US 7,351,945 B2Granted

Alignment among elements in an image sensor

AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.

InventorsScott P. Campbell, Richard H. Tsai, Gennadiy A. Agranov, Eric R. Fossum

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An image sensor is formed with shifts among the optical parts of the sensor and the photosensitive parts of the sensor. The optical parts of the sensor may include a color filter array and/or microlenses. The photosensitive part may include any photoreceptors such as a CMOS image sensor. The shifts allow images to be formed even when the light received at a given pixel location varies in angle of incidence as a function of pixel location within the array. The relative shifts among the pixel components may be, for example, plus or minus some fraction of the pixel pitch. The shift may be variable across the array or may be constant across the array and may be deterministically determined.

Claims5

Dependent claims

A method of forming an imager array containing photoreceptors and passive elements for directing light to said photoreceptors, said method comprising:

determining using a model of an array of photoreceptors and an array of associated passive elements, an amount of an intentional shift between said passive elements of the array and areas of maximum sensitivity of the respective photoreceptors, such that incoming light to each of said photoreceptors is directed by said passive elements to said areas of maximum sensitivity of the photoreceptors, wherein said act of using a model includes modeling a photoreceptor and associated passive element of said imager array according to:
S
=
D
⁢
⁢
tan
⁢
{
sin
-
1
⁡
[
sin
⁡
(
θ
)
n
]
}
=
D
⁢
⁢
tan
⁢
{
sin
-
1
⁡
[
sin
⁡
(
Mr
R
)
n
]
}
where θ represents an external beam entry angle, and n is a refractive index of a medium between a microlens and a photosensitive part of the photoreceptor, M is a maximum beam angle of non-telecentricity, D is a physical distance between a plane of the microlens and a plane of the photoreceptor's area of maximum photosensitivity, R is a maximum image point radius, and r is a image point radius under consideration for calculating S,
analyzing crosstalk which includes separately analyzing spectral crosstalk, optical crosstalk, and electrical crosstalk, and
forming an array of photoreceptors in an array of pixels and an array of associated passive elements having an intentional shift using results from said acts of determining and analyzing.

43 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/703,426Filed 10 Nov 2003 · continuation in part
Priority: 27 Apr 2001
Published: US 2005/0061951 A124 Mar 2005
Granted: 1 Apr 2008
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification2 codes

H10F 39/8063
Optical elements or arrangements associated with the image sensors: microlenses
H10F
Solar cells and light sensors

Family

Application60/286,908Us provisional application · filed 27 Apr 2001
Application10/135,875Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 29 Apr 2002
US 2005/0061951 A1Pre-grant publication · published 24 Mar 2005
US 2003/0006363 A1Published application
US 7,351,945 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.