Abstract:
A semiconductor die with an imager sensor on an integrated circuit (IC) is mated directly to a substrate, such as a printed circuit board or any traditional chip carrier. A retaining well is built by adding an elevated structure about the mated IC chip with an inexpensive epoxy compound, forming a recess in which the IC is disposed. Thereafter, a coating layer of a viscous epoxy is added to the well and allowed to cure. The coating is clear, allowing light to pass to the IC chip. The epoxy along with the substrate encapsulates the IC chip, providing an easy and inexpensive chip package. The substrate may comprise a laminate substrate that is preprinted with easily reconfigurable leads and multi-layer routing arranged to minimize noise and cross-talk. The coating, or an additional coating placed on top of or underneath the clear coating, may also perform filtering of one or more portions of the light spectrum. The IC may alternatively comprise any type of circuitry that responds to received light or that generates light.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present invention is directed to an economical chip package for an imager integrated circuit (IC) chip. More precisely, the invention is directed to an economical package and combination of coating and cap for imager circuitry contained in an integrated circuit (IC) chip, such as a CMOS (Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) imager. 
     2. Related Art 
     Conventional chip packages are made with a number of techniques. First, one type of popular chip carrier is one known as a ceramic-leaded chip carrier (CLCC). Other types of chip packages include a plastic leadless chip carrier (PLCC), multi-layer ceramic pin grid ray (PGA) package, and ball grid ray (BGA) type packages. The PLCC and CLCC packages typically contain leads at the edge of the carrier. Most imagers, for example, utilize PLCC and CLCC packaging. The PGA and BGA packages typically contain leads on the bottom of the carrier in an array pattern. 
     In all these chip carrier packages, the basic principals remain the same. First, an IC chip is mated to the package substrate. The package substrate contains interconnections consisting of metallic traces that couple electric connections on the IC chip to leads on or in the chip package itself. As such, the IC chip is electrically connected to the external environment through the metallic traces and the leads present on the chip carrier package. 
     In the mating process for the chip carrier to the IC chip, the relative distances and areas used for the electrical interconnections are small. Thus, when a high-speed digital or analog line is close to another electrical line, high switching speeds or frequencies can create interference between the neighboring due to parasitic capacitance or inductance. The limited geometries of typical chip carrier packages inhibit the minimization of these problems. 
     Such problems are compounded with imager packaging. For example, as the resolution of CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) imager sensor cores increase, attempting to successfully design and package such imagers becomes increasingly difficult due to the corresponding increase in sensitivity to parasitic capacitance and inductance inherent in the package. 
     A cap or cover is employed to protect IC chips from the external environment. Typically a cap or cover, which may be made of a ceramic type material, for example, is bonded into place on the package made of the IC chip connected to the ceramic substrate. The ceramic materials are typically used to seal caps and covers to the module substrate. The ceramic type materials are also used to seal pin feed-through in the chip carrier modules. 
     Ceramic module sealing is typically used when the substrate and the cover are ceramic. The sealing materials are based on glasses with low melting temperatures since the sealing temperatures must not degrade the devices within the module. Typical sealing temperatures are in the range of 400° to 500° C. The glass is normally ground into a powder, then mixed into a paste with organic binders and saltants. The paste is applied to the seal areas by screening, stenciling, or extrusion, and the made in substrate cover (with mounted IC enclosed) are heated to flow the glass in former hermetic seal. 
     Glass is also used to fasten and seal through holes in the carrier modules. Short tubes of the glass sealing material are placed over the pins. Then the case, with the pins and preforms, is placed in a fixture for joining. The joining is accomplished by melting the glass, which then bonds to the pins and the case. Since this operation is performed before any of the devices are mounted to the module, the sealing temperatures are only limited by the properties of the case and the pins, and can be much higher than for module sealing. 
     Good properties of a sealing material include: the ability to form a hermetic seal; electrically insulating to prevent shorting; ability to wet the mating materials at the sealing temperature; and the ability to inhibit movement or stresses placed on the bonding of the IC chip to the substrate when in use due to thermal expansion. 
     In normal applications, the resulting chip and carrier is mated to a board that can itself be mated to another device. The board is typically a printed circuit board or the like. The card or planar surface has pads or holes to accept the terminals from the module. For LCC components, the connection points are pads. In the case of PGA components and dual inline packages (DIP), the pins interface into plated through holes in printed circuit boards. In both cases, the pins are soldered into place. 
     Typically, printed circuit boards consist of interleaved layers of conducting and insulating material. The insulating material may be such material as an epoxy/glass or a fiberglass surface, for example. The insulating surface is typically washed in a bath of conductive material to deposit a conductive layer on top of the insulating layer. Then, a circuitization step is accomplished using photoresist protecting the interconnection lines. The resulting traces form the electrical interconnects on the printed circuit board. 
     Many such layers can be combined through the use of plated through holes, or vias. In this manner, three-dimensional routing may be formed and routed. As such, the connection of a functional IC chip to an electronic device usually involves at least two different connection processes. First, the IC chip is typically mounted and electrically connected within a package, e.g., within a ceramic chip package. Next, the imager IC package is electrically coupled to a printed circuit for final insertion into the electronic device. 
     This multi-stage process is expensive, cumbersome and subject to failure. Specifically, the plurality of steps of electrical interconnection allow for a greater probability of failure because of a failure in the electrical interconnections between the IC chip and the imager IC package, or between the electrical package containing the IC chip and each board layer. 
     Additionally, the process of constructing a package contains many steps and uses relatively expensive materials. In a mass-market consumer market, a single type of packaged IC&#39;s may be distributed and used by the millions. For example, an imager IC chip may be employed across a wide spectrum of mass market items, such as digital cameras, security devices, communications devices, digital camcorders, and devices used in streaming web technology, just to name a few. The ease and cost of manufacturing these imagers is important in IC chips employed in such wide usage. 
     Many other problems and disadvantages of the prior art will become apparent to one skilled in the art after comparing such prior art with the present invention as described herein. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Various aspects of the present invention can be found in a package for an imager chip containing an integrated circuit. The imager chip has an electrical contact that transmits an electrical signal to or from the integrated circuit. 
     The package is made with a base insulating substrate, made out of a glass epoxy or laminate, such as a printed circuit board. The base insulating substrate is preformed with bond pads and electric leads. The bond pads are electrically coupled to the leads. 
     A imager chip is mated to the base insulating substrate, with the electrical contacts of the imager chip coupled to the bond pads when properly in place. Or, the bond pads may be coupled to the electrical contacts in a succeeding step. This allows transmission of an electrical signal between the leads and the integrated circuit, through the bond pad and the electrical interconnects on the preformed base insulating substrate. 
     Additionally, a retaining structure is constructed on the base insulating substrate, such that the retaining structure encircles the imager chip. Thus, the retaining structure and the planar surface of the base insulating substrate form a recess, in which the imager chip is mated to the base insulating substrate. The retaining structure may be made of an epoxy or resin, and may be formed on the base insulating substrate before or after the mating of the imager chip to the base insulating substrate. 
     A material is deposited in the recess. The material may be of a viscous nature so that it flows evenly in the recess. The material is allowed to cure or harden, forming a protective layer about the imager chip and isolating the imager chip from damage effect from an external environment. 
     The package the material may be an epoxy, and when the epoxy is cured, it forms a hardened protective coating to the imager chip. Or, the material added to the recess may be originally in a hardened form, such as a low melting point powder. Upon curing at a temperature, high enough to melt the powder or solid material to a viscous stage, yet low enough to not damage the imager chip, the material again forms a protective layer surrounding the imager chip. 
     Other aspects of the invention can be found in a package where the base insulating substrate is prefabricated with multiple layers. Internal layers, as well as the surface layer may contain circuitization, allowing for the imager chip to be connected to the appropriate lead either through circuitization on the surface of the base insulating substrate, or through circuitization within the base insulating substrate, or some combination thereof. 
     The pins of the package may be in several configurations. The pins may be arranged on the periphery of the package (an LCC type arrangement), or they may be arranged in an array on the bottom of the base insulating substrate (a PGA or BGA type arrangement). 
     The imager chip may allow different types of signals to be input or output. The imager chip may operate with analog electrical signals, digital electrical signals, or some combination. In the case where the array type arrangement is used, the analog signals or the high speed digital signals may be coupled to the leads nearest the imager chip (the innermost lead layer), in order to minimize electrical interference based on the signal or on the geometries of the interconnects. 
     Other aspects of the present invention may be found in an imaging device, having an integrated circuit die disposed on a substrate and having a covering deposited thereon. In particular, the integrated circuit die contains imager circuitry coupled to a first plurality of contacts. The substrate has a second plurality of contacts that are electrically coupled to the first plurality of contacts. The covering is applied as a viscous coating. Along with the substrate, the covering encapsulates the integrated circuit die and the second plurality of contacts. The covering is also substantially transparent to the received light. 
     In some embodiments, the imaging device may also use a retaining structure that encircles the die. When used, the retaining structure and the substrate form a recess in which the integrated circuit die is mated to the substrate. Thereafter, the covering is injected into the recess before the covering cures. The covering may be an epoxy or polymer, and may perform light filtering. 
     Various other aspects of the present invention may be found in a method for packaging an integrated circuit die using a carrier. Specifically, the method involves electrically coupling the first plurality of contacts with the second plurality of contacts, and depositing a substantially clear covering, before the covering cures, to coat the first plurality of contacts, the second plurality of contacts, and at least a portion of the imager circuitry. 
     The method may further involve encircling the integrated circuit die with a retaining structure to create a cavity in which the substantially clear covering is deposited. Such structure may be left in place or removed after the depositing of the substantially clear covering. The covering may be an epoxy, polymer or any other material that is substantially clear. It may also be applied in layers wherein some layers have different light characteristics than others. Some of such layers or the single coating layer may perform selective light filtering. 
     Yet other variations and aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those of skill in the art after reviewing the entire specification and drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective diagram of one embodiment of an imager integrated circuit package built in accordance with the present invention, wherein a printed circuit board is used in the packaging of an imager integrated circuit chip to form a leadless chip carrier type package. 
     FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional diagram of the imager IC packaging of FIG. 1 with encapsulation using a filler containment wall in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional diagram that illustrates an alternate embodiment of the final encapsulation of the imager IC chip of FIG. 1, wherein the containment wall is removed after the filler material cures. 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional diagram illustrating two of many possible variations that may be employed in an imager IC package built in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of an imager IC package in accordance with other aspects of the present invention, wherein no retainer walls are used to contain filler material to form a ball grid array type PCB package. 
     FIG. 6 is cross-sectional diagram illustrating that multiple IC chips may be simultaneously encapsulated in an alternate embodiment built in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 7 is cross-sectional diagram of an alternate embodiment of the multi-chip imager package of FIG. 6, wherein the filler material comprises a plurality of layers. 
     FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional diagram of a printed circuit board that operates as a package for one imager while accepting a printed circuit board imager IC package such as those illustrated in the previous FIGS. 1-7. 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an imager IC package prior to depositing the filler material and retaining walls (if used) in accordance with the present invention, illustrating routing techniques that may be employed to minimize noise and cross-talk. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective diagram of one embodiment of an imager integrated circuit package built in accordance with the present invention, wherein a printed circuit board is used in the packaging of an imager integrated circuit chip to form a leadless chip carrier type package. Specifically, an imager IC (Integrated Circuit) package  100  comprises a PCB (Printed Circuit Board)  120  and an imager IC chip  110  mounted thereon. The PCB  120  is made of any material common to the construction of any conventional PCB, or any other type of easily and mass-produced electronic component substrate. 
     The PCB  120  has a plurality of package leads, e.g., package leads  122  and  124 . The package leads, in turn, connect to one or more electrical interconnects (such as electrical interconnects  132  and  136 ) within or on a surface  138  of the PCB  120 . The electrical interconnects of the PCB  120  are coupled to bond leads, e.g., bond leads  126  and  128 , on the surface of the PCB  120 . 
     The imager IC chip  110  has a plurality of bond pads, e.g., bond pad  130 , that correspond to the bond leads of the PCB  120  for bond wire interconnection. For example, a bonding machine may connect the bond pad  130  to the bond lead  126  by placing and bonding a wire (not shown) therebetween. As a result, an electrical connection between the IC chip  110  and the external environment is created from the IC bond pad  130  to the package lead  122  by way of the bond wire, the bond lead  126 , and the electrical interconnect  136 . The electrical path runs along the surface  138  of the PCB  120 . 
     Alternately, if the bond wire is placed between the bond pad  130  and the bond lead  128 , the electrical path will run in an internal routing layer of the PCB  120 . Specifically, if so placed, the electrical path could run, for example, between the package lead  124  and the bond pad  130  by way of the bond wire, the bond lead  128 , interconnect portions  132   a-d,  and an interconnect portion (not visible) that runs within a layer of the PCB  120  between the interconnect portions  132   c  and  132   d.  The interconnect portions  132   c  and  132   d  are plated through holes (also known as “vias”) that electrically connect an interconnect portion on one layer with that of another layer. 
     The PCB  120  is preconstructed to match the electrical contacts present on the IC chip  110 . The PCB  120  is preconstructed using widely known techniques, such as described above. Additionally, through judicious use of area on the PCB  120 , or alternatively using interconnections within the PCB  120 , the outputs from any one of the electrical contacts from the IC chip  110  may be rerouted to any one or more package leads present on the imager IC package  100 . 
     As mentioned above, the PCB  120  may be constructed using pre-existing methods cheaply and efficiently. Various circuitries and interconnection patterns may be constructed on and within the PCB  120 . The bond pads electrically connecting the IC chip  110  to the PCB  120  may be constructed in any manner employed in conventional packaging interconnect techniques. 
     After attaching the IC chip  110  to the PCB  120  through an adhesive  142 , bond wires are placed by a bonding machine as previously discussed. Gold wires are typically used, and bonds are typically made by thermal compression bonding with a heated tool in a metal to metal diffusion process. Alternatively, the bonding of the bond pads of the IC chip  110  and the bond leads of the PCB  120  may be handled through a process called wire tape bonding. This consists of simultaneously attaching a flexible tape of wires from a plurality of bond pads to corresponding plurality of bond leads. 
     Of course, many other types of interconnections are possible. For example, flip chip interconnections may be made between the bond pads and the bond leads. The flip chip interconnection allows the connections on the chip to be arranged in an area as opposed to being peripherally arranged around the chip. The flip chip connections are made by very small solder balls formed by the sequence of process steps for the IC chip  110 . Later, when the IC chip  110  is placed on the PCB  120 , the solder balls connect and melt onto an array of metal pads on the PCB  120 . The surface tension of the liquid solder helps align the IC chip  110  properly on the PCB  120 . With this solder bonding, the IC chip  110  is electrically, mechanically, and thermally connected to the PCB  120 . The solder has adequate ductility to endure the relative thermal displacements. 
     After bonding, the imager IC chip  110  is encapsulated and hermetically sealed. To support image capture, such encapsulation must provide an optical pathway for exposing the imager IC chip  110  to light. A variety of techniques may be used to accomplish this encapsulation and sealing as will be appreciated with reference to the subsequent figures. 
     FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional diagram of the imager IC packaging of FIG. 1 with encapsulation using a filler containment wall in accordance with the present invention. In particular, a wall of material, a containment wall  204  is constructed to surround the imager IC chip  110 , associated bond wires, and the bond leads of the PCB  120 . The containment wall is attached to the PCB  120  using an adhesive  210 . Such constructions may occur before, after or during the process of attaching the IC chip  110  to the PCB  120 . The containment wall  204  may be made of an inexpensive material, such as an epoxy or polymer or any other at least semi-rigid material. Once the containment wall  204  and the IC chip  110  are in place, a filler material  208  is added and left to cure and harden, completing the packaging of an imager IC package  200 . 
     The filler material (also hereinafter “Optical material”) may be any optical grade polymer, silicon gel, etc. The filler material is clear and serves to hermetically seal and protect the imager IC chip and associated bond wires. However, in some embodiments, the filler material has other optical characteristics, e.g., light filtering, for selecting or reflecting UV (ultraviolet), red, blue, etc. Such optical characteristics may be contained throughout the filler material, or in a layer thereof, for example, in a further coating layer below or above the primary filler material layer. 
     In the present embodiment, the containment wall  204  corresponds to the rectangular shape of the imager IC chip  110 , although any other shape might be used. The filler material  208  is injected into the cavity formed by the PCB  120  and the containment wall  204 . The filler material  208  is electrically inert, allowing the uninterrupted operation of the IC chip  110  with the electrical connections on the PCB  120 . The filler material  208  is typically transparent to allow an unimpeded pathway for light to reach the imager IC chip  110 . However, in some embodiments, the filler material  208  also provides light filtering. For multiple imager designs, for example, the filler material might act as a red filter for one imager IC package. In another imager IC package, the filler material might act as a green filter, and blue in another package. 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional diagram that illustrates an alternate embodiment of the final encapsulation of the imager IC chip of FIG. 1, wherein the containment wall is removed after the filler material cures. Specifically, whether or not a containment wall  304  has been adhered to the PCB  120 , after a filler material  308  at least begins to harden or has completed the hardening process, the containment wall  304  is removed. The containment wall  304  is held in place for the injection of the filler material and through a curing period in a single processing step. 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional diagram illustrating two of many possible variations that may be employed in an imager IC package built in accordance with the present invention. An imager IC package  400  comprises a PCB  420  and a cap  430  to encapsulate an imager IC chip  442 . Instead of the leadless chip carrier type packaging of FIGS. 1-3, a leaded chip carrier having an array of package leads, such as package leads  446  and  448 , which are attached to the PCB  420  is illustrated. The package leads  446  and  448 , as other package leads, are inserted in plated through holes  452  and  454 , respectively, and soldered into place. Alternatively, although not shown, the package leads may be soldered directly to target pads on the bottom surface of the PCB  420 . 
     The cap  430  is pre-constructed and attached to the PCB  420  using an adhesive  450 , eliminating the need for the filler material processing. The cap  430  is adhered to the PCB  420  after wire bonding the bond pads of an imager IC chip  442  to the bond leads of the PCB  420 . As with the filler material, the cap  430  may be transparent or be constructed to act as a light filter. 
     In alternate embodiments, the cap  430  may comprise a wall and a lid which are finally adhered together before, during or after the wire bonding process. Similarly, at least the top portion (or lid) of the cap  430  may be comprise a plurality of layers, wherein each layer performs a different optical function such as filtering, polarization, apertures, lensing, etc. As may be appreciated, many such variations are possible. 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of an imager IC package in accordance with other aspects of the present invention, wherein no retainer walls are used to contain filler material to form a ball grid array type PCB package. A wall need not be employed because a viscous filler material is poured over the IC chip and allowed to cure. Specifically, a four layer PCB  520  is sized as a ball grid array type IC package, as illustrated. A ball grid array of interconnections  532  is placed on a lower surface of the PCB  520 . On the top surface, an imager IC chip  534  is adhered and wire bonded to the PCB  520 . Thereafter, a filler material  536  is poured over the imager then allowed to harden. As before, the filler material  536  may be transparent or otherwise to perform an optical function. The filler material  536  may also be deposited in layers, with each layer possibly performing a different optical function. 
     As with all of the multi-layer PCB&#39;s illustrated herein, the PCB  520  provides internal and surface routing electrical interconnects between bond leads and package leads. A bond lead  542  may be connected to a solder ball  544  of the ball grid array  532  by way of interconnect routing on a surface  546  to the solder ball  544  by way of interconnect and plated through hole routing on interconnect layers  548 ,  550  and  552 . One or more of the interconnect layers of the PCB  520  may be designed as a ground-plane to isolate the imager IC chip and electrical pathways connected thereto from noise sources. With or without ground-plane usage, careful routing on and within the PCB  520  can minimize noise between otherwise adjacent high-speed digital and analog signal lines. 
     FIG. 6 is cross-sectional diagram illustrating that multiple IC chips may be simultaneously encapsulated in an alternate embodiment built in accordance with the present invention. An imager multi-chip IC package  610  is constructed from a PCB  620  and filler material  626  that encapsulate an imager IC chip  630  and an associated imager logic chip  632 . To illustrate further packaging variations, the imager IC chip  630  is electrically coupled to the PCB  620  using bonding tape  642 , while the imager logic chip  632  is coupled to the PCB  620  through a flip-chip configuration via an array of solder balls, such as a solder ball  644 . A containment wall  628  forms the cavity in which the filler material  626  is injected and cured. Of course, many other variations are possible, e.g., further IC chips and other active and passive components may be encapsulated within the filler material  626 . As before, the filler material  626  may be transparent or act as a filter to meet specific design needs. 
     FIG. 7 is cross-sectional diagram of an alternate embodiment of the multi-chip imager package of FIG. 6, wherein the filler material comprises a plurality of layers. First, a filler material  726  is disposed to partially fill the cavity formed by a containment wall  728  and a PCB  720 . After an appropriate curing time, another filler material  726  is added and cured. Additional layers could be added. Such layering of filler materials can be used merely to assist in the filling process, or might be used for specific optical purposes. For example, the filler material  728  might have filter characteristics, while the filler material  726  acts transparently. 
     FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional diagram of a printed circuit board that operates as a package for one imager while accepting a printed circuit board imager IC package such as those illustrated in the previous FIGS. 1-7. Specifically, a PCB  820  forms part of an imager IC package  814  as described previously in reference to the previous Figures. Even so, the PCB  820  need not constitute a package itself, which is mounted within a socket of another PCB. Instead, the PCB  820  may comprise, for example, a motherboard or an edge-engaging card. 
     The package for an imager IC chip  832  comprises the PCB  820 , a containing wall  834 , and filler material  836 . Similarly, another package for an imager IC chip  840  comprises a PCB  840 , a containing wall  844 , and filler material  846 . Unlike the PCB  820 , the PCB  840  is constructed as shown in previous Figures to engage a socket  850  that is directly mounted on the PCB  820 . Other IC packages (such as a package  860 ) and discrete components (such as a component  862 ) may also be mounted on the PCB  820  in any traditional manner. 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an imager IC package prior to depositing the filler material and retaining walls (if used) in accordance with the present invention, illustrating routing techniques that may be employed to minimize noise and cross-talk. Specifically, in an imager IC package  900 , a four layer PCB  901  provides five possible routing layers for interconnecting bond leads to off-package circuitry through the package leads. For example, a bond pad  903  of an imager IC chip  905  is connected to a bond lead  907  through a bond wire or bonding tape (not shown). The bond lead  907  is connected to a package lead  909  by way of routing interconnects. As illustrated, such interconnects include traces  911  and  917 , plated-through holes  913  and  915 , and other traces and possibly other plated-through holes (not shown) within or on the PCB  901 . 
     Similarly, a bond pad  920  may be coupled to a package lead  925  by way of a bond wire, a bond lead  923  and a trace  927 . Likewise, a bond pad  930  is coupled to a package lead  935  via a bond lead  933  and a trace  937 . Thus, as may be appreciated, the trace  927  may carry high-speed digital or analog signals, which might normally interfere with adjacent signals. To minimize such interference, the trace  937  has been routed away from the trace  927  which has been given a most direct path to off-board circuitry. Also to minimize such interference, the interconnection of the bond lead  907  and the package lead  909  takes place at layers beneath the surface layer of the PCB  901 . 
     In some embodiments, such interconnection may take place below a ground-plane PCB layer to further minimize such interference. Alternatively, the high-speed digital or analog signal on flowing between the bond lead  923  and the package lead  925  might itself be routed in a lower layer of the PCB  901  and, possibly, between two ground-plane layers. Many other techniques applied to traditional PCB routing may also be employed to minimize noise. 
     If any second level package that ultimately uses the imager IC package  900  needs a reconfiguration of leads for design purposes, this may be easily accomplished in the PCB  901 , rather than in a redesign of the electrical contacts of the imager IC chip  905 . Without changing the external electrical wiring or contacts of the imager IC chip  905 , the outputs of the imager IC package  900  can be easily altered or rerouted by simply rerouting the traces, such as the trace  937 . This allows for easy and cost effective way to change input and output pins locations without the need to reconfigure the imager IC chip  905 . 
     The imager IC chips illustrated in FIGS. 1-9 may comprise CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) imagers, CCD (Charge Coupled Device) imagers, or any other type of semiconductor-based image capture technology. Although only a few of package types are illustrated in FIGS. 1-9, many other package types might be employed using a PCB in the construction process in accordance with the present invention. 
     Although a system and method according to the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiment, it is not intended to be limited to the specific form set forth herein, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, as can be reasonably included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
     In view of the above detailed description of the present invention and associated drawings, other modifications and variations will now become apparent to those skilled in the art. It should also be apparent that such other modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.