Methods and devices for charge management for three-dimensional and color sensing

• US 20050156121A1
• Filed: 12/30/2004
• Published: 07/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Canesta Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Bamji, Cyrus, Liu, Xinqiao
• Granted Patent: US 7,464,351 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/492.200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 3/00 Measuring distances in line of sight; Optical rangefinders tapes, chains or wheels for measuring length G01B3/00; active triangulation systems, i.e. using the transmission and reflection of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, G01S17/48
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/50 using electric radiation detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/36 with phase comparison between the received signal and the contemporaneously transmitted signal
• 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: G01S 7/493 Extracting wanted echo signals
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14601 Structural or functional details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14645 Colour imagers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02024 Position sensitive and lateral effect photodetectors; Quadrant photodiodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1133 the device being a conductor-insulator-semiconductor diode or a CCD device

Abstract

Structures and methods for three-dimensional image sensing using high frequency modulation includes CMOS-implementable sensor structures using differential charge transfer, including such sensors enabling rapid horizontal and slower vertical dimension local charge collection. Wavelength response of such sensors can be altered dynamically by varying gate potentials. Methods for producing such sensor structures on conventional CMOS fabrication facilities include use of “rich” instructions to command the fabrication process to optimize image sensor rather than digital or analog ICs. One detector structure has closely spaced-apart, elongated finger-like structures that rapidly collect charge in the spaced-apart direction and then move collected charge less rapidly in the elongated direction. Detector response is substantially independent of the collection rate in the elongated direction.

Claims

1-14. -14. (canceled)

15. For use with a CMOS fabrication process of the type using a set of rules to convert a set of integrated circuit (IC) design layers into a set of fabrication masks used to fabricate said IC, a method of augmenting said set of rules to permit optimizing fabrication of an IC structure, the method comprising:

(a) analyzing structure of a proposed IC and adding additional ones of said IC design layers as needed to achieve said structure;

(b) defining additional said rules to use said additional layers determined to be needed at step (a); and

(c) generating new masks to produce said IC proposed at step (a);

wherein characteristics of ICs expressible by said set of fabrication masks can be optimized.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said IC includes at least one IC type selected from a group consisting of an IC that detects optical energy, and an IC that manages charge generated within said IC.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said method leaves unmodified at least one of said CMOS fabrication process, and said set of fabrication masks.

18-33. -33. (canceled)

34. A CMOS-implementable method of electrically programming wavelength response of a semiconductor sensor, the method comprising the following steps:

providing a semiconductor sensor that includes;

a substrate having a first surface towards which optical energy to be sensed can impinge;

a first group of spaced-apart gates disposed on said first surface;

a second group of spaced-apart gates disposed on said first surface such that members of said first group of gates are interleaved with members of said second group of gates;

biasing at least one of said first group and said second group of gates with an electrically programmable potential to form at least a first depletion region associated with said gates whose depth is responsive to said potential;

wherein wavelength components of said optical energy generate charge collectable within said first depletion region such that said semiconductor sensor can distinguish at least one wavelength component within said optical energy.

35. The method of claim 34, further including:

providing a third group of spaced-apart gates disposed on said first surface and interleaved with members of said first group and said second group of gates;

biasing said third group of spaced-apart gates with an electrically programmable potential to form at least a third depletion region associated with said gates whose depth is responsive to said potential;

wherein said semiconductor sensor can distinguish at least two wavelength components within said optical energy.