Patent ID: 7452743

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a plurality of microelectronic imaging units, the method comprising: providing an imager workpiece having a plurality of imaging dies including integrated circuits, external contacts electrically coupled to the integrated circuits, and image sensors operably coupled to the integrated circuits, the individual image sensors including a plurality of active pixels and at least one dark current pixel at a perimeter portion of the image sensor; depositing a cover layer onto the workpiece and over the image sensors; patterning and selectively developing the cover layer to form discrete volumes of cover layer material over corresponding image sensors; depositing an opaque material onto the workpiece between the discrete volumes of cover layer material and over the dark current pixels, the opaque material having sidewalls aligned with an inboard edge of the individual dark current pixels such that the active pixels of the image sensor are not covered by the opaque material and such that the dark current pixels are covered by the opaque material; and removing the discrete volumes of cover layer material from the workpiece.