# US 11,122,229 B2 · Solid-state imaging device, signal processing method therefor, and electronic apparatus for enabling sensitivity correction > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,122,229 B2 - Document ID: US11122229B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/589,373 - Filed: 2019-10-01 - Published: 2020-01-23 - Granted: 2021-09-14 - Earliest claimed: 2014-09-01 - Assignees: Sony Corporation - Applicants: Sony Corporation - Inventors: Youji Sakioka; Masayuki Tachi; Hisashi Nishimaki; Taishin Yoshida - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11122229B2 ## CPC - H04N 25/77: Pixel circuitry, e.g. memories, A/D converters, pixel amplifiers, shared circuits or shared components - H04N 23/84: for processing colour signals - 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 25/135: {based on four or more different wavelength filter elements} - H04N 25/46: by combining or binning pixels - H04N 25/611: Correction of chromatic aberration - H04N 25/704: Pixels specially adapted for focusing, e.g. phase difference pixel sets - H10F 39/182: {Colour image sensors} - H10F 39/199: {Back-illuminated image sensors} - H10F 39/8027: {Geometry of the photosensitive area} - H10F 39/8053: {Colour filters} - H10F 39/8057: {Optical shielding} - H10F 39/8063: {Microlenses} - H10F 39/813: {Electronic components shared by multiple pixels, e.g. one amplifier shared by two pixels} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION ## Abstract The present disclosure relates to a solid-state imaging device, a signal processing method therefor, and an electronic apparatus enabling sensitivity correction in which a sensitivity difference between solid-state imaging devices is suppressed. The solid-state imaging device includes a pixel unit in which one microlens is formed for a plurality of pixels in a manner such that a boundary of the microlens coincides with boundaries of the pixels. The correction circuit corrects a sensitivity difference between the pixels inside the pixel unit based on a correction coefficient. The present disclosure is applicable to, for example, a solid-state imaging device and the like. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A solid-state imaging device comprising: a pixel unit in which a microlens is formed for a plurality of pixels in a manner such that a boundary of the microlens coincides with boundaries of the plurality of pixels; and a correction circuit configured to correct a sensitivity difference between pixels inside the pixel unit based on a correction coefficient, wherein the correction coefficient is provided per color temperature of light received by a pixel, and wherein the correction circuit uses a pixel signal of another pixel to estimate a color temperature of light received by the pixel, and performs correction based on the correction coefficient corresponding to the estimated color temperature. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the correction coefficient is calculated based on an added signal obtained by adding pixel signals of respective pixels of the pixel unit. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The solid-state imaging device according to claim 2, wherein the pixel unit includes an adding unit configured to generate the added signal. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The solid-state imaging device according to claim 3, wherein the adding unit is a floating diffusion (FD) shared by the respective pixels of the pixel unit. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The solid-state imaging device according to claim 2, wherein the correction coefficient is calculated based on a pixel average value obtained by dividing the added signal by a number of pixels of the pixel unit. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The solid-state imaging device according to claim 5, wherein the correction coefficient is calculated by a ratio between the pixel average value and a pixel signal of each pixel of the pixel unit. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The solid-state imaging device according to claim 2, wherein the correction circuit also performs adding processing in which the added signal is calculated by adding the pixel signals of the respective pixels of the pixel unit. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, further including a memory configured to store the correction coefficient, wherein the correction circuit performs correction based on the correction coefficient obtained from the memory. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of pixel units are arranged inside a pixel array unit in which the plurality of pixel units are two-dimensionally arrayed in a matrix, and the correction coefficient is provided for each pixel constituting each pixel unit. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of pixel units are arranged inside a pixel array unit in which the plurality of pixel units are two-dimensionally arrayed in a matrix, and the correction coefficient is provided for each region obtained by dividing the pixel array unit into a predetermined number. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the correction coefficient is provided per wavelength of light received by each pixel. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the pixel from which a color temperature of light is estimated is a white pixel formed with a white color filter. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the solid-state imaging device is a back-illumination type. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, having a stacked structure in which a plurality of semiconductor substrates are stacked. ### Claim 15 A signal processing method in a solid-state imaging device, wherein the solid-state imaging device includes a pixel unit in which a microlens is formed for a plurality of pixels in a manner such that a boundary of the microlens coincides with boundaries of the plurality of pixels, and a correction circuit of the solid-state imaging device corrects a sensitivity difference between pixels inside the pixel unit based on a correction coefficient, wherein the correction coefficient is provided per color temperature of light received by a pixel, and wherein the correction circuit uses a pixel signal of another pixel to estimate a color temperature of light received by the pixel, and performs correction based on the correction coefficient corresponding to the estimated color temperature. ### Claim 16 An electronic apparatus provided with a solid-state imaging device that includes: a pixel unit in which a microlens is formed for a plurality of pixels in a manner such that a boundary of the microlens coincides with boundaries of the plurality of pixels; and a correction circuit configured to correct a sensitivity difference between pixels inside the pixel unit based on a correction coefficient, wherein the correction coefficient is provided per color temperature of light received by a pixel, and wherein the correction circuit uses a pixel signal of another pixel to estimate a color temperature of light received by the pixel, and performs correction based on the correction coefficient corresponding to the estimated color temperature.