WAFER LEVEL CAMERA HAVING MOVABLE COLOR FILTER GROUPING
Granted: November 19, 2015
Application Number:
20150334357
An image capture unit includes an image sensor and a lens structure disposed proximate to the image sensor to focus an image onto the image sensor. A movable color filter grouping is disposed over the lens structure. The movable color filter grouping includes a plurality of N color filters arranged therein such that all light that is incident upon the image sensor through the lens structure is directed through only one of the plurality of N color filters of the movable color filter…
PHOTODIODE AND FILTER CONFIGURATION FOR HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE IMAGE SENSOR
Granted: November 19, 2015
Application Number:
20150333099
An image sensor pixel includes a first photodiode, a second photodiode, a first microlens, a second microlens, and a filter. The first and second photodiode are disposed adjacent to each other in a semiconductor material. The first photodiode has a first full well capacity that is substantially equal to a second full well capacity of the second photodiode. The first microlens is disposed over the first photodiode and the second microlens is disposed over the second photodiode. The first…
Suspended Lens Systems And Wafer-Level Methods For Manufacturing The Same
Granted: November 19, 2015
Application Number:
20150333094
A suspended lens system, for imaging a scene, includes (a) a single-piece lens for receiving light from the scene, wherein the single-piece lens includes a concave surface, and (b) a substrate including a side that faces the concave surface, for holding the single-piece lens, wherein the substrate has non-zero optical transmission and contacts only portions of the single-piece lens that are away from the concave surface. A wafer-level method for manufacturing a suspended lens system…
Wafer-Level Liquid-Crystal-On-Silicon Projection Assembly, Systems and Methods
Granted: November 19, 2015
Application Number:
20150331305
A wafer-level liquid-crystal-on-silicon (LCOS) projection assembly includes a LCOS display for spatially modulating light incident on the LCOS display and a polarizing beam-separating (PBS) layer for directing light to and from the LCOS display. A method for fabricating a LCOS projection system includes disposing a PBS wafer above an active-matrix wafer. The active-matrix wafer includes a plurality of active matrices for addressing liquid crystal display pixels. The method, further…
Optical Zoom Imaging Systems And Associated Methods
Granted: November 5, 2015
Application Number:
20150319368
An optical zoom imaging system includes (1) first and second image sensors disposed on a common substrate, and (2) first and second optical blocks in optical communication with the first and second image sensors, respectively. The first and second optical blocks have different respective magnifications. An array includes a plurality of the optical zoom imaging systems. A method for imaging a scene includes the following steps: (1) generating first image data representing the scene at a…
BACKSIDE ILLUMINATED COLOR IMAGE SENSORS AND METHODS FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME
Granted: November 5, 2015
Application Number:
20150318327
A method for manufacturing a backside illuminated color image sensor includes (a) modifying the frontside of an image sensor wafer, having pixel arrays, to produce electrical connections to the pixel arrays, wherein the electrical connections extend depth-wise into the image sensor wafer from the frontside, and (b) modifying the backside of the image sensor wafer to expose the electrical connections.
Wafer-Level Bonding Method For Camera Fabrication
Granted: November 5, 2015
Application Number:
20150318326
A wafer-level method for fabricating a plurality of cameras includes modifying an image sensor wafer to reduce risk of the image sensor wafer warping, and bonding the image sensor wafer to a lens wafer to form a composite wafer that includes the plurality of cameras. A wafer-level method for fabricating a plurality of cameras includes bonding an image sensor wafer to a lens wafer, using a pressure sensitive adhesive, to form a composite wafer that includes the plurality of cameras.
System And Method For Black Coating Of Camera Cubes At Wafer Level
Granted: November 5, 2015
Application Number:
20150318325
A method for black coating camera cubes at wafer level includes expanding the gap between individual diced camera cubes of the wafer by stretching tape securing the diced camera cubes. The method includes applying a black coating layer to the stretched camera cubes, laser trimming undesired portions of the black coating layer, and removing the undesired portions of the black coating layer.
Imaging Systems And Methods For Using In Spatially Constrained Locations
Granted: October 29, 2015
Application Number:
20150312451
An imaging system for use in a spatially constrained location includes an image sensor for capturing an image, wherein the image sensor has (a) a first rectangular area containing a pixel array and connecting circuitry communicatively coupled with the pixel array and (b) a second rectangular area with only one shared side with the first rectangular area and containing support electronics for pixel array control and signal acquisition, where the support electronics is communicatively…
IMAGE SENSOR WITH SCALED FILTER ARRAY AND IN-PIXEL BINNING
Granted: October 29, 2015
Application Number:
20150312537
Embodiments of an apparatus including a pixel array including a plurality of individual pixels grouped into pixel kernels having two or more individual pixels, wherein each pixel kernel includes a floating diffusion electrically coupled to all individual pixels in the kernel. A color filter array (CFA) is positioned over and optically coupled to the pixel array, the CFA comprising a plurality of tiled minimal repeating units, each including a plurality of scaled filters having a…
IMAGE SENSOR PIXEL HAVING STORAGE GATE IMPLANT WITH GRADIENT PROFILE
Granted: October 22, 2015
Application Number:
20150303235
A pixel cell includes a storage transistor disposed in a semiconductor substrate. The storage transistor includes a storage gate disposed over the semiconductor substrate, and a storage gate implant that is annealed and has a gradient profile in the semiconductor substrate under the storage transistor gate to store image charge accumulated by a photodiode disposed in the semiconductor substrate. A transfer transistor is disposed in the semiconductor substrate and is coupled between the…
COMBINED VISIBLE AND NON-VISIBLE PROJECTION SYSTEM
Granted: October 15, 2015
Application Number:
20150296150
A projection display system includes a visible light source coupled to project a visible image onto a screen. An infrared (IR) light source is coupled to project a non-visible IR image onto the screen. The non-visible IR image on the screen is independent of the visible image on the screen. The visible image and the non-visible IR image are overlapped and are displayed simultaneously on the screen.
IMAGE SENSOR WITH DIELECTRIC CHARGE TRAPPING DEVICE
Granted: October 15, 2015
Application Number:
20150295007
An image sensor pixel includes a photosensitive element, a floating diffusion region, a transfer gate, a dielectric charge trapping region, and a first metal contact. The photosensitive element is disposed in a semiconductor layer to receive electromagnetic radiation along a vertical axis. The floating diffusion region is disposed in the semiconductor layer, while the transfer gate is disposed on the semiconductor layer to control a flow of charge produced in the photosensitive element…
Floorplan-Optimized Stacked Image Sensor And Associated Methods
Granted: October 8, 2015
Application Number:
20150288908
A floorplan-optimized stacked image sensor and a method for designing the sensor are disclosed. A sensor layer includes multiple PSAs partitioned into PSA groups. A circuit layer includes multiple analog-to-digital converters each communicatively coupled to a different PSA. Each analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is semi-aligned to the PSA group associated with the PSA to which it is communicatively coupled. The floorplan of ADCs maximizes contiguous global-based space on the circuit…
FEED-FORWARD TECHNIQUE FOR POWER SUPPLY REJECTION RATIO IMPROVEMENT OF BIT LINE
Granted: October 8, 2015
Application Number:
20150288902
An image sensor read out circuit includes a first current mirror circuit in which a second current conducted through a second current path is controlled in response to a first current conducted through the first current path. The second current is conducted through an amplifier transistor of a pixel circuit. A first current source coupled to the first current path to provide a substantially constant current component of the first current. A second current source coupled to a power supply…
METHODS OF FABRICATING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND STACKED CHIP
Granted: October 8, 2015
Application Number:
20150287632
A method of fabricating a semiconductor device is disclosed. The method includes the steps of: providing a substrate having a device function layer formed thereon; forming a first opening in the device function layer, the first opening extending through the device function layer and having a side-to-bottom angle of smaller than 90°; and etching the substrate to form therein a second opening by using the device function layer as a mask and the first opening as a mask pattern. A method of…
REDUCING SPECKLE IN PROJECTED IMAGES
Granted: October 8, 2015
Application Number:
20150286064
A despeckle optical system for an image projector includes a diffuser, an in-plane vibrator, a microlens array, and a vibrator driver. The in-plane vibrator is coupled to vibrate the diffuser along a vibration plane. The vibrator driver is coupled to drive the in-plane vibrator and configured to drive the in-plane vibrator at different vibration amplitudes for averaging the intensity of speckle in display light that propagates through the diffuser via the microlens array.
IMAGE SENSOR HAVING A GAPLESS MICROLENSES
Granted: September 24, 2015
Application Number:
20150270302
An image sensor includes a plurality of photosensitive devices arranged in a semiconductor substrate. A planar layer is disposed over the plurality of photosensitive devices in the semiconductor substrate. A plurality of first microlenses comprised of a lens material is arranged in first lens regions on the planar layer. A plurality of lens barriers comprised of the lens material is arranged on the planar layer to provide boundaries that define second lens regions on the planar layer. A…
IMAGE SENSOR CROPPING IMAGES IN RESPONSE TO CROPPING COORDINATE FEEDBACK
Granted: September 24, 2015
Application Number:
20150271411
Reducing consumption of image sensor processor bandwidth includes capturing an image containing subject matter with an image sensor and cropping the image to generate a cropped image. Cropping the image is performed by the image sensor in response to coordinates received from an image sensor processor. The cropped image is sent from the image sensor to the image sensor processor and new coordinates based on a position of the subject matter in the cropped image are determined with the…
COLOR IMAGE SENSOR WITH METAL MESH TO DETECT INFRARED LIGHT
Granted: September 24, 2015
Application Number:
20150271377
An image sensor includes a pixel array with a plurality of pixels arranged in a semiconductor layer. A color filter array including a plurality of groupings of filters is disposed over the pixel array. Each filter is optically coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality pixels. Each one of the plurality of groupings of filters includes a first, a second, a third, and a fourth filter having a first, a second, the second, and a third color, respectively. A metal layer is disposed over…
