Additive Spacer Wafer for Wafer-Level Camera
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional spacer wafers for wafer-level cameras are challenging to manufacture due to expensive and time-consuming laser drilling, limited thickness options, and difficulties in achieving uniform bond thickness, which hinders rapid prototyping and design development.
Innovation Solution
The use of additive manufacturing processes to create spacer wafers directly on a substrate or sacrificial layer, allowing for layer-by-layer construction and subsequent removal, enabling flexible thickness options and eliminating the need for epoxy bonding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If laser drilling is used to manufacture spacer wafers, then holes can be precisely formed in glass wafers, but manufacturing cost and time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental manufacturing parameter from subtractive laser drilling to additive manufacturing. Instead of removing material to create holes, the process builds the spacer wafer layer-by-layer with holes formed as part of the additive structure, dramatically reducing manufacturing time while maintaining precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical laser drilling process with an additive manufacturing system. The additive process uses controlled material deposition to create the spacer structure with integrated holes, eliminating the need for post-drilling operations and reducing overall manufacturing time
2Ease of manufacture
If standard glass wafer thicknesses are used, then manufacturing is simplified, but spacer thickness options are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic adjustability to the spacer thickness parameter. The additive manufacturing process allows the spacer thickness to be dynamically changed by modifying the number of layers deposited, enabling custom thickness values without being constrained by standard glass wafer specifications
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the spacer wafer into discrete layers that can be individually controlled during additive manufacturing. This layer-by-layer construction enables precise control over total thickness by simply adjusting the number of layers, providing versatility while maintaining manufacturing simplicity
3Strength
If epoxy bonding is used to attach spacer wafer to substrate, then bonding is achieved, but bond thickness uniformity becomes difficult to control and epoxy cannot be applied in or over spacer holes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the spacer wafer fabrication and substrate attachment into a single integrated additive manufacturing process. The spacer is built directly on the substrate, eliminating the separate epoxy bonding step and its associated problems with uniformity control and hole contamination
Solution Approach 2:
The patent eliminates the epoxy intermediary layer by creating a direct bond between the spacer wafer and substrate through the additive manufacturing process. The spacer structure is formed in direct contact with the substrate, removing the need for epoxy and its associated manufacturing complexities
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach significantly reduces manufacturing time and cost, offers greater flexibility in spacer thickness, and allows for quicker production of spacer wafers with improved flatness and thickness control, facilitating more efficient lens design and development.
Implementation Method 1
forming the spacer wafer for the wafer-level camera over the substrate by an additive manufacturing process
Data Source
AI summary
A spacer wafer for a wafer-level camera and a method of manufacturing the spacer wafer include positioning a substrate in an additive manufacturing device and forming the spacer wafer over the substrate. The spacer wafer is formed by an additive manufacturing process.