Imaging device and method for manufacturing an imaging device

Abstract

It provides dust protection for the image sensor, allows for miniaturization, and avoids sealing between the image sensor and the substrate. [Solution] The imaging device 10 has an image sensor 11, a substrate 12, and a side fill 13. The substrate 12 mounts the image sensor 11. The side fill 13 is continuous around the entire circumference of the normal to the light-receiving surface of the image sensor 12. The side fill 13 is positioned in contact with the main surface of the substrate 12 and a portion of the side surface of the image sensor 11 along the circumferential direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an imaging device and a method for manufacturing the imaging device.

Background Art

[0002] In an imaging device, in mounting an image sensor on a substrate, reinforcement is achieved using a side fill in order to improve solder life resistance. Also, in an imaging device, a cover is provided between the image sensor and the optical module for dust prevention. Since miniaturization of the imaging device is required, it has been considered to bring the cover into close contact with the end face of the side fill. When the side fill seals the space between the image sensor and the substrate, the air in the sealed space expands due to heat curing during manufacturing, which may cause perforation and peeling of the side fill, as well as a load on the solder. Therefore, for example, it is conceivable to form through holes in the substrate and communicate the space between the image sensor and the substrate with the outside (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, forming through holes in the substrate reduces the area for mounting electrodes and electronic components on the substrate. Therefore, other configurations for avoiding sealing have been demanded.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an imaging device that has dust resistance for an image sensor and can be miniaturized, while avoiding sealing between the image sensor and the substrate.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] <着000033>An imaging device according to a first aspect is an image sensor, and A substrate on which the aforementioned image sensor is mounted, The system includes a side fill that is continuous around the entire circumference in the circumferential direction with respect to the normal to the light-receiving surface of the image sensor, and is in contact with the main surface of the substrate and a portion of the side surface of the image sensor along the circumferential direction.

[0007] The second method for manufacturing an imaging device is: The image sensor is mounted on the substrate, A side fill agent is applied so as to be continuous over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction with respect to the normal to the light-receiving surface of the image sensor, and in contact with the surface of the substrate on the image sensor side and a portion of the side surface of the image sensor along the circumferential direction. The aforementioned side filler is cured. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the imaging apparatus and manufacturing method of the imaging apparatus described above, dustproofing of the image sensor is possible, miniaturization is possible, and sealing between the image sensor and the substrate can be avoided. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a top view of the image sensor on the substrate in the imaging device according to this embodiment, as seen from the light-receiving surface side. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view of the imaging device shown in Figure 1, taken by cutting along a plane aligned with the optical axis. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view of the imaging device shown in Figure 1, taken along the line III-III. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view of the imaging device shown in Figure 1, taken along the IV-IV line. [Figure 5] This is a top view of a modified example of Figure 1, seen from the light-receiving surface side. [Figure 6] This is a top view of another modified example of Figure 1, seen from the light-receiving surface side. [Figure 7] Figure 1 is a further modified example, shown as a top view from the light-receiving surface side. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of an imaging device to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] As shown in Figure 1, the imaging device 10 according to this embodiment is configured to include an image sensor 11, a substrate 12, and a side fill 13. As shown in Figure 2, the imaging device 10 may further include a cover 14 and an optical module 15.

[0012] The image sensor 11 is, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor and a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor, and generates an image signal by capturing an optical image formed on the light-receiving surface.

[0013] The substrate 12 has an image sensor 11 mounted on its first surface s1. The first surface s1 is one of the main surfaces of the substrate 12. The main surface is the surface with the largest area in the rectangular parallelepiped. As shown in Figure 3, the image sensor 11 may be electrically connected to the substrate 12 by solder 16. The substrate 12 may have other electronic devices mounted on it besides the image sensor 11.

[0014] The side fill 13 may fix the image sensor 11 to the first surface s1 of the substrate 12. Alternatively, the side fill 13 may fix the cover glass 17 that covers the light-receiving surface of the image sensor 11 to the image sensor 11. The side fill 13 is positioned to be continuous around the entire circumference in the circumferential direction with respect to the normal to the light-receiving surface of the image sensor 11.

[0015] As shown in Figure 1, the side fill 13 is in contact with the first surface s1 of the substrate 12 and a portion of the side surface of the image sensor 11 along the circumferential direction. Specifically, the side fill 13 may have a first portion 18 and a second portion 19. In the second portion 19, the side fill 13 may be in contact with the first surface s1 of the substrate 12 and a portion of the side surface of the image sensor 11 along the circumferential direction.

[0016] The first portion 18 does not have to contact the side surface of the imaging device 11. In other words, the first portion 18 may be located away from the side surface of the imaging device 11. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the first portion 18 may communicate the first space sp1 and the second space sp2. The first space sp1 is defined by the substrate 12, the imaging device 11, and the side fill 13. The second space sp2 is the space on the side opposite to the substrate 12 of the imaging device 11.

[0017] The first portion 18 may be located near the center of each of two sides facing each other when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the rectangular light-receiving surface of the imaging device 11. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5, the first portion 18 may be located at one position in the circumferential direction of the side surface of the imaging device 11. The first portion 18 may be located away from the second portion 19 so as to bulge outward with substantially the same width when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the light-receiving surface. Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the first portion 18 may be formed by cutting out a part of the inner circumference of the side fill 13 whose outer circumference is a rounded rectangle when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the light-receiving surface.

[0018] The height of the side fill 13 from the substrate 12 may be higher at the portion contacting the side surface of the imaging device 11 than at the portion not contacting the imaging device 11. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the height of the second portion 19 from the substrate 12 may be higher than the height of the first portion 18 from the substrate 12. In the side fill 13, the length along the circumferential direction of the portion not contacting the side surface of the imaging device 11, in other words, the second portion 19, may be 1 / 2 or more of the width of the side fill 13.

[0019] The side fill 13 may be formed by curing a side fill agent which is a curable resin such as an adhesive.

[0020] As shown in Figure 2, the cover 14 may be cylindrical. One end of the cover 14 in the axial direction may contact the side of the side fill 13 opposite to the substrate 12 over its entire circumference. The circumferential direction is the circumferential direction with respect to the axis of the cover 14 and the circumferential direction with respect to the normal to the light-receiving surface of the image sensor 11 as the axis. Because the cover 14 is elastic, it may conform to the shape of the side fill 13 even in parts of the side fill 13 that are at different heights from the substrate 12, and may contact the surface of the side fill 13 over its entire circumference.

[0021] On the side of the cover 14 opposite to the side fill 13 in the axial direction, the cover 14 may be in contact with the optical module 15 over its entire circumference in the circumferential direction. The cover 14 may seal the space between the image sensor 11 and the optical module 15 by contacting both the side fill 13 and the optical module 15.

[0022] The optical module 15 may form an image of the subject onto the image sensor 11. Specifically, the optical module 15 may have an optical system 20 that forms an image of the subject onto the image sensor 11. The optical system 20 may include at least one refractive element. The refractive element may be, for example, an element that has a light refraction effect, such as a lens or a mirror. The optical module 15 may further have a lens barrel 21. The lens barrel 21 may have a cylindrical portion that supports the optical system 20 on its inner circumference. The axis of the cylindrical lens barrel 21 and the optical axis of the optical system 20 supported by the lens barrel 21 may coincide.

[0023] The optical module 15 may be positioned in the imaging device 10 such that its optical axis is perpendicular to the light-receiving surface of the image sensor 11. In this configuration, the end of the lens barrel 21 on the image sensor 11 side may be in contact with the cover 14 over its entire circumference. For example, by placing the cover 14 over the end of the lens barrel 21 on the image sensor 11 side, the lens barrel 21 and the cover 14 may be in contact over their entire circumference.

[0024] Next, the manufacturing method of the imaging device 10 will be described below.

[0025] First, the image sensor 11 is mounted on the substrate 12. During the mounting of the image sensor 11, the substrate 12 and the image sensor 11 may be electrically connected using solder 16. After the image sensor 11 is mounted, a side fill agent is applied so as to be continuous around the entire circumference of the image sensor 11 with respect to the surface s1 of the substrate 12 on the image sensor 11 side and a portion of the side surface of the image sensor 11 along the circumference. After the application of the side fill agent, the side fill agent is cured to form the side fill 13.

[0026] A cover 14 may be fixed to the side fill 13 on the side opposite to the substrate 12 so as to be in continuous contact with it over its entire circumference. Furthermore, an optical module 15 may be fixed to the cover 14 so as to be in continuous contact with the end opposite to the end that is in contact with the side fill 13 over its entire circumference. As described above, the imaging device 10 may be manufactured by providing the image sensor 11, side fill 13, cover 14, and optical module 15 on the substrate 12.

[0027] The imaging device 10 of this embodiment, having the configuration described above, comprises an image sensor 11, a substrate 12 on which the image sensor 11 is mounted, and a side fill 13 that is continuous around the entire circumference in the circumferential direction with respect to the normal to the light-receiving surface of the image sensor 11, and is located in contact with the main surface of the substrate 12 and a portion of the side surface of the image sensor 11 along the circumferential direction. With this configuration, since the side fill 13 is continuous around the entire circumference in the circumferential direction, the cover 14 can be tightly attached to the side of the side fill 13 opposite to the substrate 12. Therefore, the imaging device 10 can be miniaturized while maintaining dust protection for the image sensor 11. Furthermore, with the above configuration, the imaging device 10 can avoid sealing the space between the image sensor 11 and the substrate 12.

[0028] Furthermore, the imaging device 10 according to this embodiment further includes a cover 14 that contacts the side of the side fill 13 opposite to the substrate 12 over its entire circumference, sealing the space between the image sensor 11 and the optical module 15 that forms an image of a subject on the image sensor 11. With this configuration, the imaging device 10 can prevent foreign matter from entering because the space between the optical module 15 and the image sensor 11 is sealed.

[0029] Furthermore, in the imaging device 10 according to this embodiment, the height of the side fill 13 from the substrate 12 is higher in the portion that contacts the side surface of the image sensor 11 than in the portion that does not contact the image sensor 11. Generally, when the side fill agent is applied without being divided into multiple applications, the portion that does not contact the image sensor 11 is lower than the portion that does contact it. Therefore, the imaging device 10 having the above configuration allows the side fill agent for forming the side fill 13 to be applied in a single application, thus reducing manufacturing costs.

[0030] In one embodiment, (1) the imaging device is Image sensor and A substrate on which the aforementioned image sensor is mounted, The system includes a side fill that is continuous around the entire circumference in the circumferential direction with respect to the normal to the light-receiving surface of the image sensor, and is in contact with the main surface of the substrate and a portion of the side surface of the image sensor along the circumferential direction.

[0031] (2) In the imaging device described in (1) above, The portion of the side fill that does not come into contact with the side surface of the image sensor connects the space defined by the substrate, the image sensor, and the side fill to the space on the side of the image sensor opposite to the substrate.

[0032] (3) The imaging device described in (1) or (2) above is The system further includes a cover that contacts the side fill on the side opposite to the substrate over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction, and seals the space between the image sensor and the optical module that forms an image of a subject on the image sensor.

[0033] (4) In any of the imaging devices described in (1) to (3) above, The height of the side fill from the substrate is higher in the portion that contacts the side surface of the image sensor than in the portion that does not contact the image sensor.

[0034] In one embodiment, the method for manufacturing the imaging device of (5) The image sensor is mounted on the substrate, A side fill agent is applied so as to be continuous over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction with respect to the normal to the light-receiving surface of the image sensor, and in contact with the surface of the substrate on the image sensor side and a portion of the side surface of the image sensor along the circumferential direction. The aforementioned side filler is cured.

[0035] The diagrams illustrating the embodiments described herein are schematic. Dimensions and proportions shown in the drawings do not necessarily correspond to actual dimensions.

[0036] While embodiments relating to this disclosure have been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications or alterations based on this disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications or alterations are within the scope of this disclosure. For example, the functions and other elements included in each component can be rearranged in a logically consistent manner, and multiple components can be combined into one or separated.

[0037] All of the constituent elements described in this disclosure, and / or all of the disclosed methods or steps of processing, can be combined in any combination except for any combination in which these features are mutually exclusive. Furthermore, each of the features described in this disclosure can be replaced by an alternative feature that works for the same, equivalent, or similar purposes, unless expressly disregarded. Thus, unless expressly disregarded, each of the disclosed features is merely an example of a comprehensive set of identical or equivalent features.

[0038] Furthermore, the embodiments relating to this disclosure are not limited to any specific configuration of the embodiments described above. The embodiments relating to this disclosure can be extended to all novel features or combinations thereof described herein, or all novel methods or processing steps or combinations thereof described herein. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 10 Imaging device 11 Image sensor 12 circuit boards 13 Side Fill 14 Cover 15 Optical Modules 16 solder 17 Cover glass 18 Part 1 19 Part 2 20 Optical system 21 Lens Barrel s1 First face

Claims

1. Image sensor and A substrate on which the aforementioned image sensor is mounted, The image sensor comprises a side fill that is continuous over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction with respect to the normal to the light-receiving surface of the image sensor, and is located in contact with the main surface of the substrate and a portion of the side surface of the image sensor along the circumferential direction. Imaging device.

2. In the imaging apparatus according to claim 1, The portion of the side fill that does not come into contact with the side surface of the image sensor connects the space defined by the substrate, the image sensor, and the side fill to the space on the opposite side of the image sensor from the substrate. Imaging device.

3. In the imaging device according to claim 1 or 2, The system further includes a cover that contacts the side fill on the side opposite to the substrate over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction, and seals the space between the image sensor and the optical module that forms an image of a subject on the image sensor. Imaging device.

4. In the imaging device according to claim 1 or 2, The height of the side fill from the substrate is higher in the portion that contacts the side surface of the image sensor than in the portion that does not contact the image sensor. Imaging device.

5. The image sensor is mounted on the substrate, A side fill agent is applied so as to be continuous over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction with respect to the normal to the light-receiving surface of the image sensor, and in contact with the surface of the substrate on the image sensor side and a portion of the side surface of the image sensor along the circumferential direction. The side filler is cured. A method for manufacturing an imaging device.

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