Image pickup device and image pickup system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10389930-B2
Application number	US-201514725584-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 29, 2015
Priority date	Jun 2, 2014
Publication date	Aug 20, 2019
Grant date	Aug 20, 2019

Abstract

An image pickup device includes a pixel region having a plurality of pixels that are two-dimensionally arranged, the plurality of pixels including a plurality of image pickup pixels and a plurality of focus detection pixels capable of phase difference detection; a plurality of microlenses arranged to correspond to respective photoelectric conversion units of respective image pickup pixels; and a plurality of microlenses arranged to correspond to respective photoelectric conversion units of the respective focus detection pixels. When at least one of the plurality of microlenses is orthogonally projected onto the corresponding photoelectric conversion unit, a vertex position of the at least one microlens is off a center position of the at least one microlens.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image pickup device comprising:
a pixel region having a plurality of pixels that are two-dimensionally arranged, the plurality of pixels including a plurality of image pickup pixels and a plurality of focus detection pixels, the focus detection pixels each being configured to output a signal for focus detection based on phase difference detection;
a plurality of microlenses arranged to correspond to respective photoelectric conversion units of the respective image pickup pixels; and
a plurality of microlenses arranged to correspond to respective photoelectric conversion units of the respective focus detection pixels,
wherein, when at least one of the plurality of microlenses is orthogonally projected onto a corresponding photoelectric conversion unit, a vertex position of the at least one microlens that is orthogonally projected is off a center position of the at least one microlens.

2. The image pickup device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of focus detection pixels include a group of pairs of pupil-divided focus detection pixels.

3. The image pickup device according to claim 2 , wherein each pixel in the group of pairs of pupil-divided focus detection pixels receives light that passes through part of an exit pupil of an imaging optical system.

4. The image pickup device according to claim 3 , wherein a plurality of pixels included in the group of pairs of pupil-divided focus detection pixels each include a light shielding member that shields part of the corresponding photoelectric conversion unit from light.

5. The image pickup device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of focus detection pixels each include a plurality of photoelectric conversion units, and a signal of each of the photoelectric conversion units can be independently read out.

6. The image pickup device according to claim 1 , wherein when at least one of the plurality of microlenses that are arranged to correspond to the respective photoelectric conversion units of the respective focus detection pixels is orthogonally projected onto a corresponding photoelectric conversion unit, a vertex position of the at least one microlens that is orthogonally projected is off a center position of the at least one microlens.

7. The image pickup device according to claim 1 , wherein when at least one of the plurality of microlenses that are arranged to correspond to the respective photoelectric conversion units of the respective image pickup pixels is orthogonally projected onto a corresponding photoelectric conversion unit, a vertex position of the at least one microlens that is orthogonally projected is off a center position of the at least one microlens.

8. The image pickup device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pixels include a first pixel disposed at a first position and a second pixel disposed outside the first position in the pixel region;
a vertex position of a first microlens disposed to correspond to a photoelectric conversion unit of the first pixel is off a center position of the photoelectric conversion unit of the first pixel towards a center of the pixel region, and a vertex position of a second microlens disposed to correspond to a photoelectric conversion unit of the second pixel is off a center position of the photoelectric conversion unit of the second pixel towards the center of the pixel region; and
a distance by which the vertex position of the second microlens is off the center position of the photoelectric conversion unit of the second pixel towards the center of the pixel region is larger than a distance by which the vertex position of the first microlens is off the center position of the photoelectric conversion unit of the first pixel towards the center of the pixel region.

9. The image pickup device according to claim 8 , wherein the first pixel and the second pixel are focus detection pixels.

10. The image pickup device according to claim 8 , wherein the first pixel and the second pixel are image pickup pixels.

11. The image pickup device according to claim 1 , wherein a contour of the at least one microlens whose vertex position is off the center position thereof when orthogonally projected onto the corresponding photoelectric conversion unit is formed by a curved shape radially narrowed in plan view and a curved shape radially lowered in cross-sectional view.

12. The image pickup device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of microlenses are arranged in a first direction and include a third microlens distant by a first distance in the first direction from a center of the pixel region;
the third microlens including a bottom part that extends in a plane containing the first direction and a second direction orthogonal to the first direction;
the bottom part, in plan view, having a first width along the second direction at a first position, the first position being within the third microlens and along the first direction, and also having a second width along the second direction at a second position, the second position being within the third microlens and more distant from the center of the pixel region than the first position, and the second width being narrower than the first width; and
the at least one microlens whose vertex position is off the center position thereof when orthogonally projected onto the corresponding photoelectric conversion unit has, when a first cross section thereof along the second direction is taken at the first position, a first curvature radius and a first height highest in the first cross section, and also has, when a second cross section thereof along the second direction is taken at the second position, a second curvature radius larger than the first curvature radius and a second height highest in the second cross section lower than the first height.

13. The image pickup device according to claim 1 , wherein the pixel region includes an effective pixel region and an optical black region, and microlenses are arranged in both the effective pixel region and the optical black region, the microlenses each having a vertex position off a center position thereof when orthogonally projected onto the corresponding photoelectric conversion unit.

14. The image pickup device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pixels include an amplification transistor that amplifies a signal generated by each photoelectric conversion unit, and light is incident from a principal surface opposite the other principal surface where a gate electrode of the amplification transistor is disposed.

15. An image pickup system comprising:
the image pickup device according to claim 1 ; and
an image pickup lens configured to collect light onto the image pickup device,
wherein the image pickup lens is controlled in accordance with a phase difference detection signal output from the image pickup device.

16. An image pickup device comprising:
a pixel region having a plurality of pixels that are two-dimensionally arranged from a center to a periphery of a two-dimensional array,
wherein a first pixel comprises:
a first photoelectric conversion unit provided in a semiconductor substrate;
a second photoelectric conversion unit provided in a semiconductor substrate; and
a first microlens provided as a common microlens for the first and second photoelectric conversion units,
wherein, when a vertex of the first microlens is orthogonally projected onto a bottom surface of the first microlens, a first distance between the projected vertex and an edge of the bottom surface facing towards the center of the pixel region is shorter than a second distance

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Kato Taro
• Iba Jun
• Kawabata Kazunari
• Kojima Takeshi

Classifications

• H04N23/672 Primary

  based on the phase difference signals · CPC title

• H04N25/778

  comprising amplifiers shared between a plurality of pixels, i.e. at least one part of the amplifier must be on the sensor array itself · CPC title

• H04N25/704

  Pixels specially adapted for focusing, e.g. phase difference pixel sets · CPC title

• H01L27/14627

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N5/23212 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic