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SonyGranted patentChips & hardwareInterest 4/10

Sony patents smaller sensor package using built-in cooling element

Patent drawing
Patent drawing from the official filing.

Sony describes a design for a semiconductor package that fits a sensor chip into a recessed area of the housing. A Peltier element, a device that moves heat from one side to the other, is placed between the chip and the package to manage temperature. The components are connected using a conductive resin to link electrical terminals across the gap.

Why it mattersThis design aims to make image sensor packages smaller, which could be useful for compact devices that require precise temperature control for their sensors.

In the filing’s own words

The present technology relates to a semiconductor apparatus that makes it possible to make a sensor-chip package smaller in size, where a Peltier element is arranged in the sensor-chip package. The semiconductor apparatus includes a package that includes a concave portion; a sensor chip that is arranged in the concave portion; and a Peltier element that is arranged between the sensor chip and the package. A back-surface terminal and an upper-surface terminal are electrically connected to each other through a conductive resin, the back-surface terminal being formed on a back surface of a lower substrate of the Peltier element, the upper-surface terminal being formed on an upper surface of the concave portion to face the back-surface terminal. The present technology is applicable to, for example, a semiconductor apparatus that includes a built-in SWIR image sensor.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A semiconductor apparatus, comprising: a package that includes a concave portion; a sensor chip that is arranged in the concave portion; and a Peltier element that is arranged between the sensor chip and the package, wherein a back-surface terminal and an upper-surface terminal are electrically connected to each other through a conductive resin, the back-surface terminal being formed on a back surface of a lower substrate of the Peltier element, the upper-surface terminal being formed on an upper surface of the concave portion to face the back-surface terminal.

Facts

Company
Sony (SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION)
Official title
Semiconductor apparatus
Patent number
US12765378B2
Application number
18717571
Filed
Dec 1, 2022
Granted
Oct 13, 2026
Inventors
4
Claims
31

Classified under

H10W 40/28 Electricity & electronicsH10F 39/804 Electricity & electronicsH10F 39/811 Electricity & electronics
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.