"Our lab staff have completed the initial cross-sectioning work for our IMX260 project and we have a substantial update to share: the Sony IMX260 is, in fact, a stacked chip CMOS image sensor! As mentioned, we had expected to find through silicon vias (TSVs) consistent with Sony’s Exmor RS technology platform. Our early teardown results revealed what appeared to be a conventional Sony non-stacked back-illuminated (Exmor R) chip. After going deeper inside, we see that Sony is leading the digital imaging sector into an era of hybrid bonding. It’s not currently known if Sony considers this an extension of its Exmor RS platform, or if the IMX260 marks the first of a new (as of now unannounced) family of back-illuminated image sensors. For now we consider the IMX260 to be a 3rd generation Exmor RS chip.
Our cross-section reveals a 5 metal (Cu) CMOS image sensor (CIS) die and a 7 metal (6 Cu + 1 Al) image signal processor (ISP) die. The Cu-Cu vias are 3.0 µm wide and have a 14 µm pitch in the peripheral regions. In the active pixel array they are also 3.0 µm wide, but have a pitch of 6.0 µm. Note that in the images we’ve included we do see connections from the Cu-Cu via pads to both CIS and ISP landing pads."
Hybrid Bonding!
ReplyDeleteThis seems like a major development. Thoughts?
ReplyDeleteThis can be summarized in one word : "AMAZING" !
ReplyDeleteThe way sony is implementing this, there is no advantage at all compared to TSV based stacking. The contacts below the pixels are just dummy contacts. Seems the sensor for Samsung is just to test the reliability of the new process.
ReplyDeleteWhy color filter and pixel are misaligned?
ReplyDeleteBecause they are at corner?
DeleteBetter comply with light with angle.
they are aligned if looking from the path of light, after lenses of specific CRA
DeleteAppears to use the DBI bonding process developed by Ziptronix (bought by Tessera). Records show that Sony licensed this technology in 2011. Is this the first commercial application that Sony has produced?
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ReplyDeleteIs the bonded ISP from Sony and dedicated for certain proprietary processing only? PDAF for example. It doesn't make much sense to put a full ISP there because AP will have full ISP for sure.
ReplyDeleteIt may combine left and right parts of the dual pixels too, to output a standard bayer pattern to the ISP.
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