Solid state imaging device and electronic apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9911768-B2
Application number	US-201514898595-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2015
Priority date	May 9, 2014
Publication date	Mar 6, 2018
Grant date	Mar 6, 2018

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a solid state imaging device in which, in phase difference pixels that do not include a light blocking layer for forming a phase difference, the phase difference detection characteristics can be made uniform regardless of the image height. Provided is a solid state imaging device including a pixel array unit in which a plurality of pixels are two-dimensionally arranged in a matrix configuration. Part of the pixels in the pixel array unit include a first photoelectric conversion element and a second photoelectric conversion element configured to receive and photoelectrically convert incident light. A center position of a light receiving characteristic distribution of the first photoelectric conversion element and a center position of a light receiving characteristic distribution of the second photoelectric conversion element are configured so as to be the same between a central portion and a peripheral portion of the pixel array unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A solid state imaging device, comprising
a pixel array unit which includes a plurality of pixels that are two-dimensionally arranged in a matrix configuration,
wherein a subset of pixels of the plurality of pixels in the pixel array unit includes a first photoelectric conversion element and a second photoelectric conversion element,
wherein each of the first photoelectric conversion element and the second photoelectric conversion element is configured to receive incident light and photoelectrically convert the incident light,
wherein a center position of a first light receiving angle distribution of the first photoelectric conversion element and a center position of a second light receiving angle distribution of the second photoelectric conversion element are same for a plurality of pixel positions between a central portion and a peripheral portion of the pixel array unit, and
wherein the first photoelectric conversion element and the second photoelectric conversion element are in positions farther from an optical axis center with transition from the central portion toward the peripheral portion of the pixel array unit.

2. The solid state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the center position of the first light receiving angle distribution is a centroid position of the first light receiving angle distribution of output signal of the first photoelectric conversion element with respect to an incident angle of the incident light.

3. The solid state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the first photoelectric conversion element and the second photoelectric conversion element are configured such that reception of subject light close to an angle of a principal ray reduces with transition from the central portion toward the peripheral portion of the pixel array unit.

4. The solid state imaging device according to claim 3 , wherein the first photoelectric conversion element and the second photoelectric conversion element are configured such that the reception of the subject light close to the angle of the principal ray is reduced in positions farther from an optical axis center with the transition from the central portion toward the peripheral portion of the pixel array unit.

5. The solid state imaging device according to claim 1 , further comprising an insulating layer between the first photoelectric conversion element and the second photoelectric conversion element.

6. The solid state imaging device according to claim 5 ,
wherein the first photoelectric conversion element and the second photoelectric conversion element are in positions farther from an optical axis center with transition from the central portion toward the peripheral portion of the pixel array unit, and
wherein the insulating layer between the first photoelectric conversion element and the second photoelectric conversion element is based on a distance between the first photoelectric conversion element and the second photoelectric conversion element.

7. The solid state imaging device according to claim 5 , wherein a pinning layer is formed between the first photoelectric conversion element or the second photoelectric conversion element and the insulating layer.

8. The solid state imaging device according to claim 1 ,
wherein each pixel of the plurality of pixels includes:
a charge retention unit, wherein the charge retention unit is configured to temporarily retain a charge generated by the first photoelectric conversion element and the second photoelectric conversion element, and
a reset transistor configured to reset the charge of the charge retention unit by a reset voltage,
wherein the reset voltage of the reset transistor is reduced with transition from the central portion toward the peripheral portion of the pixel array unit.

9. The solid state imaging device according to claim 8 , wherein the pixel farther includes
a select transistor configured to control selection of the pixel and
an output transistor configured to output a signal of the charge retention unit as a pixel signal when the pixel is selected by the select transistor.

10. The solid state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein a center position of a light receiving characteristic distribution of the first photoelectric conversion element and a center position of a light receiving characteristic distribution of the second photoelectric conversion element are configured so as to be the same between a central portion and a peripheral portion of the pixel array unit by a depleted region of the first photoelectric conversion element and the second photoelectric conversion element becoming smaller in accordance with the reset voltage.

11. The solid state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the pixel array unit includes:
a first vertical transfer register configured to transfer a first charge generated by the first photoelectric conversion element in a column direction, and
a second vertical transfer register configured to transfer a second charge generated by the second photoelectric conversion element in the column direction.

12. The solid state imaging device according to claim 1 , further comprising a microlens in the pixel array unit.

13. The solid state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein a microlens is formed in units of a plurality of pixels in the pixel array unit.

14. The solid state imaging device according to claim 1 , configured by stacking a first semiconductor substrate and a second semiconductor substrate.

15. An electronic apparatus, comprising:
a solid state imaging device including a pixel array unit, wherein the pixel array unit includes a plurality of pixels that are two-dimensionally arranged in a matrix configuration,
wherein a subset of pixels of the plurality of pixels in the pixel array unit includes a first photoelectric conversion element and a second photoelectric conversion element,
wherein each of the first photoelectric conversion element and the second photoelectric conversion element is configured to receive incident light and photoelectrically convert the incident light,
wherein a center position of a first light receiving angle distribution of the first photoelectric conversion element and a center position of a second light receiving angle distribution of the second photoelectric conversion element are same for a plurality of pixel positions between a central portion and a peripheral portion of the pixel array unit, and
wherein the first photoelectric conversion element and the second photoelectric conversion element are in positions farther from an optical axis center with transition from the central portion toward the peripheral portion of the pixel array unit.

16. A solid state imaging device, comprising
a pixel array unit which includes a plurality of pixels that are two-dimensionally arranged in a matrix configuration,
wherein a subset of pixels of the plurality of pixels in the pixel array unit includes a first photoelectric conversion element and a second photoelectric conversion element,
wherein each of the first photoelectric conversion element and the second photoelectric conversion element is configured to receive incident light and photoelectrically convert the incident light,
wherein a center position of a light receiving angle distribution of the first photoelectric conversion element and a center position of a light receiving angle distribution of the second photoelectric conversion element are same for a plurality of pixel positions between a central portion and a peripheral portion of the pixel array unit, and
wherein each

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Nakamura Akihiro

Classifications

• H04N25/778

  comprising amplifiers shared between a plurality of pixels, i.e. at least one part of the amplifier must be on the sensor array itself · CPC title

• H04N23/67

  Focus control based on electronic image sensor signals · CPC title

• H04N25/76

  Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors · CPC title

• H04N25/704

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

• H04N25/71 Primary

  Charge-coupled device [CCD] sensors; Charge-transfer registers specially adapted for CCD sensors · CPC title