Wafer level optical device
View Patent ↗Technologies are generally described for fabricating a wafer level optical device using a plurality of substrates made of materials with a substantially compatible (e.g., same or similar) thermal expansion coefficient. An example device may include a first substrate including light-receiving or light-emitting elements, and a second substrate including optical elements located within through-holes of the second substrate. The through-holes can be configured to substantially align each of the light-receiving or light-emitting elements with a corresponding one of the optical elements. A thermal expansion coefficient of the second substrate can be configured to be substantially the same to a thermal expansion coefficient of the first substrate.
1. An optical device, comprising:
a first substrate including light-receiving elements;
a second substrate disposed on the first substrate, wherein the second substrate includes optical elements located within through-holes of the second substrate, and the through-holes are configured to substantially align each of the optical elements in the second substrate with a corresponding one of the light-receiving elements in the first substrate;
a spacer substrate disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; and
one or more light sources provided above the second substrate, wherein the one or more light sources are configured to irradiate a light through each of the optical elements in the second substrate onto the corresponding one of the light-receiving elements in the first substrate such that a position of each of the optical elements in the second substrate is adjusted relative to the corresponding one of the light-receiving elements in the first substrate based on a light intensity detected by the light-receiving elements.
2. The optical device of claim 1 , wherein a thermal expansion coefficient of the first substrate is substantially the same as a thermal expansion coefficient of the second substrate.
3. The optical device of claim 1 , wherein the spacer substrate comprises at least one of quartz glass material and/or silicon material.
4. The optical device of claim 1 , wherein the first substrate comprises silicon material.
5. The optical device of claim 1 , wherein the second substrate comprises at least one of quartz glass material, silicon material and/or ceramic material.
6. The optical device of claim 5 , wherein the ceramic material comprises one or more materials selected from the group consisting of Si 3 N 4 and/or Al 2 O 3 .
7. The optical device of claim 1 , wherein the optical elements in the first substrate comprise plastic material.
8. The optical device of claim 7 , wherein the plastic material comprises at least one of ultraviolet curing resin and/or thermosetting resin.
9. The optical device of claim 1 , wherein the spacer substrate comprises at least one of quartz glass material and/or silicon material.
10. The optical device of claim 1 , wherein the optical elements include lenses.
11. An optical device, comprising:
a first substrate including light-receiving elements;
a spacer substrate disposed on the first substrate;
a second substrate disposed on the spacer substrate, wherein:
the second substrate includes optical elements located within through-holes of the second substrate,
the optical elements include lenses,
the through-holes are configured to substantially align each optical element with a corresponding light-receiving element in the first substrate, and
a thermal expansion coefficient of the first substrate is substantially the same as a thermal expansion coefficient of the second substrate; and
one or more light sources provided above the second substrate, wherein the one or more light sources are configured to irradiate a light through each of the optical elements in the second substrate onto the corresponding one of the light-receiving elements in the first substrate such that a position of each of the optical elements in the second substrate is adjusted relative to the corresponding one of the light-receiving elements in the first substrate based on a light intensity detected by the light-receiving elements.
12. The optical device of claim 11 , wherein the first substrate comprises silicon material.
13. The optical device of claim 11 , wherein the second substrate comprises ceramic material, and the ceramic material comprises one or more materials selected from the group consisting of Si 3 N 4 and Al 2 O 3 .
14. The optical device of claim 11 , wherein the optical elements in the second substrate comprise plastic material.
15. The optical device of claim 11 , wherein the spacer substrate comprises at least one of quartz glass material and/or silicon material.
16. The optical device of claim 11 , wherein the second substrate comprises at least one of quartz glass material, silicon material and/or ceramic material.
17. A method for fabricating an optical device, comprising:
providing a first substrate including a plurality of light-receiving elements, wherein the plurality of light-receiving elements are formed from a plurality of semiconductor photodiodes in a silicon substrate corresponding to the first substrate;
providing a second substrate including a plurality of through-holes;
forming a plurality of optical elements in the through-holes of the second substrate such that each of the plurality of through-holes includes a corresponding one of the plurality of optical elements;
disposing the second substrate on the first substrate such that each of the plurality of optical elements is substantially aligned with a corresponding one of the plurality of light-receiving elements, wherein a thermal expansion coefficient of the first substrate is substantially the same as a thermal expansion coefficient of the second substrate; and
providing one or more light sources above the second substrate, wherein the one or more light sources are configured to irradiate a light through each of the plurality of optical elements in the second substrate onto the corresponding one of the plurality of light-receiving elements in the first substrate such that a position of each of the plurality of optical elements in the second substrate is adjusted relative to the corresponding one of the plurality of light-receiving elements in the first substrate based on a light intensity detected by the plurality of light-receiving elements.
18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising forming the first substrate by:
providing a third substrate including the plurality of light-receiving elements;
dicing the third substrate into a plurality of chips each including a corresponding light-receiving element; and
adhering the plurality of diced chips onto the first substrate.
19. The method of claim 17 , further comprising forming a plurality of optical elements in the through-holes of the second substrate by:
providing a mold assembly having a mold cavity shaped to form the optical elements in the plurality of through-holes;
introducing a plastic material into the mold cavity; and
curing the plastic material to form each of the plurality of optical elements in the plurality of through-holes.
20. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
disposing a spacer substrate between the first substrate and the second substrate.
21. The method of claim 17 , further comprising forming a spacer substrate between the first substrate and the second substrate by:
applying an ultraviolet curing resin on the first substrate prior to disposing the second substrate on the first substrate; and
curing the ultraviolet curing resin by irradiating an ultraviolet light thereto.
22. The method of claim 17 , wherein disposing the second substrate on the first substrate such that of the plurality of optical elements is substantially aligned further comprises:
aligning a position of each optical element of the second substrate with a position of a corresponding light-receiving element of the first substrate.