Himax Imaging, Inc.

Chung-Wei Chang

Fang-Ming Huang

Dong-Long Lin

Chung-Ren Li

Ping-Hung Yin

Yu-Ping Hu

Chih-Wei Hsiung

Yang Wu

Chi-Shao Lin

Chih-Min Liu

Feixia Yu

Kuo-Chan Huang

Yu-Tsung Lin

Chia-Chi Huang

An image sensor includes an M-shared pixel architecture, an N-shared pixel architecture and a switch unit, wherein M is an integer not smaller than two and N is an integer not smaller than two. The switch unit is coupled between a floating diffusion node of the M-shared pixel architecture and a floating diffusion node of the N-shared pixel architecture.

Image sensor with multi-shared pixel architecture and dual readout path

A pixel circuit includes: a photodetector, a signal adjustment circuit and a switch circuit. The photodetector is employed for generating an output signal in response to light that is incident thereon. The signal adjustment circuit is coupled to the photodetector, and employed for selectively adjusting the output signal to allow the output signal to have a plurality of different logarithmic functions in respect to an intensity of the light. The switch circuit is coupled to the signal adjustment circuit and the photodetector, and employed for coupling the photodetector to the signal adjustment circuit.

Wide dynamic range pixel circuit

A shared active pixel sensor includes a first shared photodiode, a first shared sense node, a first transfer gate, a first shared reset gate and a first shared source follower gate. The first shared photodiode consists of a first signal node and a second signal node. The first shared sense node is electrically connected to the first shared photodiode. The first transfer gate is disposed between the first signal node and the first shared sense node so that the first signal node and the first shared sense node together serve as a source and a drain controlled by the first transfer gate. The first shared reset gate is electrically connected to the first shared sense node. The first shared source follower gate is capable of reading a photocurrent from the first shared photodiode.

Shared active pixel sensor

A semiconductor structure for suppressing hot clusters includes a substrate of a first dopant concentration, an epitaxial layer having a second dopant concentration smaller than the first dopant concentration and directly disposed on the substrate, a dopant gradient region disposed in the epitaxial layer and having a gradient decreasing from the substrate to the epitaxial layer, a shallow trench isolation disposed between a first element region and a second element region, and a shallow trench doping region surrounding the shallow trench isolation and near the dopant gradient region to suppress a hot cluster formed by the first element region to jeopardize the second element region.

Semiconductor structure, method for forming the same and method for suppressing hot cluster

A shared active pixel sensor with a shared photodiode, a shared sense node, a transfer gate, a shared reset gate and a shared source follower gate is disclosed. A shared photodiode includes at least a first signal node and a second signal node. A shared sense node electrically connected to the shared photodiode. A transfer gate disposed between the first signal node and the shared sense node to control the first signal node and the shared sense node. A shared reset gate is electrically connected to the shared sense node and a shared source follower gate reads a photocurrent from the shared photodiode.

An image sensor is provided in the present invention, including a plurality of optical elements, wherein each optical element includes a semiconductor substrate, a dielectric layer and a color filter set. The semiconductor substrate includes a plurality of photosensitive units. The dielectric layer is disposed above the semiconductor substrate and includes a plurality of notches. The color filter set is disposed above the dielectric layer and includes a plurality of filter units and a plurality of convex substances corresponding to the filter units, and the convex substances and the notches are engaged with each other, wherein the convex substances and the notches change in accordance with the distance to the center of the image sensor.

Image sensor with convex substances and notches which change in accordance with distances to image sensor center

An image sensor includes: a substrate, at least a pixel, and at least a light shield is provided. Wherein the pixel includes a photodiode and at least a transistor, and the transistor is connected to a metal line via a contact. The light shield is positioned around at least one side of the pixel, wherein the light shield is made while forming the contact.

Image sensor

A back side illumination (BSI) image sensor includes at least one pixel. The pixel area includes a photo diode and a transfer transistor. The transfer transistor has a control electrode made of a gate poly and a gate oxide for receiving a control instruction, a first electrode coupled to the photo diode, and a second electrode, wherein an induced conduction channel of the transfer transistor partially surrounds a recessed space which is filled with the gate poly and the gate oxide of the transfer transistor.

Back-side illumination  image sensor

An image sensing device is disclosed, including an epitaxy layer having the a conductivity type, including a first pixel area corresponding to a first incident light, a second pixel area corresponding to a second incident light, and a third pixel area corresponding to a third incident light, wherein the wavelength of the first incident light is longer than that of the second incident light and the wavelength of the second incident light is longer than that of the third incident light. A photodiode is disposed in an upper portion of the epitaxy layer, and a first deep well for reducing pixel-to-pixel talk of the image sensing device is disposed in a lower portion of the epitaxy layer in the second pixel area and the third pixel area, wherein at least a portion of the epitaxy layer in first pixel area does not include the first deep well.

Image sensing device and fabrication thereof

A fabricating method of an image sensor includes the steps of: providing a substrate; forming sensing elements on the substrate; forming microlenses on the sensing elements; filling a stuffed material on the microlenses, and air regions are formed in the stuffed material; and forming optical filters on the stuffed material.

Image sensor and related fabricating method thereof

The present invention provides an image sensor and a fabricating method thereof capable of approaching higher quantum efficiency and reducing cost. The method comprises: providing a substrate; forming a pixel region on a top surface of the substrate; forming an interlayer insulating layer and at least a metal line on the pixel region; forming an isolation carrier layer having a hole array therein on the interlayer insulating layer; grinding a lower surface of the substrate to reduce the thickness of the substrate; placing a plurality of conductors into the hole array to form a plurality of bumps on the isolation carrier layer.

Growing community of inventors

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Chung-Wei Chang