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Home  >  ADVANCED PACKAGING: 3D IC, WLP & TSV  > Sony Backside Illuminated (BSI) CMOS Image Sensor...
  >  ADVANCED PACKAGING: 3D IC, WLP & TSV
Jun 3rd, 2009
 
Sony Backside Illuminated (BSI) CMOS Image Sensor
 
Chipworks reveals more details on the first backside illuminated CMOS image sensor coming out from Sony. The sensor was first commercialized in the HD video camera product line of the company.
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Figure 1 – SEM Micrograph of Sony BSI Image Sensor Die and Carrier Substrate
Figure 1 – SEM Micrograph of Sony BSI Image Sensor Die and Carrier Substrate
In a word, Sony’s new backside illuminated image sensor process can be described as exotic. 

The obvious highlights are the conventional CMOS process run on a sacrificial SOI starting wafer, the wafer bonding techniques for the carrier wafer, and the backside wire bonding – but the innovation doesn’t stop there.  This device uses three types of isolation, unconventional liners on the copper interconnect, an unconventional pixel anti-reflection (AR) layer and extensive processing to the front and back of the thin silicon substrate (see Figure 1 and Figure 2).

It should be acknowledged that the development of this first consumer grade BSI offering benefited from its end application.  Clearly a video camera doesn’t have the same form factor constraints as a camera phone.
 
Figure 2 – SEM Micrograph of Sony BSI Image Sensor Substrate Figure 3 – SEM Micrograph of Sony BSI Image Sensor Substrate
Figure 2 – SEM Micrograph of Sony BSI Image Sensor Substrate Figure 3 – SEM Micrograph of Sony BSI Image Sensor Substrate
It was fortuitous for Sony to be able to package the new sensor in a conventional hermetically sealed, leadless ceramic chip carrier. The 14.5 mm x 15.0 mm x 2.0 mm thick package, shown in Figure 3, is considerably larger than a typical camera phone module. Sony is likely now developing BSI sensors which integrate through silicon vias (TSV’s) for small form factor mobile applications.
 
Figure 3 – Packaged IMX061 CMOS Image Sensor
Figure 3 – Packaged IMX061 CMOS Image Sensor
As mentioned several times elsewhere, BSI and TSV’s, as fundamental technologies, are not new. The ultimate challenge for image sensor companies is arguably economic more so than technological.

The costs of innovation include added mask steps, wafer bonding, advanced packaging and several other BSI related intricacies. For those that are daring enough to bear the risk, true product differentiation awaits.
 
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