Omnivision Technologies, Inc.

Other

Chen-Wei Lu

Yin Qian

Dyson Hsinchih Tai

Jin Li

Ming Zhang

Chia-Chun Miao

Duli Mao

Dajiang Yang

Cheng Zhao

Oray Orkun Cellek

Zhiqiang Lin

Chao-Hung Lin

Gang Chen

Chin Poh Pang

Cunyu Yang

Howard E Rhodes

Xin Ru Wang

Eiichi Funatsu

Chia-Ying Liu

Wei Zheng

Boyang Zhang

Chun-Yung Ai

Ping-Hsu Chen

Shao-Fan Kao

Keiji Mabuchi

Lindsay Alexander Grant

Chih-Wei Hsiung

Alireza Bonakdar

Chengming Liu

Dyson Hsin-Chih Tai

Qingwei Shan

Takayuki Goto

Zhiyong Zhan

Wu-Zang Yang

Zhenhong Fu

Tawei Ho

Tung-Ti Yeh

Cheng-ming Liu

The invention disclose a pixel in an image sensor capable of detecting infrared light and associated fabrication method. The image sensor includes a semiconductor substrate having a first photodiode and a second photodiode adjacent to the first photodiode. A planarized dielectric layer having a recessed region is disposed on a first side of the semiconductor substrate. A first color filter is disposed on the planarized dielectric layer aligned with the first photodiode and configured to transmit light of a first wavelength range. A second color filter is disposed in the recessed region and on the planarized dielectric layer. The second color filter is aligned with the second photodiode, and configured to transmit light of a second wavelength range that is different from the first wavelength range. A first depth-wise thickness of the first color filter is less than a second depth-wise thickness of the second color filter.

Image sensor for infrared sensing and fabrication thereof

An image sensor includes a photodiode array and a color filter array optically aligned with the photodiode array. The photodiode array includes a plurality of photodiodes disposed within respective portions of a semiconductor material. The color filter array includes a plurality of color filters arranged to form a plurality of tiled minimal repeating units. Each minimal repeating unit includes at least a first color filter with a red spectral photoresponse, a second color filter with a yellow spectral photoresponse, and a third color filter with a panchromatic spectral photoresponse.

Image sensor with subtractive color filter pattern

A flare-suppressing image sensor includes a first pixel formed in a substrate and a refractive element located above the first pixel. The refractive element has, with respect to a top surface of the substrate, a height profile having at least two one-dimensional local maxima in each of a first cross-sectional plane and a second cross-sectional plane perpendicular to the first cross-sectional plane. Each of the first and second cross-sectional planes is perpendicular to the top surface and intersects the first pixel.

Flare-suppressing image sensor

An image sensor pixel array comprises a plurality of image pixel units to gather image information and a plurality of phase detection auto-focus (PDAF) pixel units to gather phase information. Each of the PDAF pixel units includes two of first image sensor pixels covered by two micro-lenses, respectively. Each of the image pixel units includes four of second image sensor pixels adjacent to each other, wherein each of the second image sensor pixels is covered by an individual micro-lens. A coating layer is disposed on the micro-lenses and forms a flattened surface across the whole image sensor pixel array. A PDAF micro-lens is formed on the coating layer to cover the first image sensor pixels.

Image sensors with phase detection auto-focus pixels

Light control for improved near infrared sensitivity and channel separation for an image sensor. In one embodiment, an image sensor includes: a plurality of photodiodes arranged in rows and columns of a pixel array; and a light filter layer having a plurality of light filters configured over the plurality of photodiodes. The light filter layer has a first side facing the plurality of photodiodes and a second side facing away from the first side. The image sensor also includes a color filter layer having a plurality of color filters configured over the plurality of photodiodes. The color filter layer has a first surface facing the second side of the light filter layer and a second surface facing away from the first layer. Individual micro-lenses are configured to direct incoming light through corresponding light filter and color filter onto the respective photodiode.

Light control for improved near infrared sensitivity and channel separation

An image sensor pixel array comprises a plurality of image pixel units to gather image information and a plurality of phase detection auto-focus (PDAF) pixel units to gather phase information. Each of the PDAF pixel units includes two of first image sensor pixels covered by a shared micro-lens. Each of the image pixel units includes four of second image sensor pixels adjacent to each other, wherein each of the second image sensor pixels is covered by an individual micro-lens. A coating layer is disposed on the micro-lenses and forms a flattened surface across the whole image sensor pixel array to receive incident light.

An image sensor comprises a first photodiode and a second photodiode having a smaller full-well capacitance than the first photodiode, wherein the second photodiode is adjacent to the first photodiode; a first micro-lens is disposed above the first photodiode and on an illuminated side of the image sensor; a second micro-lens is disposed above the second photodiode and on the illuminated side of the image sensor; and a coating layer disposed on both the first and second micro-lens, wherein the coating layer forms a flat top surface on the second micro-lens and a conformal coating layer on the first micro-lens.

High dynamic range image sensors

A pixel array comprise a green pixel comprising a first green optical filter and a first clear filter, a red pixel comprising a red optical filter and a first special filter, a blue pixel comprising a blue optical filter and a second special filter, and an IR pixel comprising an IR optical filter and one of a second green optical filter and a second clear filter, where the first special filter suppresses a transmission of IR at a stopband centered at 850 nm at a first IR minimum transmission, and the second special filter suppresses a transmission of IR at the stopband centered at 850 nm at a second IR minimum transmission, and where the first minimum IR transmission is different from the second minimum IR transmission.

Combined visible and infrared image sensor incorporating selective infrared optical filter

A method for manufacturing a high-dynamic-range color image sensor includes (a) depositing a color filter layer on a silicon substrate having a photosensitive pixel array with a plurality of first pixels and a plurality of second pixels, to form (i) a plurality of first color filters above a first subset of each of the plurality of first pixels and the plurality of second pixels and (ii) a plurality of second color filters above a second subset of each of the plurality of first pixels and the plurality of second pixels, wherein thickness of the second color filters exceeds thickness of the first color filters, and (b) depositing, on the color filter layer, a dynamic-range extending layer including grey filters above the second pixels to attenuate light propagating toward the second pixels, combined thickness of the color filter layer and the dynamic-range extending layer being uniform across the photosensitive pixel array.

Methods for high-dynamic-range color imaging

An image sensor includes a multi-pixel detector. The multi-pixel detector includes a first pixel formed in a substrate and having a first photodiode region, a second pixel formed in the substrate adjacent to the first pixel and having a second photodiode region, and a microlens above both the first pixel and the second pixel. The microlens includes (a) in a first cross-sectional plane perpendicular to a top surface of the substrate and including both the first and the second photodiode regions, a first height profile having Nlocal maxima, and (b) in a second cross-sectional plane perpendicular to the first cross-sectional plane and the top surface and including only one of the first and the second photodiode regions, a second height profile having N&#x3e;Nlocal maxima.

Multi-pixel detector and associated method for increasing angular sensitivity

An image sensor system, comprising a pixel array that includes at least a first type pixel and a second type pixel, wherein each first type pixel is configured to sense light of a first optical spectral range; and each second pixel is configured to sense light of a second optical spectral range; an optical filter located above the pixel array, said optical filter configured to pass a third optical spectral range and a fourth optical spectral range that is different from the third optical spectral range, wherein the fourth optical spectral range is less than the second optical spectral range; a light source that emits light in a fifth optical spectral range, wherein the fifth optical spectral range at least overlaps with the fourth optical spectral range; and a controller that controls the image sensor system to selectively operate in a first mode that uses said first optical spectral range, and a second mode that uses said second optical spectral range.

A pixel cell includes a second photodiode laterally surrounding a first photodiode in semiconductor material. The first and second photodiodes are adapted to photogenerate image charge in response to incident light. A floating diffusion is disposed in the semiconductor material proximate to an outer perimeter of the second photodiode. A first transfer gate is disposed proximate to the semiconductor material over a first channel region between the first and second photodiodes. The first transfer gate is coupled to transfer the image charge from the first photodiode to the second photodiode. A second transfer gate is disposed proximate to the semiconductor material over a second channel region between the second photodiode and the floating diffusion. The second transfer gate is coupled to transfer the image charge from the second photodiode to the floating diffusion.

Pixel array with embedded split pixels for high dynamic range imaging

A chip scale package (CSP) structure for an image sensor comprises an image sensor chip, wherein the image sensor chip comprises a semiconductor substrate having a top surface to receive light, a plurality of color filters disposed over the top surface, and a plurality of micro lenses disposed on the plurality of color filters. A low refractive index material is disposed over the image sensor chip, wherein the low refractive index material covers the plurality of micro lenses, and wherein a refractive index of the low refractive index material is lower than a refractive index of the plurality of micro lenses. A cover glass is disposed directly on the low refractive index material, wherein no air gap is between the cover glass and the low refractive index material, and between the low refractive index material and the image sensor chip. Therefore, the cover glass is fully supported by the low refractive index material without any dams.

Chip scale package for an image sensor

An image sensor comprises a semiconductor material having an illuminated surface and a non-illuminated surface; a photodiode formed in the semiconductor material extending from the illuminated surface to receive an incident light through the illuminated surface, wherein the received incident light generates charges in the photodiode; a transfer gate electrically coupled to the photodiode to transfer the generated charges from the photodiode in response to a transfer signal; a floating diffusion electrically coupled to the transfer gate to receive the transferred charges from the photodiode; and a near infrared (NIR) quantum efficiency (QE) and modulation transfer function(MTF) enhancement structure. The NIR QE and MTF enhancement structure comprises: a NIR QE enhancement sub-structure comprising at least one NIR QE enhancement elements within a photosensitive region of the photodiode, wherein the NIR QE enhancement sub-structure is configured to modify the incident light at the illuminated surface of the semiconductor material by at least one of diffraction, deflection and reflection, to redistribute the incident light within the photodiode to improve optical sensitivity, including NIR light sensitivity, of the image sensor; and a MTF enhancement sub-structure disposed on the non-illuminated surface of the semiconductor material, facing toward the NIR QE enhancement sub-structure, wherein the MTF enhancement structure has a geometry corresponding to the NIR QE enhancement sub-structure, to ensure the incident light is still within the photodiode after redistribution.

CMOS image sensor having enhanced near infrared quantum efficiency and modulation transfer function

A method of image sensor package fabrication includes providing an image sensor, including a pixel array disposed in a semiconductor material, and a first transparent shield adhered to the semiconductor material. The pixel array is disposed between the semiconductor material and the first transparent shield. A light blocking layer is deposited and disposed between lateral edges of the pixel array and lateral edges of the first transparent shield, and a second transparent shield is placed on the image sensor package, where the light blocking layer is disposed between the first transparent shield and the second transparent shield.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Chen-Wei Lu