July 10, 2006 - Tessera Technologies Inc., a provider of miniaturization technologies for the electronics industry, unveiled Shellcase CF, a wafer-level technology for optical components integrated into electronic products such as miniaturized cameras in camera phones, digital still cameras and video camcorders.

Suitable for image sensors, certain types of MEMS and other optical devices, Shellcase CF is intended to protect the components from contamination from the initial stage of processing and is compatible with conventional Chip-on-Board (COB) assembly processes.

Tessera says an immediate targeted application of the technology is for CMOS and CCD image sensors used in camera phones. For these applications, Shellcase CF is engineered to provide up to a 40 percent improvement in yield over existing COB technology. The company says the yield improvement is realized through the protection of the sensor's active area from contamination and the ability to perform wafer-level image testing prior to module assembly, both of which significantly improve camera module yield and dramatically reduce overall cost.

Shellcase CF is the newest addition to Tessera's Shellcase wafer-level technology family and shares some similarities with COB construction. However, unlike COB technology, Shellcase CF encapsulates the image sensor, MEMS or other optical device with a glass cover that is elevated from the silicon surface using cavity walls. The cover design leaves the image sensor bond pads exposed allowing for standard wire-bond assembly. The protected die is then singulated and mounted to the board using standard die attach processes.

Tessera is currently licensing the technology to interested parties. Prototype samples for evaluation are available.