Suspended Lens System with Non-Zero Optical Transmission Substrate
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wafer-level camera manufacturing methods require multiple steps and materials to produce lenses with non-flat surfaces, resulting in larger camera sizes and limited field of view due to the inclusion of substrates that impose constraints on focal length and field of view angle.
Innovation Solution
A suspended lens system is developed using a single-piece lens with a concave surface, molded in a single step and bonded to a substrate with non-zero optical transmission, allowing for a smaller and more compact camera design with a greater field of view by eliminating internal substrates and microstructures, thus enabling shorter effective focal lengths and reduced camera size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional wafer-level manufacturing methods are used with substrates to hold lenses, then manufacturing is simplified, but camera size increases and field of view is limited due to substrate constraints on focal length
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the substrate from the lens assembly, creating a suspended lens system where the lens element floats without mechanical support from a substrate. This extraction eliminates the substrate-imposed constraints on focal length and field of view while maintaining wafer-level manufacturing benefits through direct bonding of the lens array to the image sensor wafer
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a planar substrate-based lens mounting approach to a three-dimensional suspended lens configuration. The lens elements are positioned in space without substrate constraints, enabling shorter effective focal lengths and larger field of view angles while maintaining manufacturing efficiency through wafer-level processing
2Stability of the object's composition
If substrates are used to hold lenses in conventional wafer-level cameras, then lens positioning is stable, but field of view angle is limited due to substrate constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is extracted from the optical path and lens support structure. The suspended lens elements maintain stable positioning through precision bonding to the image sensor wafer at designated contact points, while the removal of the substrate eliminates field of view constraints and enables larger angular coverage
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple steps and materials are used to produce lenses with non-flat surfaces, then lens quality is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple manufacturing operations into a single wafer-level molding process. The lens array is formed with precise non-flat surfaces directly during the molding step, integrating lens fabrication, array formation, and substrate integration into one coordinated process that maintains high manufacturing precision while reducing process complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes wafer-level molding parameters to directly form complex non-flat lens surfaces in a single step. By controlling molding pressure, temperature, and cavity geometry, high-precision lens surfaces are achieved without requiring subsequent machining or coating steps, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining surface quality
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
The solution results in smaller, more cost-effective camera systems with enhanced field of view capabilities compared to conventional wafer-level cameras, achieved through simplified manufacturing and the elimination of substrate-imposed constraints on lens design.
Implementation Method 1
a first single-piece lens for receiving light from the scene
Implementation Method 2
a substrate including a first side that faces the first concave surface, for holding the first single-piece lens, wherein the substrate has non-zero optical transmission
Data Source
AI summary
A suspended lens system, for imaging a scene, includes (a) a single-piece lens for receiving light from the scene, wherein the single-piece lens includes a concave surface, and (b) a substrate including a side that faces the concave surface, for holding the single-piece lens, wherein the substrate has non-zero optical transmission and contacts only portions of the single-piece lens that are away from the concave surface. A wafer-level method for manufacturing a suspended lens system includes molding a lens array, wherein each lens of the lens array includes a concave surface, and bonding the lens array to a surface of a substrate that has non-zero optical transmission, such that the concave surfaces face the substrate, to form a suspended lens wafer.