Manufacturing of a camera module
A camera module includes a sensor die, a glass plate, peripheral spacer, an optical element, an outer surface having a shoulder extending in a direction substantially parallel to the sensor die, and a metal layer at least partially covering the outer surface. A method of manufacturing a camera module includes providing an assembly including a sensor dice wafer, a spacer wafer in front of the sensor dice wafer, and an optical element wafer in front of the spacer wafer. The method includes sawing a top cut, using a first saw blade of a first thickness, proceeding in a direction from the optical element wafer toward the sensor dice wafer, stopping before the sensor dice wafer is reached, and sawing a bottom cut, using a second saw blade of a second thickness, proceeding in a direction from the sensor dice wafer toward the optical element wafer.
1. A camera module, comprising:
a first sensor die extending longitudinally along a plane and including a sidewall transverse to the plane;
a glass plate coupled to the sensor die and including a sidewall transverse to the plane;
a peripheral spacer coupled to the glass plate and including a sidewall transverse to the plane;
a first optical element coupled to the peripheral spacer;
a first metal layer covering the sidewalls of the first sensor die, glass plate, peripheral spacer and having a first portion covering the sidewall of the peripheral spacer and extending in a first direction transverse to the plane, a second portion covering the sidewall of the first sensor die and extending in a second direction transverse to the plane, and an outer surface with a shoulder extending from the first portion to the second portion in a direction substantially parallel to the plane of said sensor die.
2. The camera module of claim 1 , wherein:
said peripheral spacer has a shoulder extending in a direction parallel to the plane of said sensor die; and
the shoulder of the first metal layer coats said shoulder of said peripheral spacer.
3. The camera module of claim 1 , wherein the first sensor die has conductive columns connecting top and bottom surfaces of the first sensor die.
4. The camera module of claim 1 , further comprising an aperture layer on the optical element.
5. The camera module of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of pixel arrays;
a plurality of optical elements, including the first optical element, arranged in front of the pixel arrays, respectively; and
a plurality of color filters arranged in front of said pixel arrays, respectively, wherein:
the peripheral spacer is arranged around and between said pixel arrays; and
each of said color filters is adapted to transmit a single color and at least two of said color filters are configured to transmit different colors.
6. The camera module of claim 5 , comprising a plurality of sensor dice, including the first sensor die, wherein said pixel arrays are on the sensor dice, respectively.
7. The camera module of claim 6 , comprising a second metal layer that coats surfaces of said sensor dice that face each other.
8. The camera module of claim 5 , further comprising an infrared filter positioned in front of a first one of the pixel arrays, wherein there is no infrared filter in front of a second one of said pixel arrays, such that said second one of the pixel arrays is configured to form images using infrared radiation.
9. A portable device, comprising:
a printed circuit board; and
a first camera module coupled to the printed circuit board and including:
a sensor die extending longitudinally along a plane and including a sidewall transverse to the plane;
a glass plate coupled to the sensor die and including a sidewall transverse to the plane;
a peripheral spacer coupled to the glass plate and including a sidewall transverse to the plane;
a first optical element coupled to the peripheral spacer;
a first metal layer covering the sidewalls of the first sensor die, glass plate, peripheral spacer and having a first portion covering the sidewall of the peripheral spacer and extending in a first direction transverse to the plane, a second portion covering the sidewall of the first sensor die and extending in a second direction transverse to the plane, and an outer surface with a shoulder extending from the first portion to the second portion in a direction substantially parallel to the plane of said sensor die.
10. The portable device of claim 9 , wherein:
said peripheral spacer has a shoulder extending in a direction parallel to the plane of said sensor die; and
the shoulder of the first metal layer coats said shoulder of said peripheral spacer.
11. The portable device of claim 9 , further comprising a second camera module coupled to the printed circuit board and including:
a plurality of pixel arrays;
a plurality of optical elements arranged in front of the pixel arrays, respectively; and
a plurality of color filters arranged in front of said pixel arrays, respectively, wherein:
the peripheral spacer is arranged around and between said pixel arrays; and
each of said color filters is adapted to transmit a single color and at least two of said color filters are configured to transmit different colors.
12. The portable device of claim 9 , further comprising:
a plurality of pixel arrays;
a plurality of optical elements, including the first optical element, arranged in front of the pixel arrays, respectively; and
a plurality of color filters arranged in front of said pixel arrays, respectively, wherein:
the peripheral spacer is arranged around and between said pixel arrays; and
each of said color filters is adapted to transmit a single color and at least two of said color filters are configured to transmit different colors.
13. The portable device of claim 12 , wherein said pixel arrays are on separate sensor dice.
14. The portable device of claim 13 , wherein the first camera module includes a second metal layer that coats surfaces of said sensor dice that face each other.
15. The portable device of claim 12 , further comprising an infrared filter positioned in front of a first one of the pixel arrays, wherein there is no infrared filter in front of a second one of said pixel arrays, such that said second one of the pixel arrays is configured to form images using infrared radiation.
16. The portable device of claim 9 , wherein the sensor die includes:
top and bottom surfaces coupled to each other by the sidewall of the sensor die; and
a conductive column extending between the top and bottom surfaces of the sensor die, wherein the metal layer is electrically coupled to the conductive column and forms a Faraday cage.
17. The portable device of claim 9 , wherein:
the first optical element includes a lens assembly;
the first camera module includes an aperture layer having a sidewall and an aperture aligned with the lens assembly; and
the metal layer coats the sidewall of the aperture layer and extends from the aperture layer to the sensor die.
18. The portable device of claim 17 , wherein:
the aperture layer has a top surface transverse to the sidewall of the aperture layer and the metal layer coats the top surface of the aperture layer.
19. The camera module of claim 3 , wherein the metal layer is electrically coupled to at least one of the conductive columns and forms a Faraday cage.
20. The camera module of claim 1 , wherein the first optical element includes a lens assembly, the camera module comprising an aperture layer having a sidewall and an aperture aligned with the lens assembly, wherein the metal layer coats the sidewall of the aperture layer and extends from the aperture layer to the sensor die.
21. The camera module of claim 20 , wherein:
the aperture layer has a top surface transverse to the sidewall of the aperture layer and the metal layer coats the top surface of the aperture layer.