Patent ID: 7906372
Filing Date: 2011-03-15
Classification: G02B,H01L,H01S

Abstract:
1. A method for protecting wirebonds of a microelectronic device, comprising: wirebonding pads of an opto-electronic semiconductor die to electrical connections of a portion of a substrate on which the die is mounted to form a plurality of elongated wirebond arrays, a first wirebond array of the plurality of elongated wirebond arrays extending along a first edge of the opto-electronic semiconductor die, a second wirebond array of the plurality of elongated arrays of wirebonds extending along a second edge of the opto-electronic semiconductor die; attaching a first elongated wirebond protector to the microelectronic device along the first wirebond array to at least partially cover the wirebonds of the first wirebond array and not cover the opto-electronic semiconductor die; attaching a second elongated wirebond protector to the microelectronic device along the second wirebond array to at least partially cover the wirebonds of the second wirebond array and not cover the opto-electronic semiconductor die; and mounting an optical device on respective receiving surfaces of the first and second elongated wirebond protectors in an orientation with the optical device extending across the substrate from one wirebond protector to another, wherein a first end of the optical device is supported by the first elongated wirebond protector, a second end of the optical device is supported by the second eleongated wirebond protector, and a lower surface of the optical device between the first and second ends of the device is immediately adjacent an upper surface of the opto-electronic semiconductor die where the opto-electronic semiconductor die is not covered by the first and second elongated wirebond protectors, a region between the lower surface of the optical device and the upper surface of the opto-electronic semiconductor die providing an optical signal path between the optical device and the opto-electronic semiconductor die.