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US 8,411,375 B2Granted
Method and apparatus providing gradient index of refraction lens for image sensors
AssigneeAptina Imaging Corporation
InventorVictor Lenchenkov
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A lens and its method of making. The lens includes a material having a lower index of refraction and a material having a higher index of refraction arranged in a pattern such that the lens has a gradient effective index of refraction.
Claims20
An imaging device comprising:
- a pixel array comprising a plurality of pixels, each pixel comprising:
- a photosensor, and
- a microlens arranged over the photosensor, wherein microlens comprises:
- a first material having a first index of refraction;
- and
- a second material having a second index of refraction, the first index of refraction being higher than the second index of refraction, wherein the first material and the second material are arranged in a pattern such that an effective index of refraction for the microlens is higher at a first position on the microlens than at a second position on the microlens and wherein the pattern is a subdiffraction pattern.
3 more elements
An imaging device comprising:
- a pixel array comprising a plurality of pixels, each pixel comprising:
- a photosensor, and a microlens arranged over the photosensor, wherein the microlens comprises a first material having a first index of refraction and a second material having a second index of refraction, the first index of refraction being higher than the second index of refraction, wherein the first material and the second material are arranged in a subdiffraction pattern, and wherein the first material and the second material are arranged in concentric rings such that the effective index of refraction is higher at a first position on the lens than at a second position on the microlens, the first position being closer to a center of the microlens than the second position.
An imager device comprising:
- a pixel array comprising a plurality of pixels, each pixel comprising:
- a photosensor, and a microlens arranged over the photosensor, wherein the microlens comprises a first material having a first index of refraction and a second material having a second index of refraction, the first index of refraction being higher than the second index of refraction, wherein the first material and the second material are arranged in a subdiffraction pattern, wherein the first material is arranged in columns within the second material or wherein the second material is arranged in columns within the first material, and wherein the size of the columns is changed according to the radial distance of a column to a center of the microlens such that the effective index of refraction is higher at a first position on the microlens than at a second position on the microlens, the first position being closer to a center of the microlens than the second position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.