I thought this is worth a separate post instead of burying it inside our
camera build thread.
Basically there are 2 steps, one is removal of the cover glass and the other is the actual debayering. I will split the info in several posts to avoid a single huge post.
I used a toothpick to scrape the sensor to remove the CFA (colour filter array). There are several other methods that were suggested on the net.
1. Dichoromethane (DCM) apparently dissolves/softens the CFA. DCM is often found in paint strippers. I did not use this method as I could not find a suitable paint stripper. The ones I found had gel inside which was impossible to get rid of.
2. Ethyl acetate is supposed to soften the CFA. I did not have any to try but I tried isopropanol and could not notice any difference compared to just using the toothpick.
Tools used: scalpel blade, heat gun, toothpicks, stereoscope, extremely steady hands, patience (lots of it).
For this method (and probably any other method) a stereoscope with 10x to 20x magnification is necessary. You could get away with smaller magnifiers to debayer the middle of the sensor but for the corners the accuracy is critical. See photo which shows the tiny gold wires which will break if you look at them the wrong way
Some people also use epoxy to protect the gold wires but with a stereoscope this is not necessary.
To be continued...