IP Library › Granted Patent US 8,817,164
Granted Patent B2
US 8,817,164 · App. 13/756,124 · Granted Aug 26, 2014

Solid-State imaging device and imaging apparatus having offset optical waveguides

Inventors: Hiroshi Tayanaka (Kanagawa, JP); Susumu Ooki (Kumamoto, JP); Junichi Furukawa (Kanagawa, JP); Fumiaki Okazaki (Kanagawa, JP)
Assignee: Sony Corporation
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,817,164
App. No.
13/756,124
Granted
Aug 26, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

An imaging device includes a basic cell having two or more the pixels that share floating diffusion. The imaging device also includes a transistor shared by the two or more pixels in the basic cell and arranged on the outside of the two or more pixels. The imaging device further includes a light receiving unit connected to the floating diffusion shared by the pixels in the basic cell through a transfer gate. In the imaging device, on-chip lenses are arranged substantially at regular intervals. Also, an optical waveguide is formed so that the position thereof in the surface of the solid-state imaging device is located at a position shifted from the center of the light receiving unit to the transistor and in the inside of the light receiving unit and the inside of the on-chip lens.

Claims (29)

1. A solid-state imaging device comprising:

a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix, each pixel of the plurality of pixels including a light receiving unit to perform photoelectric conversion, an optical waveguide buried in an insulating layer located above said light receiving unit, and an on-chip lens located above said optical waveguide;

a basic cell having two or more of said pixels that share a floating diffusion; and

a transistor shared by said two or more pixels in said basic cell,

wherein,

said light receiving unit is connected to said floating diffusion shared by said two or more pixels in said basic cell through a transfer gate, and

an optical waveguide of a first pixel of the basic cell is formed such that a distance from a center of the matrix of the imaging device to a center of the optical waveguide of the first pixel of the basic cell is longer than a distance from the center of the matrix of the imaging device to a center of the light receiving unit of the first pixel of the basic cell.

2. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein said on chip lenses of the respective pixels are arranged substantially at regular intervals.

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

said optical waveguide includes a passivation film formed on a wall surface on the side of said insulating layer, and

a buried layer in the inside of said passivation film.

4. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 3 , wherein

said passivation film is made of silicon oxynitride.

5. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein an optical waveguide of a second pixel of the basic cell is formed such that a distance from the center of the matrix to a center of the optical waveguide of the second pixel of the basic cell is shorter than a distance from the center of the matrix to a center of the light receiving unit of the second pixel of the basic cell.

6. An imaging apparatus comprising:

a converging optical section that collects incident light;

a solid-state imaging device having a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix, each pixel of the plurality of pixels including a light receiving unit to perform photoelectric conversion, an optical waveguide buried in an insulating layer located above said light receiving unit, and an on-chip lens located above said optical waveguide, said solid state imaging device further including:

a basic cell having two or more of said pixels that share a floating diffusion; and

a transistor shared by said two or more pixels in said basic cell, wherein

said light receiving unit is connected to said floating diffusion shared by said two or more pixels in said basic cell through a transfer gate, and

an optical waveguide of a first pixel of the basic cell is formed such that a distance from a center of the matrix to a center of the optical waveguide of the first pixel of the basic cell is longer than a distance from the center of the matrix to a center of the light receiving unit of the first pixel of the basic cell,

wherein,

the imaging apparatus further includes a signal processing section that processes a signal obtained by photoelectric conversion in said solid-state imaging device and said on-chip lenses are arranged substantially at regular intervals.

7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein

said optical waveguide includes a passivation film formed on a wall surface on the side of said insulating layer, and

a buried layer in the inside of said passivation film.

8. The imaging apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein

said passivation film is made of silicon oxynitride.

9. The imaging apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein an optical waveguide of a second pixel of the basic cell is formed such that a distance from the center of the matrix to a center of the optical waveguide of the second pixel of the basic cell is shorter than a distance from the center of the matrix to a center of the light receiving unit of the second pixel of the basic cell.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 19, 2016
From: SONY CORPORATION
To: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 040419/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 17, 2013
From: OKAZAKI, FUMIAKI
To: SONY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 030234/0144 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 15, 2013
From: TAYANAKA, HIROSHI; OOKI, SUSUMU; FURUKAWA, JUNICHI
To: SONY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 030215/0101 →
Priority Claims (2)
JP 2009-088093 · Mar 31, 2009 · national
JP 2009-088094 · Mar 31, 2009 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation 12728549 · Mar 22, 2010
Related Publication 20130234220A1 · Sep 12, 2013