阅读说明：本技术 Tof光学感测模块 (TOF optical sensing module ) 是由 周正三 范成至 于 2021-08-19 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种TOF光学感测模块至少包含：一基板；一帽盖,具有一本体以及与本体连接的一接收窗及一发射窗,其中本体与基板共同定义出一腔体；以及一收发单元,位于腔体中,且至少包含：一光感测区,设置于接收窗的下方,并且包含一感测端角度导光结构及至少一感测像素,感测端角度导光结构被设计成阻止来自腔体中及发射窗的下方的参考光进入感测像素,但是可以通过接收窗接收感测光进入感测像素而产生一感测电信号。(A TOF optical sensing module comprising: a substrate; the cap is provided with a body, a receiving window and an emitting window which are connected with the body, wherein the body and the substrate define a cavity together; and a transceiver unit located in the cavity and at least comprising: and the light sensing area is arranged below the receiving window and comprises a sensing end angle light guide structure and at least one sensing pixel, the sensing end angle light guide structure is designed to prevent reference light from the cavity and the lower part of the transmitting window from entering the sensing pixel, but the sensing light can be received by the receiving window and enters the sensing pixel to generate a sensing electric signal.)

1. A TOF optical sensing module, comprising:

a substrate;

a cap, at least comprising a body, a receiving window and an emitting window connected with the body, wherein the body and the substrate define a cavity together; and

a transceiver unit located in the cavity and comprising:

and the light sensing area is arranged below the receiving window and comprises a sensing end angle light guide structure and at least one sensing pixel, wherein the sensing end angle light guide structure is designed to prevent reference light from the cavity and the lower part of the transmitting window from entering the sensing pixel, but can receive the sensing light through the receiving window and enter the sensing pixel to generate a sensing electric signal.

2. The TOF optical sensing module of claim 1, wherein the transceiver unit further comprises a light emitting unit disposed below the emission window and emitting measurement light, a portion of the measurement light irradiates an object located above the cap through the emission window and reflects off the object to output the sensing light, and another portion of the measurement light reflects inside the cap to generate the reference light.

3. The TOF optical sensing module of claim 2, wherein said light sensing region further comprises:

at least one first shading layer located above the sensing pixels and having a first sensing light hole; and

and the sensing micro lens is positioned above the first light shielding layer, wherein the sensing light is focused on the sensing pixel through the sensing micro lens and the first sensing light hole.

4. The TOF optical sensing module of claim 3, wherein said light sensing region further comprises:

and the second light shielding layer is positioned above the first light shielding layer and is provided with a second sensing light hole, wherein the sensing light is focused on the sensing pixel through the sensing micro lens, the second sensing light hole and the first sensing light hole.

5. The TOF optical sensing module of claim 4, wherein the light sensing region further comprises:

and the third shading layer is positioned above the second shading layer and around the sensing micro-lens so as to shade stray light from entering the sensing pixel.

6. The TOF optical sensing module of claim 2, wherein said transceiver unit further comprises:

and the light reference area is arranged in the cavity and used for receiving the reference light to generate a reference electric signal.

7. The TOF optical sensing module of claim 6, wherein the light reference region comprises a reference end angular light guiding structure and at least one reference pixel, the reference end angular light guiding structure guiding the reference light to the reference pixel causing the reference pixel to generate the reference electrical signal.

8. The TOF optical sensing module of claim 7 wherein the reference end angle light guiding structure comprises at least:

at least one first shading layer located above the reference pixels and having a first reference light hole; and

at least one reference micro-lens located above the first light-shielding layer, wherein a center line of the reference micro-lens is not aligned with a center line of the first reference light hole, and the reference light is focused on the reference pixel through the reference micro-lens and the first reference light hole.

9. The TOF optical sensing module of claim 8 wherein the reference end angular light guiding structure further comprises:

a second light-shielding layer located above the first light-shielding layer and having a second reference light hole, wherein the center line of the reference micro-lens, the center line of the first reference light hole and a center line of the second reference light hole are not aligned, and the reference light is focused on the reference pixel through the reference micro-lens, the second reference light hole and the first reference light hole.

10. The TOF optical sensing module of claim 9 wherein the reference end angular light guiding structure further comprises:

and the third shading layer is positioned above the second shading layer and around the reference micro-lens so as to shade stray light from entering the reference pixel.

11. The TOF optical sensing module of claim 6, wherein the light reference region and the light sensing region are included in a sensing chip, the sensing chip including:

a first light shielding layer having a first reference aperture and a first sensing aperture, respectively located above a reference pixel and the sensing pixel of the light reference region; and

a reference microlens and a sensing microlens located above the first reference pupil and the first sensing pupil, respectively, wherein a center line of the reference microlens is not aligned with a center line of the first reference pupil, and the reference light is focused on the reference pixel through the reference microlens and the first reference pupil, wherein the sensing light is focused on the sensing pixel through the sensing microlens and the first sensing pupil.

12. The TOF optical sensing module of claim 11, wherein the sensing chip further comprises:

a second light-shielding layer disposed above the first light-shielding layer and having a second reference aperture and a second sensing aperture, wherein the center line of the reference microlens, the center line of the first reference aperture and a center line of the second reference aperture are all misaligned, and the reference light is focused on the reference pixel through the reference microlens, the second reference aperture and the first reference aperture, wherein the sensing light is focused on the sensing pixel through the sensing microlens, the second sensing aperture and the first sensing aperture.

13. The TOF optical sensing module of claim 12, wherein the sensing chip further comprises:

and the third light shielding layer is positioned above the second light shielding layer, around the reference micro-lens and around the sensing micro-lens so as to shield stray light from entering the reference pixel and the sensing pixel.

14. The TOF optical sensing module of any of claims 11 to 13, wherein the sensing chip further comprises a longitudinal light blocking structure disposed between the light reference region and the light sensing region.

15. The TOF optical sensing module of any of claims 11 to 13 wherein the cap further comprises a baffle structure, wherein the baffle structure is located between the emission window and the receiving window to cooperate with the transceiver unit to divide the cavity into a receiving cavity and an emission cavity located below and partially communicating with the emission window, respectively, for reducing stray light interference caused by the emission cavity to the receiving cavity.

16. The TOF optical sensing module of claim 15 further comprising a second baffle structure connected to the sensing chip and located between the light reference region and the light sensing region, wherein the second baffle structure is spaced apart from the cap in a longitudinal direction and the second baffle structure is spaced apart from the baffle structure in a horizontal direction, the baffle structure and the second baffle structure restricting the reference light from reaching the light sensing region.

17. The TOF optical sensing module of claim 15 wherein the baffle structure has a saw-tooth like structure and is formed as an integral structure with the body.

18. The TOF optical sensing module of claim 15 wherein the sensing chip further comprises a pixel substrate and an angled light guiding structure on the pixel substrate and having a recess exposing the pixel substrate from the recess, the baffle structure extending into the recess.

19. The TOF optical sensing module of claim 18 wherein two opposing sidewalls defining the recess each have two longitudinal light blocking structures.

20. The TOF optical sensing module of claim 6, wherein the light reference region includes at least one reference pixel but does not have a reference end angular light guiding structure corresponding to the reference pixel.

21. The TOF optical sensing module of any of claims 2 to 10 wherein the cap further comprises a baffle structure, wherein the baffle structure is located between the emission window and the receiving window to cooperate with the transceiver unit to divide the cavity into a receiving cavity and an emission cavity located below and partially communicating with the emission window and the receiving window, respectively, for reducing stray light interference caused by the emission cavity to the receiving cavity.

22. The TOF optical sensing module of claim 1, wherein the transceiver unit comprises a plurality of sensing units, each of the plurality of sensing units having the sensing end angle light guiding structure and a second sensing end angle light guiding structure to provide a plurality of fields of view in different angular ranges.

23. The TOF optical sensing module of claim 22 wherein said transceiver unit further comprises:

a light emitting unit disposed below the emission window and emitting measurement light, a portion of the measurement light being irradiated on an object located above the cap through the emission window and reflected from the object to output the sensing light, and another portion of the measurement light being reflected within the cap to generate the reference light; and

a light reference region located in the cavity and configured to receive the reference light.

24. The TOF optical sensing module of claim 22 wherein said plurality of sensing cells comprises:

a plurality of sensing pixels formed on a pixel substrate, the plurality of sensing pixels including the at least one sensing pixel;

a first light shielding layer disposed above the sensing pixels and having a plurality of sensing apertures; and

and the sensing micro lenses are positioned above the first light shielding layer, and are matched with the sensing light holes to respectively provide the sensing pixels with the plurality of fields of view in different angle ranges.

25. The TOF optical sensing module of claim 22 wherein the central optical axes of the plurality of sensing cells are not parallel.

26. The TOF optical sensing module of claim 22 wherein the plurality of sensing units comprises a first sensing unit and a second sensing unit for sensing the sensing light reflected by different objects located at different distances through the receiving window in the same mode or in different modes, the different objects comprise an object and a second object, the field of view of the first sensing unit and a field of emission of a light emitting unit of the transceiver unit overlap on the object and do not overlap on the second object, and the field of view of the second sensing unit and the field of emission do not overlap on the object and do overlap on the second object.

27. The TOF optical sensing module of claim 22 wherein the plurality of sensing cells having the plurality of fields of view of different angular ranges are staggered into a two-dimensional array.

28. The TOF optical sensing module of claim 22 wherein the plurality of sensing units of the plurality of fields of view having different angular ranges are progressively aligned in azimuth of a central optical axis of the plurality of fields of view.

29. The TOF optical sensing module of claim 22 wherein the plurality of fields of view partially overlap.

30. The TOF optical sensing module of claim 22 wherein the plurality of fields of view do not overlap.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a Time Of Flight (TOF) optical sensing module, and more particularly, to a TOF optical sensing module having an angular light guide structure.

Background

Nowadays, smart phones, tablet computers, or other handheld devices are equipped with optical modules to achieve functions such as gesture detection, three-dimensional (3D) imaging or proximity detection, or camera focusing. In operation, the TOF sensor emits near-infrared light into the scene, which, using the time-of-flight information of the light, measures the distance of objects in the scene. TOF sensors have been favored because of their small depth information computation, high interference immunity, and long measurement range.

The core components of the TOF sensor include: a light source, in particular an infrared Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL); photosensors, in particular Single Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPAD); and a Time To Digital Converter (TDC). The SPAD is a photoelectric detection avalanche diode with single photon detection capability, and can generate current only by weak optical signals. VCSELs in TOF sensors emit pulse waves to scenes, SPADs receive the pulse waves reflected from target objects, TDC records time intervals between emitted pulses and received pulses, and depth information of the objects to be measured is calculated by using flight time.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a conventional TOF optical sensing module 300. As shown in FIG. 1, the TOF optical sensing module 300 includes a cap (cap)310, a light emitting unit 320, a sensor chip 330, and a substrate 350. The substrate 350 is, for example, a printed circuit board, including one or more insulating layers and conductive layers (not shown). The light emitting unit 320 and the sensor chip 330 are disposed on the substrate 350 through an adhesive material. The light emitting unit 320 and the sensor chip 330 are electrically connected to the substrate 350. At least one reference pixel 331 and at least one sensing pixel 341 are formed on the sensor chip 330. The optical sensing module 300 further includes a control processing circuit, such as an integrated circuit, for sending, receiving and processing electrical signals, for controlling the light emission of the light emitting unit 320, the light reception of the reference pixel 331, the light reception of the sensing pixel 341 and the processing of the electrical signals generated by the reference pixel 331 and the sensing pixel 341 after receiving the light. The cap 310 has an emitting window 314 and a receiving window 312, and is disposed above the substrate 350 to accommodate the light emitting unit 320 and the sensor chip 330 on the substrate 350 in a cavity 315 of the cap 310. The light emitting unit 320 emits the measurement light L1 to an object (not shown) through the emission window 314, and the sensing pixel 341 receives the sensing light L3 reflected by the object through the reception window 312. The measurement light L1 is reflected by the cap 310 to generate the reference light L2 traveling toward the reference pixel 331, so the reference light L2 is also referred to as intracavity reflected light. It is understood that a part of the reference light L2 continues to be reflected in the cavity 315 and received by the sensing pixel 341, thereby disturbing the sensing result of the sensing pixel 341. Therefore, how to reduce noise interference is the problem to be solved by the present disclosure.

Disclosure of Invention

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a TOF optical sensing module having an angle light guide structure, wherein the angle light guide structure at the sensing end in the cavity is properly designed, so that interference of stray light conducted in the cavity of the sensing module is minimized, the signal-to-noise ratio of the sensing pixel is further improved, interference of stray light in the cavity to the sensing pixel can be reduced, and a distance sensing result is more stable and accurate.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a TOF optical sensing module with an angular light guiding structure, which utilizes different fields of view of the same optical sensing module to sense different objects located at different distances to obtain corresponding distance information.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a TOF optical sensing module, at least comprising: a substrate; the cap is provided with a body, a receiving window and an emitting window which are connected with the body, wherein the body and the substrate define a cavity together; and a transceiver unit located in the cavity and at least comprising: and the light sensing area is arranged below the receiving window and comprises a sensing end angle light guide structure and at least one sensing pixel, the sensing end angle light guide structure is designed to prevent reference light from the cavity and the lower part of the transmitting window from entering the sensing pixel, but the sensing light can be received by the receiving window and enters the sensing pixel to generate a sensing electric signal.

To achieve the above object, the present invention further provides a TOF optical sensing module, at least comprising: a substrate; a cap disposed on the substrate and having a receiving window and an emitting window, wherein the cap and the substrate define a cavity; and a transceiver unit disposed on the substrate and located in the cavity, wherein the transceiver unit comprises a light emitting unit and multiple sensing units, the light emitting unit emits measurement light through the emission window, and the sensing units have multiple viewing fields with different angle ranges.

By the TOF optical sensing module and at least one specific angle light guide structure, stray light interference conducted in the cavity of the sensing module can be reduced to the minimum, and further the signal-to-noise ratio of the sensing pixel is improved, so that the stability of optical sensing is improved. In addition, the field of view of different angle ranges caused by the light guide structures of different angles of the single optical sensing module is utilized to provide the sensing effect of multiple distance ranges, so as to obtain different distance information of the object and provide increasingly diversified applications.

In order to make the aforementioned and other objects of the present invention comprehensible, preferred embodiments accompanied with figures are described in detail below.

Drawings

Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a conventional TOF optical sensing module.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are schematic diagrams illustrating two examples of TOF optical sensing modules according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a partial cross-sectional schematic view of the TOF optical sensing module of FIG. 2B.

FIGS. 4-6 are schematic partial cross-sectional views of several variations of the TOF optical sensing module of FIG. 3.

FIGS. 7A-8B are schematic diagrams illustrating several variations of the TOF optical sensing module of FIG. 2B.

FIG. 9 shows a schematic diagram of a variation of the TOF optical sensing module of FIG. 7B.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a TOF optical sensing module according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 shows two types of sensing units of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating two variations of the sensing unit of FIG. 11.

Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an optical path of the modification of fig. 10.

FIGS. 14 and 15 show layout diagrams of two examples of various sensing units.

FIG. 16 shows a schematic view of the fields of view of various sensing units.

Reference numerals:

a1 first optical axis

A2 second optical axis

Ag1, Ag2, Ag3, Ag4 in azimuth

F is an object

F2 object

FE1 field of Transmission

FV1, FV1', FV2', FV2 field of view

G1 reference end angle light guide structure

G2 light guide structure for sensing end angle

G2B second sensing end angle light guide structure

L1 measuring light

L2 reference light

L3 sensing light

Oa1, Oa2 overlap region

P is a point

10: cap

10A opaque region

11: cavity

11A emission cavity

11B receiving cavity

12 receiving window

13 baffle structure

14: emission window

15 is the periphery

16: the main body

17 inner surface

18 outer surface

20 light emitting unit

30 light reference area

31 reference pixel

32 a first light-shielding layer

33 first reference aperture

34 the second light-shielding layer

35 second reference aperture

36 the third light-shielding layer

38 transparent dielectric layer group

38a,38b,38c transparent dielectric layer

39 reference microlens

40 light sensing area

41 sensing pixel

41U,41U ',42U',42U sensing unit

41X,41X ',42X',42X central optical axis

42 sense pixel 43,43B first sense aperture

43',43B' sensing the aperture

44 sensing chip

44A pixel substrate

44B light guide structure

44C groove

44D side wall

45,45B second sensing light hole

45B' sensing the light hole

46 second baffle structure

47 longitudinal light-blocking structure

49,49B sensing microlens

50 base plate

90 transceiver unit

100 TOF optical sensing module

300 TOF optical sensing module

310: cap

312 receiving window

314 emission window

315 chamber

320 light emitting unit

330 sensor chip

331 reference pixel

341 sense pixel

350 base plate

Detailed Description

In one aspect of the present invention, a wafer level process is employed to fabricate at least one light guide structure (fig. 2A to 6) with a specific angle on a photo-sensing chip, so as to minimize the interference of stray light conducted in the package structure, thereby improving the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) of the sensing pixel and solving the above-mentioned problems of the prior art. In the two examples of the light guide structures with specific angles, the specific implementation is to use the micro-lens fabricated at the wafer level to cooperate with the light shielding layer fabricated at the wafer level to fabricate the light guide structure at the reference end angle to guide the light (which is usually an oblique incident light) reflected in the cavity to enter the reference pixel, and to fabricate the light guide structure at the sensing end angle to prevent the light reflected in the cavity from entering the sensing pixel, so as to avoid the stray light reflected in the cavity, and even to greatly reduce the stray light from the outside in various directions from entering the sensing pixel, so that the detection and calculation process of the flight time is simplified, and the accurate depth information or distance information is obtained.

Another aspect of the present invention is to adopt a packaging process, which may also be a wafer level packaging process, to fabricate a baffle structure at the inner side of the packaging cap, to fabricate a receiving cavity and an emitting cavity (fig. 7A to 9) which are partially communicated with each other, so as to make process control easy, simplify the manufacturing process, improve the stability of the structure, reduce the difference of environmental conditions between the receiving cavity and the emitting cavity to improve the stability of optical sensing, and reduce the interference of stray light, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio of the sensing pixel.

In yet another aspect of the present invention, a plurality of sensing units with different viewing fields are integrated on a sensor chip, and the sensing units with different sensing end angle light guide structures are used to sense objects located at different distances, so as to achieve a sensing effect of multiple distance ranges with a single TOF optical sensing module having multiple viewing angle sensing functions. It is understood that the above three aspects can be used alone or in combination.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are schematic diagrams illustrating two examples of TOF optical sensing modules according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 shows a partial cross-sectional schematic view of the TOF optical sensing module of FIG. 2B. The difference between fig. 2A and fig. 2B is that no corresponding angular light guide structure is disposed above the reference pixel of fig. 2A. As shown in fig. 2A, a TOF optical sensing module 100 at least includes a cap 10 and a transceiver unit 90. The transceiver 90 comprises a light emitting unit 20, a light sensing region 40 and an optional light reference region 30, wherein the light reference region 30 is close to the light emitting unit 20 and the light sensing region 40 is far away from the light emitting unit 20. In the present embodiment, the light sensing region 40 and the light reference region 30 are formed in a sensing chip 44, but in another embodiment, the light sensing region 40 and the light reference region 30 can be formed on different chips. From another perspective, the sensing chip 44 includes a pixel substrate 44A and an angle light guiding structure 44B located above the pixel substrate 44A. At least one reference pixel 31 of the light reference region 30 is formed in the pixel substrate 44A for receiving light; and at least one sensing pixel 41 of the light sensing region 40 is formed in the pixel substrate 44A for receiving light from a specific angle range through the angle light guiding structure 44B. A part of the pixels is a photosensitive structure, such as a photodiode, an Avalanche Photo Diode (APD), etc., which is SPAD in this embodiment, and the other part of the pixels is a sensing circuit for processing an electrical signal from the photosensitive structure. The sensing chip 44 can be fabricated by, for example, a Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) process, such as a Front Side Illumination (FSI) or Back Side Illumination (BSI) process, or other Semiconductor processes, but the invention is not limited thereto. In addition, the TOF optical sensing module 100 may further include a substrate 50. The transceiver unit 90 is disposed on the substrate 50. The light reference region 30 and the light sensing region 40 of the light emitting unit 20 and the sensing chip 44 are disposed on the substrate 50, and the cap 10 has an inverted U-shaped structure and covers the substrate 50 to form a cavity 11, so that the light emitting unit 20, the light reference region 30 and the light sensing region 40 are accommodated in the cavity 11. The substrate 50 includes one or more insulating layers and conductive layers, such as a printed circuit board or ceramic substrate, among others.

The material of the pixel substrate 44A may include a semiconductor material such as silicon, germanium, gallium nitride, silicon carbide, gallium arsenide, gallium phosphide, indium arsenide, indium antimonide, silicon germanium alloy, gallium arsenic phosphide alloy, aluminum indium arsenide alloy, aluminum gallium arsenide alloy, indium gallium phosphide alloy, indium gallium arsenide phosphide alloy, or a combination thereof. One or more electrical components (e.g., integrated circuits) may also be included on the pixel substrate. The integrated circuit may be an analog or digital circuit that may be implemented as active elements, passive elements, conductive and dielectric layers, etc., formed within the chip and electrically connected according to the electrical design and function of the chip. The pixel substrate can be electrically connected to the substrate 50 through wire bonding or conductive bumps, and further electrically connected to the outside and the light emitting unit 20, thereby controlling the operations of the light emitting unit 20, the light reference region 30 and the light sensing region 40 and providing the function of signal processing.

The cap 10 at least comprises a light-tight body 16, and a receiving window 12 and an emitting window 14 connected to the body 16, wherein the receiving window 12 and the emitting window 14 are light-transmitting regions through which light to be measured can pass. The body 16 and the substrate 50 together define a cavity 11, an inner surface 17 covering the cavity 11, and an outer surface 18 exposed to the external environment. In one example, the cavity 11 is a solid body made of a transparent molding material, and the body 16 is made of an opaque material, such as an opaque molding material or a metal, and covers the cavity 11 of the transparent molding material, and only the transparent molding material corresponding to the receiving window 12 and the transmitting window 14 is exposed. In another example, the chamber 11 is air (which may comprise a pressure above or below atmospheric pressure). It will be appreciated that in this embodiment, the cap 10 may be formed and adhered to the substrate 50 in advance, for example, by injection molding, partially or wholly directly onto the substrate 50. The receiving window 12 and the transmitting window 14 may be a through hollow opening or an optical device having a special optical function, such as an optical filter of a specific wavelength or the like, or a lens or a diffraction element having a function such as light scattering or light focusing, or the like, or a combination of a plurality of optical functions, such as the former two or the like.

The light emitting unit 20 is disposed on the substrate 50 and correspondingly located below the emission window 14, and emits a measurement light L1, and a part of the measurement light L1 passes through the emission window 14 and irradiates an object F above the cap 10, which includes living bodies and non-living bodies, and reflects the object F to output a sensing light L3. The sensing light L3 from the outside of the cavity 11 is received by the light sensing area 40 of the sensing chip 44 through the receiving window 12 and converted into an electrical signal. The light sensing region 40 is disposed below the receiving window 12 and is used for receiving the sensing light L3 through the receiving window 12 to generate a sensing electrical signal. However, the signal received by the photo sensing area 40 must refer to a reference point to calculate the distance of the object F, and from the time-of-flight formula, 2L ═ C Δ t can be obtained, where L is the distance from the photo sensing module 100 to the object F, C is the light speed, and Δ t is the time of light running (defined as the time from emitting to receiving). Therefore, in addition to the light sensing section 40 converting the sensing light L3 into an electrical signal, it is also preferable to obtain the time starting point of the emission of the measuring light L1 through the light reference section 30. However, in another example, the time point when the light emitting unit 20 is controlled to emit light may be used as the time starting point when the measuring light L1 is emitted, or the time starting point plus a predetermined delay time may be used as the basis for the flight time calculation. Since the light emitting unit 20 has a certain divergence angle, another part of the measuring light L1 is reflected in the cavity 11 of the cap 10 to generate the reference light L2, and a part of the reference light L2 with a certain angle is received by the light reference region 30, so as to obtain a time starting point (the distance of reflection in the package structure can be ignored compared to the distance (2L) for object detection, and thus the time point at which the reference light L2 is received by the light reference region 30 can be set as the time starting point). Thus, the transceiver unit 90 is located in the cavity 11, emits the measurement light L1 through the emission window 14, and receives the sensing light L3 through the reception window 12. In one example, the light emitting unit 20 is configured to emit radiation at a particular frequency or range of frequencies, such as emitting Infrared (IR) lines. In some examples, the Light Emitting unit 20 is a VCSEL or a Light-Emitting Diode (LED) (e.g., an infrared LED). The light emitting unit 20 may be fixed to the upper surface of the substrate 50 by an adhesive material, and may be electrically connected to the substrate 50 by, for example, wire bonding or conductive bumps. The sidewall of the angle light guide structure 44B in fig. 2A is provided with a longitudinal light blocking structure 47, which can block stray light from entering the angle light guide structure 44B, so as to avoid interference. Although the reference light L2 from the cavity 11 and below the emission window 14 travels toward the light sensing region 40, the reference light L2 does not enter the sensing pixel 41 due to the design of the light guiding structure 44B. An example of the arrangement of the light guide structure 44B is the same as that in fig. 2B, and therefore, will be described with reference to fig. 2B and 3.

As shown in fig. 2B and fig. 3, the light reference region 30 is disposed in the cavity 11 near the light emitting unit 20 and below the opaque region 10A (between the emission window 14 and the receiving window 12) of the cap 10, and further includes a reference end angle light guiding structure G1 formed on the pixel substrate 44A and forming a part of the angle light guiding structure 44B, and including a first reference light hole 33 of at least one first light shielding layer 32 located above the reference pixel 31 and at least one reference microlens 39 for guiding the reference light L2 to the reference pixel 31, so that the reference pixel 31 receives the reference light L2 to generate a reference electrical signal. The first light-shielding layer 32 may be made of a metal material or a non-metal material. The reference microlenses 39 are located above the first reference apertures 33 of the first light-shielding layer 32. In the present embodiment, the center line of the reference microlens 39 and the center line of the first reference light hole 33 are misaligned, so that the reference light L2 of a first specific angle range can be focused on the reference pixel 31 through the reference microlens 39 and the first reference light hole 33. Therefore, by the arrangement of the reference micro-lens 39 and the first reference light hole 33, an Angle Controllable collimating structure (ACC) can be provided as the reference end Angle light guiding structure G1 of the light reference region 30.

As shown in fig. 2A, 2B, 3 and 4, the light sensing region 40 is disposed below the receiving window 12, and further includes a sensing end angle light guiding structure G2 including a first sensing light hole 43 of the first light shielding layer 32 and at least one sensing micro lens 49, wherein fig. 4 is only used for illustrating that the light sensing region 40 may have more than two sensing pixels 41 and sensing micro lenses 49, and the reference light L2 may be regarded as coming from the side of the sensing end angle light guiding structure G2. The sensing microlenses 49 are located above the first sensing apertures 43 of the first light-shielding layer 32. The center line of the sensing micro-lens 49 is aligned with the center line of the first sensing light hole 43 (the center line alignment design is taken as an illustration, but not a limitation), and the sensing light L3 is focused on the sensing pixel 41 through the sensing micro-lens 49 and the first sensing light hole 43. For example, in the example of fig. 3 and 4, the sensing light L3 is focused on the sensing pixel 41 through the sensing micro lens 49 and the first sensing aperture 43, the light guiding structure 44B at least includes a transparent dielectric layer 38, the first light shielding layer 32, the reference micro lens 39 and the sensing micro lens 49, and the light sensing region 40 and the light reference region 30 are formed as a single body. Therefore, by the arrangement of the sensing micro-lens 49 and the first sensing light hole 43, another ACC may be provided as the sensing-end angular light guiding structure G2 of the light sensing region 40. Since the optical structure design of the light sensing region and the light reference region is simultaneously completed by wafer-level manufacturing, the light shielding layer or the micro-lens shown in the figure can be completed by the same process.

It is understood that the reference pixels 31 and the sensing pixels 41 may each be configured as a single point, one-dimensional, or two-dimensional array. The light reference region 30 is used for receiving the reference light L2 of the first specific angle range reflected by the cap 10 and converting the reference light L2 into a reference electric signal; and the light sensing region 40 is used for receiving the sensing light L3 from the object F in the second specific angle range and converting the sensing light L3 into a sensing electrical signal. In one example, the light reference region 30 receives the reference light L2 reflected from the cap 10 at a first time point T0 and performs photoelectric conversion to generate the reference electrical signal, wherein the reference light L2 is oblique to a first optical axis a1 of the light reference region 30. In addition, the light sensing region 40 is disposed at a second time point T1 to receive the sensing light L3 output from the object F and perform photoelectric conversion to generate a sensing electrical signal, wherein the sensing light L3 is a light beam of a second specific angle range with respect to a second optical axis a2 of the light sensing region 40, and the two specific angle ranges are different. Although the reference light L2 may be reflected between the sensing chip 44 and the cap 10 to reach the vicinity of the light sensing region 40, the sensing pixel 41 may be prevented from receiving the reference light L2 by the specific ACC design of the light sensing region 40. The control processing circuit obtains the distance between the object F and the TOF optical sensing module 100 according to the flight time formula, the first time point T0, the second time point T1, and the light speed C. In the present example, although the sensing light L3 is plotted as light rays in a symmetrical angle range with respect to the left and right sides of the incident normal (perpendicular to the surface of the sensing pixel 41), the present invention is not limited thereto. In another example, the sensing light may be light rays that exhibit an asymmetric angular range with respect to the left and right sides of the normal incidence. In yet another example, the range of angles of sensed light is only to the right or left of the normal of incidence.

In fig. 3 and 4, the transparent dielectric layer 38 includes transparent dielectric layers 38a and 38b, the transparent dielectric layer 38a is disposed between the reference pixel 31 and the first light-shielding layer 32, and the transparent dielectric layer 38b is disposed between the first light-shielding layer 32 and the reference microlens 39. In addition, the transparent dielectric layer 38a is also disposed between the sensing pixels 41 and the first light-shielding layer 32, and the transparent dielectric layer 38b is also disposed between the first light-shielding layer 32 and the sensing microlenses 49. Thus, the transparent dielectric layer set 38 may be in the form of a single layer of material or in the form of a multi-layer structure. In one example, the material of the transparent dielectric layer is SiO₂And the like dielectric materials or transparent polymers, and the like. In another example, the transparent dielectric layer may include a photo-Curable Material (UV-Curable Material), a thermal-Curable Material (Thermosetting Material), or a combination thereof. For example, the transparent dielectric layer may comprise, for example, polymethylmethacrylate (poly (methyl methacrylate), PMMA), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), Polyethylene Naphthalate (PEN) Polycarbonate (PC), Perfluorocyclobutyl (PFCB) polymer, Polyimide (PI), acryl, Epoxy (Epoxy resins), Polypropylene (PP), Polyethylene (PE), Polystyrene (PS), Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), other suitable materials, or combinations thereof. However, the present disclosure is not so limited. In another embodiment, a vertical light blocking structure 47 may be disposed in the transparent dielectric layer group 38 between the light sensing region 40 and the light reference region 30 to block stray light from entering the sensing pixel 41 and the reference pixel 31. The longitudinal light blocking structure 47 is spaced apart from the cap 10, and disposed between the light reference region 30 and the light sensing region 40 for isolating stray light interference between the light reference region 30 and the light sensing region 40. The material of the longitudinal light-blocking structure 47 comprises metal and non-goldBelongs to a material. It is understood that the longitudinal light-blocking structure 47 is an optional structure.

As shown in fig. 5, this embodiment is similar to fig. 3, except that the light reference region 30 and the light sensing region 40 further include a second light shielding layer 34, and the transparent dielectric layer 38 includes transparent dielectric layers 38a,38b, and 38 c. The second light shielding layer 34 belongs to a portion of the angular light guiding structure of the reference end and the sensing end, is located above the first light shielding layer 32, and has a second reference light hole 35 and a second sensing light hole 45, respectively. The transparent dielectric layer 38a is located between the reference pixel 31 and the first light shielding layer 32 and between the sensing pixel 41 and the first light shielding layer 32, the transparent dielectric layer 38b is located between the reference microlens 39 and the second light shielding layer 34 and between the sensing microlens 49 and the second light shielding layer 34, and the transparent dielectric layer 38c is located between the second light shielding layer 34 and the first light shielding layer 32. It is noted that the architecture of the multiple sensing pixels 41 of fig. 4 can also be applied to fig. 5. In this case, the center line of the reference microlens 39, the center line of the first reference pupil 33, and the center line of the second reference pupil 35 are all misaligned, and the reference light L2 is focused on the reference pixel 31 through the reference microlens 39, the second reference pupil 35, and the first reference pupil 33. Thus, the reference end angular light guiding structure G1 includes a reference microlens 39, a first reference pupil 33, and a second reference pupil 35. Similarly, the center line of the sensing microlens 49, the center line of the first sensing pupil 43 and the center line of the second sensing pupil 45 are in an aligned relationship. In this way, the sensing light L3 can be focused on the sensing pixel 41 through the sensing micro lens 49, the second sensing light hole 45 and the first sensing light hole 43. Therefore, the sensing-end angular light guiding structure G2 includes a sensing micro lens 49, a first sensing light hole 43 and a second sensing light hole 45 for preventing the reference light L2 from entering the sensing pixel 41 and guiding the sensing light L3 to the sensing pixel 41 (the sensing light L3 is received through the receiving window 12 and enters the sensing pixel 41), so that the sensing pixel 41 generates a sensing electrical signal.

As shown in fig. 6, the present embodiment is similar to fig. 5, except that the light reference region 30 and the light sensing region 40 further include a third light shielding layer 36, which is also a part of the angular light guiding structure of the reference end and the sensing end. The third light-shielding layer 36 is located above the second light-shielding layer 34, around the reference microlenses 39, and around the sensing microlenses 49 to shield stray light from entering the reference pixels 31 and the sensing pixels 41. The architecture of the multiple sensing pixels 41 of fig. 4 is also applicable to fig. 6.

The materials of the first to third light-shielding layers may include: the metal material (e.g., the last metal material in an integrated circuit Process), such as tungsten, chromium, aluminum, or titanium, can be blanket formed by, for example, chemical vapor Deposition, physical vapor Deposition (e.g., Vacuum Evaporation (pvd) Process, Sputtering (Sputtering) Process, Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD)), Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD), other suitable Deposition processes, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the light-shielding layer may include a polymer material having light-shielding properties, such as epoxy, polyimide, or the like.

In another example, the reference light L2 can be further blocked or limited from reaching the light sensing region 40 in combination with the structural design of the cap 10. As shown in fig. 7A, the cap 10 may further include a baffle structure 13. The baffle structure 13 is connected to the body 16 of the cap 10 and is located between the first optical axis a1 and the second optical axis a2, or is located between the light sensing region 40 and the light reference region 30, or is located between the emission window 14 and the reception window 12. The sensing chip 44 and the baffle structure 13 are spaced apart in a longitudinal direction. Of course, the extending direction of the baffle structure 13 may have an angular offset rather than a true vertical direction due to manufacturing or optical considerations. The baffle structure 13 does not contact the upper surface of the sensing chip 44, so that a gap is left between the baffle structure 13 and the sensing chip 44, and the baffle structure 13 cooperates with the transceiver unit 90 to divide the cavity 11 of the sensing module into a receiving cavity 11B and an emitting cavity 11A, which are located below the receiving window 12 and the emitting window 14 and are partially communicated with each other, so that the light sensing region 40 is located in the receiving cavity 11B, and the light reference region 30 and the light emitting unit 20 are located in the emitting cavity 11A. The blocking structure 13 can further limit more reference light L2 from the emitting cavity 11A from reaching or entering the light sensing region 40 in the receiving cavity 11B, so as to prevent the light sensing region 40 from generating a stray light signal according to the reference light L2, thereby reducing the stray light interference of the emitting cavity 11A on the receiving cavity 11B, i.e., reducing the interference of the stray light caused by the light emitting unit 20 in the emitting cavity 11A on the light sensing region 40 in the receiving cavity 11B. The baffle structure 13 has a saw-toothed configuration and is formed as an integral structure with the body 16. The sawtooth structure has a plurality of inclined planes facing the light reference region 30, and can reflect stray light to the right, so that the stray light does not enter the light sensing region 40, and multiple stray light elimination effects are provided. Therefore, the baffle structure 13 does not divide the cavity 11 into two spaces that are not connected to each other, and this design is well controlled in the packaging process because a mold is used to form the inverted U-shaped structure on the package, the periphery of the inverted U-shaped structure is contacted with the substrate 50 to form the periphery 15 of the cap 10, but if the saw teeth of the baffle structure 13 are also directly contacted with the sensing chip 44, the requirement on the tolerance must be very high, and the saw teeth are sharp, which is easy to damage. Therefore, in actual manufacturing, the baffle structure 13 must be designed to be not tightly sealed with the sensing chip 44 but separated by a gap, so as to simplify the manufacturing process, improve the stability of the structure, and avoid the excessive difference between the environmental conditions of the two cavities (such as the temperature rise caused by the light emitting unit) and the characteristics of the reference pixel and the sensing pixel.

It should be noted that the light sensing region 40 includes the above-mentioned angle light guiding structure (see fig. 3 to 6), because the angle light guiding structure of the light sensing region 40 can further precisely control the light of the specific angle to be received, other stray light can be further prevented from entering the sensing pixel 41. Alternatively, the baffle structure 13 may be a non-serrated structure, but in the perspective of FIG. 7A, it may be a rectangular structure, but still spaced from the sensing chip 44 in the longitudinal direction, to provide another option.

As shown in fig. 7B, this embodiment is similar to fig. 7A, except that the light reference region 30 includes the angle light guiding structure (see fig. 3 to 6), because the angle light guiding structure of the light reference region 30 can further precisely control the light of the specific angle to be received, the incident angle of the reference light L2 to be received can be further precisely controlled.

As shown in fig. 8A to 8B, the two embodiments are similar to fig. 7A to 7B, respectively, except that the TOF optical sensing module 100 further includes a second baffle structure 46. The second baffle structure 46 is connected to the sensing chip 44 and is located between the first optical axis a1 and the second optical axis a2, or between the light sensing area 40 and the light reference area 30. The second baffle structure 46 is spaced from the cap 10 in the longitudinal direction and the second baffle structure 46 is spaced from the baffle structure 13 in a horizontal direction. Of course, the second baffle structure 46 may also extend at an angle offset from a true vertical direction due to manufacturing or optical considerations. The baffle structure 13 and the second baffle structure 46 block or limit the reference light L2 from reaching the light sensing region 40. Therefore, the second baffle structure 46 can further prevent the stray light passing through the baffle structure 13 from entering the light sensing region 40, providing multiple stray light rejection effects. The clearance resulting from the above-described separation is also advantageous because of better control over manufacturing.

As shown in fig. 9, the light sensing region 40 and the light reference region 30 may share the pixel substrate 44A, but a portion of the light guiding structure 44B between the light reference region 30 and the light sensing region 40 may be omitted or removed, that is, a groove 44C is formed on the portion of the light guiding structure 44B, so that the pixel substrate 44A is exposed from the groove 44C. In this case, the blocking structure 13 may extend into the groove 44C to achieve the effect of blocking light, and the two opposite sidewalls 44D defining the groove 44C may respectively have two longitudinal light blocking structures 47 to prevent stray light from being output from the light guiding structure 44B to the light sensing region 40.

FIG. 10 shows a schematic diagram of a TOF optical sensing module 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 shows two types of sensing units of FIG. 10. As shown in fig. 10 and fig. 11, this example is similar to fig. 2A, except that sensing units with different sensing end angle light guiding structures are used to sense objects located at different distances, so as to provide a multi-field TOF optical sensing module.

The light emitting unit 20 has an emission field FE1 and emits measurement light L1 through the emission window 14. The light sensing region 40 includes a plurality of sensing units 41U and 42U respectively having a sensing end angle light guiding structure G2 and a second sensing end angle light guiding structure G2B, which have different light guiding structures to provide different angle ranges of the viewing fields FV1 and FV 2. For example, the range of the field of view FV1 falls in the right half of the normal line of the sensing unit 41U, and the range of the field of view FV2 falls on the left and right sides of the normal line of the sensing unit 42U, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Therefore, the sensing function of the sensing unit with different distance ranges can be designed, so that objects respectively located at long distance and short distance can be sensed at the same time point or different time points. As shown in fig. 10, the sensing units 41U and 42U sense the sensing light L3 reflected by the different objects F and F2 located at different distances through the receiving window 12 in the same mode or in different modes to obtain the sensing electrical signal.

As shown in fig. 11, in the present embodiment, the sensing unit 41U (42U) includes: at least one sensing pixel 41(42) formed on the pixel substrate 44A; a first light-shielding layer 32 disposed above the sensing pixels 41(42) and having at least one first sensing aperture 43 (43B); and at least one sensing micro-lens 49(49B) located above the first light-shielding layer 32. In addition, a transparent dielectric layer 38a is located between the sensing pixels 41(42) and the first light-shielding layer 32, and a transparent dielectric layer 38B is located between the sensing micro-lenses 49(49B) and the first light-shielding layer 32. Thereby, the sensing microlenses 49 and 49B can respectively match the first sensing light holes 43 and 43B to provide the sensing pixels 41 and 42 with different angular ranges of the fields of view FV1 and FV 2.

With the above configuration, in a short-distance sensing mode, the measuring light L1 passes through the emission window 14 and irradiates the object F after a certain distance, the measuring light L1 is reflected by the object F, so that the object F outputs the sensing light L3, and the sensing light L3 is received by the sensing pixels 41 of the sensing unit 41U through the sensing micro lens 49, the transparent medium layer 38b, the first sensing light hole 43, and the transparent medium layer 38 a; and in a long-distance sensing mode, the measuring light L1 irradiates the object F2 through the emission window 14, the measuring light L1 is reflected by the object F2, the object F2 outputs sensing light L3, and the sensing light L3 passes through the sensing micro lens 49B, the transparent medium layer 38B, the first sensing light hole 43B and the transparent medium layer 38a and is received by the sensing pixel 42 of the sensing unit 42U. It is understood that the above-mentioned configuration of the light hole and the micro-lens is only an example, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, as other angle collimating structures can be utilized to achieve similar effects of the viewing fields FV1 and FV2 with different angle ranges, as long as the central optical axes 41X and 42X of the sensing units 41U and 42U are not parallel and face to the proper azimuth angle.

As shown in fig. 10, in the above example, the field of view FV1 of the sensing unit 41U does not have any overlapping portion with the field of view FV2 of the sensing unit 42U. The field of view FV1 and the field of emission FE1 have a partial overlapping area Oa1 on the object F, so the sensing unit 41U can sense the sensing light L3 from the object F, and the field of view FV2 and the field of emission FE1 do not overlap on the object F, so the sensing unit 42U cannot sense the sensing light L3 from the object F. On the other hand, the field of view FV1 and the field of emission FE1 do not overlap on the object F2, so the sensing unit 41U cannot sense the sensing light L3 from the object F2, and the field of view FV2 and the field of emission FE1 have a partial overlap area Oa2 on the object F2, so the sensing unit 42U can sense the sensing light L3 from the object F2.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating two variations of the sensing unit of FIG. 11. As shown in fig. 12, this embodiment is similar to fig. 11, and the difference is that the sensing unit 41U (42U) further has a transparent dielectric layer 38c and a second light shielding layer 34, the second light shielding layer 34 has a second sensing light hole 45(45B), and the second sensing light hole 45(45B) cooperates with the first sensing light hole 43(43B) to achieve the light guiding and limiting function. The second light-shielding layer 34 is separated from the first light-shielding layer 32 by a transparent dielectric layer 38c to provide a suitable spacing. In this case, a further light blocking effect can be provided. Of course, in another example, the sensing microlens 49(49B) may be provided with a peripheral light blocking layer (not shown) to avoid interference caused by stray light around the microlens.

Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an optical path of the modification of fig. 10. As shown in fig. 13, the field of view FV1 partially overlaps with the field of view FV2, which allows the sensing unit 41U to sense objects at a shorter distance and at a longer distance. Furthermore, as can also be seen from fig. 13, the field of view FV1 overlaps the field of emission FE1 over the object F, and not over the object F2; and the field of view FV2 overlaps with the transmit field FE1 over the object F2 and not over the object F.

FIGS. 14 and 15 show layout diagrams of two examples of various sensing units. As shown in FIG. 14, the sensing units 41U and 42U are staggered to form a two-dimensional array. The offset amount of the first sensing optical aperture 43 of the sensing unit 41U relative to the sensing microlens 49 is different from the offset amount of the first sensing optical aperture 43B of the sensing unit 42U relative to the sensing microlens 49B with respect to the central optical axes of the microlens and the optical aperture, so that objects with two different field angles (distance ranges) can be sensed. As shown in fig. 15, regarding the central optical axes of the microlenses and the optical apertures, the offset vector of the first sensing optical aperture 43 with respect to the sensing microlens 49, the offset vector of the sensing optical aperture 43 'of the sensing unit 41U' with respect to the sensing microlens 49', the offset vector of the sensing optical aperture 43B' of the sensing unit 42U 'with respect to the sensing microlens 49B', and the offset vector of the first sensing optical aperture 43B with respect to the sensing microlens 49B may be gradually changed, and four objects with different field angles (distance ranges) may be sensed. Of course, it is also possible to provide a sensing unit without offset as one of the cells in the progressive arrangement.

FIG. 16 shows a schematic view of the fields of view of various sensing units. The configuration of fig. 15 may produce a plurality of sensing units 41U,41U ',42U', and 42U having different angular ranges of the fields of view FV1, FV1', FV2', and FV2 as shown in fig. 16. The sensing units 41U,41U ',42U' and 42U are arranged progressively (increasing or decreasing) according to azimuths Ag1, Ag2, Ag3 and Ag4 of the central optical axes 41X,41X ',42X' of the fields of view FV1, FV1', FV2' and FV2, respectively, wherein the azimuths may be defined with respect to the horizontal line. Thereby, objects of more distance ranges can be sensed. In addition, the oblique distance between the central optical axis and the sensing unit can also be converted into a straight distance according to different azimuth angles, for example, the distance from the sensing unit 41U to the object F is equal to the distance from the sensing unit 41U to the point P multiplied by sin (Ag1) to correct the error of the oblique distance.

It should be noted that all the above embodiments can be combined, replaced or modified with each other as appropriate to provide various combined effects. The TOF optical sensing module can be applied to various electronic devices, such as mobile phones, tablet computers, cameras, and/or wearable computing devices that can be installed on clothes, shoes, watches, glasses, or any other wearable structure. In certain embodiments, the TOF optical sensing module or the electronic device itself may be located in a vehicle such as a ship and automobile, a robot, or any other movable structure or machine.

Through the TOF optical sensing module of the embodiment, at least one angle light guide structure and an optional stray light removing structure can be properly designed, so that the interference of noise on sensing pixels can be effectively isolated, and a distance sensing result is more stable and accurate so as to be applied in a related way. In addition, the baffle structure is manufactured on the inner side of the packaging cap, so that the process control becomes easy, the manufacturing flow is simplified, the stability of the structure is improved, the stray light interference and the thermal interference are reduced, and the signal-to-noise ratio of the sensing pixel is further improved. In addition, the light guide structures with different angles of the same optical sensing module can provide sensing effects in multiple distance ranges, and obtain distance information of objects in far, medium, near or even more distance ranges, so that the distance information can provide diversified applications.

The embodiments presented in the detailed description of the preferred embodiments are only for convenience of description of the technical content of the present invention, and do not limit the present invention to the above-described embodiments in a narrow sense, and all the modifications made without departing from the spirit of the present invention and the scope defined by the claims are within the scope of the present invention.