Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Terastor Corporation

Micron Technology Incorporated

Aptina Imaging Corporation

Other

Avago Technologies General IP (singapore) Pte. Ltd.

Digital Papyrus Corporation

Avago Technologies Sensor IP Pte. Ltd.

Poa Sona, Inc.

Guolin Ma

Jason T Hartlove

Roger A Hajjar

Alan Claude Burroughs

Brian Tremaine

Amit Jain

Gani Jusuf

Brian T Bonn

Gordon R Knight

Warren Dalziel

John Al-Samarrie

David Blankenbeckler

Alan W Marty

Gary D Sasser

Bahram Afshari

Theodore D Rees

Warren Hale Lewis

David Schleuning

David S Graham

Easen Ho

Bo Wei

Dave Pitou

Josephine Lim

Tina Ohlhaver

Ed Middlesworth

A method and apparatus for directing light to a light sensor and filtering out an infrared component from the directed light. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes an array of light sensors disposed on a substrate, wherein the light sensors are operable to convert light intensity into a voltage signal. The apparatus further includes a cover plate disposed over the light sensors such that the cover plate creates a cavity over the array of sensors. The apparatus further includes filter material disposed between the cover plate and the light sensors in the cavity formed between the light sensors and the cover plate. The filter material is operable to filter the light passing through the cover plate. In particular, in one embodiment, light having wavelengths in the infrared range may be filtered out.

Minimal depth light filtering image sensor

A system and method for auto-focusing light. The system includes at least one focusing lens operable to direct light toward a focal point. The system further includes a sensor array disposed adjacent to the lens assembly such that the light through the lens assembly is directed to the sensor array near the focal point and a bubble array having a plurality of bubble generators. The bubble array supports the sensor array and the bubble generators are operable to maneuver the supported sensor array with respect to the focal point. Such a light focusing system is able to provide an auto-focus capability to a camera system that does not have a large amount of space available for a motor-driven auto-focus system. Furthermore, the bubble array is power efficient and does not require the amount of energy to operate as is required for a motor-driven auto-focus system.

Auto-focus system using bubble technology

An image sensing device is disclosed having a die formed with an array of photosensing sites and a structure of optical material having infrared absorbing characteristics formed over the photosensing sites. An embodiment is disclosed in which the structure of optical material having infrared absorbing characteristics is formed as an array of microlenses for directing visible image light onto the photosensing sites and at the same time filtering out infrared wavelengths that interfere with image capture. Alternatively, the structure may be designed to filter out other ranges of wavelengths outside of the visible spectrum.

Image sensor having integrated infrared-filtering optical device and related method

An integrally packaged imaging module includes an integrated circuit (IC), including an image sensing device formed on a semiconductor substrate, and wafer level packaging enclosing the IC. The wafer level packaging includes a transparent enclosure portion adapted to permit image acquisition of an image by the image sensing device over a desired range of wavelengths, and a first spacing structure providing a cavity between an inner surface of the transparent enclosure portion and the image sensing device. A depth of the cavity is configurable along an axis perpendicular to the semiconductor substrate to control a distance between an outer surface of the transparent enclosure portion and the image sensing device.

Integrally packaged imaging module

A wire-bondable image sensor having an integral contaminant shadowing reduction structure is described. In one aspect, an image sensor includes a substrate that has a side supporting at least one imaging area and at least one wirebonding area. Light detectors are constructed and arranged to receive light through the imaging area. Bond pads are exposed in the wirebonding area for connecting to respective bond wires. A contaminant shadowing reduction structure on the imaging area has an exposed contaminant displacement surface over the imaging area and separated from the imaging area by a distance of at least 300 &#x3bc;m. The contaminant shadowing reduction structure is substantially transparent to radiation within an operative wavelength range specified for the image sensor. Methods of making the above-mentioned image sensor also are described.

Wire-bondable image sensor having integral contaminant shadowing reduction structure

A single lens that has a small spot size across a large field of view and a small height. The lens has a first surface for performing color correction functions and a second surface for primarily performing light ray bending functions. The first surface has diffraction efficiency improvement mechanism for improving the resolution of the lens. The lens also has a vignetting reducing mechanism for reducing the amount of vignetting in the corners of the image.

Telecentric singlet having a small height requirement

An apparatus and method for generating a lamina of light. The apparatus includes an optically transparent member having an input configured to receive light and one or more facets formed in the optically transparent member. As light enters and travels through the member, a lamina of light is created by the light reflecting off the facets. In one application, the lamina of light is provided in the free space adjacent a touch screen display. When the lamina is interrupted during a data entry operation to the screen, an optical position detection device is used to determine the data input based on the location of the interrupt in the lamina. In various other embodiments, the position and uniformity of the lamina may be controlled by selecting the angle, depth and tilt of a reflective surface of the facets in the optically transparent member.

Apparatus and method for generating a lamina of light

An image pickup module made of clear polymer includes an imaging surface, a first mirror, and a second mirror. An object is placed on the imaging surface for imaging. Incident light reflects off the imaging surface. The first of the two mirrors directs the reflected light toward the second mirror. The second mirror directs the directed light toward an image sensor. The two mirrors focus the reflected light on the imaging sensor which converts the focused light to electronic signals to be processed by a microcontroller. The use of the mirrors to direct the reflected light (embodying the image information) has the effect of having a relatively long focal length within a relatively short image pickup module design thereby allowing the pickup module to be manufactured having reduced height compared to prior art pickup modules. The reduced height allows for manufacture of smaller, more convenient image pickup devices.

Compact image pickup module

An air-incident optical recording medium for use with flying heads has a system of layers, which thermally isolate the disk surface from the active, recording layer.

Optical recording media for air-incident optical recording

Structures of storage media for optical storage systems, especially for systems in the near-field configuration to couple radiation between the optical head and the media at least in part by evanescent fields.

Disk mastering based on near-field optical systems

Magneto-optical storage media designed for optical storage systems such as disk drives with optical flying heads. Dielectric layers are designed and implemented to maximize optical coupling between the flying optical head and the media and to reduce variations of signals with flight height of the flying optical head.

Storage media for optical storage systems

A miniature display system has polarized beam reflector film and display panel pivotally attached to the polarized beam reflector film. Because these components are pivotally attached, the components can be folded, thereby reducing the bulk of the display system. The display system may include other components such as light source, curved reflector, quarter wave film, or conic mirror. These components may also be pivotally attached to each other or to the polarized beam reflector film or the display panel.

Foldable display system

An illumination system for a flat panel micro-display device includes a flat panel edge lit lightguide having a polarizing layer on a major surface and a polarization rotator and reflector proximate to an edge face of the lightguide. The polarization rotator changes the polarization state of light that is initially reflected from the polarization layer to a desired polarization state from an undesired polarization state and the reflector reflects the light back to the polarization layer. The rotated and reflected light propagating within the lightguide passes though the polarizing layer and illuminates a LCD panel of the micro-display. The combination of the polarization rotator and the reflector provide a controlled system in which most of the initially reflected light is utilized to illuminate the LCD panel. In an embodiment, the polarizing layer is a polarizing film that passes P polarized incoming light and reflects S polarized incoming light, the polarization rotator is a quarter wave plate that rotates light by a quarter wave, and the reflector is a mirror that reflects light without changing the polarization state of the light.

High efficiency flat illuminator for liquid crystal micro-display

A display system has light source, display panel, conic mirror, and polarized reflector. The light from the light source is filtered by a diffuse reflective polarizer to contain light in a first linear polarization (for example, s-polarized light). That light is directed by the conic mirror toward the polarized reflector, and is reflected toward the display panel displaying images. The conic mirror and the polarized reflector is shaped such that the light telecentrically and uniformly illuminates the display panel. The light is reflected from the display panel being patterned by the image and rotated into a second linear polarization (for example, p-polarized light). The rotated light passes through the polarized reflector for viewing.

Compact display system

A miniature display system has light source, display panel, polarized beam reflector film, curved reflector, and quarter wave film. The light source supplies light polarized in a first direction. The light from the light source reflects off the polarized beam reflector film and impinges the display panel. The polarized beam reflector film is configured to reflect light polarized in the first direction but pass the light polarized in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. The display panel produces images on its surface (&ldquo;display surface&rdquo;). The light hitting the display panel is reflected orthogonally (polarized in a second direction) and bearing the image, thus bearing a pattern. The modulated light passes through the polarized beam reflector film and is reflected on a curved reflector. The quarter wave film is disposed between the polarized beam reflector film and the curved reflector. Thus, the modulated light, traversing from the polarized beam reflector film toward the curved reflector and back, is rotated 90 degrees, thereby becoming polarized in the first direction. Then rotated light reflects off the polarized beam reflector film toward viewing area The display system may also include conic mirror for reflecting light from the light source to the polarized beam reflector film The display panel may be transparent or semitransparent, and the light source may provide back lighting.

Growing community of inventors

Milpitas, CA, United States of America

Guolin Ma