Multispectral sensor

• US 9,214,492 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2013
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Softkinetic Sensors NV (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Softkinetic Sensors NV (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Van Der Tempel, Ward, Kuijk, Maarten, Van Nieuwenhove, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Graybill, David E
• Application Number:
  US14/371,326
• Publication Number:
  US 20150001664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,069 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2003/2826 Multispectral imaging, e.g. filter imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/894 3D imaging with simultaneous measurement of time-of-flight at a 2D array of receiver pixels, e.g. time-of-flight cameras or flash lidar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4914 of detector arrays, e.g. charge-transfer gates
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14612 involving a transistor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14621 Colour filter arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14623 Optical shielding
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14643 Photodiode arrays; MOS imagers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14645 Colour imagers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/705 Pixels for depth measurement, e.g. RGBZ

Abstract

The present invention relates to a color and non-visible light e.g. IR sensor, namely a multispectral sensor which can be used in a camera such as a TOF camera for depth measurement, reflectance measurement and color measurement, and for generation of 3D image data or 3D images as well as the camera itself and methods of operating the same.

Claims

1. A color or multispectral image sensor device, the image sensor device comprising a pixel sensor associated with a single pixel of an image, wherein the pixel sensor comprises:

a substrate in which charge carriers are generatable in response to light incident on the substrate,

first (301, 616) and second (302) contact elements formed in the substrate for electrically contacting the pixel sensor,

characterized in that the first and second contact elements are arranged adjacent to one another, and further comprising;

a first detection element (303, 304, 314, 315, 404,504, 604) formed in the substrate and configured for detecting generated charge carriers in a first detection region,

a means for controlling the detectivity of the first detection region (301)

a second detection element (303, 304, 316,401,500,600) formed in the substrate and configured for detecting generated charge carriers in a second detection region,

a first filter element (311, 409, 509, 609) configured for letting pass light of a first wavelength range, wherein the first filter element overlaps a portion of the substrate comprising the first and second contact elements and also comprising the area sensitive to light between the first and second contact elements

a second filter element (309, 310, 408, 508, 608) configured for letting pass light of a second wavelength range, wherein the second filter element overlaps a portion of the substrate covering the second detection element and does not overlap the first filter element, wherein the second wavelength range is different from the first wavelength range,

wherein the first and second detection elements (303, 304, 316, 314, 315, 401, 404, 504, 600, 604) are laterally placed alongside the first and second contact elements (301, 302, 616), such that the first and second contact elements (301, 302, 616) can control the detectivity of the first and second detection elements (303, 304, 316, 314, 315, 401, 404, 504, 600, 604), and are not placed in between the contact elements;

wherein the pixel sensor comprises a semiconductor based structure,

wherein the substrate, the first and second contact elements comprise semiconductor regions of a first conductivity type, wherein the first detection element and the second detection element comprise a semiconductor region of a second conductivity type.

2. A color or multispectral image sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the means for controlling the detectivity of the first detection region is configured for modulating an injected majority carrier current through the contact elements.

3. A color or multispectral image sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the pixel sensor further comprises:

at least one charge transfer element (320, 414, 506, 605, 606) which can transfer charges from the first and/or the second detection element to a common element, which can be a detection element or any other charge storage element.

4. A color or multispectral image sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the first detection element is arranged to be also the second detection element.

5. The color or multispectral image sensor device according to claim 3, wherein the charge transfer element (320, 321) transfers charges from the first detection element to the second detection element or from the second detection element to the first detection element;

and wherein a light shielding element (312) overlaps the second detection element.

6. The color or multispectral image sensor device according to claim 3, wherein the charge transfer element (320) is suppliable with energy;

and wherein the charge carrier element is configured for transferring the charge carriers by diffusion from the second detection element to the first detection element based on an amount of the supplied energy.

7. The color or multispectral image sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the pixel sensor further comprises:

a switching element configured for connecting (414) the first and second detection elements with one another.

8. The color or multispectral image sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the pixel sensor further comprises:

a charge carrier storage element (614) configured for receiving detected charge carriers from the first detection element (604), and

a charge carrier transfer element (605) suppliable with energy, wherein the charge carrier transfer element is configured for transferring the charge carriers from the first detection element to the charge carrier storage element based on an amount of the supplied energy.

9. The color or multispectral image sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the pixel sensor further comprises:

a second charge carrier storage element (501, 601) configured for receiving the detected charge carriers from the second detection element (500, 600), wherein the second charge carrier storage element is arranged laterally in proximity of the second detection element, and

a second charge carrier transfer element (506, 606) suppliable with energy, wherein the second charge carrier transfer element is configured for transferring the charge carriers from the second detection element to the another charge carrier storage element based on an amount of the supplied energy.

10. The color or multispectral image sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the pixel sensor further comprises:

a read-out element (415, 513, 613) connected to the first and/or second storage or detection element and configured for amplifying or buffering or copying non-destructively the signal on the first and/or second storage or detection element.

11. The color or multispectral image sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the pixel sensor further comprises:

a second switching element (411, 511, 611) configured for connecting the first and second detection elements to an energy source configured for supplying energy to the first and second detection elements.

12. The color or multispectral image sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the first detection region together with the first detection element(s) and detectivity control means is configured as a current-assisted-photonic demodulator device, a photonic mixing demodulator device, a drift-field-pixel-based demodulator device, or a depletion-region-modulation-based pixel demodulator device.

13. The color or multispectral image sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the first filter element is a stack of filter elements, each filter element of the stack being configured for letting pass light of a certain wavelength range.