US 8,264,581 B2Granted

CMOS photogate 3D camera system having improved charge sensing cell and pixel geometry

AssigneeMicrosoft International Holdings B.V.

InventorsDavid Cohen, Amit Shacham

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Abstract

A photosurface for receiving and registering light from a scene, the photosurface comprising: a first semiconductor region in which electron-hole pairs are generated responsive to light incident on the photosurface; a single, first conductive region substantially overlaying all of the first semiconductor region; at least one second semiconductor region surrounded by the first semiconductor region; a different second conductive region for each second semiconductor region that surrounds the second semiconductor region and is electrically isolated from the first conductive region; wherein when the second conductive region is electrified positive with respect to the first conductive region, electrons generated by light incident on the first semiconductor region are collected in the second semiconductor region.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A photosurface for receiving and registering light from a scene, the photosurface comprising:

a first semiconductor region in which electron-hole pairs are generated responsive to light incident on the photosurface;
a single, first conductive region substantially overlaying all of the first semiconductor region;
a plurality of second semiconductor regions, each surrounded by the first semiconductor region;
a plurality of second conductive regions, each second conductive region surrounds an associated one of the second semiconductor regions and is electrically isolated from the first conductive region, each second conductive region has an opening, the associated second semiconductor region completely fills the opening;
wherein when a respective one of the second conductive regions is electrified positive with respect to the first conductive region, electrons generated by light incident on the first semiconductor region are collected in the respective second semiconductor region, wherein electrons generated by light incident on the first semiconductor region migrate to the respective second semiconductor region from substantially all azimuthal directions relative to the second semiconductor region.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.