are implemented without a substrate and a filter is built in one package.

In this case, unlike the seating frame 111 shown in FIG. 3, the seating frame 170 has a height and a structure in which the lens barrel can be directly assembled, and the height of the unitary seating frame is required from the lens to the image pixel region. It is adjusted corresponding to the focal length.

In addition, a female screw thread to which the lens barrel 150 may be coupled is formed at an upper portion of the seating frame 170, and is screwed to the lens barrel 150 to which the lens 160 is attached.

The manufacturing method of the camera module according to the first embodiment of the present invention having such a structure will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the seating frame 111 is formed of a sealing resin in a partial region of the lead frame 110 including the chip pad 112, the inner lead 113, and the outer lead 114 by an injection molding method or the like. It is formed in the form of a box having a predetermined height having an opening so that the chip pad portion and a portion of the inner lead adjacent to the chip pad are exposed.

A stepped portion 111a is formed at an upper portion of the seating frame 111 so that a height difference occurs at an end thereof.

Thereafter, an epoxy is applied to a portion of the chip pad 112 exposed through the opening so that the image pixel region 121 is exposed to the upper portion thereof so that the image sensor chip 120 is mounted and oven cured. curing) through the process.

In addition, a wire 123 bonding process may be performed to electrically connect the electrode pad 122 positioned at the periphery of the image pixel region 121 of the image sensor chip 120 and the inner lead 113.

Subsequently, the lower stepped portion 130a of the housing 130 in which the cover glass or the IR filter 140a is fixed with epoxy therein is engaged with the stepped portion 111a of the seating frame 111. ) It is mounted on the top.

At this time, an epoxy is coated on the upper surface of the base part 111b of the seating frame, and the housing 130 is seated in the seating frame when the camera module assembled by the process is cured so that the bottom surface of the housing is positioned on the top of the epoxy. It is adhesively fixed on the 111.

In addition, the lens barrel 150 in which the lens 160 is embedded is inserted into an upper portion of the housing 130 to be screwed to each other, and the lead frame 110 connected to the inner lead 113 and exposed out of the seating frame may be formed. After performing the trimming process of the outer lead 114 and the forming process of bending the lead frame 110, a singulation process of removing the lead lead strips one by one is performed.

The camera module according to the present invention manufactured through the above process is directly inserted or mounted on an electronic component in which the camera module is embedded without using a separate connector because the lead exposed to the outside is used as an external connection terminal pin. Can be.

Then, the manufacturing method of the camera module according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, an epoxy is applied to a portion of the chip pad 112 of the lead frame 110 including the chip pad 112, the inner lead 113, and the outer lead 114. The image sensor chip 120 may be mounted and cured through an oven curing process so that the image pixel region may be exposed upward.

In addition, the glass filter 140b according to the present invention is mounted on the inner lead of the lead frame 110 and adhered to each other so that the image sensor chip 120 and some ends of the inner lead are covered from the outside.

The glass filter 140b may be mounted only on the image sensor chip 120 such that only the image pixel area 121 of the image sensor chip 120 is covered.

Thereafter, using the sealing resin on the lead frame, the opening frame is sealed in a shape such that only a portion corresponding to the image pixel area of the image sensor chip is exposed to form the seating frame 170.

After inserting and screwing the lens barrel 150 having the lens 160 embedded therein, the outer lead of the lead frame 110 connected to the inner lead 113 and exposed out of the seating frame is inserted. After performing the trimming process 114 and the forming process of bending the lead frame 110, a singulation process is performed to remove one from the lead frame strip one by one.

The camera module manufactured in the form of a package through the above process is directly inserted into or mounted on an electronic product, thereby improving image quality because the electrical connection path is shortened, and the process is easier to mount.

In addition, since the mounting area of the camera module is narrowed due to direct mounting, it is easy to adopt to thinner electronic products.

In addition, even when unnecessary light is introduced into the camera module according to the present invention, since the inflow into the image pixel area is blocked by the stepped portion of the seating frame engaged with the inside of the housing, deterioration in image quality is prevented.

In addition, since the housing is fixed on the seating frame without twisting, the center of the lens and the center of the image pixel area are precisely matched to improve the assembly accuracy of the camera module. Is prevented.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and it is apparent that many modifications can be made by those skilled in the art within the technical spirit to which the present invention belongs.

According to the present invention described above, first, by mounting an image sensor chip on the lead frame to configure the camera module package, the camera module can be mounted directly on the electronics, thereby reducing the thickness / miniaturization of the electronics You can improve the image quality.

Second, the camera module according to the present invention is fixed to the seating frame without twisting, the center of the lens and the center of the image pixel area is matched to improve the process precision and production yield, deterioration of the image quality of the camera module due to miss focus In addition, contamination of the image sensor chip by the epoxy adhesive is also prevented, thereby improving product reliability.

Third, since the stepped portion of the seating frame meshed with the inside of the housing acts as a partition wall of the image pixel area, unnecessary light cannot be introduced into the image pixel area, thereby ensuring excellent image quality characteristics of the camera module.

Claims (9)

An image sensor chip; A lens for condensing light on the image sensor chip; A chip pad disposed below the image sensor chip; An adhesive for adhering the image sensor chip onto the chip pad; An inner lead disposed adjacent the chip pad and electrically connected to the image sensor chip; An outer lead connected to the inner lead; It includes a seating frame of a resin material for sealing a portion of the inner lead and the outer lead, The chip pad, the inner lead and the outer lead are made of a lead frame, The seating frame includes an opening that exposes an area of the chip pad and a part of an inner lead adjacent to the chip pad. The method of claim 1, Further comprising a filter disposed on the inner lead and the image sensor chip, The filter module includes a plastic or glass and covers the inner lead and the image sensor chip. The method of claim 1, And a housing fixed to an outer circumferential surface of the seating frame. The method of claim 3, wherein The seating frame includes a base portion encapsulating the lead frame, and a first step portion having a step with respect to the base portion. And a part of the seating frame is disposed under the lead frame. 5. The method of claim 4, The housing includes a second step portion formed on the lower inner peripheral surface, the second step portion is a camera module, characterized in that the mating portion and the first step of the seating frame. 6. The method of claim 5, The height of the first step portion of the seating frame is a camera module, characterized in that formed higher than the height of the second step portion of the housing. The method of claim 3, wherein A camera module comprising a filter seated inside the housing. The camera module of claim 1, wherein the adhesive comprises an epoxy. Adhesive bonding the image sensor chip onto the chip pad; Electrically connecting the image sensor chip with an inner lead adjacent the chip pad; Mounting a filter on the inner lead and the image sensor chip; Using a sealing resin to form a seating frame having an opening corresponding to an image pixel region of the image sensor chip; Coupling a lens barrel with a lens embedded on the seating frame; And Disposing a housing on top of the seating frame; The chip pad and the inner lead are formed of a lead frame, The seating frame is a camera module manufacturing method for sealing the lead frame.

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