Patent ID: 9721837
Date: 2017-08-01
CPC Classifications: G01S,H01L

Claim:
1. A method for fabricating a plurality of optical proximity sensor devices starting with a wafer that includes a plurality of light detector sensor regions, the method comprising: attaching each of a plurality of light source dies to at least one of a plurality of bond pads on a top surface of the wafer that includes the plurality of light detector sensor regions; and attaching, to the wafer, a preformed opaque structure made off-wafer from at least one sheet of opaque material that is etched off-wafer to include a separate respective opening for each of the light source dies, a separate respective opening for each of the light detector sensor regions, and non-etched portions that provide opaque vertical optical barriers, wherein each said sheet of opaque material that is etched off-wafer includes a bottom major planar surface and an opposing top major planar surface, and wherein the etched openings in each said sheet of opaque material extend straight through the sheet of opaque material orthogonally between the top and bottom major planar surfaces of the sheet of opaque material; attaching solder balls or other electrical connectors to the bottom of the wafer; and dicing the wafer to separate the wafer into a plurality of optical proximity sensor devices, each of which includes at least one of the light detector sensor regions, at least one of the light source dies and at least two of the solder balls or other electrical connectors; wherein the preformed opaque structure made off-wafer includes a bottom major planar surface that comprises the bottom major planar surface of one of the at least one sheet of opaque material that is etched off-wafer; wherein the attaching the preformed opaque structure to the wafer comprises attaching the bottom major planar surface of the preformed opaque structure to the top surface of the wafer; wherein the dicing the wafer is performed after the attaching, to the wafer, the preformed opaque structure made off-wafer from the at least one sheet of opaque material; and wherein the preformed opaque structure made off-wafer, which is attached to the wafer prior to the dicing the wafer, and which is made from at least one sheet of opaque material that is etched off-wafer, is cut through during the dicing the wafer.