Solid state image pickup device

• US 20030156210A1
• Filed: 02/11/2003
• Published: 08/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Uya, Shinji, Wako, Hideki
• Granted Patent: US 7,202,896 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/273
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0256 Compact construction
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/18 using diffraction elements, e.g. grating gratings per se G02B
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/2803 using photoelectric array detector
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/2823 Imaging spectrometer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/203 having holographic or diffractive elements diffraction gratings per se G02B5/18; holographic elements per se G02B5/32; generating the spectrum using diffraction elements G01J3/18
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14627 Microlenses
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14806 Structural or functional details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14868 CCD or CID colour imagers

Abstract

A spectral device is disposed above a semiconductor substrate formed with a number of photoelectric conversion elements. The spectral device has a plurality of spectral regions each corresponding to a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements, each of the spectral regions spectroscopically splitting light fluxes of a plurality of colors necessary for color imaging and contained in incidence light toward different directions, each of the spectroscopically split light fluxes becoming incident upon an associated photoelectric conversion element among the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements corresponding to each of the spectral regions.

Claims

1. A solid state image pickup device comprising:

a semiconductor substrate;

a number of photoelectric conversion elements disposed in a surface layer of said semiconductor substrate in a matrix shape having a plurality of rows and columns;

an output signal generator unit capable of generating an output signal from charges accumulated in each of said photoelectric conversion elements; and

a spectral device disposed above said semiconductor substrate and covering said photoelectric conversion elements as viewed in plan, said spectral device having a plurality of spectral regions each corresponding to a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements, each of the spectral regions spectroscopically splitting light fluxes of a plurality of colors necessary for color imaging and contained in incidence light toward different directions, each of the spectroscopically split light fluxes becoming incident upon an associated photoelectric conversion element among the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements corresponding to each of the spectral regions.

2. A solid state image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein:

said number of photoelectric conversion elements are disposed in a square matrix shape; and

each of the plurality of spectral regions is disposed in correspondence with three photoelectric conversion element columns and makes a first color light flux contained in the incidence light enter one of the three photoelectric conversion element columns, a second color light flux enter another of the three photoelectric conversion element columns, and a third color light flux enter a remaining one of the three photoelectric conversion element columns.

3. A solid state image pickup device according to claim 2, wherein the first color light flux is a red light flux, the second color light flux is a blue light flux, and the third color light flux is a green light flux.

4. A solid state image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein:

said number of photoelectric conversion elements are disposed in a pixel shift layout; and

each of the plurality of spectral regions is disposed in correspondence with four photoelectric conversion elements and makes a first color light flux contained in the incidence light enter one of the four photoelectric conversion elements, a second color light flux enter another of the four photoelectric conversion elements, and a third color light flux enter remaining two of the four photoelectric conversion elements.

5. A solid state image pickup device according to claim 4, wherein the first color light flux is a red light flux, the second color light flux is a blue light flux, and the third color light flux is a green light flux.

6. A solid state image pickup device according to claim 1, further comprising a color filter array disposed between said spectral device and said number of photoelectric conversion elements.

7. A solid state image pickup device according to claim 1, further comprising a micro lens array disposed between said spectral device and said number of photoelectric conversion elements.

8. A solid state image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein said spectral device is a diffraction optical device.

9. A solid state image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein said spectral device is a holographic device.

10. A solid state image pickup device according to claim 2, wherein said spectral device is a holographic device.

11. A solid state image pickup device according to claim 4, wherein said spectral device is a holographic device.

12. A solid state image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein said output signal generator unit is of a CCD type.

13. A solid state image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein said output signal generator unit is of a MOS type.