Solid-state imaging apparatus and imaging system

• US 8,710,610 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2011
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kono, Shoji, Kikuchi, Shin, Yamashita, Yuichiro, Fujimura, Masaru, Shimizu, Shinichiro, Arishima, Yu
• Primary Examiner(s): Fahmy, Wael
• Assistant Examiner(s): SALERNO, SARAH KATE
• Application Number:
  US13/167,408
• Publication Number:
  US 20120007203A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 257/435, 257/E31.11, 257/E31.122, 257/E31.032
• US Class Current: 257/435
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14605 Structural or functional details relating to the position of the pixel elements, e.g. smaller pixel elements in the center of the imager compared to pixel elements at the periphery
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14609 Pixel-elements with integrated switching, control, storage or amplification elements scanning details of imagers (circuitry of solid-state image sensors H04N25/00); circuitry of imagers H04N25/70
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14623 Optical shielding
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14658 X-ray, gamma-ray or corpuscular radiation imagers measuring X-, gamma- or corpuscular radiation G01T1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02164 for shielding light, e.g. light blocking layers, cold shields for infrared detectors

Abstract

A solid-state imaging apparatus including pixels each including a photoelectric conversion element, and a light shielding layer covering the photoelectric conversion element is provided. For each of the photoelectric conversion elements, the light shielding layer includes a light shielding portion which shields a portion of incident light to the photoelectric conversion element, and an aperture which passes another portion of the incident light. The pixels include first and second pixels which have different areas on a planar view of the photoelectric conversion element. The area of the photoelectric conversion element in the first pixel is larger than the area of the photoelectric conversion element in the second pixel on the planar view. An area of the light shielding portion included in the first pixel is larger than an area of the light shielding portion included in the second pixel.

Claims

1. A solid-state imaging apparatus including a plurality of pixels each including a photoelectric conversion element, and a light shielding layer covering the photoelectric conversion element, wherein

for each of the photoelectric conversion elements of the plurality of pixels, the light shielding layer includes a light shielding portion which shields a portion of incident light to the photoelectric conversion element, and an aperture which passes another portion of the incident light,

the plurality of pixels include a first pixel and a second pixel,

the area of the photoelectric conversion element included in the first pixel is larger than the area of the photoelectric conversion element included in the second pixel on the planar view, and

an area of the light shielding portion that shields a portion of the incident light to the photoelectric conversion element included in the first pixel is larger than an area of the light shielding portion that shields a portion of the incident light to the photoelectric conversion element included in the second pixel.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein areas of the apertures for the photoelectric conversion elements of the first pixel and the second pixel equal to each other.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the aperture includes a plurality of aperture portions that are periodically arranged.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the aperture has a cruciform shape.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the aperture has a rectangular shape.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a scanning circuit configured to scan signals output from the plurality of pixels, wherein the second pixel is adjacent to the scanning circuit, and the first pixel is not adjacent to the scanning circuit.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a scintillator.

8. An imaging system comprising:

a solid-state imaging apparatus according to claim 1; and

a processor configured to process a signal output from the solid-state imaging apparatus.