MULTILAYER IMAGE SENSOR

• US 20090278048A1
• Filed: 12/30/2008
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: CHOE, Won-hee, Lee, Seong-deok
• Granted Patent: US 8,436,308 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/339.50
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14621 Colour filter arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14647 Multicolour imagers having a stacked pixel-element structure, e.g. npn, npnpn or MQW elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14652 Multispectral infrared imagers, having a stacked pixel-element structure, e.g. npn, npnpn or MQW structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14683 Processes or apparatus peculiar to the manufacture or treatment of these devices or parts thereof not peculiar thereto H01L21/00

Abstract

An image sensor is provided which includes a multilayer structure having a first light receiving unit to extract a signal corresponding to color information of incident light of a visible region and a second light receiving unit to extract a signal corresponding to light of an infrared region and white light corresponding to the visible region.

Claims

1. A multilayer image sensor comprising:

a first light receiving unit which detects light of specific wavelength ranges within a visible region of a light spectrum;

a second light receiving unit which detects white light corresponding to the visible region; and

a third light receiving unit which detects light of an infrared region.

2. The multilayer image sensor of claim 1, wherein the first light receiving unit extracts color information of incident light.

3. The multilayer image sensor of claim 2, wherein the color information is one of a red-green-blue (RGB) signal and a cyan-magenta-yellow (CMY) signal.

4. The multilayer image sensor of claim 3, wherein the second and third light receiving units extract a white and infrared radiation (W+IR) signal.

5. The multilayer image sensor of claim 4, further comprising:

a readout circuit provided for the RGB or CMY signal; and

a different readout circuit provided for the W+IR signal.

6. The multilayer image sensor of claim 5, wherein the first and second light receiving units pass light of the infrared region, and the third light receiving unit is disposed with respect to the first and second light receiving units so that the extracted W+IR signal is a W+4 IR signal.

7. The multilayer image sensor of claim 1, wherein:

the first light receiving unit detects red light, green light, or blue light, and converts the amount of the light detected thereby into an electric signal,

the second light receiving unit detects the white light, and converts the amount of the white light detected thereby into an electric signal, and

the third light receiving unit detects infrared light, and converts the amount of the infrared light detected thereby into an electric signal.

8. The multilayer image sensor of claim 1, wherein the first and second light receiving units pass light of the infrared region.

9. The multilayer image sensor of claim 8, wherein the multilayer image sensor simultaneously obtains both a color image and a black-and-white image containing infrared radiation (IR) information.

10. The multilayer image sensor of claim 8, wherein the image sensor includes upper and lower layers, the first and second light receiving units are disposed on or as the upper layer, and the third light receiving unit is disposed on or as the lower layer.

11. The multilayer image sensor of claim 9, wherein the third light receiving unit is disposed under the first and/or second light receiving units.

12. The multilayer image sensor of claim 11, wherein the second and third light receiving units are integrated together or formed independently from each other.

13. The multilayer image sensor of claim 1, further comprising:

a color filter which comprises color filter parts that pass the light of specific wavelength ranges within the visible region and the light of the infrared region, and a transparent part that passes the white light and the light of the infrared region.

14. The multilayer image sensor of claim 13, wherein the first light receiving unit is disposed under the color filter parts, and the second light receiving unit is disposed under the transparent part.

15. A multilayer image sensor comprising:

a pixel unit which detects light of a specific wavelength range within a visible region of a light spectrum; and

a white and infrared radiation (wide-band) pixel unit which detects all visible light of the visible region and infrared light within an infrared region of the light spectrum.

16. The multilayer image sensor of claim 15, wherein the pixel unit is one of a red-green-blue (RGB) pixel unit and a cyan-magenta-yellow (CMY) pixel unit.

17. The multilayer image sensor of claim 16, wherein the RGB pixel unit is formed of a plurality of light receiving elements, each of which detects red, green, or blue light, and converts the amount of the detected light into an electric signal.

18. The multilayer image sensor of claim 16, wherein the wide-band pixel unit comprises a white pixel unit which is disposed on the same layer as the pixel unit and detects all visible light of the visible region, and an IR pixel unit which is disposed under the pixel unit and/or the white pixel unit and detects the infrared light within the infrared region.

19. The multilayer image sensor of claim 16, wherein the pixel unit and the wide-band pixel unit are controlled individually by different readout circuits.

20. The multilayer image sensor of claim 19, wherein the wide-band pixel unit and the pixel unit are controlled such that a light exposure time of the wide-band pixel unit is set to be shorter than that of the pixel unit.

21. An image sensor comprising a multilayer structure having a first light receiving unit to extract a signal corresponding to color information of incident light of a visible region and a second light receiving unit to extract a signal corresponding to light of an infrared region and white light corresponding to the visible region.

22. The image sensor of claim 21, wherein:

the first light receiving unit detects light of specific wavelength ranges within the visible region, and

the second light receiving unit comprises a light receiving unit which detects the white light and a light receiving unit which detects the light of the infrared region.

23. The image sensor of claim 22, wherein:

the signal extracted by the first light receiving unit is one of a red-green-blue (RGB) signal and a cyan-magenta-yellow (CMY) signal, and

the signal extracted by the second light receiving unit is a white and infrared radiation (W+IR) signal.

24. The image sensor of claim 23, wherein the first light receiving unit and the light receiving unit which detects the white light pass light of the infrared region, and the light receiving unit which detects the light of the infrared region is disposed with respect to the first light receiving unit and the light receiving unit which detects the white light so that the extracted W+IR signal is one of a W+IR signal, a W+2 IR signal, a W+3 IR signal, and a W+4 IR signal.

25. The image sensor of claim 23, further comprising:

a readout circuit provided for the RGB or CMY signal; and

a different readout circuit provided for the W+IR signal.

26. An image sensor comprising a multilayer structure having a first light receiving unit to extract a signal corresponding to color information of incident light of a visible region and a second light receiving unit to extract a signal corresponding to light of an infrared region, wherein the first light receiving unit detects light of specific wavelength ranges within the visible region, and different readout circuits are provided for the signal corresponding to the color information and the signal corresponding to the light of the infrared region.

27. The image sensor of claim 26, wherein the signal extracted by the second light receiving unit further corresponds to white light corresponding to the visible region.