Solid-state imaging device and electronic apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11089246-B2
Application number	US-201816758038-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 20, 2018
Priority date	Oct 30, 2017
Publication date	Aug 10, 2021
Grant date	Aug 10, 2021

Abstract

Accuracy in obtaining polarization information can be improved in a solid-state imaging device including a polarization pixel. There is provided a solid-state imaging device including a plurality of polarization pixels that obtains a polarization signal of incident light, a semiconductor substrate on which the plurality of polarization pixels is arranged, and a circuit layer provided on a surface facing a surface of the semiconductor substrate on which the incident light is made incident, the circuit layer including a polarization pixel circuit that performs signal processing on the polarization signal obtained by the polarization pixels, in which a blank area that separates the plurality of polarization pixels from each other is provided over the entire circumference of the plurality of polarization pixels.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A solid-state imaging device, comprising:
a plurality of polarization pixels configured to obtain a polarization signal of incident light;
a semiconductor substrate on which the plurality of polarization pixels is arranged; and
a circuit layer on a surface facing a surface of the semiconductor substrate on which the incident light is made incident, the circuit layer including a polarization pixel circuit that performs a first signal processing operation on the polarization signal obtained by the plurality of polarization pixels,
wherein a blank area, that separates the plurality of polarization pixels from each other, is over an entire circumference of the plurality of polarization pixels.

2. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one normal pixel of a plurality of normal pixels, configured to obtain a pixel signal of a captured image from the incident light, is in the blank area.

3. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 2 , wherein the circuit layer includes a normal pixel circuit that performs a second signal processing operation on the pixel signal obtained by the at least one normal pixel.

4. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 3 , wherein
the plurality of normal pixels is in the blank area, and
the plurality of normal pixels shares the normal pixel circuit.

5. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 3 , wherein the normal pixel circuit is not in the circuit layer in an area that overlaps the plurality of normal pixels in a case where the semiconductor substrate is viewed in a plan view.

6. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 2 , wherein a pixel defining film of the at least one normal pixel and a polarizing member of at least one polarization pixel of the plurality of polarization pixels are in a same layer.

7. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein one of a first wiring or a second wiring is in the circuit layer in an area that overlaps the blank area in a case where the semiconductor substrate is viewed in a plan view.

8. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of polarization pixels is arranged in a tetragonal lattice pattern with a predetermined interval in each of a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to the first direction.

9. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 8 , wherein a second wiring is in the circuit layer in an area that overlaps the blank area between the plurality of polarization pixels arranged in one of the first direction or the second direction.

10. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 9 , wherein a first wiring extending in a direction orthogonal to the second wiring is in the circuit layer in an area that overlaps the plurality of polarization pixels.

11. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 9 , wherein at least one normal pixel of a plurality of normal pixels, configured to obtain a pixel signal of a captured image from the incident light, is in the blank area between the plurality of polarization pixels arranged in a direction different from one of the first direction or the second direction.

12. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 8 , wherein at least one normal pixel of a plurality of normal pixels, configured to obtain a pixel signal of a captured image from the incident light, is on a diagonal line of the tetragonal lattice pattern including the plurality of polarization pixels.

13. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one polarization pixel of the plurality of polarization pixels comprises a light-shielding structure extending in a thickness direction of the semiconductor substrate.

14. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein each polarization pixel of the plurality of polarization pixels adjacent to each other includes a polarizing member that transmits light in a polarization direction different from each other.

15. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 14 , wherein the polarizing member includes a wire grid.

16. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the incident light includes an infrared ray or a near infrared ray.

17. An electronic apparatus comprising:
a solid-state imaging device that electronically images an object, wherein the solid-state imaging device includes:
a plurality of polarization pixels configured to obtain a polarization signal of incident light;
a semiconductor substrate on which the plurality of polarization pixels is arranged; and
a circuit layer on a surface facing a surface of the semiconductor substrate on which the incident light is made incident, the circuit layer including a polarization pixel circuit that performs signal processing on the polarization signal obtained by the plurality of polarization pixels, and
a blank area, that separates the plurality of polarization pixels from each other, over an entire circumference of the plurality of polarization pixels.

Assignees

• Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp

Inventors

• Uesaka Yusuke

Classifications

• H04N25/13 Primary

  characterised by the spectral characteristics of the filter elements · CPC title

• H04N25/633

  by using optical black pixels · CPC title

• H10F39/12

  Image sensors · CPC title

• G02B27/28

  for polarising (used in stereoscopes G02B30/25) · CPC title

• H04N5/359 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic