Polarimetric image sensor
AssigneesSTMicroelectronics International N.V., STMicroelectronics (Crolles 2) SAS
InventorsJerome Vaillant, Francois Deneuville, Axel Crocherie, Alain Ostrovsky
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present description concerns a polarimetric image sensor formed inside and on top of a semiconductor substrate, the second comprising a plurality of pixels, each comprising: —a photosensitive region formed in the semiconductor substrate; —a diffraction structure formed on the side of an illumination surface of the photosensitive region; and —a polarization structure formed on the side of the diffraction structure opposite to the photosensitive region.
Claims20
A device, comprising:
- a polarimetric image sensor in and on a semiconductor substrate, the sensor including a plurality of pixels, each pixel including:
- a photosensitive region in the semiconductor substrate;
- a diffraction structure on an illumination surface of the photosensitive region, the diffraction structure including a first pattern;
- and
- a polarization structure on the diffraction structure opposite to the photosensitive region, the polarization structure including a second pattern that is different than the first pattern.
A device, comprising:
- a substrate;
- a plurality of pixels in the substrate;
- a diffraction structure on the plurality of pixels, the diffraction structure including a plurality of first patterns that correspond to the plurality of pixels, a first one of the plurality of first patterns being different from the other adjacent ones of the plurality of first patterns;
- and
- a polarization structure on the diffraction structure,
- wherein the polarization structure includes a plurality of second patterns, the plurality of first patterns being different from the plurality of second patterns.
A polarimetric image sensor in and on a semiconductor comprising a macropixel formed in and on a semiconductor substrate, comprising a plurality of pixels, each pixel comprising:
- a photosensitive region in the silicon substrate, comprising a photodetection element;
- a diffraction structure on an illumination surface of the photosensitive region, the diffraction structure including a first pattern;
- and
- a polarization structure on the diffraction structure opposite to the photosensitive region, the polarization structure including a second pattern that is different than the first pattern,
- wherein the plurality of pixels comprises at least first and second pixels adapted to measuring radiations according respectively to first and second distinct polarizations.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.