Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Moo-Sup Lim

Min-Seok Oh

Eun-Sub Shim

Ji-Won Lee

Seung-sik Kim

Young-chan Kim

Jung-Chak Ahn

Hae-Won Lee

Sung-Young Seo

Dong-Joo Yang

Jeong-Jin Cho

Tae-Han Kim

Sung-Ho Choi

Tae-Chan Kim

Kyung-ho Lee

Kyung-Il Kim

Yong-Chan Kim

Hyung-Jin Bae

Hae-Kyung Kong

Dong-yoon Jang

Kang-sun Lee

Han-Soo Lee

Tae-Hoon Kim

Kyoung-Hoon Yang

Kyoung-Sik Moon

Kang-Sun Lee

Sang-Joo Lee

This disclosure relates to image sensors and electronic apparatuses including the same. An image sensor including: a pixel area including shared pixels, wherein each of the shared pixels includes at least two photodiodes that form a group and share a floating diffusion (FD) area; and a transistor (TR) area adjacent to the pixel area, wherein the TR area includes transistor sets corresponding to the shared pixels, wherein, when a first shared pixel and a second shared pixel are arranged adjacent to each other in a first direction, a first TR set corresponding to the first shared pixel and a second TR set corresponding to the second shared pixel share a source region of a first selection TR.

Image sensor and electronic apparatus including the same

A method of measuring the distance to an object by radiating a periodic amplitude-modulated optical signal to the object and detecting the phase difference between the radiated optical signal and a reflected optical signal from the object includes: generating a first photo-detection control signal to control the periodic amplitude-modulation of the radiated optical signal; generating a mask signal activated at least during a shuttering duration for resetting the voltage level at a sensing node; and generating a second photo-detection control signal based on Boolean combination of the first photo-detection signal and the mask signal such that the second photo-detection signal is deactivated or masked at least during the shuttering duration.

Method and device of measuring the distance to an object

Provided are a unit pixel, an image sensor including the same, a portable electronic device including the same, and a method of manufacturing the same. The method of manufacturing includes: forming a photoelectric conversion region in a substrate; forming, in the substrate, a first floating diffusion region spaced apart from the photoelectric conversion region of the substrate, and a second floating diffusion region spaced apart from the first floating diffusion region; forming a first recess spaced apart from the first floating diffusion region and the second floating diffusion region by removing a portion of the substrate from a first surface of the substrate; filling the first recess to form a dual conversion gain (DCG) gate that extends perpendicularly or substantially perpendicularly from the first surface of the substrate; and forming a conductive layer to fill an inside of the first recess.

Unit pixel of image sensor, image sensor including the same and method of manufacturing image sensor

An image sensor includes a pixel array including at least one unit pixel configured to generate accumulated charges, a correlated double sampler configured to perform a correlated double sampling operation to extract an effective signal component based on a signal component and a reset component from the unit pixel for at least first and second read-out periods, the correlated double sampler configured to read out an image signal during the first read-out period and to read out a light noise signal during the second read-out period, an analog-digital converter configured to convert the image signal into a first digital signal and to convert the light noise signal into a second digital signal and an image compensator configured to generate a compensated image signal based on the second digital signal and the first digital signal.

Method of driving an image sensor, image sensor employing the same, and portable electronic device including the same

A shared pixel includes a plurality of photo diode regions, a shared floating diffusion region, a plurality of transfer gates and a blooming layer. Each of the photo diode regions generates photo-charges in response to incident light. The photo diode regions are formed in a semiconductor substrate. The shared floating diffusion region is shared by the plurality of photo diode regions. The shared floating diffusion region is separated from the plurality of photo diode regions in the semiconductor substrate. Each of the transfer gates transfers the photo-charges of a corresponding photo diode region to the shared floating diffusion region in response to a transfer control signal. The blooming layer transfers overflow photo-charges to a power supply voltage node.

Shared pixel and an image sensor including the same

Provided are an image sensor and an image capturing apparatus including the image sensor. The image sensor includes a pixel array including: multiple sensing pixels outputting image signals respectively corresponding to intensities of incident light; and at least one pair of focusing pixels that are adjacent each other, and each outputting a phase difference of the incident light as a focusing signal; wherein each focusing pixel includes: a semiconductor layer including a photodetecting device accumulating electric charges generated according to absorbed light from among the incident light; a wiring layer formed on a first surface of the semiconductor layer and including wirings; a planarization layer having a first surface on a second surface of the semiconductor layer; a shielding layer formed in the planarization layer to block some of the incident light to be incident to the photodetecting device; and a color filter layer and a micro lens layer.

Image sensors and image capturing apparatus including the same

A pixel circuit includes a first photocharge accumulator including at least two photodiodes exposed to light for a long period of time, and a second photocharge accumulator including at least one photodiode exposed to light for a short period of time. The pixel circuit includes a first transfer controller that transfers photocharges accumulated in the first photocharge accumulator to a floating diffusion area, and a second transfer controller that transfers photocharges accumulated in the second photocharge accumulator to the floating diffusion area. The pixel circuit includes a driving transistor to generate a pixel signal according to the photocharges transferred to the floating diffusion area. A number of photodiodes of the first photocharge accumulator is greater than a number of photodiodes of the second photocharge accumulator.

Image sensor having wide dynamic range, pixel circuit of the image sensor, and operating method of the image sensor

An image sensor having different bias voltages is provided. The image sensor may include a plurality of pixels configured to output pixel signals based on a received optical signal, and logic circuits configured to output the pixels signals as image data. The pixels may be formed on a first region of a semiconductor substrate, the first region being substrate biased to a first voltage. The logic circuits may be formed on a second region of the semiconductor substrate different from the first region, the second region being substrate biased to a second voltage different from the first voltage. A full-well capacitance (FWC) of the photodiode may be increased by applying the first voltage, which is a negative (&#x2212;) voltage, to a photodiode of a pixel to reduce (or, alternatively prevent) a blooming effect.

Image sensor having different substrate bias voltages

An image sensor is provided including a pixel array, a correlated double sampling (CDS) unit, an analog-digital converting (ADC) unit, a control unit, and an overflow power voltage control unit. The pixel array includes at least one unit pixel that generates accumulated charges corresponding to incident light in a photoelectric conversion period and outputs an analog signal based on the accumulated charges in a readout period. The CDS unit generates an image signal by performing a CDS operation on the analog signal. An ADC unit converts the image signal into a digital signal. A control unit controls the pixel array, the CDS unit, and the ADC unit. An overflow power voltage control unit controls an overflow power voltage to have a low voltage level in the photoelectric conversion period and controls the overflow power voltage to have a high voltage level in the readout period.

Image sensors and related methods and electronic devices

Example embodiments relate to an image sensor supporting a global shutter for minimizing image distortion. An example image sensor includes a semiconductor layer having a first surface and a second surface that are opposite to each other; a photosensitive device, which is formed in the semiconductor layer near the first surface and accumulates charges based on light incident via the second surface; a charge storage device, which is formed in the semiconductor layer near the first surface and temporarily stores charges accumulated by the photosensitive device; a first transmission transistor, which transmits charges accumulated by the photosensitive device to the charge storage device and includes a first gate formed on the first surface of the semiconductor layer; and a leakage photogenerated charge drain region, which is formed in the semiconductor layer near the second surface, is apart from the charge storage device, and is arranged above the charge storage device.

Growing community of inventors

Yongin-si, South Korea

Moo-Sup Lim