Micron Technology Incorporated

Aptina Imaging Corporation

Lu Velicky

Warren M Farnworth

David R Hembree

Mark E Tuttle

Kyle K Kirby

James M Wark

Steven David Oliver

Sidney B Rigg

Salman Akram

Alan G Wood

Charles Martin Watkins

William Mark Hiatt

Mark Hiatt

A through-wafer interconnect for imager, memory and other integrated circuit applications is disclosed, thereby eliminating the need for wire bonding, making devices incorporating such interconnects stackable and enabling wafer level packaging for imager devices. Further, a smaller and more reliable die package is achieved and circuit parasitics (e.g., L and R) are reduced due to the reduced signal path lengths.

Through-wafer interconnects for photoimager and memory wafers

Microelectronic imaging units and methods for manufacturing a plurality of imaging units at the wafer level are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a method for manufacturing a plurality of imaging units includes providing an imager workpiece having a plurality of imaging dies including integrated circuits, external contacts electrically coupled to the integrated circuits, and image sensors operably coupled to the integrated circuits. The individual image sensors include at least one dark current pixel at a perimeter portion of the image sensor. The method includes depositing a cover layer onto the workpiece and over the image sensors. The method further includes patterning and selectively developing the cover layer to form discrete volumes of cover layer material over corresponding image sensors. The discrete volumes of cover layer material have sidewalls aligned with an inboard edge of the individual dark current pixels such that the dark current pixels are not covered by the discrete volumes.

Microelectronic imaging units and methods of manufacturing microelectronic imaging units at the wafer level

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Boise, ID, United States of America

Lu Velicky