Abstract: A microelectronic unit includes a semiconductor element having a front surface to which a packaging layer is attached, and a rear surface remote from the front surface. The element includes a light detector including a plurality of light detector element arranged in an array disposed adjacent to the front surface and arranged to receive light through the rear surface. The semiconductor element also includes an electrically conductive contact at the front surface connected to the light detector. The conductive contact includes a thin region and a thicker region which is thicker than the thin region. A conductive interconnect extends through the packaging layer to the thin region of the conductive contact, and a portion of the conductive interconnect is exposed at a surface of the microelectronic unit.

Abstract: A microelectronic image sensor assembly for backside illumination and method of making same are provided. The assembly includes a microelectronic element having contacts exposed at a front face and light sensing elements arranged to receive light of different wavelengths through a rear face. A semiconductor region has a first thickness between the first light sensing element and the rear face and a second thickness between the second light sensing element and the rear face such that the first and second light sensing elements receive light of substantially the same intensity. A dielectric region is provided at least substantially filling a space of the semiconductor region adjacent at least one of the light sensing elements. The dielectric region may include at least one light guide.

Abstract: A microelectronic image sensor assembly for backside illumination and method of making same are provided. The assembly includes a microelectronic element having contacts exposed at a front face and light sensing elements arranged to receive light of different wavelengths through a rear face. A semiconductor region has an opening overlying at least one of first and second light sensing elements, the semiconductor region having a first thickness between the first light sensing element and the rear face and a second thickness between the second light sensing element and the rear face. A light-absorbing material overlies the semiconductor region within the opening above at least one of the light sensing elements such that the first and second light sensing elements receive light of substantially the same intensity.

Abstract: A microelectronic unit includes a semiconductor element having a front surface to which a packaging layer is attached, and a rear surface remote from the front surface. The element includes a light detector including a plurality of light detector element arranged in an array disposed adjacent to the front surface and arranged to receive light through the rear surface. The semiconductor element also includes an electrically conductive contact at the front surface connected to the light detector. The conductive contact includes a thin region and a thicker region which is thicker than the thin region. A conductive interconnect extends through the packaging layer to the thin region of the conductive contact, and a portion of the conductive interconnect is exposed at a surface of the microelectronic unit.

Abstract: Providing for a wafer level optical system employing composite lenses is disclosed herein. Conventional focus lens assemblies require three or more lenses. By way of example, two composite lenses can be used to reduce the cost of a wafer-level camera. In some aspects, the composite lenses can be aspheric and can employ a broader variety of wafer materials than earlier designs that only operated in narrow ranges of refractive indices and Abbe numbers.

Abstract: A monolithic polarizing diffractive structure includes a system having at least two parallel continuous planar surfaces, a diffractive pattern on one of the at least two parallel continuous surfaces, the diffractive pattern including at least two diffractive elements integral with the one of the at least two continuous surfaces, the at least two diffractive elements defining a monolithic diffractive pattern, and a polarizing pattern on one of the at least two parallel continuous surfaces. The polarizing pattern includes at least two polarizing elements, each polarizing element corresponding to a respective diffractive element, the at least two polarizing elements outputting polarizations rotated with respect to one another, the at least two polarizing elements defining a monolithic polarizing pattern.

Abstract: A camera including a mount substrate, a detector on a first surface of the mount substrate, a spacer on the mount substrate, the spacer including a hole exposing the detector, a cover on the spacer, the cover covering the hole, the mount substrate, the spacer and the cover together sealing the detector, the cover having a planar surface facing the detector, and an external electrical interconnection for the detector provided outside the sealing, the external electrical interconnection being on a first surface and a second surface, different from the first surface, of the mount substrate, the external electrical interconnection adapted to connect the detector to an electrical contact pad.

Abstract: A camera includes a first substrate having top and bottom surfaces, a second substrate having top and bottom surfaces, a spacer substrate between a substantially planar portion of the top surface of the second substrate and a substantially planar of the bottom surface of the first substrate, at least two of the first substrate, the second substrate and the spacer substrate sealing an interior space, a detector within the interior space, and an electrical interconnection extending from the detector to outside the interior space.

Abstract: An optical system (302) has a plurality of optical surfaces (304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309) configured to provide blurred images of objects located within a selected range of object distances. At least two of the plurality of optical surfaces are configured to contribute to the blurring. An imaging system (300) includes a blurring optical system (302), a sensor (310) which receives light directed through the optical system, and an image processor (320) which selects one or more deblurring functions and applies the deblurring functions to provide a processed image. The processor may apply different deblurring functions to different sets of the raw data representing different portions of the field of view.

Abstract: An optical transceiver includes at least one light source and at least one detector mounted on the same surface of the same substrate. The detector is to receive light from other than a light source on the surface. At least one of the light source and the detector is mounted on the surface. An optics block having optical elements for each light source and detectors is attached via a vertical spacer to the substrate. Electrical interconnections for the light source and the detector are accessible from the same surface of the substrate with the optics block attached thereto. One of the light source and the detector may be monolithically integrated into the substrate.

Abstract: An optical chassis includes a mount substrate an optoelectronic device on the mount substrate, a spacer substrate, and a sealer substrate. The mount substrate, the spacer substrate and the sealer substrate are vertically stacked and hermetically sealing the optoelectronic device. An external electrical contact for the optoelectronic device is provided outside the sealing. At least part of the optical chassis may be made on a wafer level. A passive optical element may be provided on the sealer substrate or on another substrate stacked and secured thereto.

Abstract: An optical assembly includes a first transparent substrate having first and second surfaces, a second transparent substrate having substantially parallel third and fourth surfaces, a reflective portion on the second transparent substrate, a plurality of filters between the first substrate and the reflective portion, the plurality of filters filtering light beams incident thereon, the plurality of filters and the reflective portion forming a bounce cavity within the second transparent substrate, a collimating lens for collimating light beams to be input to the bounce cavity, a tilt mechanism for introducing tilt to light beams input to the bounce cavity; an input port receiving light beams and an output port transmitting light beams. The tilt mechanism may be between the first and second substrate.

Abstract: A sub-wavelength anti-reflective diffractive structure is incorporated with a base diffractive structure having a small period to form a high efficiency diffractive structure. In the high efficiency diffractive structure, the anti-reflective structure and/or the base diffractive structure are altered from their ideal solo structure to provide both the desired performance and minimize reflections.

Abstract: A color camera includes at least three sub-cameras, each sub-camera having an imaging lens, a color filter, and an array of detectors, The color camera combines images from the three sub-cameras to form a composite multi-color image, wherein the three sub-cameras include a total number of detectors N and a total number of different color sets X, wherein a first number of signals of a first color set is less than N/X and a second number of signals of a second color set is greater than N/X, signals of the second color set being output from at least two of the three sub-cameras, wherein resolution of a composite image of the second color set is greater than resolution of an individual sub-camera and a resolution of the composite image. Corresponding images of the same color set may be shifted, either sequentially or simultaneously, relative to one another.

Abstract: An optical element may include a first diffractive structure having a radially symmetric amplitude function and a second diffractive structure having a phase function. The second diffractive structure may serve as a vortex lens. A system employing the optical element may include a light source and/or a detector.

Abstract: An optical transceiver includes at least one light source and at least one detector mounted on the same surface of the same substrate. The detector is to receive light from other than a light source on the surface. At least one of the light source and the detector is mounted on the surface. An optics block having optical elements for each light source and detectors is attached via a vertical spacer to the substrate. Electrical interconnections for the light source and the detector are accessible from the same surface of the substrate with the optics block attached thereto. One of the light source and the detector may be monolithically integrated into the substrate.

Abstract: An optical chassis includes a mount substrate an optoelectronic device on the mount substrate, a spacer substrate, and a sealer substrate. The mount substrate, the spacer substrate and the sealer substrate are vertically stacked and hermetically sealing the optoelectronic device. An external electrical contact for the optoelectronic device is provided outside the sealing. At least part of the optical chassis may be made on a wafer level. A passive optical element may be provided on the sealer substrate or on another substrate stacked and secured thereto.

Abstract: A method of making a plurality of micro-optical systems includes providing a plurality of diffractive optical elements and aligning each diffractive optical element with a refractive optical element. Each micro-optical system includes a refractive optical element and a diffractive optical element. The diffractive optical element provides different focal lengths at three different wavelengths for each micro-optical system and includes adjacent steps within a cycle having a difference of more the 2? for at least one of the three different wavelengths.

Abstract: An optical element may include a first diffractive structure having a radially symmetric amplitude function and a second diffractive structure having a phase function. The second diffractive structure may serve as a vortex lens. A system employing the optical element may include a light source and/or a detector.

Abstract: A passive optical element is transferred into a substrate already having features with a vertical dimension thereon. The features may be another passive optical element, an active optical element, a dichroic layer, a dielectric layer, alignment features, metal portions. A protective layer is provided over the feature during the transfer of the optical element. One or more of these processes may be performed on a wafer level.