Image pickup element, image pickup apparatus, and image pickup system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9450006-B2
Application number	US-201514948810-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 23, 2015
Priority date	Nov 29, 2012
Publication date	Sep 20, 2016
Grant date	Sep 20, 2016

Abstract

An image pickup element includes a first pixel, a second pixel, and a third pixel that share one microlens, a first boundary that is provided between the first pixel and the second pixel, and a second boundary that is provided between the first pixel and the third pixel, and when a charge amount of the first pixel is saturated, a first charge amount from the first pixel to the second pixel via the first boundary is larger than a second charge amount from the first pixel to the third pixel via the second boundary.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image pickup element comprising:
four pixels which share one micro lens, the four pixels being divided into two portions in a first direction and being divided into two portions in a second direction different from the first direction;
a first boundary provided between adjacent pixels in the first direction among the four pixels; and
a second boundary provided between adjacent pixels in the second direction among the four pixels,
wherein the first boundary and the second boundary are configured by a P-type semiconductor, and
wherein a P-type impurity concentration of the first boundary is lower than that of the second boundary.

2. The image pickup element according to claim 1 ,
wherein when a charge amount of a pixel of the four pixels is saturated according to light which the saturated pixel receives, the charge moves to at least one pixel adjacent to the pixel.

3. The image pickup element according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first direction is a horizontal direction and the second direction is a vertical direction.

4. The image pickup element according to claim 1 ,
wherein pixels are arranged as a Bayer array by the unit of the microlens.

5. An image pickup apparatus comprising:
the image pickup element according to claim 1 ;
and a generator configured to generate an image based on a signal obtained from at least one of the pixels of the image pickup element.

6. An image pickup element comprising:
four pixels which share one microlens, the four pixels being divided into two portions in a first direction and being divided into two portions in a second direction different from the first direction;
a first boundary provided between adjacent pixels in the first direction among the four pixels; and
a second boundary provided between adjacent pixels in the second direction among the four pixels,
wherein a first charge amount in which the charge moves between pixels via the first boundary is larger than a second charge amount in which the charge moves between pixels via the second boundary.

7. The image pickup element according to claim 6 further comprising:
four pixels which share other microlens adjacent to the one microlens, the four pixels being divided into two portions in the first direction and being divided into two portions in the second direction,
wherein for a charge amount moving via a boundary provided between adjacent pixels among the four pixels, a charge amount moving via a boundary in the second direction is larger than a charge amount moving via a boundary in the first direction.

8. The image pickup element according to claim 6 ,
wherein when a charge amount of a pixel of the four pixels is saturated according to light which the pixel receives, the charge moves to at least one pixel adjacent to the pixel.

9. The image pickup element according to claim 6 ,
wherein the first direction is a horizontal direction and the second direction is a vertical direction.

10. The image pickup element according to claim 6 ,
wherein pixels are arranged as a Bayer array by the unit of the microlens.

11. An image pickup apparatus comprising:
the image pickup element according to claim 6 ; and
a generator configured to generate an image based on a signal obtained from at least one of the pixels of the image pickup element.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Okuzawa Masahiko
• Ogawa Takeshi

Classifications

• H04N25/704

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

• H04N23/843

  Demosaicing, e.g. interpolating colour pixel values · CPC title

• H04N25/134

  based on three different wavelength filter elements · CPC title

• H04N23/672

  based on the phase difference signals · CPC title

• H10F39/802

  Geometry or disposition of elements in pixels, e.g. address-lines or gate electrodes · CPC title