公开(公告)号：US10964744B1

公开(公告)日：2021-03-30

申请号：US16570920

申请日：2019-09-13

Applicant: OMNIVISION TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Inventor： Cheng Zhao ,  Chen-Wei Lu ,  Cunyu Yang ,  Ping-Hsu Chen ,  Zhiqiang Lin ,  Chengming Liu

IPC: G01J5/20 ,  H01L27/14 ,  H01L27/146

Abstract: Light control for improved near infrared sensitivity and channel separation for an image sensor. In one embodiment, an image sensor includes: a plurality of photodiodes arranged in rows and columns of a pixel array; and a light filter layer having a plurality of light filters configured over the plurality of photodiodes. The light filter layer has a first side facing the plurality of photodiodes and a second side facing away from the first side. The image sensor also includes a color filter layer having a plurality of color filters configured over the plurality of photodiodes. The color filter layer has a first surface facing the second side of the light filter layer and a second surface facing away from the first layer. Individual micro-lenses are configured to direct incoming light through corresponding light filter and color filter onto the respective photodiode.

公开(公告)号：US10224364B2

公开(公告)日：2019-03-05

申请号：US15666086

申请日：2017-08-01

Applicant: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.

Inventor： Cheng Zhao ,  Cunyu Yang ,  Chen-Wei Lu ,  Zhiqiang Lin

IPC: H04N5/33 ,  H04N5/335 ,  H01L27/146 ,  H01L27/148 ,  H04N5/3745

Abstract: An image sensor comprises a semiconductor material having an illuminated surface and a non-illuminated surface; a photodiode formed in the semiconductor material extending from the illuminated surface to receive an incident light through the illuminated surface, wherein the received incident light generates charges in the photodiode; a transfer gate electrically coupled to the photodiode to transfer the generated charges from the photodiode in response to a transfer signal; a floating diffusion electrically coupled to the transfer gate to receive the transferred charges from the photodiode; and a near infrared (NIR) quantum efficiency (QE) and modulation transfer function(MTF) enhancement structure. The NIR QE and MTF enhancement structure comprises: a NIR QE enhancement sub-structure comprising at least one NIR QE enhancement elements within a photosensitive region of the photodiode, wherein the NIR QE enhancement sub-structure is configured to modify the incident light at the illuminated surface of the semiconductor material by at least one of diffraction, deflection and reflection, to redistribute the incident light within the photodiode to improve optical sensitivity, including NIR light sensitivity, of the image sensor; and a MTF enhancement sub-structure disposed on the non-illuminated surface of the semiconductor material, facing toward the NIR QE enhancement sub-structure, wherein the MTF enhancement structure has a geometry corresponding to the NIR QE enhancement sub-structure, to ensure the incident light is still within the photodiode after redistribution.

公开(公告)号：US20210082990A1

公开(公告)日：2021-03-18

申请号：US16570920

申请日：2019-09-13

Applicant: OMNIVISION TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Inventor： Cheng Zhao ,  Chen-Wei Lu ,  Cunyu Yang ,  Ping-Hsu Chen ,  Zhiqiang Lin ,  Chengming Liu

IPC: H01L27/146

Abstract: Light control for improved near infrared sensitivity and channel separation for an image sensor. In one embodiment, an image sensor includes: a plurality of photodiodes arranged in rows and columns of a pixel array; and a light filter layer having a plurality of light filters configured over the plurality of photodiodes. The light filter layer has a first side facing the plurality of photodiodes and a second side facing away from the first side. The image sensor also includes a color filter layer having a plurality of color filters configured over the plurality of photodiodes. The color filter layer has a first surface facing the second side of the light filter layer and a second surface facing away from the first layer. Individual micro-lenses are configured to direct incoming light through corresponding light filter and color filter onto the respective photodiode.

公开(公告)号：US20190394389A1

公开(公告)日：2019-12-26

申请号：US16017566

申请日：2018-06-25

Applicant: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.

Inventor： Chen-Wei Lu ,  Yin Qian ,  Dyson Tai ,  Chin Poh Pang ,  Boyang Zhang ,  Cheng Zhao

IPC: H04N5/232 ,  H04N5/341 ,  H01L27/146

Abstract: An image sensor pixel array comprises a plurality of image pixel units to gather image information and a plurality of phase detection auto-focus (PDAF) pixel units to gather phase information. Each of the PDAF pixel units includes two of first image sensor pixels covered by a shared micro-lens. Each of the image pixel units includes four of second image sensor pixels adjacent to each other, wherein each of the second image sensor pixels is covered by an individual micro-lens. A coating layer is disposed on the micro-lenses and forms a flattened surface across the whole image sensor pixel array to receive incident light.

公开(公告)号：US20190333953A1

公开(公告)日：2019-10-31

申请号：US15962943

申请日：2018-04-25

Applicant: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.

Inventor： Cheng Zhao ,  Chen-Wei Lu ,  Zhiqiang Lin ,  Dyson Hsin-Chih Tai

IPC: H01L27/146

Abstract: An image sensor comprises a first photodiode and a second photodiode having a smaller full-well capacitance than the first photodiode, wherein the second photodiode is adjacent to the first photodiode; a first micro-lens is disposed above the first photodiode and on an illuminated side of the image sensor; a second micro-lens is disposed above the second photodiode and on the illuminated side of the image sensor; and a coating layer disposed on both the first and second micro-lens, wherein the coating layer forms a flat top surface on the second micro-lens and a conformal coating layer on the first micro-lens.

公开(公告)号：US20190019832A1

公开(公告)日：2019-01-17

申请号：US15666086

申请日：2017-08-01

Applicant: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.

Inventor： Cheng Zhao ,  Cunyu Yang ,  Chen-Wei Lu ,  Zhiqiang Lin

IPC: H01L27/146 ,  H04N5/33 ,  H01L27/148

Abstract: An image sensor comprises a semiconductor material having an illuminated surface and a non-illuminated surface; a photodiode formed in the semiconductor material extending from the illuminated surface to receive an incident light through the illuminated surface, wherein the received incident light generates charges in the photodiode; a transfer gate electrically coupled to the photodiode to transfer the generated charges from the photodiode in response to a transfer signal; a floating diffusion electrically coupled to the transfer gate to receive the transferred charges from the photodiode; and a near infrared (NIR) quantum efficiency (QE) and modulation transfer function(MTF) enhancement structure. The NIR QE and MTF enhancement structure comprises: a NIR QE enhancement sub-structure comprising at least one NIR QE enhancement elements within a photosensitive region of the photodiode, wherein the NIR QE enhancement sub-structure is configured to modify the incident light at the illuminated surface of the semiconductor material by at least one of diffraction, deflection and reflection, to redistribute the incident light within the photodiode to improve optical sensitivity, including NIR light sensitivity, of the image sensor; and a MTF enhancement sub-structure disposed on the non-illuminated surface of the semiconductor material, facing toward the NIR QE enhancement sub-structure, wherein the MTF enhancement structure has a geometry corresponding to the NIR QE enhancement sub-structure, to ensure the incident light is still within the photodiode after redistribution.

公开(公告)号：US10665626B2

公开(公告)日：2020-05-26

申请号：US15962943

申请日：2018-04-25

Applicant: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.

Inventor： Cheng Zhao ,  Chen-Wei Lu ,  Zhiqiang Lin ,  Dyson Hsin-Chih Tai

IPC: H01L27/146

Abstract: An image sensor comprises a first photodiode and a second photodiode having a smaller full-well capacitance than the first photodiode, wherein the second photodiode is adjacent to the first photodiode; a first micro-lens is disposed above the first photodiode and on an illuminated side of the image sensor; a second micro-lens is disposed above the second photodiode and on the illuminated side of the image sensor; and a coating layer disposed on both the first and second micro-lens, wherein the coating layer forms a flat top surface on the second micro-lens and a conformal coating layer on the first micro-lens.

公开(公告)号：US09991309B1

公开(公告)日：2018-06-05

申请号：US15642177

申请日：2017-07-05

Applicant: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.

Inventor： Cunyu Yang ,  Cheng Zhao ,  Gang Chen ,  Dyson Tai ,  Chen-Wei Lu

IPC: H04N5/33 ,  H04N5/335 ,  H04N5/3745 ,  H01L27/146

CPC classification number: H01L27/14649 ,  H01L27/1461 ,  H01L27/1463 ,  H01L27/1464 ,  H04N5/332 ,  H04N5/335 ,  H04N5/3745

Abstract: An image sensor comprises a semiconductor material having an illuminated surface and a non-illuminated surface; a photodiode formed in the semiconductor material extending from the illuminated surface to receive an incident light through the illuminated surface, wherein the received incident light generates charges in the photodiode; a transfer gate electrically coupled to the photodiode to transfer the generated charges from the photodiode in response to a transfer signal; a floating diffusion electrically coupled to the transfer gate to receive the transferred charges from the photodiode; a near infrared (NIR) quantum efficiency (QE) enhancement structure comprising at least two NIR QE enhancement elements within a region of the photodiode, wherein the NIR QE enhancement structure is configured to modify the incident light at the illuminated surface of the semiconductor material by at least one of diffraction, deflection and reflection, to redistribute the incident light within the photodiode to improve an optical sensitivity, including near-infrared light sensitivity, of the image sensor.