Micron Technology Incorporated

California Institute of Technology

Dartmouth College

Gentex Corporation

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Round Rock Research, LLC

Photobit Corporation

Aptina Imaging Corporation

Rambus Inc.

The United States of America As Represented by the Administrator of the

United States of America As Represented by the Administrator of Nasa

Siimpel Corporation

Eastman-kodak Company

Varex Imaging Corporation

Micro Technology, Inc.

Eric R Fossum

Robert H Nixon

Sandor L Barna

Bedabrata Pain

Jon Harold Bechtel

Alexander I Krymski

Sabrina Elizabeth Kemeny

Jiaju Ma

Vladimir Berezin

Robert R Turnbull

Joseph S Stam

Roger Panicacci

Yoon-Dong Park

Orly Yadid-Pecht

Alf Olsen

Zhimin Zhou

Sunetra K Mendis

Leo Anzagira

Giuseppe Rossi

Christopher Clark

Scott Patrick Campbell

Barmak Mansoorian

Yibing Michelle Wang

Frederick T Bauer

Junichi Nakamura

Young-Gu Jin

Robert C Knapp

Young Gu Jin

G Bruce Poe

Thomas J Cunningham

David J Schmidt

David L Plangger

Timothy E Steenwyk

Dae-Kil Cha

Brad Minch

Soo-Jung Hwang

Roman Gutierrez

Robert J Calvet

Gennadiy A Agranov

Tony Kai Tang

Per Olaf Pahr

Sung-Jae Byun

Jifeng Liu

Tae Yon Lee

Richard H Tsai

David B Schick

Shouleh Nikzad

Yoon Dong Park

Kyoung-Lae Cho

Jing Xu

Yoon Sun Park

Xiaoxin Wang

George A Soli

Fred T Bauer

Abraham Kotlyar

Donald B Hondongwa

Brita H Olson

Ilia Ovsiannikov

Carver A Mead

Seok Lee

Kyoung Lae Cho

Seung-hoon Lee

Yu Albert Wang

Teh-Hsuang Lee

Jung Chak Ahn

Kwan-Young Oh

Tae-Yon Lee

Daniel A Van Blerkom

Dong Ki Min

Anders Andersson

Frank J Grunthaner

Xia Zhou

Martin Agan

Tae Eung Yoon

Hoon Sang Oh

Se-won Seo

Paul Poo-Kam Lee

Timothy N Krabach

Zhiyuan Wang

Hyung Jin Bae

Song Xue

Nicholas A Doudoumopoulos

Damien Stucki

Timothy J Shaw

Kwang-Chol Choe

Suk Pil Kim

Michael Kaplinsky

Bedabrara Pain

Barna L Sandor

Nick Doudoumopoulos

Soo Jung Hwang

Russell Clayton Gee

Daniel Van Blerkam

Gregory Waligorski

Dae Kil Cha

Zhimim Zhou

Kyoung Sik Moon

Samuel Sungmok Lee

Craig O Staller

Bob H Nixon

A speckle-suppressing lighting system includes an optical waveguide, a first solid-state light source, a second solid-state light source, and a diffuser. The optical waveguide has a proximal end and a distal end. At least part of the diffuser is between the proximal end and the distal end. The first solid-state light source is optically coupled to the optical waveguide near the proximal end, and emits a first light beam that propagates toward the distal end and has a first center wavelength. The second solid-state light source is optically coupled to the optical waveguide near the proximal end, and emits a second light beam that propagates toward the distal end and has a second center wavelength differing from the first center wavelength. The diffuser diffuses the first light beam and the second light beam.

Speckle-suppressing lighting system

Some embodiments provide a Quanta Image Sensor (QIS) comprising 3D vertically-stacked photosensor array and readout circuitry. In some embodiments, an imaging array comprises a plurality of single-bit or multi-bit jots, and readout circuitry in electrical communication with the imaging array and configured to quantize, for each jot, an analog signal corresponding to the electrical signal of the jot, wherein the imaging system is configured as a 3D vertically integrated circuit with the imaging array stacked vertically above the readout circuitry. The imaging array may be configured as an array of clusters with respect to the readout circuitry, each cluster configured as an array of n by m jots. The imaging array may include a further image processing circuitry layer disposed below the readout circuitry layer. Neighboring layers may be implemented on separate substrates and/or in a common substrate.

Stacked backside-illuminated quanta image sensor with cluster-parallel readout

Some embodiments provide methods and apparatus for quantum random number generation based on a single bit or multi bit Quanta Image Sensor (QIS) providing single-photon counting over a time interval for each of an array of pixels of the QIS, wherein random number data is generated based on the number of photons counted over the time interval for each of the pixels.

Quanta image sensor quantum random number generation

Some embodiments provide an image sensor pixel comprising a junction field effect transistor (JFET) and a floating diffusion configured to act as the gate of the JFET. An image sensor may comprise a plurality of pixels, at least one pixel comprising floating diffusion region formed in a semiconductor substrate, a transfer gate configured to selectively cause transfer of photocharge stored in the pixel to the floating diffusion, and a JFET having (i) a source and a drain coupled by a channel region, and (ii) a gate comprising the floating diffusion region.

Image sensor and image sensor pixel having JFET source follower

Some embodiments provide an apparatus and method wherein the non-linearity of the response of a multi-bit QIS is controllable (e.g., selectively variable) by dynamically choosing the bit depth n during A/D conversion, and/or later (i.e., post-conversion) by firmware and/or software.

Quanta image sensor with controllable non-linearity

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a semiconductor-based photon-counting sensor comprising a metal-insulator-semiconductor internal photoemission (e.g., thermionic-emission) detector formed on and/or in a first surface of a semiconductor substrate, and at least one jot formed on and/or in a second side of a semiconductor substrate. The at least one MIS photoemission detector and the at least one jot are configured such that a photocarrier generated in response to a photon incident on the MIS thermionic-emission detector is readout by the at least one jot.

UV/VIS/IR backside-illuminated photon-counting sensor

Disclosed herein are image apparatuses comprising a frontside surface, a backside surface, a storage region (e.g., a storage node or a floating diffusion node), the storage region being situated closer to the frontside surface than to the backside surface, a storage well situated between the backside surface and the storage region, and a doping region situated between the storage region and the storage well. An impurity type of the doping region is opposite an impurity type of the storage well. A lateral area of the storage well is greater than or equal to a lateral area of the storage region, and no portion of a lateral perimeter of the storage region extends outside of a lateral perimeter of the storage well.

High conversion gain and high fill-factor image sensors with pump-gate and vertical charge storage well for global-shutter and high-speed applications

Some embodiments relate to an image sensor pixel comprising a transfer gate formed on a first surface of a semiconductor substrate, a floating diffusion formed in the first surface of the semiconductor substrate, and a buried-well vertically pinned photodiode having a charge accumulation/storage region disposed substantially beneath the transfer gate. The transfer gate is spaced away from the floating diffusion such that an intervening semiconductor region provides a potential barrier to charge flow from beneath the transfer gate to the floating diffusion. The transfer gate is operable to control a vertical pump gate to selectively transfer charge from the charge accumulation/storage region to the floating diffusion by pumping charge from the buried charge accumulation/storage region underlying the transfer gate, over the potential barrier, and out to the floating diffusion, such that full charge transfer can be achieved without overlapping the edge of the transfer gate with the floating diffusion.

CMOS image sensor with pump gate and extremely high conversion gain

An imaging system has an imager comprising a plurality of jots. A readout circuit is in electrical communication with the imager. The readout circuit can be configured to facilitate the formation of an image by defining neighborhoods of the jots, wherein a local density of exposed jots within a neighborhood is used to generate a digital value for a pixel of the image.

Image sensor having sub-diffraction-limit pixels

Some embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to an image sensor pixel that is configured for gateless reset of a floating diffusion. Some embodiments are directed to an image sensor comprising a plurality of pixels, at least one pixel comprising a floating diffusion formed in a semiconductor substrate; a transfer gate configured to selectively cause transfer of photocharge stored in the pixel to the floating diffusion; and a reset drain formed in the semiconductor substrate and spaced away from the floating diffusion by an intervening semiconductor region having a dopant type opposite to the dopant type of the reset drain and the floating diffusion, wherein the reset drain is configured to selectively reset the electrostatic potential of the floating diffusion in response to a voltage pulse applied to the reset drain.

Gateless reset for image sensor pixels

Some embodiments provide a color image sensor and color image sampling method that uses multiple-layer pixels and is capable of producing color images without using absorption color filters (e.g., such as employed in conventional CFAs). In accordance with some embodiments of the color image sensor device and color image sampling method, frequency-dependent reflectors are incorporated between the photodetection layers of multiple-layer (e.g., two layer) pixels.

Multi-junction pixel image sensor with dielectric reflector between photodetection layers

Some embodiments provide an image sensor that includes (i) quanta image sensor having an array of jots and configured for spatial and temporal oversampling, and (ii) a polarization filter array monolithically integrated with the quanta image sensor, so as to provide for a polarization image sensor. The image sensor may also include a color filter array.

Quanta image sensor with polarization-sensitive jots

The present disclosure relates generally to apparatus and methods for image sensing, and, more particularly, to a multi-bit quanta image sensor (QIS) having a controllable (e.g., adjustably variable) exposure response characteristic. Some embodiments provide an apparatus and method wherein the non-linearity of the response of a multi-bit QIS is controllable (e.g., selectively variable) by dynamically choosing the bit depth n during AID conversion, and/or later (i.e., post-conversion) by firmware and/or software.

Image sensor with controllable exposure response non-linearity

Embodiments include a device, comprising: a column line; a plurality of pixels; each pixel coupled to the column line; a comparator having an input coupled to the column line and configured to compare a signal from the column line to a threshold; and control logic coupled to the pixels and configured to selectively couple each pixel to the column line after a sampling period for each pixel.

Counting and integrating pixels, detectors, and methods

Growing community of inventors

Hanover, NH, United States of America

Eric R Fossum