Imaging

Cost-effective 1 mm² miniature camera with customizable wafer-level optics for endoscopy and novel medical imaging devices.

The global single-use endoscopes and endoscopy capsule market was valued in 2020 at $1.4B with an expected compound annual growth rate of 20% over the next seven years according to Yole Développement’s report Status of Medical Imaging Equipment and Detectors 2020. This growth is driven by superior sterility compared to reusable endoscopic equipment, freedom from maintenance and reprocessing costs, and innovative new technologies. As a leader in wafer-level optics (WLO) and tiny cameras, ams is well positioned to service this market. Perhaps their most iconic product in this space is the NanEye miniature camera.

This full reverse-costing study was conducted to provide insights into the technology, process flow, manufacturing cost and selling price of the NanEye. The NanEye can be ordered with a variety of possible configurations. In this study, we look at the configuration with the RGB sensor and minimum necessary optical complexity.

To achieve an exceedingly small size and minimal cost, the NanEye relegates memory and image processing functionality off-chip and uses low-voltage differential signaling to stream image data at 38 Mbps. The NanEye includes a wafer-level packaged (WLP) 1 x 1 mm2 249 x 250-pixel front-side illuminated CMOS image sensor designed by AWAIBA (acquired by ams in 2015) and WLO technology developed by Heptagon (acquired by ams in 2016). Through-silicon via technology connects the sensor to the 4-pad solder-masked ball grid array package on the backside, facilitating integration into novel imaging products. The camera can be ordered with several preset optical configurations with an F-stop range of F2.4 – 6.0 and a field of view (FOV) range of 90° – 160°. The version analyzed in this report has an F-stop of F#4.0 and FOV of 120°.

This report divides the technology and cost analysis into three parts: the CMOS image sensor, WLP, and WLO. For each there is a complete physical analysis, manufacturing hypothesis, and costing estimate. Also included is a comparison of the NanEye with Omnivision’s OVM6948 CameraCubeChip and Nemotek’s wafer-level camera.

Overview/Introduction

Company Profile & Market

• ams
• STMicroelectronics
• Xintec
• NanEye Datasheet
• Market

Physical Analysis

• Summary of the Physical Analysis
• NanEye Camera and Demo Kit
• Camera Module
  • Overview and dimensions
  • Cross-section
  • Tsv
  • Redistribution
• CMOS Image Sensor
  • Overview and dimensions
  • Delayering
  • Cross-section
• Comparison

Manufacturing Process Flow

• Global Overview
• CMOS Image Sensor – Front-End Process & Fabrication Unit
• Wafer-Level Packaging – Process Flow & Fabrication Unit
• Wafer-Level Optics – Process Flow & Fabrication Unit

Cost Analysis

• Summary of the Cost Analysis
• Yield Explanations and Hypotheses
• CIS Wafer Cost
  • Pixel array
  • Color filter and AR coating
• Wafer-Level Package – Wafer Cost
• Wafer-Level Optics – Wafer Cost
• NanEye Camera Cost
• Cost Comparison

 Selling Price Analysis

• OmniVision’s OVM6948 CameraCubeChip
• ams’ Direct Time-of-Flight Detection SPAD-Based Proximity Sensor
• ams’ Spectral Sensor Portfolio: the AS726X Series
• Heimann Sensor 32 x 32-array thermopile LWIR image sensor with silicon lens
• ams’s Color Sensor in the Apple iPhone 8
• ams’ Multi-Spectral Sensor in the Apple iPhone X
• Camera Module Comparison 2022 – Vol. 1 – Apple iPhone Evolution
• Apple iPhone 13 Face ID Module
• Camera Module Comparison 2021 Vol. 4 – Huawei P Series Evolution
• Liquid Lens Camera Module in the Xiaomi Mi MIX FOLD