Polarimetric imaging camera
AssigneeFacebook Technologies, LLC
InventorsQing Chao, Xinqiao Liu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In one example, an apparatus comprises: a semiconductor substrate comprising a first photodiode and a second photodiode, the first photodiode being positioned adjacent to the second photodiode along a first axis; a birefringent crystal positioned over the first photodiode and the second photodiode along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis; and a microlens positioned over the birefringent crystal along the second axis, the microlens having an asymmetric curvature along the first axis, an apex point of the curvature being positioned over the first photodiode along the second axis.
Claims20
An apparatus, comprising:
- a semiconductor substrate comprising a first photodiode and a second photodiode, the first photodiode being positioned adjacent to the second photodiode along a first axis;
- a birefringent crystal positioned over the first photodiode and the second photodiode along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis;
- and
- a microlens positioned over the birefringent crystal along the second axis, the microlens having an asymmetric curvature along the first axis, an apex point of the asymmetric curvature being positioned over the first photodiode along the second axis.
An apparatus comprising an array of pixel cells, each pixel cell comprising:
- a first photodiode and a second photodiode formed in a semiconductor substrate, the first photodiode being positioned adjacent to the second photodiode along a first axis;
- a birefringent crystal positioned over the first photodiode and the second photodiode along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis;
- and
- a microlens positioned over the birefringent crystal along the second axis, the microlens having an asymmetric curvature, an apex point of the asymmetric curvature being positioned over the first photodiode along the second axis.
A method comprising:
- refracting light incident light, using a microlens, to produce refracted light, wherein:
- a first photodiode is positioned adjacent to a second photodiode in a semiconductor substrate along a first axis;
- the microlens is positioned over a birefringent crystal along a second axis;
- the second axis is orthogonal to the first axis;
- the microlens has an asymmetric curvature along the first axis and an apex point of the asymmetric curvature is positioned over the first photodiode along the second axis;
- separating the refracted light into a first component of light and a second component of light, using the birefringent crystal, wherein the birefringent crystal is positioned over the first photodiode and the second photodiode along the second axis;
- detecting the first component of light using the first photodiode;
- and
- detecting the second component of light using the second photodiode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.