# US 10,484,620 B2 · Image sensor having optical filter and operating method thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,484,620 B2 - Document ID: US10484620B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/795,475 - Filed: 2017-10-27 - Published: 2018-10-04 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2017-04-04 - Assignees: SK hynix Inc. - Applicants: SK hynix Inc. - Inventors: Sung-Woo Lim - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10484620B2 ## CPC - H04N 23/75: by influencing optical camera components - G02F 1/13394: {spacers regularly patterned on the cell subtrate, e.g. walls, pillars (G02F1/133377 takes precedence)} - G02F 1/134336: {Matrix} - H04N 23/55: Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof - H04N 25/131: including elements passing infrared wavelengths - H04N 25/133: including elements passing panchromatic light, e.g. filters passing white light - H04N 25/134: {based on three different wavelength filter elements} - H04N 25/589: with different integration times, e.g. short and long exposures - H10F 39/182: {Colour image sensors} - H10F 39/8053: {Colour filters} - H10F 39/8057: {Optical shielding} - H10F 39/8063: {Microlenses} - G02F 1/133514: {Colour filters} - G02F 1/133526: {Lenses, e.g. microlenses or Fresnel lenses} - G02F 1/13398: {Spacer materials; Spacer properties} - G02F 2201/121: common or background - G02F 2203/12: spatial light modulator - H04N 25/62: Detection or reduction of noise due to excess charges produced by the exposure, e.g. smear, blooming, ghost image, crosstalk or leakage between pixels - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - G02F: OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS - H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION ## Abstract An image sensor may include: a pixel array having a plurality of unit pixels arranged in a matrix structure; and an optical filter overlapping the pixel array, and capable of blocking incident light irradiated on the plurality of unit pixels arranged in each row in the pixel array. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image sensor comprising: a pixel array having a plurality of unit pixels arranged in a matrix structure and a substrate having a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements corresponding to the plurality of unit pixels; an optical filter overlapping the pixel array, and capable of blocking incident light irradiated on the plurality of unit pixels arranged in each of a plurality of rows in the pixel array; a color filter array inserted between the pixel array and the optical filter, and comprising a plurality of color filters corresponding to the plurality of unit pixels; and a plurality of light focusing elements formed over the optical filter and corresponding to the plurality of unit pixels, wherein the optical filter is positioned between the color filter array and the plurality of light focusing elements. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the optical filter blocks incident light irradiated onto the plurality of unit pixels arranged in even-numbered rows while incident light is irradiated onto the plurality of unit pixels arranged in odd-numbered rows, and blocking incident light irradiated onto the plurality of unit pixels arranged in the odd-numbered rows in the pixel array while the incident light is irradiated onto the plurality of unit pixels in the even-numbered rows. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the optical filter comprises: a plurality of first electrodes extended in a row direction; a second electrode overlapping the plurality of first electrodes; and a liquid crystal layer formed between the plurality of first electrodes and the second electrode. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The image sensor of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of first electrodes overlaps the plurality of unit pixels arranged in each of the plurality of rows in the pixel array. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The image sensor of claim 3, wherein the plurality of first electrodes correspond to the plurality of rows in the pixel array, the plurality of first electrodes corresponding to odd-numbered rows in the pixel array among the plurality of first electrodes are electrically coupled to each other, and the plurality of first electrodes corresponding to even-numbered rows are electrically coupled to each other. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The image sensor of claim 3, wherein the second electrode overlaps all of the plurality of unit pixels. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The image sensor of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of first electrodes has a bar shape extended in the row direction, and the second electrode has a plate shape. ### Claim 8 An image sensor comprising: a pixel array having a plurality of unit pixels arranged in a matrix structure and a substrate having a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements corresponding to the plurality of unit pixels; an optical filter overlapping the pixel array; a color filter array inserted between the pixel array and the optical filter, and comprising a plurality of color filters corresponding to the plurality of unit pixels; and a plurality of light focusing elements formed over the optical filter and corresponding to the plurality of unit pixels, wherein the optical filter is positioned between the color filter array and the plurality of light focusing elements, wherein the optical filter comprises: a plurality of first electrodes extended in one direction; a plurality of partition walls formed between the plurality of first electrodes; a second electrode overlapping the plurality of first electrodes; and a plurality of liquid crystal layers formed between the plurality of first electrodes and the second electrode. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The image sensor of claim 8, wherein the optical filter comprises: a first transparent substrate on which the plurality of first electrodes and the plurality of partition walls are formed; and a second transparent substrate under which the second electrode is formed, and overlapping the first transparent substrate, wherein the plurality of partition walls surround the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate at the edges of the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The image sensor of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of first electrodes overlaps the plurality of unit pixels arranged in each of a plurality of rows in the pixel array. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The image sensor of claim 8, wherein the plurality of first electrodes correspond to the plurality of rows in the pixel array, the first electrodes corresponding to odd-numbered rows in the pixel array among the plurality of first electrodes are electrically coupled to each other, and the first electrodes corresponding to even-numbered rows are electrically coupled to each other. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The image sensor of claim 8, wherein the second electrode overlaps all of the plurality of unit pixels. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The image sensor of claim 8, wherein the plurality of partition walls has a higher refractive index than the plurality of liquid crystal layers. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The image sensor of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of first electrodes has a bar shape extended in the row direction, and the second electrode has a plate shape. ### Claim 15 An operating method of an image sensor, comprising: providing a pixel array having a plurality of unit pixels arranged in a matrix structure, and an optical filter overlapping the pixel array to block incident light irradiated onto the plurality of unit pixels at each of a plurality of rows in the pixel array; blocking, by the optical filter, incident light irradiated onto the plurality of unit pixels arranged in even-numbered rows in the pixel array during a first time in which the incident light is irradiated onto the plurality of unit pixels arranged in odd-numbered rows; and blocking, by the optical filter, incident light irradiated onto the plurality of unit pixels arranged in the odd-numbered rows in the pixel array during a second time in which the incident light is irradiated onto the plurality of unit pixels arranged in the even-numbered rows, wherein a color filter array comprising a plurality of color filters corresponding to the respective unit pixels is inserted between the pixel array and the optical filter, wherein a plurality of light focusing elements corresponding to the respective unit pixels are formed over the optical filter, and wherein the optical filter is positioned between the color filter array and the plurality of light focusing elements. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The operating method of claim 15, wherein the first time in which incident light is irradiated onto the plurality of unit pixels arranged in odd-numbered rows is different from the second time in which incident light is irradiated onto the plurality of unit pixels arranged in even-numbered rows. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The operating method of claim 15, wherein the blocking, by the optical filter, of incident light irradiated onto the plurality of unit pixels arranged in the even-numbered rows and the blocking, by the optical filter, of incident light irradiated onto the plurality of unit pixels in the odd-numbered rows are alternately repeated. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The operating method of claim 15, wherein the optical filter comprises: a plurality of first electrodes having a bar shape extended in the row direction overlapping the plurality of unit pixels arranged in each of the plurality of rows in the pixel array; a plurality of partition walls formed between the plurality of first electrodes; a second electrode having a plate shape overlapping the plurality of first electrodes and having the bar shape; and a plurality of liquid crystal layers formed between the plurality of first electrodes and the second electrode. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The operating method of claim 18, wherein the blocking, by the optical filter, of incident light irradiated onto the plurality of unit pixels arranged in the even-numbered rows comprises applying a bias to the second electrode and the plurality of first electrodes corresponding to the even-numbered rows in the pixel array, and the blocking, by the optical filter, of incident light irradiated onto the plurality of unit pixels in the odd-numbered rows comprises applying a bias to the second electrode and the plurality of first electrodes corresponding to the odd-numbered rows in the pixel array.