Solid-state imaging device and electronic apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12538046-B2
Application number	US-202318544833-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2023
Priority date	Jul 10, 2018
Publication date	Jan 27, 2026
Grant date	Jan 27, 2026

Abstract

To provide a solid-state imaging device and an electronic apparatus capable of achieving both of a high dynamic range operation and an auto focus operation in a pixel configuration in which a plurality of unit pixels includes two or more subpixels. There is provided a solid-state imaging device including a first pixel separation region that separates a plurality of unit pixels including two or more subpixels, a second pixel separation region that separates each of the plurality of unit pixels separated by the first pixel separation region, and an overflow region that causes signal charges accumulated in the subpixels to overflow to at least one of adjacent subpixels, in which the overflow region is formed between a first subpixel and a second subpixel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An imaging device, comprising:
a plurality of pixel sets arranged two-dimensionally in a plan view, wherein each pixel set of the plurality of pixel sets includes a plurality of photoelectric conversion regions,
wherein each pixel set of the plurality of pixel sets includes a plurality of overflow regions,
wherein one pixel set of the plurality of pixel sets is separated from a second pixel set of the plurality of pixel sets by a first separation region in the plan view,
wherein each of the plurality of photoelectric conversion regions of each pixel set of the plurality of pixel sets are separated from one another by a second separation region in the plan view,
wherein the second separation region extends in a first direction and a second direction in the plan view,
wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction,
wherein the second separation region in the pixel set has a first length in the first direction,
wherein the second separation region in the pixel set has a second length in the second direction,
wherein the first length is longer than the second length,
wherein a first overflow region of the plurality of overflow regions is adjacent to a first free end of the second separation region in the plan view,
wherein at least a portion of the first overflow region is not overlapped by any of the separation regions in the plan view,
wherein a second overflow region of the plurality of overflow regions is adjacent to a second free end of the second separation region in the plan view, and
wherein at least a portion of the second overflow region is not overlapped by any of the separation regions in the plan view.

2 . The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the first overflow region of the plurality of overflow regions is between a first photoelectric conversion region of the plurality of photoelectric conversion regions and a second photoelectric conversion region of the plurality of photoelectric conversion regions.

3 . The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the second overflow region of the plurality of overflow regions is between a third photoelectric conversion region of the plurality of photoelectric conversion regions and a fourth photoelectric conversion region of the plurality of photoelectric conversion regions.

4 . The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the second separation region includes a plurality of portions.

5 . The imaging device according to claim 4 , wherein a first portion of the plurality of portions is between a first photoelectric conversion region of the plurality of photoelectric conversion regions and a second photoelectric conversion region of the plurality of photoelectric conversion regions.

6 . The imaging device according to claim 4 , wherein a second portion of the plurality of portions is between a third photoelectric conversion region of the plurality of photoelectric conversion regions and a fourth photoelectric conversion region of the plurality of photoelectric conversion regions.

7 . The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of photoelectric conversion regions corresponds to light in a first range of wavelengths.

8 . The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of photoelectric conversion regions is coupled to floating diffusion region.

9 . The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein an on-chip lens is above a first photoelectric conversion region of the plurality of photoelectric conversion regions and a second photoelectric conversion region of the plurality of photoelectric conversion regions.

10 . The imaging device according to claim 1 , further includes a semiconductor substrate, wherein the semiconductor substrate includes
a first surface which receives light, a second surface which is opposite to the first surface in a cross-sectional view, and the first separation region and the second separation region are in contact with the first surface and the second surface.

11 . The imaging device according to claim 10 , wherein the first separation region has a first trench,
wherein the second separation region has a second trench, and wherein the first trench and the second trench penetrate the semiconductor substrate.

12 . The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the first overflow region of the plurality of overflow regions, the second overflow region of the plurality of overflow regions, and the second separation region are aligned in the first direction in the plan view.

13 . The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the first overflow region of the plurality of overflow regions is between a first photoelectric conversion region of the plurality of photoelectric conversion regions and a second photoelectric conversion region of the plurality of photoelectric conversion regions, and wherein the second overflow region of the plurality of overflow regions is between a third photoelectric conversion region of the plurality of photoelectric conversion regions and a fourth photoelectric conversion region of the plurality of photoelectric conversion regions.

Assignees

• Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp

Inventors

• Yamashita Hirofumi
• Shimada Shohei
• Otake Yusuke
• Tanaka Yusuke
• Wakano Toshifumi

Classifications

• H10F39/803

  Pixels having integrated switching, control, storage or amplification elements · CPC title

• H04N25/711

  Time delay and integration [TDI] registers; TDI shift registers · CPC title

• H04N25/704 Primary

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

• H10F39/1865

  Overflow drain structures · CPC title

• H10F39/8063

  Microlenses · CPC title