Wafer Level Camera Technology - from Wafer Level Packaging to Wafer Level Integration

Increasing demand from consumers to integrate camera modules into electronic devices, such as cell phones, has driven the cost of camera modules down very rapidly. Now that most cell phones include at least one camera, consumers are starting to ask for better image quality and resolution without compromising on the cost. Many applications including mobile electronics, automotive, medical, security and laptop computers, require reliable, small form factor, high level functionality integration and low manufacturing cost digital camera modules. To satisfy these demands, Tessera has developed Wafer-Level Camera (WLC) technology, which includes wafer level packaging of image sensor, wafer level optics (WLO) and wafer level integration of optics. This enables manufacturers to significantly advance the integration of miniaturized cameras. Compared to traditional camera module manufacturing technology, where optical lenses are made by either molded glass or injection molded plastics, in WLO, thousands of optical lenses or lens assemblies are fabricated simultaneously on a wafer-scale using photopolymer replication and wafer bonding technologies. Wafer-scale optics and wafer-scale integration offer a smaller form factor, lower manufacturing costs, and improved reliability over conventional designs [1-8]. In this paper, we will present an innovative wafer level packaging technology, Tessera's SHELLCASE (R) Micro Via Pad (MVP), WLO, and wafer level integration technologies for making digital camera modules.