Imaging element and imaging device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12563317-B2
Application number	US-202118261364-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2021
Priority date	Jan 22, 2021
Publication date	Feb 24, 2026
Grant date	Feb 24, 2026

Abstract

Provided is an imaging element that comprises a first substrate and a second substrate. The first substrate including a plurality of detection pixels that generates a voltage signal corresponding to a logarithmic value of a photocurrent, and the second substrate including a detection circuit that detects whether the change amount of the voltage signal of a detection pixel indicated by an inputted selection signal among the plurality of detection pixels exceeds a predetermined threshold or not are stacked, and an element constituting the detection circuit is disposed in each of a first region on a back surface side and a second region on a front surface side of the second substrate. The present technology can be applied to, for example, an imaging element that detects an address event for each pixel.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . An imaging element, comprising:
a first substrate including a plurality of detection pixels, wherein each detection pixel of the plurality of detection pixels is configured to generate a voltage signal corresponding to a logarithmic value of a photocurrent; and a second substrate including a detection circuit, wherein the detection circuit is configured to:
select a detection pixel of the plurality of detection pixels based on an input selection signal; and
detect whether a change amount of the voltage signal of the selected detection pixel exceeds a specific threshold, wherein
the first substrate is stacked on the second substrate,
the detection circuit comprises a plurality of elements,
a first element of the plurality of elements is in a first region on a back surface side of the second substrate, a second element of the plurality of elements is in a second region on a front surface side of the second substrate, and
the first element in the first region and the second element in the second region have different drive voltages.

2 . The imaging element according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a separation layer configured to separate the first region and the second region, wherein
the separation layer is between the first region and the second region.

3 . The imaging element according to claim 1 , wherein the first element in the first region and the second element in the second region have different subthreshold swing value (S-value) characteristics.

4 . The imaging element according to claim 1 , wherein the first element in the first region and the second element in the second region have different thermal resistances.

5 . The imaging element according to claim 1 , wherein the first element in the first region and the second element in the second region have different gate interface orders.

6 . The imaging element according to claim 1 , wherein the first element in the first substrate and the second element in the second substrate are connected by a contact.

7 . The imaging element according to claim 1 , wherein a wiring in the first substrate and a wiring in the second substrate are bonded.

8 . The imaging element according to claim 1 , wherein a third substrate is further stacked on the second substrate.

9 . The imaging element according to claim 8 , wherein a wiring in the second substrate and a wiring in the third substrate are bonded.

10 . An imaging device, comprising:
a plurality of detection pixels, wherein each detection pixel of the plurality of detection pixels is configured to generate a voltage signal corresponding to a logarithmic value of a photocurrent; a detection circuit configured to:
select a detection pixel of the plurality of detection pixels based on an input selection signal; and
detect whether a change amount of the voltage signal of the selected detection pixel exceeds a specific threshold; and
a signal processing unit configured to process a detection signal indicating a detection result of the detection circuit, wherein
the detection circuit comprises a plurality of elements,
a first element of the plurality of elements is in a first region on a back surface side of a substrate including the detection circuit,
a second element of the plurality of elements is in a second region on a front surface side of the substrate including the detection circuit, and
the first element in the first region and the second element in the second region have different drive voltages.

Assignees

• Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp

Inventors

• Miyake Shinichi
• Tomida Kazuyuki
• Niwa Atsumi

Classifications

• H04N25/79 Primary

  Arrangements of circuitry being divided between different or multiple substrates, chips or circuit boards, e.g. stacked image sensors · CPC title

• H10F39/809

  of hybrid image sensors · CPC title

• H10F39/8037

  the integrated elements comprising a transistor · CPC title

• H04N25/78

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

• H04N25/47

  Image sensors with pixel address output; Event-driven image sensors; Selection of pixels to be read out based on image data · CPC title