Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC

Aptina Imaging Corporation

Amazon Technologies, Inc.

Foxconn Interconnect Technology Limited

Dongqing Cao

Gennadiy A Agranov

Junichi Nakamura

Richard Scott Johnson

Victor Lenchenkov

Hirofumi Komori

Li Ding

Ye Chen

Richard D Holscher

Wei Li

Avi Yaron

Bing Shao

Eddie Alex Azuma

Qun Sun

Andrew Schmit

Juanqing Chen

A freeform DOE for use in an optical transmitter and a method of designing and manufacturing the DOE are provided. The freeform DOE is capable of achieving the same, or nearly the same, functionality as that of a glass DOE, but has a design that has been transformed to make the surface profile of the DOE compatible with a molding process that can be used to manufacture the DOE with high quality at low costs. The method of designing and manufacturing the DOE includes preselecting a CGH that will obtain a target freeform DOE design, using a preselected smoothing function to smooth the surface profile of the target freeform DOE design to transform the design into a DOE design that is compatible with a molding process, and using a fabrication process to manufacture a freeform DOE that is based on the transformed DOE design.

Freeform diffractive optical element (DOE) for use in an optical transmitter and method of designing and manufacturing the freeform DOE

An imager may include depth sensing pixels that receive and convert incident light into image signals. The imager may have an associated imaging lens that focuses the incident light onto the imager. Each of the depth sensing pixels may include a microlens that focuses incident light received from the imaging lens through a color filter onto first and second photosensitive regions of a substrate. The first and second photosensitive regions may provide different and asymmetrical angular responses to incident light. Depth information for each depth sensing pixel may be determined based on the difference between output signals of the first and second photosensitive regions of that depth sensing pixel. Color information for each depth sensing pixel may be determined from a summation of output signals of the first and second photosensitive regions.

Imaging pixels with depth sensing capabilities

A front-side illuminated image sensor with an array of image sensor pixels is provided. Each image pixel may include a photodiode, transistor gate structures, shallow trench isolation structures, and other associated pixel circuits formed in a semiconductor substrate. Buried light shielding structures that are opaque to light may be formed over regions of the substrate to prevent the transistor gate structures, shallow trench isolation structures, and the other associated pixel circuits from being exposed to stray light. Buried light shielding structures formed in this way can help reduce optical pixel crosstalk.

Image sensor pixels with light guides and light shield structures

Depth sensing imaging pixels include pairs of left and right pixels forming an asymmetrical angular response to incident light. A single microlens is positioned above each pair of left and right pixels. Each microlens spans across each of the pairs of pixels in a horizontal direction. Each microlens has a length that is substantially twice the length of either the left or right pixel in the horizontal direction; and each microlens has a width that is substantially the same as a width of either the left or right pixel in a vertical direction. The horizontal and vertical directions are horizontal and vertical directions of a planar image array. A light pipe in each pixel is used to improve light concentration and reduce cross talk.

Asymmetric angular response pixels for single sensor stereo

An imager may include depth sensing pixels that provide an asymmetrical angular response to incident light. The depth sensing pixels may each include a substrate region formed from a photosensitive portion and a non-photosensitive portion. The depth sensing pixels may include mechanisms that prevent regions of the substrate from receiving incident light. Depth sensing pixel pairs may be formed from depth sensing pixels that have different asymmetrical angular responses. Each of the depth sensing pixel pairs may effectively divide the corresponding imaging lens into separate portions. Depth information for each depth sensing pixel pair may be determined based on the difference between output signals of the depth sensing pixels of that depth sensing pixel pair. The imager may be formed from various combinations of depth sensing pixel pairs and color sensing pixel pairs arranged in a Bayer pattern or other desired patterns.

Imagers with depth sensing capabilities

Embodiments of the disclosure permit automated focusing of a camera module during assembly. The camera module can include an imaging device and a lens assembly that is movably mounted to a housing of the camera module. In certain embodiments, the automated focusing can include iteratively imaging a fixed set of reference markings, and successively quantifying the focusing quality of the camera module based at least on a defocus metric defined as a difference between a current spacing and a calibrated spacing among two of the imaged reference markings. The magnitude and sign of the defocus metric can guide, respectively, a magnitude and direction of the movement of the lens assembly relative to the imaging device. After successive adjustments yield a desired focusing quality of the camera module, the lens assembly can be locked in position and can be further processed according to a suitable camera module integration flow.

Automated focusing of a camera module in production

An image sensor may be provided in which a pixel array includes imaging pixels and application-specific pixels. The application-specific pixels may include depth-sensing pixels, infrared imaging pixels, or other types of application-specific pixels. A color filter array may be formed over the pixel array. The color filter array may include Bayer color filter array formed over the imaging pixels. The color filter array may also include a plurality of green color filter elements formed over the application-specific pixels. Barrier structures may be interposed between imaging pixels and application-specific pixels. The barrier structures may be configured to reduce or eliminate optical crosstalk between imaging pixels and adjacent application-specific pixels. The barrier structures may include an opaque photodefinable material such as black or blue photodefinable material that may be configured to filter out wavelength bands of interest. The barrier structures may be formed during the color filter array fabrication process.

Imaging systems with color filter barriers

A hologram projecting system includes a coherent light source for emitting a reference beam onto a real object; and an image sensor for receiving the reference beam and a scattered beam reflected from the real object, and recording a Fourier image of the real object. Also included is a modulator for receiving the Fourier image. The reference beam is passed through the modulator, and configured to interact with the Fourier image to form a virtual image of the real object. The image sensor includes an n&#xd7;m pixel array, where n and m are numbers of rows and columns, respectively. The modulator includes an n&#xd7;m pixel array corresponding to the n&#xd7;m pixel array of the image sensor. The pixels in the n&#xd7;m pixel array of the image sensor control transmissivity of light in corresponding pixels of the n&#xd7;m pixel array of the modulator.

Complete digital holographic image sensor-projector computing unit having a modulator for receiving a fourier image

An array camera may be formed from an array of lenses, an array of corresponding apertures, and an array of corresponding image sensors. The array of apertures may be configured so that some image sensors receive light through apertures of different size than other image sensors. Providing apertures of smaller size increases the F/# of an array camera and increases the depth-of-field in a captured image. The array of image sensors may include a near-infrared image sensor. Providing an image sensor array with a near-infrared image sensor may enhance depth information in captured images or increase night vision capabilities of an array camera. Combining an array of image sensors that includes a near-infrared sensor with an array of apertures having different aperture diameters may allow increased depth-of-field imaging, enhanced extraction of depth information from an image, improved night vision, enhanced image clarity or other improvements.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Dongqing Cao