Stereoscopic imaging sensor apparatus and method for fabricating pairs of image sensors used in stereoscopic imaging
A stereoscopic image sensor apparatus including a pair of image sensors adjacently fabricated on a common carrier is disclosed, the common carrier being a diced portion of a carrier on which an aligned plurality of image sensors have been fabricated within an alignment tolerance, the alignment tolerance including a target lateral offset between the adjacent image sensors, and a target orientation between corresponding rows of light sensitive elements on the adjacent image sensors. An alternative stereoscopic image sensor apparatus includes a common window having first and second image sensors bonded to the common window within the alignment tolerance. Another alternative stereoscopic image sensor apparatus includes rear faces of respective first and second image sensors being bonded to a common circuit substrate within the alignment tolerance. Methods for fabricating the stereoscopic image sensors are also disclosed.
1. A stereoscopic imaging sensor apparatus comprising:
a first image sensor comprising a first front face having a first active area, the first active area comprising a first plurality of light sensitive elements positioned along a first plurality of rows and columns;
a second image sensor positioned adjacent to the first image sensor on a common carrier and comprising a second front face having a second active area, the second active area comprising a second plurality of light sensitive elements positioned along a second plurality of rows and columns;
a first spacer mounted on the first front face of the first image sensor, the second spacer having a first opening disposed through the first spacer and configured to permit light to reach the first active area;
a second spacer mounted on the second front face of the second image sensor, the second spacer having a second opening disposed through the second spacer and configured to permit light to reach the second active area; and
a common window mounted on the first spacer and the second spacer, the common window being spaced from and extending over both the first front face and the second front face such that the common window is configured to protect the first active area and the second active area from contaminants,
wherein the first active area and the second active area are substantially coplanar such that the first active area and the second active area share a substantially common focal plane, and
wherein the common carrier comprises a diced portion of a carrier on which the first image sensor is aligned relative to the second image sensors within an alignment tolerance, and wherein the alignment tolerance comprises:
a target lateral offset between the first image sensor and the second image sensor; and
a target orientation within the common focal plane between each of the plurality of rows of the first plurality of light sensitive elements and each of the corresponding rows of the plurality of rows of the second plurality of light sensitive elements.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the common window comprises a diced portion of a window extending over the front face of the first image sensor and the front face of the second image sensor.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the target orientation comprises a target collinearity between each of the rows of the first plurality of light sensitive elements and each of the corresponding rows of the second plurality of light sensitive elements.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the first image sensor and the second image sensor comprises a plurality of sensor mounting pads on a rear face of the respective image sensor, wherein the plurality of sensor mounting pads are configured to facilitate connection of the respective image sensor to conductors in an electrical circuit.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the alignment tolerance is less than about 0.1 μm.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the common window is shared by both the first image sensor and the second image sensor.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the common window comprises a thermal expansion coefficient that is similar to a thermal expansion coefficient of each of the first image sensor and the second image sensor.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the common window has a substantially planar uniform thickness.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of light sensitive elements comprises a first plurality of pixels, and wherein the second plurality of light sensitive elements comprises a second plurality of pixels.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first image sensor and the second image sensor each comprises one of a CMOS image sensor and a charge coupled device image sensor.
11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first image sensor and the second image sensor are each bare image sensors.
12. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
a first lens assembly configured to receive light captured from a first perspective viewport of an object field; and
a second lens assembly configured to receive light captured from a second perspective viewport of the object field,
wherein light captured by the first lens assembly is imaged onto the first plurality of light sensitive elements, and wherein light captured by the second lens assembly is imaged onto the second plurality of light sensitive elements.
13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein a first optical axis of the first lens assembly is offset relative to a second optical axis of the second lens assembly such that the first perspective viewport aligns with the second perspective viewport.
14. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the first image sensor is configured to output first data signals corresponding to light captured by the first lens assembly, wherein the second image sensor is configured to output second data signals corresponding to light captured by the second lens assembly, and wherein the first data signals and the second data signals are configured to be processed to display an image that conveys three-dimensional spatial information associated with the object field.
15. A carrier comprising a plurality of the stereoscopic imaging sensor apparatus of claim 12 .
16. A carrier comprising a plurality of the stereoscopic imaging sensor apparatus of claim 1 .
17. A stereoscopic imaging sensor apparatus comprising:
a first image sensor comprising a first front face having a first active area, the first active area comprising a first plurality of light sensitive elements positioned along a first plurality of rows and columns;
a second image sensor positioned adjacent to the first image sensor on a common carrier and comprising a second front face having a second active area, the second active area comprising a second plurality of light sensitive elements positioned along a second plurality of rows and columns;
a spacer mounted on the first front face of the first image sensor and the second front face of the second image sensor, the spacer having an opening disposed through the spacer and configured to permit light to reach at least one of the first active area and second active area; and
a common window mounted on the spacer, the common window being spaced from and extending over both the first front face and the second front face such that the common window is configured to protect the first active area and the second active area from contaminants,
wherein the first active area and the second active area are substantially coplanar such that the first active area and the second active area share a substantially common focal plane, and
wherein the common carrier comprises a diced portion of a carrier on which the first image sensor is aligned relative to the second image sensor within an alignment tolerance, and wherein the alignment tolerance comprises:
a target lateral offset between the first image sensor and the second image sensor; and
a target orientation within the common focal plane between each of the plurality of rows of the first plurality of light sensitive elements and each of the corresponding rows of the plurality of rows of the second plurality of light sensitive elements.
18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the common window comprises a diced portion of a window extending over the front face of the first image sensor and the front face of the second image sensor.
19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the target orientation comprises a target collinearity between each of the rows of the first plurality of light sensitive elements and each of the corresponding rows of the second plurality of light sensitive elements.
20. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein each of the first image sensor and the second image sensor comprises a plurality of sensor mounting pads on a rear face of the respective image sensor, wherein the plurality of sensor mounting pads are configured to facilitate connection of the respective image sensor to conductors in an electrical circuit.
21. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the alignment tolerance is less than about 0.1 p.m.
22. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the common window is shared by both the first image sensor and the second image sensor.
23. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the common window comprises a thermal expansion coefficient that is similar to a thermal expansion coefficient of each of the first image sensor and the second image sensor.
24. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the common window has a substantially planar uniform thickness.
25. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the first plurality of light sensitive elements comprises a first plurality of pixels, and wherein the second plurality of light sensitive elements comprises a second plurality of pixels.
26. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the first image sensor and the second image sensor each comprises one of a CMOS image sensor and a charge coupled device image sensor.
27. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the first image sensor and the second image sensor are each bare image sensors.
28. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising:
a first lens assembly configured to receive light captured from a first perspective viewport of an object field; and
a second lens assembly configured to receive light captured from a second perspective viewport of the object field,
wherein light captured by the first lens assembly is imaged onto the first plurality of light sensitive elements, and wherein light captured by the second lens assembly is imaged onto the second plurality of light sensitive elements.
29. The apparatus of claim 28 , wherein a first optical axis of the first lens assembly is offset relative to a second optical axis of the second lens assembly such that the first perspective viewport aligns with the second perspective viewport.
30. The apparatus of claim 28 , wherein the first image sensor is configured to output first data signals corresponding to light captured by the first lens assembly, wherein the second image sensor is configured to output second data signals corresponding to light captured by the second lens assembly, and wherein the first data signals and the second data signals are configured to be processed to display an image that conveys three-dimensional spatial information associated with the object field.
31. A carrier comprising a plurality of the stereoscopic imaging sensor apparatus of claim 28 .
32. A carrier comprising a plurality of the stereoscopic imaging sensor apparatus of claim 17 .