Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC

Robert Michael Gravelle, Jr

Swarnal Borthakur

Richard Scott Johnson

Marko Mlinar

Brian W Keelan

Christopher D Silsby

Douglas Fettig

Image sensor pixels and methods for constructing the same. The image sensor pixel includes a first photodetector, a second photodetector, a first spectral router, and a second spectral router. The first spectral router is positioned above the first photodetector and the second photodetector. The first spectral router is configured to direct incident light in a first subset of a first color wavelength range to the first photodetector and direct incident light in a second subset of the first color wavelength range to the second photodetector. The second spectral router is positioned above the first spectral router. The second spectral router is configured to direct the incident light in the first subset and the second subset of the first color wavelength range to the first spectral router. The second spectral router is configured to direct incident light in a second color wavelength range to one or more neighboring image sensor pixels.

Nanophotonic hyperspectral imaging

An image sensor may include an array of pixels. Each pixel may have one or more photosensitive areas. Incident light may pass through a microlens and a color filter element to reach the one or more photosensitive areas. In some pixels, the microlens may be shifted relative to the photosensitive area to account for the chief ray angle of the incident light. In some cases, the microlenses may be toroidal microlenses with openings. The openings may be shifted relative to the center of the microlens based on the wavelength of light transmitted by the color filter element for the pixel. The greater the wavelength of light transmitted by the color filter element for a given pixel, the more the opening of the microlens may be shifted towards the center of the array of pixels.

Imaging pixels with microlenses

An image sensor may have a pixel array that includes an array of pixels arranged in rows and columns. Each pixel may include a number of adjacent sub-pixels covered by a single microlens. The adjacent sub-pixels of each pixel may include color filter elements of the same color. Image signals from the sub-pixels may be used to calculate phase information in each pixel in the array. This information may be used to generate a depth map of the entire captured image. The pixels may each be able to detect vertical, horizontal, or diagonal edges. Additionally, the image signals from each photodiode in a pixel may be binned or average to obtain image data for each pixel. The image sensor also may generate high-dynamic-range images using the pixel array.

Imaging systems having image sensor pixel arrays with phase detection capabilities

Image sensors may include an array of photodiodes arranged in groups of adjacent photodiodes that generate charge in response to same-colored light. The image sensor may generate high-dynamic-range (HDR) images. To establish an effective exposure ratio between sets of photodiodes on the array for generating HDR images, microlenses may be formed over some photodiodes in a checkerboard pattern and may have portions that extend over other photodiodes in the array. Control circuitry may control photodiodes in each group to perform pulsed integration in which charge transfer control signals are intermittently pulsed for those photodiodes. A substantially opaque element may be formed over photodiodes in each of the groups such that the corresponding photodiodes generate signals in response to crosstalk. In this way, different effective exposures may be established across the array, allowing for HDR images to be generated without motion artifacts and with super-pixel resolution.

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Boise, ID, United States of America

Robert Michael Gravelle, Jr