Light-receiving device, imaging device, and distance measurement device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12323686-B2
Application number	US-202318531446-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 6, 2023
Priority date	Apr 12, 2019
Publication date	Jun 3, 2025
Grant date	Jun 3, 2025

Abstract

A light-receiving device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a pixel array including light-receiving elements provided in respective pixels. The light-receiving elements each include a high electric field region and a photoelectric conversion region. A plurality of the light-receiving elements provided in the respective pixels includes a plurality of types of elements that have temperature regions having high photon detection efficiency (PDE). The temperature regions are different from each other and partially overlap each other.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A light-receiving device, comprising:
a pixel array including a plurality of light-receiving elements, wherein
the plurality of light-receiving elements are in respective pixels,
each light-receiving element of the plurality of light-receiving elements includes a high electric field region and a photoelectric conversion region,
the plurality of the light-receiving elements in the respective pixels includes a plurality of types of light-receiving elements that have a plurality of temperature regions,
each temperature region of the plurality of temperature regions has a high photon detection efficiency (PDE), and
a first temperature region of the plurality of temperature regions is different from a second temperature region of the plurality of temperature regions, and
the first temperature region and the second temperature region partially overlap with each other; and

a power supply section configured to apply a negative bias voltage to each light-receiving element of the plurality of light-receiving elements.

2. The light-receiving device according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of the light-receiving elements includes:
a plurality of first light-receiving elements in which a temperature region having the high photon detection efficiency is on a first temperature side; and
a plurality of second light-receiving elements in which a temperature region having the high photon detection efficiency is on a second temperature side, wherein
a first temperature of the first temperature side is lower than a second temperature of the second temperature side,
the plurality of first light-receiving elements is in a first semiconductor substrate, and
the plurality of second light-receiving elements is in a second semiconductor substrate different from the first semiconductor substrate.

3. The light-receiving device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of the light-receiving elements includes:
a plurality of first light-receiving elements in which a temperature region having the high photon detection efficiency is on a first temperature side; and
a plurality of second light-receiving elements in which a temperature region having the high photon detection efficiency is on a second temperature side, wherein
a first temperature of the first temperature side is lower than a second temperature of the second temperature side, and
the plurality of first light-receiving elements and the plurality of second light-receiving elements are in a common semiconductor substrate.

4. The light-receiving device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of the light-receiving elements includes:
a plurality of first light-receiving elements in which a temperature region having the high photon detection efficiency is on a first temperature side; and
a plurality of second light-receiving elements in which a temperature region having the high photon detection efficiency is on a second temperature side, wherein
a first temperature of the first temperature side is lower than a second temperature of the second temperature side, and
the plurality of first light-receiving elements and the plurality of second light-receiving elements are alternately in the pixel array.

5. The light-receiving device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of the light-receiving elements includes:
a plurality of first light-receiving elements in which a temperature region having the high photon detection efficiency is on a first temperature side; and
a plurality of second light-receiving elements in which a temperature region having the high photon detection efficiency is on a second temperature side, wherein
a first temperature of the first temperature side is lower than a second temperature of the second temperature side, and
each pixel of the pixel array includes one of the plurality of first light-receiving elements and one of the plurality of second light-receiving elements as sub-pixels.

6. The light-receiving device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a thermometer configured to measure a temperature of the pixel array; and
a controller configured to control the power supply section, based on the temperature measured by the thermometer, to apply the negative bias voltage to one of a first light-receiving element of the plurality of light-receiving elements or a second light-receiving element of the plurality of light-receiving elements.

7. The light-receiving device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a controller configured to control the power supply section, based on signals outputted from a first light-receiving element of the plurality of light-receiving elements and a second light-receiving element of the plurality of light-receiving elements, to apply the negative bias voltage to one of the first light-receiving element or the second light-receiving element.

8. The light-receiving device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a thermometer configured to measure a temperature of the pixel array; and
a controller configured to control the power supply section, based on the temperature measured by the thermometer, to apply the negative bias voltage to both a first light-receiving element of the plurality of light-receiving elements and a second light-receiving element of the plurality of light-receiving elements.

9. The light-receiving device according to claim 1 , further comprising a controller configured to control the power supply section, based on signals outputted from a first light-receiving element of the plurality of light-receiving elements and a second light-receiving element of the plurality of light-receiving elements, to apply the negative bias voltage to both the first light-receiving element and the second light-receiving element.

10. The light-receiving device according to claim 8 , further comprising an output controller configured to control a blend ratio of a signal outputted from the first light-receiving element and a signal outputted from the second light-receiving element, based on the negative bias voltage is applied to both the first light-receiving element and the second light-receiving element.

11. The light-receiving device according to claim 9 , further comprising an output controller configured to control a blend ratio of a signal outputted from the first light-receiving element and a signal outputted from the second light-receiving element, based on the signal outputted from the first light-receiving element and the signal outputted from the second light-receiving element.

12. The light-receiving device according to claim 1 , wherein the power supply section is further configured to apply a common negative bias voltage to each light-receiving element of the plurality of light-receiving elements.

13. The light-receiving device according to claim 1 , wherein the power supply section is configured to apply, to each light-receiving element of the plurality of light-receiving elements, the negative bias voltage having a value corresponding to a light-receiving pixel.

14. An imaging device, comprising:
a pixel array including a plurality of light-receiving elements, wherein
the plurality of light-receiving elements are in respective pixels,
each light-receiving element of the plurality of light-receiving elements includes a high electric field region and a photoelectric conversion region,
the plurality of the light-receiving elements in the respective pixels includes a plurality of types of light-receiving elements that have a plurality of temperature regions,
each temperature region of the plurality of temperature regions has a high photon detecti

Assignees

• Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp

Inventors

• Ito Kyosuke
• Otake Yusuke

Classifications

• H04N25/78

  Readout circuits for addressed sensors, e.g. output amplifiers or A/D converters · CPC title

• H04N25/63

  applied to dark current · CPC title

• H04N23/65

  Control of camera operation in relation to power supply · CPC title

• G01S7/4816

  of receivers alone · CPC title

• H10F30/225

  the potential barrier working in avalanche mode, e.g. avalanche photodiodes · CPC title