# US 2021/0343779 A1 · Manufacturing method of image pickup apparatus for endoscope, image pickup apparatus for endoscope, and endoscope > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0343779 A1 - Document ID: US20210343779A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/375,532 - Filed: 2021-07-14 - Published: 2021-11-04 - Earliest claimed: 2019-01-22 - Assignees: Olympus Corporation - Applicants: Olympus Corporation - Inventors: Noriyuki FUJIMORI - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210343779A1 ## CPC - H10F 39/024: {of coatings or optical elements} - A61B 1/0011: {Manufacturing of endoscope parts} - A61B 1/051: {Details of CCD assembly} - G02B 13/0085: {employing wafer level optics} - G02B 23/24: Instruments {or systems} for viewing the inside of hollow bodies, e.g. fibrescopes - G02B 23/243: {Objectives for endoscopes} - H04N 23/55: Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof - H10F 39/026: {Wafer-level processing} - H10F 39/804: {Containers or encapsulations} - H10F 39/806: {Optical elements or arrangements associated with the image sensors} - H04N 23/555: {for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes} - H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract A manufacturing method of an image pickup apparatus for endoscope includes: manufacturing two optical wafers each of which has a glass wafer as a base substrate and is a hybrid lens wafer including a plurality of resin lenses, and a spacer wafer including a plurality of spacers and being formed with an inorganic material; manufacturing a bonded wafer in which space in which the plurality of resin lenses are disposed is hermetically sealed by directly bonding the two optical wafers and the spacer wafer at a temperature lower than a softening point of the plurality of resin lenses; disposing a plurality of image pickup members on the bonded wafer; and cutting the bonded wafer on which the plurality of image pickup members are disposed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A manufacturing method of an image pickup apparatus for endoscope, comprising: manufacturing two optical wafers each having a glass wafer as a base substrate, at least one of the two optical wafers being a hybrid lens wafer including a plurality of resin lenses, and a spacer wafer which includes a plurality of spacers and which is formed with an inorganic material; manufacturing a bonded wafer in which space in which the plurality of resin lenses are respectively disposed is hermetically sealed, and which includes the two optical wafers and the spacer wafer by directly bonding the spacer wafer to the two optical wafers at a temperature lower than a softening point of the plurality of resin lenses in a state where the spacer wafer is put between the two optical wafers; disposing a plurality of image pickup members on the bonded wafer; and manufacturing the image pickup apparatus for endoscope including an optical member which includes two optical devices each having a glass plate as a base substrate and a spacer which is disposed between the two optical devices, and each of the plurality of image pickup members by cutting the bonded wafer in which the plurality of image pickup members are disposed. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The manufacturing method of the image pickup apparatus for endoscope according to claim 1, wherein a thermal expansion coefficient of the spacer wafer is equal to or greater than 50% and equal to or less than 200% of a thermal expansion coefficient of the glass wafer. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The manufacturing method of the image pickup apparatus for endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the spacer wafer is constituted with a same type of glass as a type of glass of the glass wafer. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The manufacturing method of the image pickup apparatus for endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the spacer wafer is manufactured by etching a silicon wafer when the wafer is manufactured. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The manufacturing method of the image pickup apparatus for endoscope according to claim 4, wherein the spacer wafer is manufactured by oxidizing a surface of the spacer wafer after the etching when the wafer is manufactured. ### Claim 6 An image pickup apparatus for endoscope comprising: an optical member which includes two optical devices each having a glass plate as a base substrate, and a spacer which is disposed between the two optical devices and which is formed with an inorganic material, at least one of the two optical devices being a hybrid lens device including a resin lens; and an image pickup member configured to receive light of an object image, the light being focused by the optical member, wherein space in which the resin lens is disposed is hermetically sealed by the optical devices being directly bonded to the spacer. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The image pickup apparatus for endoscope according to claim 6, wherein the optical devices and the spacer have a same external size of cross-sections orthogonal to an optical axis, side surfaces of the optical devices and the spacer are cut surfaces, and the spacer includes a through-hole which becomes an optical path region. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The image pickup apparatus for endoscope according to claim 7, wherein the through-hole has a cylindrical shape. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The image pickup apparatus for endoscope according to claim 7, wherein a thermal expansion coefficient of the spacer is equal to or greater than 50% and equal to or less than 200% of a thermal expansion coefficient of the glass plate. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The image pickup apparatus for endoscope according to claim 6, wherein the spacer is constituted with a same type of glass as a type of glass of the glass plate. ### Claim 11 (depends on 6) The image pickup apparatus for endoscope according to claim 6, wherein the spacer is constituted with silicon. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The image pickup apparatus for endoscope according to claim 11, wherein a silicon oxide layer is formed on a bonded surface and an inner surface of the spacer, and the silicon oxide layer is not formed on side surfaces of the spacer. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The image pickup apparatus for endoscope according to claim 12, wherein a thickness of the silicon oxide layer on the bonded surface of the spacer is thinner than a thickness of the silicon oxide layer on the inner surface. ### Claim 14 An endoscope comprising an image pickup apparatus for endoscope, the image pickup apparatus for endoscope comprising: an optical member which includes two optical devices each having a glass plate as a base substrate and a spacer which is disposed between the two optical devices and which is formed with an inorganic material, at least one of the two optical devices being a hybrid lens device including a resin lens; and an image pickup member configured to receive light of an object image, the light being focused by the optical member, wherein space in which the resin lens is disposed is hermetically sealed by the optical devices being directly bonded to the spacer.