# US 12,191,325 B2 · Apparatus, system, and moving body

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- Number: US 12,191,325 B2
- Document ID: US12191325B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/589,177
- Filed: 2022-01-31
- Published: 2022-08-11
- Granted: 2025-01-07
- Earliest claimed: 2021-02-05
- Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Kazuya Igarashi; Hajime Ikeda; Shunichi Wakashima; Kohei Okamoto; Koichi Fukuda
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12191325B2

## CPC

- H10F 39/8023: {Disposition of the elements in pixels, e.g. smaller elements in the centre of the imager compared to larger elements at the periphery}
- H10F 39/8057: {Optical shielding}
- H10F 39/8063: {Microlenses}
- H10F 39/807: {Pixel isolation structures}
- H10F 39/811: {Interconnections}
- H10F 39/18: Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor [CMOS] image sensors; Photodiode array image sensors
- H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION

## Abstract

An apparatus includes pixels on a substrate. Each pixel includes a first portion, a second, and a microlens. The substrate has a first surface on an incidence side and a second surface opposite to the first surface, and includes an inter-pixel portion isolating adjacent pixels from each other, and an intra-pixel portion isolating the first and second portions from each other. The inter-pixel portion includes a first region located adjacently to the first surface, and a second region located adjacently to the second surface. The intra-pixel portion includes a third region located adjacently to the first surface, and a fourth region located adjacently to the second surface. The first and third regions are shifted with respect to the second and fourth regions, respectively, in an identical direction that is a direction orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the intra-pixel portion in plan view from the first surface.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An apparatus comprising:
a plurality of pixels on a substrate, wherein
each of the plurality of pixels includes
a first portion,
a second portion, and
a microlens,
the substrate
has a first surface on an incidence side and a second surface opposite to the first surface, and
includes
an inter-pixel portion isolating adjacent pixels from each other among the plurality of pixels, and
an intra-pixel portion isolating the first portion and the second portion from each other,
the inter-pixel portion includes
a first region located adjacently to the first surface in plan view from the first surface, and
a second region located adjacently to the second surface,
the first region is shifted with respect to the second region,
the intra-pixel portion includes
a third region located adjacently to the first surface, and
a fourth region located adjacently to the second surface,
the third region is shifted with respect to the fourth region in a direction identical to a shift direction of the first region, and
the shift direction is a direction orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the intra-pixel portion in plan view from the first surface.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a shift amount of the third region from the fourth region is equal to a shift amount of the first region from the second region.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an area of a light-receiving surface of the first portion and an area of a light-receiving surface of the second portion are equal to each other.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of pixels includes a transistor configured to transfer charge to a region adjacent to the second surface.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first region and the second region form a portion that is continuous from a surface, adjacent to the first surface, of a portion among the first and second portions to a surface, adjacent to the second surface, of the portion.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a region among the first to fourth regions is a trench or a potential barrier formed through doping with an impurity.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a structure located between the microlens and the first and second portions is shifted in the shift direction of the first region.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a portion isolated by a boundary portion of the first region and the second region includes a boundary portion constituted by a portion doped with an impurity and a portion not doped with any impurity.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
a region in which the plurality of pixels are arranged in an array form,
the region includes
a first sub-region, and
a second sub-region,
a shift direction or a shift amount of the first region of a plurality of pixels in the first sub-region among the plurality of pixels and a shift direction or a shift amount of the first region of a plurality of pixels in the second sub-region among the plurality of pixels are different from each other.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first sub-region is a central portion of the region, and the second sub-region is a peripheral portion of the region.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first sub-region is a first row in the region, and the second sub-region is a second row different from the first row in the region.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the first row and the second row correspond to respective pupil distances different from each other.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein signals output from pixels in the first row are read out.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The photoelectric conversion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the microlenses are arranged at uniform intervals.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
in the plurality of pixels,
impurity regions adjacent to the second surface are arranged at certain intervals, and
intervals at which impurity regions adjacent to the first surface are arranged are different from each other.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

A system comprising:
the apparatus according to claim 1; and
a processing unit configured to generate an image by using an output by the apparatus.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The system according to claim 16, wherein the apparatus further comprises:
a region in which the plurality of pixels are arranged in an array form,
the region includes
a first sub-region, and
a second sub-region,
a shift direction or a shift amount of the first region of a plurality of pixels in the first sub-region among the plurality of pixels and a shift direction or a shift amount of the first region of a plurality of pixels in the second sub-region among the plurality of pixels are different from each other.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

A moving body comprising:
the apparatus according to claim 1; and
a control unit configured to control movement of the moving body by using an output by the apparatus.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The moving body according to claim 18, wherein the apparatus further comprises:
a region in which the plurality of pixels are arranged in an array form,
the region includes
a first sub-region, and
a second sub-region,
a shift direction or a shift amount of the first region of a plurality of pixels in the first sub-region among the plurality of pixels and a shift direction or a shift amount of the first region of a plurality of pixels in the second sub-region among the plurality of pixels are different from each other.

### Claim 20

A substrate having a plurality of pixels, a first surface on an incidence side, and a second surface opposite to the first surface,
each of the plurality of pixels including
a first portion, and
a second portion,
the substrate comprising:
an inter-pixel portion isolating adjacent pixels from each other among the plurality of pixels; and
an intra-pixel portion isolating the first portion and the second portion from each other, wherein
the inter-pixel portion includes
a first region located adjacently to the first surface in plan view from the first surface, and
a second region located adjacently to the second surface,
the first region is shifted with respect to the second region,
the intra-pixel portion includes
a third region located adjacently to the first surface, and
a fourth region located adjacently to the second surface,
the third region is shifted with respect to the fourth region in a direction identical to a shift direction of the first region, and
the shift direction is a direction orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the intra-pixel portion in plan view from the first surface.