Image sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023199346-A1
Application number	US-202217897253-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 29, 2022
Priority date	Dec 21, 2021
Publication date	Jun 22, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

An image sensor includes a pixel array and a readout circuit. The pixel array includes a first unit pixel region including first, second and third sub-pixel regions having a first color filter, sequentially disposed along a first row line, and sharing a first floating diffusion region, and a second unit pixel region including a first, second and third sub-pixel regions having a second color filter, sequentially disposed along a second row line, and sharing a second floating diffusion region. The readout circuit includes a first analog-digital converter receiving a first pixel signal from the first unit pixel region through a first pixel signal output line and converting the first pixel signal into digital data, and a second analog-digital converter receiving a second pixel signal from the second unit pixel region through a second pixel signal output line and converting the second pixel signal into digital data, wherein at least one of the first unit pixel region and the second unit pixel region further includes a phase detection pixel region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An image sensor comprising a pixel array and a readout circuit,
wherein the pixel array includes;
a first unit pixel region including first, second and third sub-pixel regions having a first color filter, sequentially disposed along a first row line, and sharing a first floating diffusion region; and
a second unit pixel region including a first, second and third sub-pixel regions having a second color filter, sequentially disposed along a second row line, and sharing a second floating diffusion region,
the readout circuit includes;
a first analog-digital converter receiving a first pixel signal from the first unit pixel region through a first pixel signal output line and converting the first pixel signal into digital data, and
a second analog-digital converter receiving a second pixel signal from the second unit pixel region through a second pixel signal output line and converting the second pixel signal into digital data, and at least one of the first unit pixel region and the second unit pixel region further includes a phase detection pixel region.

2 . The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein the first analog-digital converter and the second analog-digital converter are a single analog-digital converter, and the first pixel signal output by the first unit pixel region through the first pixel signal output line and the second pixel signal output by the second unit pixel region through the second pixel signal output line are read to the single analog-digital converter.

3 . The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein the first pixel signal output by the first unit pixel region is read to the first analog-digital converter through the first pixel signal output line, the second pixel signal output by the second unit pixel region is read to the second analog-digital converter through the first pixel signal output line, and the first analog-digital converter is different from the second analog-digital converter.

4 . The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein each of the first unit pixel region and the second unit pixel region includes sub-pixel regions arranged in a 3×3 matrix and at least one phase detection pixel region.

5 . The image sensor of claim 4 , further comprising:
a row driver configured to respectively provide a control signal controlling operation of the first unit pixel region and the second unit pixel region through the first row line and the second row line; and an image signal processing unit configured to generate image data from at least one of the first pixel signal provided by the first unit pixel region and the second pixel signal provided by the second unit pixel region.

6 . The image sensor of claim 5 , wherein the first unit pixel region includes the phase detection pixel region, and
during an auto focusing mode, the image signal processing unit is further configured to generate the image data by omitting at least a portion of the first pixel signal.

7 . The image sensor of claim 6 , wherein during the auto focusing mode, the row driver is further configured to not select the first row line.

8 . The image sensor of claim 5 , wherein the pixel array further includes:
a third unit pixel region including first, second and third sub-pixel regions having the first color filter, sequentially disposed along a third row line, and sharing a third floating diffusion region; and a fourth unit pixel region including a first, second and third sub-pixel regions having the second color filter, sequentially disposed along a fourth row line, and sharing a fourth floating diffusion region.

9 . The image sensor of claim 8 , wherein the pixel array further includes:
a fifth unit pixel region, row-adjacent to the first pixel region, including a first, second and third sub-pixel regions having a third color filter, sequentially disposed along the first row line, and sharing a fifth floating diffusion region, a sixth unit pixel region, row-adjacent to the second pixel region, including first, second and third sub-pixel regions having the second color filter, sequentially disposed along the second row line, and sharing a sixth floating diffusion region; a seventh unit pixel region, row-adjacent to the third pixel region, including a first, second and third sub-pixel regions having the third color filter, sequentially disposed along the third row line, and sharing a seventh floating diffusion region; and an eighth unit pixel region, row-adjacent to the fourth pixel region, including first, second and third sub-pixel regions having the first color filter, sequentially disposed along the fourth row line, and sharing an eighth floating diffusion region.

10 . The image sensor of claim 9 , wherein the first unit pixel region, the second unit pixel region, the third unit pixel region, and the fourth unit pixel region share the first pixel signal output line, and
the fifth unit pixel region, the sixth unit pixel region, the seventh unit pixel region, and the eighth unit pixel region share the second pixel signal output line.

11 . An image sensor comprising:
a first unit pixel region including sub-pixel regions having color filters of first color type, disposed in a 3×3 matrix, sharing a first floating diffusion region, and including a first phase detection pixel region; a row driver configured to provide a control signal controlling the first unit pixel region through a first row line; a readout circuit configured to detect a voltage apparent on a first column line connected in the first unit pixel region to the first row line when selected by the row driver; and 3×3 an image signal processing unit configured to generates image data from a first pixel signal received from the first unit pixel region through the first column line, 3×3 wherein during an auto focusing mode, the image signal processing unit is further configured to generate the image data, omitting at least a portion of the first pixel signal associated with the first phase detection pixel region.

12 . The image sensor of claim 11 , wherein during the auto focusing mode, the row driver is further configured to not select a row line on which the first phase detection pixel region is disposed within the first unit pixel region.

13 . The image sensor of claim 11 , wherein the readout circuit includes:
a first analog-digital converter configured to receive a first output voltage associated with at least a first pixel signal generated by the first unit pixel region through the first column line, and convert the first output voltage into digital data.

14 . The image sensor of claim 13 , further comprising:
a second unit pixel region, column-adjacent to the first unit pixel region, including sub-pixel regions having color filters of second color type, disposed in a 3×3 matrix, and sharing a second floating diffusion region.

15 . The image sensor of claim 14 , wherein the readout circuit further includes;
a second analog-digital converter configured to receive a second output voltage associated with at least a second pixel signal generated by the second unit pixel region through a second column line, different from the first column line, and convert the second output voltage into digital data.

16 . The image sensor of claim 14 , wherein the second unit pixel region includes a second phase detection pixel region columnar aligned with the first phase detection pixel region.

17 . The image sensor of claim 14 , further comprising:
a third unit pixel region, column-adjacent to the second unit pixel region, including sub-pixel regions having color filters of first colo

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Jun An
• Jung Jae Jin
• Cho Soon Ik

Classifications

• H04N5/378 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N5/36961

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L27/14621

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N5/37455

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N25/772

  comprising A/D, V/T, V/F, I/T or I/F converters · CPC title