| US 7,452,743 B2 | ||
| Microelectronic imaging units and methods of manufacturing microelectronic imaging units at the wafer level | ||
| Steven D. Oliver, Boise, Id. (US); Lu Velicky, Boise, Id. (US); William Mark Hiatt, Eagle, Id. (US); David R. Hembree, Boise, Id. (US); Mark E. Tuttle, Boise, Id. (US); Sidney B. Rigg, Meridian, Id. (US); James M. Wark, Boise, Id. (US); Warren M. Farnworth, Nampa, Id. (US); and Kyle K. Kirby, Boise, Id. (US) | ||
| Assigned to Aptina Imaging Corporation, Grand Cayman (Cayman Islands) | ||
| Filed on Sep. 01, 2005, as Appl. No. 11/217,877. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2007/0045632 A1, Mar. 01, 2007 | ||
| Int. Cl. H01L 21/00 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 438—57 [438/68; 438/69; 438/73] | 34 Claims |
| 1. A method of manufacturing a plurality of microelectronic imaging units, the method comprising:
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
including a plurality of active pixels and at least one dark current pixel at a perimeter portion of the image sensor;
depositing a cover layer onto the workpiece and over the image sensors;
patterning and selectively developing the cover layer to form discrete volumes of cover
layer material over corresponding image sensors;
depositing an opaque material onto the workpiece between the discrete volumes of cover layer material and over the dark current
pixels, the opaque material having sidewalls aligned with an inboard edge of the individual dark current pixels such that
the active pixels of the image sensor are not covered by the opaque material and such that the dark current pixels are covered
by the opaque material; and
removing the discrete volumes of cover layer material from the workpiece.
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