IP Library Granted Patent US 10,074,682
Granted Patent B2
US 10,074,682 · App. 14/915,902 · Granted Sep 11, 2018

Phase difference detection in pixels

Inventor: Atsushi Toda (Kanagawa, JP)
Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
H01L27/14627H01L27/14605H01L27/14621H01L27/14634H01L27/14645H04N5/374H04N5/378
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,074,682
App. No.
14/915,902
Granted
Sep 11, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a solid-state imaging device that can perform phase difference detection at a high sensitivity even in fine pixels, and an electronic apparatus. Pixels of the solid-state imaging device share one on-chip lens, and the pixels each have an in-layer lens below the on-chip lens. The present disclosure can be applied to various kinds of electronic apparatuses, such as solid-state imaging devices, imaging apparatuses like digital still cameras and digital video cameras, portable telephone devices having imaging functions, and audio players having imaging functions.

Claims (45)

1. A solid-state imaging device, comprising:

at least one on-chip lens; and

a plurality of pixels that share one on-chip lens of the at least one on-chip lens,

wherein each of the plurality of pixels has a respective in-layer lens of a plurality of in-layer lenses below the one on-chip lens, and

wherein the plurality of in-layer lenses are in planar positions deviated from center positions of the plurality of pixels.

2. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of in-layer lenses are deviated in a direction away from a center position of the on-chip lens.

3. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of in-layer lenses are made of a material having a first refractive index higher than a second refractive index of a layer that surrounds the plurality of in-layer lenses.

4. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 3 , wherein gravity centers of the plurality of in-layer lenses are in the planar positions deviated from center positions of the plurality of pixels.

5. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 4 , wherein based on a proportion of the material that is higher in a direction away from the center positions of the plurality of pixels, the gravity centers of the plurality of in-layer lenses are in the planar positions deviated from the center positions of the plurality of pixels.

6. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 3 , wherein a shape of each of the in-layer lenses is a ring-pattern shape that comprises ring-shaped members having the first refractive index, wherein the ring-shaped members are outside a circular cylindrical shape.

7. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of in-layer lenses are one of below or above a color filter.

8. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of in-layer lenses are connected to a protection film, wherein the protection film is a continuous film, and wherein each of the plurality of in-layer lenses comprises a same material as the protection film.

9. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pixels have waveguides below the plurality of in-layer lenses.

10. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 9 , wherein the plurality of pixels have photodiodes below the waveguides.

11. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pixels have a photoelectric conversion unit outside a semiconductor substrate.

12. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein

the plurality of pixels have a plurality of photoelectric conversion units, and

the plurality of photoelectric conversion units photoelectrically convert incident light of different wavelengths.

13. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the on-chip lens and the plurality of in-layer lenses are in specific positions where exit pupil is corrected.

14. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the one on-chip lens is shared between two pixels of the plurality of pixels or among four pixels of the plurality of pixels.

15. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of pixels comprises a color filter of one of R, G, or B.

16. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of pixels comprises a color filter of one of R, G, B, or W.

17. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pixels include a first pixel and a second pixel, wherein both of the first pixel and the second pixel comprise color filters of a same color, and

wherein an inclination of a first slope of the on-chip lens corresponding to the first pixel is opposite to an inclination of a second slope of the on-chip lens corresponding to the second pixel.

18. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pixels are in a two-dimensional array.

19. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

a solid-state imaging device including:

at least one on-chip lens; and

a plurality of pixels that share one on-chip lens of the at least one on-chip lens,

wherein each of the plurality of pixels has a respective in-layer lens of a plurality of in-layer lenses below the one on-chip lens, and

wherein the plurality of in-layer lenses are in planar positions deviated from center positions of the plurality of pixels.

20. A solid-state imaging device, comprising:

a first semiconductor region;

a second semiconductor region;

a first color filter above the first semiconductor region;

a second color filter above the second semiconductor region;

an on-chip lens above each of the first color filter and the second color filter;

a first lens between the first semiconductor region and the on-chip lens in a cross-sectional direction,

wherein a center of the first lens is deviated from a center of the first semiconductor region; and

a second lens between the second semiconductor region and the on-chip lens in the cross-sectional direction,

wherein a center of the second lens is deviated from a center of the second semiconductor region.

21. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 20 , wherein the first lens is between the first color filter and the first semiconductor region in the cross-sectional direction.

22. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 21 , wherein the first lens is in an insulating layer.

23. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 20 , wherein the first lens is between the first color filter and the on-chip lens in the cross-sectional direction.

24. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 20 , wherein the center of the first lens is deviated from a center of the first color filter.

Priority Claims (1)
JP 2014-137436 · Jul 3, 2014 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20170170222A1 · Jun 15, 2017