Image photographing apparatus, method and medium

• US 20080068475A1
• Filed: 06/22/2007
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Seong-Deok, Choe, Won-Hee, Song, Hyun-Chul, Kim, Chang-Yeong
• Granted Patent: US 8,339,489 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/273
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4015 Image demosaicing, e.g. colour filter arrays [CFA] or Bayer patterns
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14647 Multicolour imagers having a stacked pixel-element structure, e.g. npn, npnpn or MQW elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2209/045 using mosaic colour filter
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2209/047 using multispectral pick-up elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/131 including elements passing infrared wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/133 including elements passing panchromatic light, e.g. filters passing white light
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/135 based on four or more different wavelength filter elements

Abstract

An image photographing apparatus, method and medium that can enhance color reproducibility and sensitivity. The image photographing apparatus includes a filter unit having a first filter region to pass at least one band of an incident light signal corresponding to a complementary color of a first color, and a second filter region to pass all bands of the incident light signal, wherein the first filter region and the second filter region are each formed in one of two adjacent pixels, and an image sensor unit to sense an image from the incident light signal that passes through the filter unit, the image sensor unit including a plurality of photoelectric conversion layers each having a different spectral sensitivity.

Claims

1. An image photographing apparatus comprising:

a filter unit comprised of at least two combinations of a first filter region which passes a wavelength band of an incident light signal corresponding to a complementary color of a first color, a second filter region which passes a wavelength band of the incident light signal corresponding to a complementary color of a second color, and a third filter region which passes all wavelength bands of the incident light signal; and

an image sensor unit to sense an image from the light signal that passes through the filter unit,

wherein the image sensor unit comprises a plurality of photoelectric conversion layers each having a different spectral sensitivity.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the first filter region and the second filter region is formed of any one of a cyan filter, a magenta filter, and a yellow filter.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the third filter region is formed of a white filter.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the photoelectric conversion layers are formed at a location corresponding to the first filter region.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the photoelectric conversion layers comprise:

a first photoelectric conversion layer passing a first color component of a light signal that passes through the first filter region; and

a second photoelectric conversion layer longitudinally overlapping the first photoelectric conversion layer and passing a second color component of the light signal that passes through the first filter region,

wherein the first photoelectric conversion layer is located closer to a surface of a substrate than the second photoelectric conversion layer.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first photoelectric conversion layer generates electric charges according to the first color component, and the second photoelectric conversion layer generates electric charges according to the second color component.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first photoelectric conversion layer has a p-n junction located at a first depth from the surface of the substrate, and the second photoelectric conversion layer has a p-n junction located at a second depth from the surface of the substrate.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the image sensor unit calculates a color difference signal based on a luminance signal sensed from a light signal that passes through the third filter region, a signal sensed from the first photoelectric conversion layer, and a signal sensed from the second photoelectric conversion layer.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a filter blocking infrared light.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the photoelectric conversion layers are formed at a location corresponding to the first filter region.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the photoelectric conversion layers comprise:

a first photoelectric conversion layer passing a first color component of a light signal that passes through the first filter region; and

a second photoelectric conversion layer longitudinally overlapping the first photoelectric conversion layer and passing a second color component of the light signal that passes through the first filter region,

wherein the first photoelectric conversion layer is located closer to a surface of a substrate than the second photoelectric conversion layer.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first photoelectric conversion layer generates electric charges according to the first color component, and the second photoelectric conversion layer generates electric charges according to the second color component.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the first photoelectric conversion layer has a p-n junction located at a first depth from the surface of the substrate, and the second photoelectric conversion layer has a p-n junction located at a second depth from the surface of the substrate.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the sensing of the image comprises calculating a color difference signal based on a luminance signal sensed from a light signal that passes through the third filter region, a signal sensed from the first photoelectric conversion layer, and a signal sensed from the second photoelectric conversion layer.

10. A method of operating an image photographing apparatus, the method comprising:

filtering an incident light signal using at least two combinations of a first filter region which passes a wavelength band of the incident light signal corresponding to a complementary color of a first color, a second filter region which passes a wavelength band of the incident light signal corresponding to a complementary color of a second color, and a third filter region which passes all wavelength bands of the incident light signal;

receiving the filtered light signal through a plurality of photoelectric conversion layers having different spectral sensitivity; and

sensing an image from the received light signal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each of the first filter region and the second filter region is formed of any one of a cyan filter, a magenta filter, and a yellow filter.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the third filter region is formed of a white filter.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising filtering the incident light signal using a filter blocking infrared light.

19. At least one medium comprising computer readable code to control at least one processing element to implement the method of claim 10.

20. An image photographing apparatus comprising:

a filter unit including,

a first filter region to pass at least one band of an incident light signal corresponding to a complementary color of a first color, and

a second filter region to pass all bands of the incident light signal, wherein the first filter region and the second filter region are each formed in one of two adjacent pixels; and

an image sensor unit to sense an image from the incident light signal that passes through the filter unit, the image sensor unit including a plurality of photoelectric conversion layers each having a different spectral sensitivity.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the first filter region is formed of any one of a cyan filter, a magenta filter, and a yellow filter.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the photoelectric conversion layers are formed at a location corresponding to the first filter region.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the photoelectric conversion layers comprise:

a first photoelectric conversion layer passing a first color component of a light signal that passes through the first filter region; and

a second photoelectric conversion layer longitudinally overlapping the first photoelectric conversion layer and passing a second color component of the light signal that passes through the first filter region,

wherein the first photoelectric conversion layer is located closer to a surface of a substrate than the second photoelectric conversion layer.

24. A method of operating an image photographing apparatus, the method comprising:

filtering an incident light signal using a first filter region to pass at least one band of the incident light signal corresponding to a complementary color of a first color, using a second filter region to pass all wavelength bands of the incident light signal and using a third filter region to block an infrared band;

receiving the filtered light signal through a plurality of photoelectric conversion layers each having a different spectral sensitivity; and

sensing an image from the received light signal.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the receiving of the filtered light signal comprises:

receiving a first color component and a second color component from the incident light signal that passes through the first filter region,

wherein the first color component is obtained by a first photoelectric conversion layer and the second color component is obtained by a second photoelectric conversion layer, the first photoelectric conversion being located closer to the surface of a substrate than the second photoelectric conversion layer.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the receiving of the filtered light signal further comprises obtaining a white light signal from the incident light signal that passes through the second filter region.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

performing white balancing on the first color component and the second color component using the obtained white light signal;

performing demosaicing on the white balanced first color component signal and on the white balanced second color component signal

generating an image in a predetermined signal format and gamma correcting the generated image; and

outputting the gamma-corrected image to a predetermined display module.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein the first filter region is formed of any one of a cyan filter, a magenta filter, and a yellow filter.

29. At least one medium comprising computer readable code to control at least one processing element to implement the method of claim 24.