Microelectronic imaging units and methods of manufacturing microelectronic imaging units at the wafer level

A method of manufacturing a plurality of microelectronic imaging units, the method comprising:

• providing an imager workpiece having a plurality of imaging dies including integrated circuits, external contacts electrically coupled to the integrated circuits, and image sensors operably coupled to the integrated circuits, the individual image sensors including at least one dark current pixel at a perimeter portion of the image sensor;
• forming discrete blocks of photoactive material over corresponding image sensors, the discrete blocks having sidewalls aligned with corresponding inboard edges of the individual dark current pixels such that the dark current pixels are not covered by the discrete blocks;
• depositing an opaque material onto the workpiece and over the dark current pixels;
• and
• removing the discrete blocks of photoactive material from the workpiece.

A method of manufacturing an imaging die, the method comprising:

• constructing an array of pixels on and/or in a substrate, the array of pixels including a dark pixel at a perimeter portion of the array and an active pixel adjacent to an inboard edge of the dark pixel;
• depositing a photoactive layer onto the substrate and over the array of pixels;
• patterning the photoactive layer;
• selectively developing the photoactive layer to form a discrete block of photoactive material over the array of pixels, the discrete block having a sidewall aligned with the inboard edge of the dark pixel such that the dark pixel is not covered by the discrete block and the active pixel is completely covered by the discrete block;
• depositing an opaque material onto the substrate and over the dark pixel to shield the dark pixel from light directed toward the active pixels;
• and
• removing the photoactive block from the substrate.

A method of manufacturing a plurality of microelectronic imaging units on an imager workpiece, the imager workpiece including a substrate and a plurality of imaging dies in and!or on the substrate, the individual imaging dies including an integrated circuit, external contacts electrically coupled to the integrated circuitry, and an image sensor operably coupled to the integrated circuit, the image sensor including an array of active pixels in a desired pattern and a plurality of dark pixels along a perimeter portion of the image sensor, wherein the method comprises:

• depositing a photoactive layer onto the workpiece and over the image sensors;
• patterning the photoactive layer;
• selectively developing the photoactive layer to form discrete blocks of photoactive material over corresponding image sensors, the discrete blocks having sidewalls aligned with an inboard edge of the individual dark pixels such that the sidewalls define a border between the active pixels and the dark pixels of the individual image sensors;
• depositing an opaque epoxy material onto the workpiece and into the gaps between the discrete blocks of photoactive material, wherein the epoxy material covers the individual dark pixels;
• and
• removing the discrete blocks of photoactive material from the workpiece.

A method of manufacturing a plurality of microelectronic imaging units, the method comprising:

• constructing an imager workpiece having a plurality of imaging dies including integrated circuits, external contacts electrically coupled to the integrated circuits, and image sensors operably coupled to the integrated circuits, the individual image sensors including at least one dark current cell at a perimeter portion of the image sensor;
• depositing a resist layer onto the workpiece and over the image sensors;
• patterning and selectively developing the resist layer to form discrete blocks of resist material over corresponding image sensors, the discrete blocks having sidewalls aligned with corresponding inboard edges of the individual dark current cells such that the dark current cells are not covered by the discrete blocks;
• depositing an opaque material onto the workpiece and over the dark current cells to shield the dark current cells from light directed toward the image sensors;
• and
• removing the discrete blocks of resist material from the workpiece.