Image sensor for endoscopic use

• US 9,980,633 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2016
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Depuy Synthes Products Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Depuy Synthes Products Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Blanquart, Laurent, Talbert, Joshua D., Henley, Jeremiah D., Wichern, Donald M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ko, Tony
• Application Number:
  US15/156,240
• Publication Number:
  US 20160256041A1
• Time in Patent Office: 743 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00009 of image signals during a use of endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/051 Details of CCD assembly
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0676 at distal tip of an endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/17 of a plurality of bump connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/20 Structure, shape, material or disposition of high density interconnect preforms
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/28 Structure, shape, material or disposition of the layer connectors prior to the connecting process
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/0657 Stacked arrangements of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/124 with a particular composition, shape or layout of the wiring layers specially adapted to the circuit arrangement, e.g. scanning lines in LCD pixel circuits wiring structures per se H01L23/52
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/146 Imager structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14601 Structural or functional details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14603 Special geometry or disposition of pixel-elements, address-lines or gate-electrodes
• 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 27/14618 Containers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14634 Assemblies, i.e. Hybrid structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14636 Interconnect structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14638 Structures specially adapted for transferring the charges across the imager perpendicular to the imaging plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1464 Back illuminated imager structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14641 Electronic components shared by two or more pixel-elements, e.g. one amplifier shared by two pixel elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14643 Photodiode arrays; MOS imagers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14689 MOS based technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1469 : Assemblies, i.e. hybrid integration
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 : Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 : Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/381 : Pitch distance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/028 : including, apart from doping material or other impurities, only elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0296 : including, apart from doping material or other impurities, only AIIBVI compounds, e.g. CdS, ZnS, HgCdTe
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0304 : including, apart from doping materials or other impurities, only AIIIBV compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/555 : for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 : provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/75 : Circuitry for providing, modifying or processing image signals from the pixel array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/767 : Horizontal readout lines, multiplexers or registers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/772 : comprising A/D, V/T, V/F, I/T or I/F converters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/778 : 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 Class Codes: H04N 25/79 : Arrangements of circuitry being divided between different or multiple substrates, chips or circuit boards, e.g. stacked image sensors

Abstract

An endoscopic device having embodiments of a hybrid imaging sensor that optimizes a pixel array area on a substrate using a stacking scheme for placement of related circuitry with minimal vertical interconnects between stacked substrates and associated features are disclosed. Embodiments of maximized pixel array size/die size (area optimization) are disclosed, and an optimized imaging sensor providing improved image quality, improved functionality, and improved form factors for specific applications common to the industry of digital imaging are also disclosed. Embodiments of the above may include systems, methods and processes for staggering ADC or column circuit bumps in a column or sub-column hybrid image sensor using vertical interconnects are also disclosed.

Claims

1. An endoscopic device comprising:

a handle portion;

a lumen; and

an imaging sensor comprising;

a plurality of substrates comprising at least a first substrate and a second substrate;

a pixel array located on the first substrate and comprising a plurality of pixels divided into a plurality of pixel groups, wherein each pixel group has an aspect ratio that is substantially the same as the other pixel groups;

a plurality of supporting circuits located on the second substrate and comprising a plurality of circuits divided into a plurality of circuit groups, wherein each circuit group has an aspect ratio that is substantially the same as the other circuit groups;

a plurality of pixel buses;

a plurality of circuit buses;

wherein at least a portion of one of the pixel buses is superimposed with at least a portion of a corresponding one of the circuit buses.

2. The endoscopic device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of pixel groups is defined as one pixel in width and a plurality of pixels in length.

3. The endoscopic device of claim 1, wherein each pixel group comprises an area, wherein each circuit group comprises an area, and wherein the area of each of the plurality of circuit groups corresponds with the area of a corresponding pixel group.

4. The endoscopic device of claim 1, wherein the imaging sensor further comprises a plurality interconnects disposed between the plurality of substrates;

and wherein said plurality of interconnects are spaced relative to one another at a distance that is greater than a pixel pitch of said pixel array.

5. The endoscopic device of claim 1, wherein the first substrate and second substrate are in alignment.

6. The endoscopic device of claim 1, wherein an area of at least one of the pixel groups on the first substrate is substantially equal to an area of at least one of the corresponding circuit groups on the second substrate.

7. The endoscopic device of claim 6, wherein the aspect ratio of the pixel groups is substantially similar to the aspect ratio of the circuit groups.

8. The endoscopic device of claim 6, wherein the aspect ratio of the pixel groups is different than the aspect ratio of the circuit groups.

9. The endoscopic device of claim 8, wherein the aspect ratio of the circuit groups is four times wider than and one-fourth the length of the aspect ratio of the pixel groups.

10. The endoscopic device of claim 8, wherein the aspect ratio of one of said circuit groups is two times wider than and one-half the length of the aspect ratio of one of said pixel groups.

11. The endoscopic device of claim 1, wherein said second substrate is substantially the same size as said first substrate.

12. The endoscopic device of claim 1, wherein an area of one of said pixel groups on said first substrate is larger than an area of one of said corresponding circuit groups on said second substrate.

13. The endoscopic device of claim 1, wherein an area of one of said pixel groups on said first substrate is smaller than an area of one of said corresponding circuit groups on said second substrate.

14. The endoscopic device of claim 1, wherein a plurality of interconnects connect a pixel bus to a corresponding circuit bus.

15. The endoscopic device of claim 1, wherein said imaging sensor is backside illuminated.

16. The endoscopic device of claim 1, wherein said pixel array covers a substantial majority of a surface of said first substrate.

17. The endoscopic device of claim 1, wherein said pixel array covers more than twenty-five percent of a surface of said first substrate.

18. The endoscopic device of claim 1, wherein said first substrate is made of primarily silicon material.

19. The endoscopic device of claim 1, wherein said first substrate is made of primarily of “

High-Z”

semiconductor material (Cadmium Telluride).

20. The endoscopic device of claim 1, wherein said first substrate is made primarily of III-V semiconductor materials (Gallium Arsenide).

21. The endoscopic device of claim 1, wherein there is one pixel bus per at least one pixel group and one circuit bus per at least one circuit group.

22. The endoscopic device of claim 1, wherein an area of each of the plurality of circuit groups is smaller than an area of each of the plurality of pixel groups.

23. The endoscopic device of claim 22, wherein at least two circuit groups correspond to one pixel group, such that each one of the at least two circuit groups read a portion of the one pixel group and work in parallel to achieve faster readout of the pixel group.

24. The endoscopic device of claim 1, wherein at least one interconnect is located anywhere along the superimposed portion of each of the pixel buses and the circuit buses to provide electrical communication between one pixel bus and one circuit bus.