SINGLE CHIP IMAGE SENSOR WITH BOTH VISIBLE LIGHT IMAGE AND ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT DETECTION ABILITY AND THE METHODS TO IMPLEMENT THE SAME
The present invention relates to a single chip image sensor with both visible light image and ultraviolet light detection ability and methods to implement the single chip image sensor. In an embodiment, a single chip image sensor may comprise a first plurality of sensor cells provided on a substrate, the first plurality of sensor cells each including a photo detector sensitive to visible light, and a UV coating layer provided for the first plurality of sensor cells to convert incident UV light to visible light.
1 . A single chip image sensor, comprising:
a first plurality of sensor cells provided on a substrate, the first plurality of sensor cells each including a photo detector sensitive to visible light, and
a UV coating layer provided for the first plurality of sensor cells to convert incident UV light to visible light.
2 . The single chip image sensor of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second plurality of sensor cells provided on the substrate, the second plurality of sensor cells each also including a photo detector sensitive to visible light.
3 . The single chip image sensor of claim 1 , further comprising:
a filter film disposed on the UV coating layer to block incident visible and infrared lights.
4 . The single chip image sensor of claim 2 , further comprising:
a package cover disposed over the first and second plurality of sensor cells.
5 . The single chip image sensor of claim 4 , wherein the UV coating layer is provided on a portion of the package cover that covers the first plurality of sensor cells.
6 . The single chip image sensor of claim 4 , wherein the UV coating layer is provided between the package cover and the first plurality of sensor cells.
7 . The single chip image sensor of claim 2 , wherein the first and second plurality of sensor cells each further comprises:
a color filter formed on the photo detector to allow light of a particular color to pass therethrough, and
a micro-lens formed on the color filter to focus incident light onto the photo detector.
8 . The single chip image sensor of claim 7 , wherein the color filter includes a red, green or blue filter.
9 . The single chip image sensor of claim 7 , wherein the UV coating layer is formed within the first plurality of sensor cells.
10 . The single chip image sensor of claim 9 , wherein the color filters in the first plurality of sensor cells are replaced by the UV coating layer.
11 . The single chip image sensor of claim 2 , wherein the first and second plurality of sensor cells are arranged in an array of a rectangular shape, and the first plurality of sensor cells are arranged along a side of the rectangular shape.
12 . The single chip image sensor of claim 11 , wherein the second plurality of sensor cells includes a black region where the sensor cells are covered by a black layer so as to sense a dark current, and the first plurality of sensor cells and the second plurality of sensor cells in the black region are arranged along a same side of the rectangular shape.
13 . The single chip image sensor of claim 2 , wherein the second plurality of sensor cells are arranged in a rectangular region that is separated from or abuts a rectangular region where the first plurality of sensor cells are arranged.
14 . An electronic device including a single chip image sensor comprising:
a first plurality of sensor cells provided on a substrate, the first plurality of sensor cells each including a photo detector sensitive to visible light, and
a UV coating layer provided for the first plurality of sensor cells to convert incident UV light to visible light.
15 . The electronic device of claim 14 , further comprising:
a second plurality of sensor cells provided on the substrate, the second plurality of sensor cells each also including a photo detector sensitive to visible light.
16 . The electronic device of claim 15 , further comprising:
a filter film disposed on the UV coating layer to block incident visible and infrared lights.
17 . The electronic device of claim 15 , further comprising:
a package cover disposed over the first and second plurality of sensor cells, wherein the UV coating layer is disposed above or below the package cover.
18 . The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the electronic device is one of a cell phone, a tablet, a laptop, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wearable device, a smart watch, or a camera.
19 . A method of making a single chip image sensor, comprising:
forming a first plurality of sensor cells on a substrate, the first plurality of sensor cells each including a photo detector sensitive to visible light; and
providing a UV coating layer for the first plurality of sensor cells, the UV coating layer being capable of converting incident UV light to visible light.
20 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
forming a second plurality of sensor cells on the substrate, the second plurality of sensor cells each also including a photo detector sensitive to visible light.