Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Canesta, Inc.

Cadence Design Systems, Inc.

Waikatolink Limited

Microsoft Corporation

Cyrus Soli Bamji

Onur Can Akkaya

Swati Mehta

Hakan Yalcin

Satyadev Hulikal Nagaraja

Tamer Elkhatib

Sergio Ortiz Egea

Ravi Varadarajan

Xinqiao Liu

Abbas Rafii

Minseok Oh

Khaled Salama

Edoardo Charbon

Mohammad S Mortazavi

Travis Perry

Arrigo Benedetti

Salih Burak Gokturk

Barry Thompson

Zhanping Xu

Michael Scott Fenton

John Peter Godbaz

Mirko Schmidt

Karem A Sakallah

Robert J Palermo

Sunil Prakash Acharya

Andrew Dean Payne

Vijay Rajasekaran

Robert J Palmero

Shiraz Shivji

Mike Fenton

Michael Anthony Hall

Dawson Yee

Vei-Han Chan

Ilhami H Torunoglu

Matthew D Morris

Algird Michael Gudaitis

Adrian Andrew Dorrington

Carlo Tomasi

Karen Y Cheng

Pawan Kulshreshtha

Ender Tunc Eroglu

Nazim Kareemi

Ilhami Torunoglu

Gage Krieger Hills

Peiqian Zhao

Cheng-Feng Sze

William Qian

Brock McCray Roland

Ryan Crabb

Iihami Torunoglu

Yanbin Jiang

Richard Michael Conroy

Hua Hui

Tamer Ahmed Taha Elkhatib

Jayachandra Gullapalli

Enrico Malavasi

Larry Prather

Examples are disclosed that relate to the use of an optical data receiver comprising a multi-tap image sensor pixel for use in optical communications. The multi-tap pixel includes a photodetector and a plurality of taps. The optical data receiver further includes a controller comprising instructions executable for controlling the multi-tap pixel to, in a first period of time, perform a first integration on the photodetector and readout charge stored on a floating diffusion capacitor of a first tap in the plurality of taps using readout circuitry of the first tap. The controller further includes instructions executable for controlling the multi-tap pixel to, in a second period of time, perform a second integration on the photodetector and readout charge stored on a floating diffusion capacitor of a second tap in the plurality of taps using readout circuitry of the second tap.

Optical signal receiver comprising a multi-tap pixel

An image sensor comprises an array of sensor elements, each responsive to incident photon flux, and a readout circuit coupled electronically to the array of sensor elements and configured to release an electronic signal varying in dependence on the incident photon flux. A thermal-barrier zone separates the array of sensor elements from the readout circuit, and a solid-state cooler is coupled thermally to the array of sensor elements.

Image sensor with actively cooled sensor array

An image sensor is disclosed. The image sensor includes a photo detector and a readout structure electronically coupled to the photodetector. The photodetector is configured to accumulate one or more photo charges responsive to one or more incident photons during an integration period. The readout structure is configured to repeatedly and nondestructively assess an amount of minority carrier photo charges accumulated at the photodetector during the integration period.

Repeated nondestructive photodetector readout assessments

An example imaging sensor comprises a bulk silicon substrate and a pixel array. The pixel array comprises an active pixel region including an active pixel subarray, an optical black pixel region including an optical black pixel subarray, and an optical black dummy pixel region including an optical black dummy pixel subarray, the optical black dummy pixel region positioned between the active pixel region and the optical black pixel region. A near-infrared absorber is positioned between the active pixel region and the optical black pixel region, the near-infrared absorber comprising a material having a higher near-infrared absorption coefficient than that of silicon.

Imaging sensor with near-infrared absorber

A zoned time-of-flight (ToF) arrangement includes a sensor and a steerable light source that produces an illumination beam having a smaller angular extent than the field of view (FoV) of the sensor. The illumination beam is steerable within the sensor's FoV to optionally move through the sensor's FoV or dwell in a particular region of interest. Steering the illumination beam and sequentially generating a depth map of the illuminated region permits advantageous operations over ToF arrangements that simultaneously illuminate the entire sensor's FoV. For example, ambient performance, maximum range, and jitter are improved. Multiple steering alternative configurations are disclosed, including mechanical, electro optical, and electrowetting solutions.

Illumination for zoned time-of-flight imaging

Examples are disclosed that relate to the use of an always-depleted photodiode in a ToF depth image sensor. One example provides a method of operating a pixel of a depth image sensor, the method comprising receiving photons in a photocharge generation region of the pixel, the photocharge generation region of the pixel comprising an always-depleted photodiode formed by a doped first region comprising one of p-doping or n-doping and a more lightly-doped second region comprising the other of p-doping or n-doping. The method further comprises, during an integration phase, energizing a clock gate for a pixel tap, thereby directing photocharge generated in the photocharge generation region to an in-pixel storage comprising a capacitor, and in a readout phase, reading charge out from the in-pixel storage.

Depth image sensor with always-depleted photodiodes

An imaging method includes acquiring one or more passive light images of a scene. A region of interest in the scene is identified based on the one or more passive light images. One or more illumination zones of a plurality of illumination zones that collectively cover the region of interest is determined. Each illumination zone is sized according to active illumination emitted from a steerable illumination source. For a determined illumination zone of the one or more illumination zones, the illumination zone is individually illuminated with the active illumination from the steerable illumination source. For a pixel of a sensor array that maps to the illumination zone, a depth value of an object locus in the scene reflecting the active illumination back to the pixel is determined.

Selective power efficient three-dimensional imaging

An imaging system includes a sensor array of differential pixels. A controller operates a first differential pixel of the sensor array in a first, lower power mode. The controller supplies a first clock signal to selectively activate a first collection terminal of the first differential pixel for a first duration, and a second clock signal to selectively activate a second collection terminal of the first differential pixel for a second duration. In an analog domain, a first amount of charge accumulated at the first collection terminal over the first duration is readout and compared to a readout of a second amount of charge accumulated at the second collection terminal over the second duration. Responsive to the first amount of charge being different from the second amount of charge by more than a threshold, the first differential pixel of the sensor array is operated in a second, higher power mode.

Low power operation of differential image sensor pixels

A camera includes one or more spectral illuminators, a tunable optical filter optically intermediate the one or more spectral illuminators and a scene, and a sensor array. The one or more spectral illuminators are configured to emit active spectral light. The tunable optical filter is dynamically adjustable to change a selected sub-band of the active spectral light that illuminates the scene. The sensor array includes a plurality of sensors each configured to measure spectral light reflected from the scene in the selected sub-band.

Tunable spectral illuminator for camera

An optical filter for a camera is switchable between a reflection state and a transmission state. The optical filter includes a first plurality of liquid crystals configured to dynamically form cholesteric phase structures in the reflection state that block right-handed circularly polarized light in a spectral light sub-band and transmit light outside of the spectral light sub-band. The first plurality of liquid crystals dynamically forms a nematic phase arrangement in the transmission state that transmits light in the spectral light sub-band. The optical filter further includes a second plurality of liquid crystals configured to dynamically form cholesteric phase structures in the reflection state that block left-handed circularly polarized light in the spectral light sub-band and transmit light outside of the spectral light sub-band. The second plurality of liquid crystals dynamically form a nematic phase arrangement in the transmission state that transmits light in the spectral light sub-band.

Camera comprising an infrared illuminator and a liquid crystal optical filter switchable between a reflection state and a transmission state for infrared imaging and spectral imaging, and method thereof

A camera includes a time-of-flight illuminator configured to emit active IR light and a plurality of spectral illuminators, each spectral illuminator configured to emit active spectral light in a different spectral light sub-band. The camera further includes a sensor array that includes a plurality of differential sensors. Each differential sensor is configured to differentially measure both 1) the active IR light, and 2) the active spectral light in each of the different spectral light sub-bands. The camera further includes an output machine operatively connected to the sensor array. The output machine is configured to output a matrix of pixels based on time-multiplexed measurements of the sensor array. Each pixel of the matrix includes 1) a depth value, and 2) a plurality of spectral values. Each of the plurality of spectral values corresponds to a spectral light sub-band of one of the plurality of spectral illuminators.

Depth and multi-spectral camera

An active illumination range camera operable to determine distances to features in a scene, and comprising an illumination system and imaging system simultaneously controllable to provide a FOI and a FOV that coincide at, and are substantially coextensive with, a region of interest (ROI) in a portion of the scene and track the ROI as it moves.

Active illumination 3D imaging system

An imaging sensor array comprises an epitaxial germanium layer disposed on a silicon layer, and an electrically biased photoelectron collector arranged on the silicon layer, on a side opposite the germanium layer.

Germanium-modified, back-side illuminated optical sensor

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Fremont, CA, United States of America

Cyrus Soli Bamji