Charge collection gate with central collection photodiode in time of flight pixel
Granted: June 22, 2021
Patent Number:
11044429
A pixel circuit includes a photodiode disposed in a semiconductor material layer to accumulate image charge in response to light incident upon the photodiode. A charge collection gate is coupled to the photodiode. The charge collection gate is disposed over the photodiode to generate an inversion layer in the semiconductor material layer under the charge collection gate to collect the image charge from the photodiode. A first transfer gate is disposed proximate to the charge collection…
Enhanced shutter efficiency time-of-flight pixel
Granted: June 8, 2021
Patent Number:
11032496
A time-of-flight pixel array comprises multiple pixel cells. The pixel cell comprises a light collection region, a light shielded region, and a deep trench isolation (DTI) structure that encircles the light collection region to prevent light from entering the light shielded region. Photogate in the light collection region is disposed above a photodiode to accumulate the photo-generated electrical charges. A doped region disposed near the photogate collects the attracted charges. The…
Correlated time-of-flight sensor
Granted: June 8, 2021
Patent Number:
11029397
A time-of-flight (TOF) sensor includes a light source structured to emit light and a plurality of avalanche photodiodes. The TOF sensor also includes a plurality of pulse generators, where individual pulse generators are coupled to individual avalanche photodiodes in the plurality of avalanche photodiodes. Control circuitry is coupled to the light source, the plurality of avalanche photodiodes, and the plurality of pulse generators, to perform operations. Operations may include emitting…
LED flicker reduction for high dynamic range imaging
Granted: May 25, 2021
Patent Number:
11019277
A system for capturing a high dynamic range (HDR) image comprises an image sensor comprising a split pixel including a first pixel having higher effective gain and a second pixel having lower effective gain. The second pixels exposed with a capture window capture at least a pulse emitted by a light emitting diode (LED) controlled by a pulse width modulation. A first HDR image is produced by a combination including an image produced by the second pixels, and images produced by multiple…
Collimator for under-display optical fingerprint sensing
Granted: May 25, 2021
Patent Number:
11017200
A collimator for under-display fingerprint sensing includes (a) a substrate having opposite facing first and second sides, (b) an array of microlenses disposed on the first surface for focusing light from a fingerprint surface onto a focal plane that is between the array of microlenses and the second side of the substrate such that the light, as projected by the array of microlenses, is diverging when exiting the second side of the substrate, and (c) an array of apertures between the…
Image-sensor package and associated method
Granted: May 4, 2021
Patent Number:
10998361
An image-sensor package includes a cover glass, an image sensor, and an integrated circuit. The cover glass has a cover-glass bottom surface, to which the image sensor is bonded. The integrated circuit is beneath the cover-glass bottom surface, adjacent to the image sensor, and electronically connected to the image sensor. A method for packaging an image sensor includes attaching an image sensor to a cover-glass bottom surface of a cover glass, a light-sensing region of the image sensor…
Code pattern for representing tracing number of chip
Granted: May 4, 2021
Patent Number:
10998285
A chip comprises a semiconductor substrate having a first side and a second side opposite to the first side, a plurality of conductive metal patterns formed on the first side of the semiconductor substrate, a plurality of solder balls formed on the first side of the semiconductor substrate, and at least one code pattern of a first group and at least one code pattern of a second group formed on the first side of the semiconductor substrate in a space free from the plurality of conductive…
3D imaging using phase detection autofocus (PDAF) image sensor
Granted: May 4, 2021
Patent Number:
10996426
A 3D imaging system comprises a phase detection autofocus (PDAF) image sensor, a lens for imaging a cross-section of a 3D object on the PDAF image sensor and an actuator for driving the lens for focusing each cross-section of the 3D object on the PDAF image sensor. The actuator drives the lens until the PDAF image sensor identifies an image of a first cross-section of the 3D object in-focus and records the image of the first cross-section. The PDAF image sensor records images of…
Semiconductor device package and method of manufacturing the same
Granted: April 20, 2021
Patent Number:
10985149
A semiconductor device package includes a transparent substrate, a photo detector and a first conductive layer. The transparent substrate has a first surface and a first cavity underneath the first surface. The photo detector is disposed within the first cavity. The photo detector has a sensing area facing toward a bottom surface of the first cavity of the transparent substrate. The first conductive layer is disposed over the transparent substrate and electrically connected to the photo…
Wide dynamic range image sensor with global shutter
Granted: April 20, 2021
Patent Number:
10986290
An image sensor includes a photodiode disposed in a semiconductor material to generate image charge in response to incident light, and a first transfer gate is coupled to the photodiode to extract image charge from the photodiode in response to a first transfer signal. A first storage gate is coupled to the first transfer gate to receive the image charge from the first transfer gate, and a first output gate is coupled to the first storage gate to receive the image charge from the first…
Image sensor with boosted photodiodes for time of flight measurements
Granted: April 6, 2021
Patent Number:
10972687
An image sensor including a photodiode, a first doped region, a second doped region, a first storage node, a second storage node, a first vertical transfer gate, and a second vertical transfer gate is presented. The photodiode is disposed in a semiconductor material to convert image light to an electric signal. The first doped region and the second doped region are disposed in the semiconductor material between a first side of the semiconductor material and the photodiode. The first…
Light control for improved near infrared sensitivity and channel separation
Granted: March 30, 2021
Patent Number:
10964744
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…
Backside illuminated sensor pixel structure
Granted: March 30, 2021
Patent Number:
10964741
Backside illuminated sensor pixel structure. In one embodiment, an image sensor includes a plurality of photodiodes arranged in rows and columns of a pixel array that are disposed in a semiconductor substrate. Individual photodiodes of the pixel array are configured to receive incoming light through a backside of the semiconductor substrate. The individual photodiodes have a diffusion region formed in an epitaxial region and a plurality of storage nodes (SGs) that are disposed on the…
Image sensor having a source follower transistor with a multi-thickness gate dielectric
Granted: March 30, 2021
Patent Number:
10964738
An image sensor includes one or more photodiodes disposed in a semiconductor material to receive image light and generate image charge, and a floating diffusion to receive the image charge from the one or more photodiodes. One or more transfer transistors is coupled to transfer image charge in the one or more photodiodes to the floating diffusion, and a source follower transistor is coupled to amplify the image charge in the floating diffusion. The source follower includes a gate…
Universal register read back
Granted: March 30, 2021
Patent Number:
10963329
A checking module is coupled to one or more registers to verify data written to the one or more registers. The checking module includes a memory coupled to an arbiter to receive data and an address (corresponding to the data) from the arbiter. The data is written to the one or more registers at the address. Comparator logic is coupled to the memory and to the one or more registers to compare the data written to the one or more registers and the data in the memory. An error flag circuit…
Athermal doublet lens with large thermo-optic coefficients
Granted: March 30, 2021
Patent Number:
10962691
An athermal lens system includes a converging lens element having a negative first thermo-optic coefficient, and a diverging lens element having a second thermo-optic coefficient more negative than the first thermo-optic coefficient, wherein the diverging lens element is coupled with the converging lens element to form a converging athermal doublet lens.
Reducing false alarms in surveillance systems
Granted: March 23, 2021
Patent Number:
10957186
A surveillance system includes an infrared sensor system coupled to output an infrared signal in response to receiving infrared light, and an audio recording system coupled to output an audio signal in response to recording sound. An image sensor is system coupled to output an image signal in response to receiving image light. A controller is coupled to the infrared sensor system, the audio recording system, and the image sensor system. The controller includes logic that when executed by…
Versatile image sensor circuit
Granted: March 16, 2021
Patent Number:
10951840
A photodiode array circuit includes a plurality of photodiode circuits, binning circuitry, and a plurality of output circuits. Each of the plurality of photodiode circuits is coupled to receive a different one of the plurality of transfer control signals as a proximate photodiode circuit, proximate in a first direction. The binning circuitry is coupled to electrically connect the plurality of photodiode circuits into groups of photodiode circuit sense nodes in response to a binning…
Hybrid method for high-speed serial link skew calibration
Granted: March 2, 2021
Patent Number:
10936007
A method for reducing a clock-data skew in a serial interface. A clock signal and a data signal are received through the serial interface at first and second inputs of an exclusive OR (XOR) averaging (XOR-averaging) gate. An output of the XOR-averaging gate is determined and compared with a target value. At least one of a delay of the clock signal and a delay of the data signal is determined based on comparing the output of the XOR-averaging gate with the target value. A skew between the…
Column amplifier reset circuit with comparator
Granted: February 16, 2021
Patent Number:
10924701
A column amplifier with a comparator for use in an image sensor includes an amplifier coupled to receive an input signal representative of an image charge from a pixel cell of the image sensor. An amplifier auto-zero switch is coupled between an input of the amplifier and an output of the amplifier. A feedback capacitor coupled to an input of the amplifier. An amplifier output switch coupled between the output of the amplifier and the feedback capacitor. A comparator includes a first…
