Solid-state image capturing device and electronic device

• US 9,219,090 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2013
• Issued: 12/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Izuha, Kyoko, Harada, Kouichi
• Primary Examiner(s): CHOI, CALVIN Y
• Application Number:
  US14/035,131
• Publication Number:
  US 20140024164A1
• Time in Patent Office: 819 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14621 Colour filter arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14625 Optical elements or arrangements associated with the device
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14685 Process for coatings or optical elements

Abstract

A solid-state image capturing device including: a semiconductor substrate having a photosensitive surface including a matrix of pixels as respective photoelectric converters; and a photochromic film disposed in a light path through which light is applied to each of the photoelectric converters, the photochromic film being made of a photochromic material having a light transmittance variable depending on the intensity of applied light in a predetermined wavelength range; wherein the light transmittance has a half-value period shorter than one frame during which pixel signals generated by the pixels are read from all the pixels.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

forming a semiconductor substrate having a photosensitive surface including a plurality of pixels with respective photoelectric converters; and

forming a photochromic film disposed in a light path through which light is applied to each of the photoelectric converters, the photochromic film being made of a photochromic material having a light transmittance that varies depending on an intensity of applied light in a predetermined wavelength range,

wherein,

the light transmittance has a half-value period shorter than one frame during which pixel signals generated by the plurality of pixels are read from all of the plurality of pixels.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a light amount measuring unit configured to measure an amount of light absorbed by the photochromic film.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising providing a signal processor configured to combine a light signal representative of the amount of light measured by the light amount measuring unit and light signals generated by the photoelectric converters into pixel signals from the pixels.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising providing a resetting unit configured to reset a light signal which is generated by the photochromic film when the photochromic film absorbs the applied light.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pixels include red pixels, green pixels, and blue pixels, further including:

color filters configured to pass light in wavelength ranges of red, green, and blue, the color filters being disposed on the semiconductor substrate in respective light paths leading to the photoelectric converters of the red pixels, the green pixels, and the blue pixels.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the photochromic film comprises different materials disposed in alignment with the color filters, respectively, depending on the wavelength ranges.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the photochromic film is made of one material irrespective of the wavelength ranges.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the photochromic film is configured to function as color filters.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the light transmittance of the photochromic film varies depending on the intensity of applied light in a visible range.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the light transmittance of the photochromic film is higher as the intensity of applied light in a visible range is lower and is lower as the intensity of applied light in the visible range is higher.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the light transmittance of said photochromic film is that continuously variable depending on the intensity of applied light in a visible range.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pixels include a set comprising one red pixel, two green pixels, and one blue pixel, the photochromic film being shared by the set.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pixels include a set comprising one column of pixels, the photochromic film being shared by the set.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pixels include a set comprising a plurality of columns, the photochromic film being shared by the set.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the photochromic film is shared by all of the plurality of pixels of the photosensitive surface.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising disposing the photochromic film over a region in which the plurality of pixels are disposed.

12. A method comprising:

forming a semiconductor substrate having a photosensitive surface including a plurality of pixels with respective photoelectric converters; and

forming a photochromic film disposed in a light path through which light is applied to each of the photoelectric converters, the photochromic film comprising a photochromic material having a light transmittance that varies depending on an intensity of applied light in a predetermined wavelength range,

wherein,

the light transmittance has a half-value period shorter than one frame during which pixel signals generated by the plurality of pixels are read from all of the plurality of pixels, and

the photochromic material includes a hexarylbisimidazole derivative.

18. A method comprising:

forming a solid-state image capturing device including an image capturing unit by (a) forming a semiconductor substrate having a photosensitive surface including a plurality of pixels with respective photoelectric converters, and (b) forming a photochromic film disposed in a light path through which light is applied to each of the photoelectric converters, the photochromic film being made of a photochromic material having a light transmittance that varies depending on an intensity of applied light in a predetermined wavelength range;

providing an optical system configured to guide incident light to the image capturing unit of the solid-state image capturing device;

providing a signal processing circuit configured to process an output signal from the solid-state image capturing device; and

assembling the solid-state image capturing device, the optical system, and the signal processing circuit in an electronic device,

wherein,

the light transmittance has a half-value period shorter than one frame during which pixel signals generated by the plurality of pixels are read from all of the plurality of pixels.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

forming a first electrode; and

forming a second electrode,

wherein,

the photochromic film is between the first electrode and the second electrode.