Abstract: The invention disclose a pixel in an image sensor capable of detecting infrared light and associated fabrication method. The image sensor includes a semiconductor substrate having a first photodiode and a second photodiode adjacent to the first photodiode. A planarized dielectric layer having a recessed region is disposed on a first side of the semiconductor substrate. A first color filter is disposed on the planarized dielectric layer aligned with the first photodiode and configured to transmit light of a first wavelength range. A second color filter is disposed in the recessed region and on the planarized dielectric layer. The second color filter is aligned with the second photodiode, and configured to transmit light of a second wavelength range that is different from the first wavelength range. A first depth-wise thickness of the first color filter is less than a second depth-wise thickness of the second color filter.

Abstract: An image sensor has an array of a tiling pattern of cells, each cell having at least one spiral nanowire circular polarizer formed of nanowires less than 80 nanometers in width; and photodiodes to receive incoming light form the circular polarizer. In embodiments, the polarizer is a descending spiral circular polarizer including at least four nanowires each about fifty nanometers wide at successive levels in the polarizer. In other embodiments, the circular polarizer comprises a flat spiral nanowire of width about seventy nanometers width, the flat spiral nanowire interrupted by cuts, disposed over multiple photodiodes to analyze a diffraction pattern from the polarizer.

Abstract: An image sensor includes a pixel array including at least one light-shielded area where no light enters and an imaging area where light enters, wherein each pixel includes a photoelectric conversion element, a black level processing unit that corrects an output of each pixel in the imaging area, and a memory that stores a predetermined black level reference for each pixel in the imaging area. The processing unit calculates a Slope, which is determined by an average output value at imaging of pixels in the at least one light-shielded area taken during imaging and a reference average output value of pixels in the at least one light-shielded area under certain conditions taken prior to imaging, and correct an output of each pixel in the imaging area using the predetermined black level reference and the Slope.

Abstract: A blurred QPD image is divided into an Up-left (Ul) view, an Up-right (Ur) view, a Down-left (Dl) view, and a Down-right (Dr) view. A U view is the mean of the Ul view and the Ur view, a D view is the mean of the Dl view and the Dr view, a L view is the mean of the Ul view and the Dl view; and a R view is the mean of the Ur view and the Dr view. The U view, the D view, the L view, and the R view are input into a convolutional neural network (CNN). The CNN outputs an output Bayer image, which is a deblurred image of the blurred QPD image.

Abstract: An under-display optical fingerprint sensors employing microlens arrays (MLAs) and an opaque aperture layer includes high aspect-ratio metal aperture structures for efficient angular signal filtering and stray light control. Instead of relying on one or more opaque aperture baffle-layers, embodiments disclosed herein utilize an image sensor's inherent metal layers for filtering signals originated from unwanted angular ranges and blocking undesired stray light could achieve similar or better performance with simplified process flow and lower cost. Layers from the sensors' inherent metal layers are brought into the sensing area on purpose to form the high aspect-ratio metal aperture structure. The metal layers in the sensing area may include apertures aligned to apertures in the opaque layer, and may also be grounded.

Abstract: An image sensor includes a sensor substrate and a circuit substrate. The sensor substrate includes a plurality of sensor substrate-side pixels. Each of the sensor substrate-side pixels includes a photodiode configured to operate in a photovoltaic mode, a reset transistor configured to reset the photodiode, and a pixel source follower transistor connected to an output of the photodiode. The circuit substrate includes circuit substrate-side pixels corresponding to the respective sensor substrate-side pixels of the sensor substrate. Each of the circuit substrate-side pixels includes a peak hold circuit configured to hold a peak of an output of the pixel source follower transistor by receiving the output of the pixel source follower transistor, and a readout source follower transistor configured to read out a voltage held in a holding capacitor. The sensor substrate-side pixels and the respective corresponding circuit substrate-side pixels are connected to each other.

Abstract: In a case where a photodiode is in a saturated state, the photodiode can be transited from the saturated state to an unsaturated state during a period when a knee pulse is supplied from a knee pulse supplying unit. The knee pulse supplying unit preferably supplies the knee pulse a plurality of times during one frame period.

Abstract: A polarization-sensitive infrared sensitive image sensor, including a plurality of pixels in a semiconductor substrate and forming a pixel array, each pixel including: at least one microlens; at least one photodiode; and at least one light absorbing patch above a corresponding photodiode, each light absorbing patch oriented at a predetermined angle with respect to each of the at least one light absorbing patch, the light absorbing patch absorbs a portion of incident light dependent on polarization of the incoming light relative to the predetermined angle of the light absorbing patch.

Abstract: A method of detecting an object in an image includes (i) processing, with a machine-learned model, pixel intensities of a pixel pair in a first region of the image, to determine a first confidence score representing a likelihood of the object being present within the first region, and (ii) determining, based on the first confidence score, presence of the object in the first region.

Abstract: An image sensor comprises a plurality of high sensitivity photoelectric conversion elements, a plurality of low sensitivity photoelectric conversion elements, and a processor for processing signals read out from the plurality of low sensitivity photoelectric conversion elements and the plurality of high sensitivity photoelectric conversion elements, where the processor is configured to read out signals from the plurality of low-sensitivity photoelectric conversion elements multiple times in a single frame after multiple exposures and obtain a plurality of images of low-sensitivity in the single frame at different times.

Abstract: A motion-detection method includes for a motion-detection region in a first image of a scene, (i) determining a respective first pixel-value gradient at each of a plurality of pixel-coordinates within the motion-detection region, and (ii) determining a first feature-descriptor value as a function of the first pixel-value gradients and position vectors defined by the plurality of pixel-coordinates. The method also includes, for the motion-detection region in a second image of the scene, (i) determining a respective second pixel-value gradient at each of the plurality of pixel-coordinates, and (ii) determining a second feature-descriptor value as a function of the second pixel-value gradients and the position vectors. The method also includes determining a difference-parameter that varies in direct relationship to a difference between the first feature-descriptor value and the second feature-descriptor value.

Abstract: An image sensor includes a plurality of pixels and includes a photodiode configured to operate in both modes of a linear mode for linearly responding to a light incident amount and a photo-voltaic mode for logarithmically responding to the light incident amount, a source follower circuit configured to output a signal voltage according to a signal generated according to an output of the photodiode, an AD converter configured to convert the signal voltage output from the source follower circuit into digital signal data, a frame memory configured to store signal data of one frame, and a conversion function configured to generate, from signal data of a current frame and signal data of a previous frame, an optical signal relating to the light incident amount.

Abstract: An image sensor includes: a photodiode configured to be reset for each one frame period, to accumulate charges corresponding to incident light for one frame period, and to output an output voltage corresponding to the accumulated charges; and a holding capacitor configured to accumulate charges corresponding to an output signal of the photodiode. The output signal of the photodiode for one frame is integrated, the integrated output signal is accumulated in the holding capacitor, and a first signal is output. After the holding capacitor is refreshed, a voltage corresponding to the output voltage of the photodiode is held in the holding capacitor, and a second signal is output.

Abstract: An image sensor comprises a pixel array having a color filter array including a minimal repeating unit, where the minimal repeating unit consists of 4×4 pixels including two red pixels, four green pixels, two blue pixels, and eight clear pixels. When clear pixels are saturated and blooming, a blue pixel is affected by three or two clear pixels, but not four clear pixels.

Abstract: A chip-level camera includes an image sensor; a concave L1 lens element on an inside surface of a first substrate; a convex L2 lens element on a first surface of a second substrate; a diaphragm stop on a second surface of the second substrate or on a first surface of a third substrate, the diaphragm stop between the second and third substrates; a convex L3 lens element on a second surface of the third substrate spaced from the image sensor; a first spacer holding first substrate at a predetermined distance from the second substrate; and a second spacer holding the second substrate a predetermined distance from the image sensor. In embodiments, lens element L1 has concave aspheric radius of R1, and lens L2 convex aspheric radius of R2, such that 1.3<ABS(R2/R1)<2.2 and/or lens L3 has convex aspheric radius R3, where 1.1<ABS(R3/R1)<2.4.

Abstract: An image sensor includes a photodiode disposed in a semiconductor substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. A floating diffusion is disposed in the semiconductor substrate. A transfer transistor is configured for coupling the photodiode to the floating diffusion. The transfer transistor includes a vertical transfer gate extending a first depth in a depthwise direction from the first surface into the semiconductor substrate. A transistor is coupled to the floating diffusion. The transistor includes: a planar gate disposed proximate to the first surface of the semiconductor substrate; and a plurality of vertical gate electrodes, each extending a respective depth into the semiconductor substrate from the planar gate in the depthwise direction. The respective depth of at least one of the plurality of vertical gate electrodes is the same as the first depth of the vertical transfer gate.

Abstract: A pixel circuit includes: a phototransistor configured to receive, by one region of a source and a drain, inflow of photo-carriers generated by light entering a substrate, and configured to output a voltage signal from the one region; and a blocking layer provided on another region of the drain and the source and on a side of a channel far from a surface, and configured to prevent the photo-carriers from directly flowing into the other region. The phototransistor causes a sub-threshold current to flow between the source and the drain in a pinch-off state. Each of the source and the drain of the phototransistor is periodically reset to a reset voltage. The reset voltage is set to a voltage between a voltage at which a dark current of the phototransistor becomes zero and a voltage at which a bias voltage of the phototransistor becomes zero.

Abstract: Transistors, electronic devices, and methods are provided. Transistors include a gate trench formed in a semiconductor substrate and extending to a gate trench depth, and a source and a drain formed as doped regions in the semiconductor substrate and having a first conductive type. The source and the drain are formed along a channel length direction of the transistor at a first end and a second end of the gate trench, respectively, and the source and the drain each includes a first doped region and a second doped region extending away from the first doped region. The second doped region extends to a depth in the semiconductor substrate deeper than the first doped region relative to a surface of the semiconductor substrate.

Abstract: A pixel circuit includes: a photodiode configured to operate in a photovoltaic mode and to accumulate charges corresponding to an incident light amount; a reset transistor configured to reset the accumulated charges of the photodiode; and a peak hold circuit configured to hold an output corresponding to the accumulated charges of the photodiode, the peak hold circuit including a peak hold transistor connected to an output end of the photodiode, a switching transistor configured to turn on/off an output of the peak hold transistor, and a holding capacitor configured to hold an output of the switching transistor. The peak hold transistor operates in a state where no carrier charge or only one carrier charge is present on a channel.

Abstract: An imaging system comprising a phase-detection image sensor comprising a plurality of phase-detection pixel units and a processor configured to: interpolate a green image to obtain a full resolution interpolated green image including defocused portions having artifacts and in-focus portions having sharp image, low-pass filter the full resolution interpolated green image to obtain a blurred image of the interpolated green image, combine the full resolution interpolated green image and the blurred image of the full resolution interpolated green image to obtain a corrected full resolution interpolated green image, where the artifacts of the defocused portions of the full resolution interpolated green image are removed, and the sharp image of the in-focus portions of the full resolution interpolated green image is unaffected.