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Sony patents chip design that makes camera sensors easier to flatten

Sony has filed a patent for a semiconductor device that uses a specific shape to make manufacturing smoother. The design involves bonding two chip layers together, where one layer has a raised bump on its back. A covering layer is then applied over this structure to create a flat surface for further processing.

Why it mattersThis is a routine manufacturing improvement that helps engineers create flatter surfaces on camera sensors, which can lead to more consistent production quality.

In the filing’s own words

To easily perform planarization of an insulating film covering a semiconductor chip bonded to a back surface side of an imaging element. A semiconductor device of the present disclosure includes a first semiconductor substrate, a second semiconductor substrate, and a covering member. The second semiconductor substrate included in the semiconductor device of the present disclosure is bonded to the first semiconductor substrate included in the semiconductor device of the present disclosure, and includes a protrusion on a surface different from a surface to be bonded. The covering member included in the semiconductor device of the present disclosure covers the second semiconductor substrate bonded to the first semiconductor substrate.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A semiconductor device comprising: a first semiconductor substrate; a second semiconductor substrate that is bonded to the first semiconductor substrate and includes a protrusion on a surface different from a surface to be bonded; and a covering member that covers the second semiconductor substrate bonded to the first semiconductor substrate.

Facts

Company
Sony (SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION)
Official title
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE
Publication number
US20260262317A1
Application number
19162162
Filed
Mar 19, 2024
Published
Sep 3, 2026
Inventors
1
Claims
13

Classified under

H10F 39/809 Electricity & electronicsH10F 39/018 Electricity & electronics

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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.