# US 2019/0355772 A1 · Imaging apparatus and image sensor including the same

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- Number: US 2019/0355772 A1
- Document ID: US20190355772A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/527,341
- Filed: 2019-07-31
- Published: 2019-11-21
- Earliest claimed: 2015-07-29
- Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; California Institute of Technology
- Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; California Institute of Technology
- Inventors: Amir ARBABI; Seunghoon Han; Andrei Faraon
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190355772A1

## CPC

- H10F 39/8063: {Microlenses}
- 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 39/8053: {Colour filters}
- G03B 35/10: having single camera with stereoscopic-base-defining system
- H04N 23/57: Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices
- H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
- G03B: APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OR FOR PROJECTING OR VIEWING THEM; APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS EMPLOYING ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR (optical parts of such apparatus G02B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; apparatus for processing exposed photographic materials G03D)
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

An image sensor includes a substrate, thin lenses disposed on a first surface of the substrate and configured to concentrate lights incident on the first surface, and light-sensing cells disposed on a second surface of the substrate, the second surface facing the first surface, and the light-sensing cells being configured to sense lights passing through the thin lenses, and generate electrical signals based on the sensed lights. A first thin lens and second thin lens of the thin lenses are configured to concentrate a first light and a second light, respectively, of the incident lights onto the light-sensing cells, the first light having a different wavelength than the second light.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An image sensor comprising:
a substrate;
thin lenses disposed on a first surface of the substrate and configured to concentrate lights incident on the first surface, the thins lenses comprising a first thin lens and a second thin lens;
light-sensing cells disposed on a second surface of the substrate, the second surface facing the first surface, and the light-sensing cells being configured to sense lights passing through the thin lenses, and generate electrical signals based on the sensed lights,
wherein the first thin lens and the second thin lens of the thin lenses are configured to concentrate a first light and a second light, respectively, of the incident lights onto the light-sensing cells, the first light having a different wavelength than the second light, and
wherein each of the thin lenses comprises scatterers, the scatterers including material having a refractive index higher than a refractive index of the substrate.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

An image sensor of claim 1, wherein the first thin lens and the second thin lens of the thin lenses are configured to concentrate the first light and the second light, onto the light-sensing cells with different focal lengths.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

An image sensor of claim 2, wherein the first thin lens comprises first scatterers disposed on a first surface of the substrate, shapes and arrangement of the first scatterers being configured to concentrate the first light of first wavelength with a first focal length, among lights incident on the first surface, and
wherein the second thin lens comprises second scatterers disposed on the first surface of the substrate, shapes and arrangement of the second scatterers being configured to concentrate the second light with a second focal length different from the first focal length, among lights incident on the first surface.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

An image of claim 3, wherein the thin lenses further comprises:
a third thin lens comprising third scatterers disposed on the first surface of the substrate, shapes and arrangement of the third scatterers being configured to concentrate the first light with the second focal length, among lights incident on the first surface; and
a fourth thin lens comprising fourth scatterers disposed on the first surface of the substrate, shapes and arrangement of the fourth scatters being configured to concentrate the second light of second wavelength with the first focal length, among lights incident on the first surface.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The image sensor of claim 4, wherein the first thin lens, the second thin lens, the third thin lens and the fourth thin lens are respectively disposed on a first surface of the each of the sub-substrates, and
wherein the light-sensing cells are respectively disposed on a second surface of each of the sub-substrates.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The image sensor of claim 4, wherein each of the first scatterers, second scatterers, third scatterers and the fourth scatterers includes material having a refractive index higher than a refractive index of the substrate.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The image sensor of claim 4, wherein each of the first scatterers, second scatterers, third scatterers and the fourth scatterers has a pillar structure.

### Claim 8 (depends on 4)

The image sensor of claim 4, wherein an interval distance between two adjacent first scatterers and interval distance between two adjacent third scatterers is less than the first wavelength.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The image sensor of claim 8, wherein a height of the first scatterers and the third scatterers is less than the first wavelength.

### Claim 10 (depends on 4)

The image sensor of claim 4, wherein an interval distance between two adjacent second scatterers and interval distance between two adjacent fourth scatterers is less than the second wavelength.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The image sensor of claim 10, wherein a height of the second scatterers and the fourth scatterers is less than the second wavelength.

### Claim 12 (depends on 4)

The image sensor of claim 4, wherein the first scatterers, the second scatterers, the third scatterers and the fourth scatterers comprise at least one from among silicon, gallium phosphide, SiC, SiN, and TiO2.

### Claim 13 (depends on 4)

The image sensor of claim 4, wherein the first scatterers and the third scatterers are different in at least one of shape or arrangement thereof.

### Claim 14 (depends on 4)

The image sensor of claim 4, wherein the first scatterers and the fourth scatterers are different in at least one of shape or arrangement thereof.

### Claim 15 (depends on 4)

The image sensor of claim 4, wherein the second scatterers and the fourth scatterers are different in at least one of shape or arrangement thereof.

### Claim 16 (depends on 4)

The image sensor of claim 4, wherein the second scatterers and the third scatterers are different in at least one of shape or arrangement thereof.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The image sensor of claim 1 further comprising light filters, each of the light filters being configured to filter respectively the first light of the first wavelength and the second light of the second wavelength, among incident lights.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The image sensor of claim 1 further comprising an image synthesizer configured to generate a multi-color image by synthesizing images of different colors,
wherein the first wavelength and the second wavelength corresponds to different color from each other.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The image sensor of claim 1 further comprising a depth map calculator configured to calculate a defocusing degree of an image that is produced on each of the light-sensing cells, and calculate depth map information about an image that is produced by the incident lights, based on the defocusing degree.