Color filter including diamond-shaped pixels

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9716868-B1
Application number	US-201615060187-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 3, 2016
Priority date	Mar 3, 2016
Publication date	Jul 25, 2017
Grant date	Jul 25, 2017

Abstract

Embodiments are described of a color filter array including a plurality of tiled minimal repeating units. Each minimal repeating unit includes a primary set of four rhombic color filters positioned so that at least two vertices of each rhombic color filter contact a vertex of an adjoining rhombic color filter and so that the four rhombic filters form a central interstitial space and four peripheral interstitial spaces, wherein the primary set includes at least one color filter with a first spectral photoresponse, at least one color filter with a second spectral photoresponse, and at least one color filter with a third spectral photoresponse. Each minimal repeating unit also includes a secondary set of rhombic filters, the secondary set comprising a rhombic filter positioned in the central interstitial space and rhombic filters positioned in three of the four peripheral interstitial spaces, wherein the rhombic filters in the secondary set have a fourth spectral photoresponse different than any of the first, second, and third spectral photoresponses.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A color filter array comprising:
a plurality of tiled minimal repeating units, each minimal repeating unit including at least:
a primary set of four rhombic color filters positioned so that at least two vertices of each rhombic color filter contact a vertex of an adjoining rhombic color filter and so that the four rhombic filters form a central interstitial space and four peripheral interstitial spaces, wherein the primary set includes at least one color filter with a first spectral photoresponse, at least one color filter with a second spectral photoresponse, and at least one color filter with a third spectral photoresponse; and
a secondary set of rhombic filters, the secondary set comprising a rhombic filter positioned in the central interstitial space and rhombic filters positioned in three of the four peripheral interstitial spaces, wherein the rhombic filters in the secondary set have a fourth spectral photoresponse different than any of the first, second, and third spectral photoresponses.

2. The color filter array of claim 1 wherein the first spectral photoresponse is red (R), the second spectral photoresponse is green (G), the third spectral photoresponse is blue (B), and the fourth spectral photoresponse is a non-visible photoresponse.

3. The color filter array of claim 2 wherein the non-visible photoresponse is infrared (IR), ultraviolet, or X-ray.

4. The color filter array of claim 1 wherein the first photoresponse is cyan (C), the second photoresponse is yellow (Y), the third photoresponse is magenta (M), and the fourth photoresponse is a nonvisible photoresponse.

5. The color filter array of claim 4 wherein the non-visible photoresponse is infrared (IR), ultraviolet, or X-ray.

6. The color filter array of claim 1 wherein rhombic filters from the secondary set are positioned in a north peripheral interstitial space, a south peripheral interstitial space, and at least one of an east peripheral interstitial space and a west peripheral interstitial space.

7. The color filter array of claim 6 wherein rhombic filters from the secondary set are positioned in a north peripheral interstitial space, a south peripheral interstitial space, and an east peripheral interstitial space.

8. An image sensor comprising:
a pixel array including a plurality of individual pixels;
a color filter array positioned over the pixel array such that each individual pixel in the pixel array is optically coupled to a corresponding filter of the color filter array, the color filter array comprising a plurality of tiled minimal repeating units, each minimal repeating unit including at least:
a primary set of four rhombic color filters positioned so that at least two vertices of each rhombic color filter contact a vertex of an adjoining rhombic color filter and so that the four rhombic filters form a central interstitial space and four peripheral interstitial spaces, wherein the primary set includes at least one color filter with a first spectral photoresponse, at least one color filter with a second spectral photoresponse, and at least one color filter with a third spectral photoresponse; and
a secondary set of rhombic filters, the secondary set comprising a rhombic filter positioned in the central interstitial space and filters positioned in at least three of the four peripheral interstitial spaces, wherein the rhombic filters in the secondary set have a fourth spectral photoresponse different than any of the first, second, and third spectral photoresponses;

readout circuitry coupled to the pixel array to read out signals from the individual pixels; and
function logic coupled to the readout circuitry to process the signals read from the individual pixels.

9. The image sensor of claim 8 wherein the first spectral photoresponse is red (R), the second spectral photoresponse is green (G), the third spectral photoresponse is blue (B), and the fourth spectral photoresponse is a non-visible photoresponse.

10. The color filter array of claim 9 wherein the non-visible photoresponse is infrared (IR), ultraviolet, or X-ray.

11. The image sensor of claim 8 wherein the first photoresponse is cyan (C), the second photoresponse is yellow (Y), the third photoresponse is magenta (M), and the fourth photoresponse is a non-visible photoresponse.

12. The image sensor of claim 11 wherein the non-visible photoresponse is infrared (IR), ultraviolet, or X-ray.

13. The image sensor of claim 8 wherein rhombic filters from the secondary set are positioned in a north peripheral interstitial space, a south peripheral interstitial space, and at least one of an east peripheral interstitial space and a west peripheral interstitial space.

14. The image sensor of claim 13 wherein rhombic filters from the secondary set are positioned in a north peripheral interstitial space, a south peripheral interstitial space, and an east peripheral interstitial space.

15. The image sensor of claim 8 wherein the shape of each filter substantially matches the size of its corresponding pixel.

16. The image sensor of claim 8 wherein the readout circuitry comprises:
a first readout circuit coupled to pixels that are optically coupled to filters from the primary set; and
a second readout circuit coupled to pixels that are optically coupled to filters from the secondary set;
wherein pixels that are optically coupled to filters from the primary set can be read separately and independently from pixels that are optically coupled to filters from the secondary set.

Assignees

• Omnivision Tech Inc

Inventors

• Mao Duli

Classifications

• H04N25/70 Primary

  SSIS architectures; Circuits associated therewith · CPC title

• H04N25/135 Primary

  based on four or more different wavelength filter elements · CPC title

• H04N25/131

  including elements passing infrared wavelengths · CPC title

• H04N9/045 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N5/378

  Electricity · mapped topic