Wafer Level Lens Stack with Tunable Refraction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current wafer level lens technologies and MEMS technologies face limitations in producing small, tunable lenses with improved refraction characteristics for applications in electronic devices like smartphones and digital cameras, necessitating advancements in lens production and integration with image sensors.
Innovation Solution
A wafer level lens stack is developed, featuring a substrate with a first lens and a second tunable lens on opposite sides, where the second lens can change its refraction characteristics using an actuator, such as piezoelectric elements or electric energy, allowing for adjustable focal points and zoom functionality, and is integrated with an image sensor and controller in electronic devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If wafer level lens technology is used to produce small lenses, then lens size is reduced, but the lenses lack tunable refraction characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines wafer level lens technology with MEMS technology by integrating a tunable lens on one side of the substrate with a fixed wafer level lens on the opposite side. This merging allows the system to achieve both small lens size and tunable refraction characteristics, resolving the contradiction between compactness and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a dynamic element by incorporating a tunable lens with variable refraction characteristics that can be adjusted through an actuator. This dynamic capability allows the lens to adapt its focal length and refraction properties in real-time, providing versatility while maintaining a compact form factor.
2Manufacturing precision
If separate production processes are used for tunable lens and wafer level lens parts, then manufacturing precision is maintained, but production cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the production processes by fabricating both the tunable lens and the wafer level lens on the same substrate using integrated manufacturing techniques. This consolidation reduces the number of separate production steps, lowers manufacturing complexity and costs, while maintaining precision through controlled fabrication processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The substrate serves multiple functions by accommodating both the tunable lens and the fixed wafer level lens, as well as providing mounting surfaces for additional components. This multi-functionality reduces the overall device complexity by eliminating the need for separate mounting structures and simplifying the production workflow.
3Device complexity
If a single lens is used, then device complexity is reduced, but the system cannot compensate for device movements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic tunable lens that can adjust its refraction characteristics in response to device movements. This dynamic adaptation allows the optical system to compensate for shifts and vibrations without requiring complex mechanical adjustment mechanisms, maintaining simplicity while enhancing versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the tunable lens responds to detected movements or changes in conditions by adjusting its focal length and refraction properties. This feedback-driven adaptation enables the system to compensate for device movements automatically, improving performance without significantly increasing structural complexity.
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 solution reduces production costs and complexity by sharing a substrate for tunable and wafer level lens parts, enabling adjustable focal lengths and compensation for device movements, enhancing the optical system's performance and adaptability in electronic devices.
Implementation Method 1
the actuator is based on piezoelectric elements
Implementation Method 2
the second lens is capable of changing its refraction characteristic
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure pertains to a wafer level lens stack, which has a substrate, a first, a second lens and an actuator. The substrate has a first side and a second side. The second side is opposite to the first side. The first lens is on the first side of the substrate. The second lens is on the second side of the substrate and the second lens can change its refraction characteristic. The actuator can change the refraction characteristic of the second lens.