3D COLOR IMAGE SENSOR

• US 20110175981A1
• Filed: 01/19/2010
• Published: 07/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Visera Technologies Company Limited (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Visera Technologies Company Limited (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited)
• Inventors: Lu, Chen-Wei, Lai, Chun-Hung, Chen, I-Hsiu, Tseng, Chi-Xiang
• Application Number:
  US12/689,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20110175981A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/46
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14607 Geometry of the photosensitive area
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14621 Colour filter arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14627 Microlenses
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/254 in combination with electromagnetic radiation sources for illuminating objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2209/047 using multispectral pick-up elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/11 for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/585 with pixels having different sensitivities within the sensor, e.g. fast or slow pixels or pixels having different sizes

Abstract

A 3D color image sensor and a 3D optical imaging system including the 3D color image sensor are provided. The 3D color image sensor includes a semiconductor substrate, having a plurality of first photodiodes and a plurality of second photodiodes, and a wiring layer formed under the first photodiodes and the second photodiodes. A light filter array layer is disposed on the first and the second photodiodes, having a plurality of color filter patterns and infrared (IR) light filter patterns, wherein each of the IR light filter patterns receives depth information of 3D color image of an object and corresponds to the first photodiode, and each of the color filter patterns receives color image information of 3D color image of the object and corresponds to the second photodiode.

Claims

1. A three dimensional (3D) color image sensor, comprising:

a semiconductor substrate, having a plurality of first photodiodes and a plurality of second photodiodes, and a wiring layer formed under the first photodiodes and the second photodiodes; and

a light filter array layer disposed on the first photodiodes and the second photodiodes, having a plurality of color filter patterns and a plurality of (infrared) IR light filter patterns,

wherein each of the IR light filter patterns receives depth information of 3D color image of an object and corresponds to the first photodiode, and each of the color filter patterns receives color image information of 3D color image of the object and corresponds to the second photodiode.

2. The 3D color image sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the color filter patterns and the IR light filter patterns are arranged so that each of the color filter patterns are adjacent to four IR light filter patterns.

3. The 3D color image sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein a ratio of a size of the IR light filter pattern to a size of the color filter pattern is greater than 10.

4. The 3D color image sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the color image information of 3D color image of the object is provided from a visual light reflected from the object.

5. The 3D color image sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the depth information of 3D color image of the object is provided from an IR light reflected from the object.

6. The 3D color image sensor as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of insulators individually disposed between the first photodiodes and the second photodiodes.

7. The 3D color image sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wiring layer comprises a plurality of circuit areas which correspond to the first photodiodes and the second photodiodes, respectively.

8. The 3D color image sensor as claimed in claim 7, wherein the circuit areas corresponding to the first photodiodes provide data for generating a 3D depth map of the object, and the circuit areas corresponding to the second photodiodes provide data for generating a color image of the object.

9. The 3D color image sensor as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a micro-lens array disposed over the light filter array layer.

10. The 3D color image sensor as claimed in claim 9, wherein the micro-lens array comprises a plurality of first micro-lenses corresponding to the IR light filter patterns and a plurality of second micro-lenses corresponding to the color filter patterns.

11. The 3D color image sensor as claimed in claim 10, wherein a size of the first micro-lens is the same as a size of the IR light filter pattern.

12. The 3D color image sensor as claimed in claim 10, wherein a size of the second micro-lens is the same as a size of the color filter pattern.

13. The 3D color image sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the IR light filter pattern is formed from a black photoresist and an IR light passes through the IR light filter pattern.

14. The 3D color image sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein a shape of the color filter pattern and the IR light filter pattern is circular.

15. The 3D color image sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein a shape of the color filter pattern is a quadrangle and a shape of the IR light filter pattern is an octagon.

16. The 3D color image sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the 3D color image sensor is a backside illumination sensor.

17. A three dimensional (3D) optical imaging system, comprising:

a light source for illuminating an object;

a 3D color image sensor for receiving depth information and color image information of 3D color image of the object and converting the depth information and color image information into electrical signals; and

a signal processor for processing the electrical signals from the 3D color image sensor to generate 3D color image of the object,

wherein the 3D color image sensor comprises;

a semiconductor substrate, having a plurality of first photodiodes and a plurality of second photodiodes, and a wiring layer formed under the first photodiodes and the second photodiodes; and

a light filter array layer disposed on the first photodiodes and the second photodiodes, having a plurality of color filter patterns and a plurality of (infrared) IR light filter patterns, wherein each of the IR light filter patterns receives the depth information of 3D color image of the object and corresponds to the first photodiode, and each of the color filter patterns receives the color image information of 3D color image of the object and corresponds to the second photodiode.

18. The 3D optical imaging system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the light source provides an IR light to illuminate the object, and the IR light is reflected by the object to generate the depth information of 3D color image of the object.

19. The 3D optical imaging system as claimed in claim 17, further comprising a visual light from natural light to illuminate the object, wherein the visual light is reflected by the object to generate the color image information of 3D color image of the object.

20. The 3D optical imaging system as claimed in claim 17, wherein a ratio of a size of the IR light filter pattern to a size of the color filter pattern is greater than 10.