BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following description of preferred embodiments thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a conventional image integrated circuit;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the image integrated circuit of FIG. 1, together with a lens that focuses received light onto the conventional image integrated circuit;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an image integrated circuit constructed in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the image integrated circuit of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the image integrated circuit of FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 5, illustrating the optic path of a photographed image of the image integrated circuit;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an image integrated circuit constructed in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the image integrated circuit of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the image integrated circuit of FIG. 7;
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 9, illustrating the optic path of a photographed image of the image integrated circuit; and
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a digital camera in which the image integrated circuit of the present invention is applied.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
With reference to the drawings and in particular to FIGS. 3 and 4, which show an image integrated circuit 100 constructed in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, the image integrated circuit 100 comprises a light sensor layer 10, which contains a plurality of sensor units 11, each detecting light that forms a photographed image and converting the light into a corresponding light-induced electrical signal for output and storage of electric charge thereof. Underneath the light sensor layer 10, a plurality of conductive terminals 12 are formed, each connected to each sensor unit 11 and transmits the light-induced electrical signal for output.
A semiconductor circuit layer 20 is mounted to the bottom of light sensor layer 10. The semiconductor circuit layer 20 contains a plurality of semiconductor devices and circuit layouts, providing the functions of digitalizing and outputting image signals. The top of the semiconductor circuit layer 20 is connected to the conductive terminals 12 beneath the light sensor layer 10, and the connection allows the light-induced electrical signal produced by each sensor unit 11 of the light sensor layer 10 to be transmitted to the corresponding semiconductor devices and circuit layouts inside the semiconductor circuit layer 20 for subsequent processing in order to produce the digital image signal/data corresponding to the photographed image.
Also referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, which show an optic path of the photographed image of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the light B of the photographed image goes through a lens 200 where it focuses and refracts the light B toward the sensor units 11 of the light sensor layer 10, allowing the light B to travel the shortest route toward the image integrated circuit 100 without the provision of any light lead-in area or light channels. This mechanism can realistically reconstruct the light quality of the photographed image and gray color, and greatly reduce the cost of the follow-up on stimulating the compensate design.
FIGS. 7 and 8 shows an image integrated circuit in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, which is also designated with reference numeral 100 for simplicity. The image integrated circuit 100 of the second embodiment comprises a light sensor layer 10 and a color filter layer 30 that contains a plurality of filter units 31 mounted to a top of the light sensor layer 10. Each filter unit 31 is used to filter out the red, green and blue color light components of the photographed image and to feed out the filtered light of the photographed image through the bottom of each filter unit 31.
The sensor unit 11 of the light sensor layer 10 receives the filtered color light of the photographed image that comes through the bottom of the filter unit 31 of the color filter unit 30, and converts it into the respective light-induced electrical signal for output and electric charge for storage. The conductive terminals 12 beneath the light sensor layer 10 then transmit the light-induced electrical signal produced by each sensor unit 11 into the semiconductor circuit layer 20 for subsequent processing to provide corresponding digital image signal/data for the photographed image.
The connection between the light sensor layer 10 and the color filter layer 30 is not limited to any specific type. Adhesives based bonding is taken as an example of illustrated herein. Other equivalent structure, such as forming the color filter layer on the light sensor layer 10 by coating is also applicable in the present invention.
FIGS. 9 and 10 show an optic path of the photographed image of the second embodiment of the image integrated circuit as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The light C of the photographed image goes through a lens 200 where it focuses and refracts the light C directly toward the color filter layer 30 (along the direction indicated by the arrow of FIG. 9), and the light C transmits through the color filter layer 30 to allow the filtered color light of the photographed image to reach the sensor units 11 of the light sensor layer 10 directly, whereby the light C travels the shortest route toward the image integrated circuit 100. This mechanism can realistically reconstruct the light quality of the photographed image and gray color, and greatly reduce the cost of the follow-up on stimulating the compensate design.
As shown in FIG. 11, an example of application of the image integrated circuit 100 in accordance with the present invention is demonstrated. The image integrated circuit 100 is applicable to and arranged in the interior of a digital camera 300. Since the combination size of the color filter layer 30, the light sensor layer 10, and the semiconductor circuit layer 20 is greatly reduced, and the producing cost and layout design cost is also lowered. This makes the image integrated circuit 100 perfectly fit for the digital camera 300, and allowing the digital camera 300 to have a small size and light weight.
The image integrated circuit structure described herein with reference to FIGS. 3-11 is provided for explanation of the principle of the present invention, not to limit the scope of present invention, which is only interpreted by reading the appended claims.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that a variety of modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention which is intended to be defined by appended claims.
Patent Application
20080093531
