Abstract: A hybrid bonded image sensor has a photodiode die with macrocells having at least one photodiode and a bond contact; a supporting circuitry die with multiple supercells, each supercell having at least one macrocell unit bonded to the bond contact of a macrocell of the photodiode die. Each macrocell unit has a reset transistor adapted to reset photodiodes of the photodiode die macrocell. Each supercell has a differential amplifier configurable to receive a noninverting input from a photodiode and an inverting input, the differential amplifier providing an output, each differential amplifier has an amplifier reset transistor coupled to the differential amplifier output and the inverting input; a first capacitor coupled between the differential amplifier output and the inverting input, and a second capacitor coupled between the inverting input and a signal ground. The first and second capacitor of embodiments has controllable capacitance to adjust gain.

Abstract: An image sensor package, comprising a silicon substrate; an image sensor pixel array that is formed on the silicon substrate; a peripheral circuit region that is formed around the image sensor pixel array on the silicon substrate; a redistribution layer (RDL) that is electrically coupled to the peripheral circuit region; at least one solder ball that is electrically coupled to the RDL; and a cover glass that is coupled to the RDL. No part of the RDL is located directly above or below the image sensor pixel array. No part of the at least one solder ball is located directly above or below the silicon substrate. A dark material layer is implemented to prevent an edge flare effect of the image sensor pixel array.

Abstract: An integrated oscillator has an R-S flipflop; a first and second capacitor; a current source transistor; first and second current-steering transistors, each having a source coupled to the current source transistor, with drains coupled to the first and second capacitor respectively. The first current-steering transistor has gate coupled to a first output of the R-S flipflop, and the second current-steering transistor has gate coupled to a second output of the R-S flipflop. The oscillator has a first sense inverter having input from the first capacitor and powered by a feedback circuit adapted to sense voltages on the first and second capacitor; and a second sense inverter having input from the second capacitor and powered by the feedback circuit. The R-S flipflop has a first input coupled to an output of the first sense inverter and a second input coupled to an output of the second sense inverter.

Abstract: An imaging system for capturing an image of an object comprises a first lens, a dichroic beam splitter, which transmits light of a color band and reflects light of all colors outside the color band, a first image sensor for capturing an image formed by the transmitted light in the color band, a second image sensor for capturing an image formed by the reflected light outside the color band. The first image sensor is a monochrome image sensor and the second image sensor is a color image sensor having a color filter array disposed on pixels of the second image sensor. The image captured by the first image sensor and the image captured by the second image sensor are combined to form a single color image.

Abstract: An imaging system having four image sensors comprises a first dichroic filter, a second dichroic filter, and a third dichroic filter. The first dichroic filter reflects light having a first wavelength band and a second wavelength band toward a second dichroic filter, and transmits light having a third wavelength band and a fourth wavelength band toward the third dichroic filter. The second dichroic filter reflects light having the first wavelength band toward the first image sensor, and transmits light having the second wavelength band toward the second image sensor. The third dichroic filter reflects light having the third wavelength band toward the third image sensor, and transmits light having the fourth wavelength band toward the fourth image sensor. The first dichroic filter, the second dichroic filter, and the third dichroic filter are included in an integrated part.

Abstract: A wafer-level liquid-crystal-on-silicon (LCOS) projection assembly includes a LCOS display for spatially modulating light incident on the LCOS display and a polarizing beam-separating (PBS) layer for directing light to and from the LCOS display. A method for fabricating a LCOS projection system includes disposing a PBS wafer above an active-matrix wafer. The active-matrix wafer includes a plurality of active matrices for addressing liquid crystal display pixels. The method, further includes disposing a lens wafer above the PBS wafer. The lens wafer includes a plurality of lenses. Additionally, a method for fabricating a wafer-level polarizing beam includes bonding a PBS wafer and at least one other wafer to form a stacked wafer. The PBS wafer includes a PBS layer that contains a plurality of PBS film bands.

Abstract: An avalanche photodiode has a first diffused region of a first diffusion type overlying at least in part a second diffused region of a second diffusion type; and a first minority carrier sink region disposed within the first diffused region, the first minority carrier sink region of the second diffusion type and electrically connected to the first diffused region. In particular embodiments, the first diffusion type is N-type and the second diffusion type is P-type, and the device is biased so that a depletion zone having avalanche multiplication exists between the first and second diffused regions.

Abstract: An image sensor includes a semiconductor material including a plurality of photodiodes disposed in the semiconductor material. The image sensor also includes a first insulating material disposed proximate to a frontside of the semiconductor material, and an interconnect disposed in the first insulating material proximate to the frontside of the semiconductor material. A metal pad extends from a backside of the semiconductor material through the first insulating material and contacts the interconnect. A metal grid is disposed proximate to the backside of the semiconductor material, and the semiconductor material is disposed between the metal grid and the first insulating material disposed proximate to the frontside.

Abstract: An image sensor includes a photodiode disposed in a semiconductor material to generate image charge in response to incident light, and a floating diffusion disposed in the semiconductor material proximate to the photodiode. A transfer transistor is coupled to the photodiode to transfer the image charge from the photodiode into the floating diffusion in response to a transfer signal applied to a transfer gate of the transfer transistor. A source follower transistor is coupled to the floating diffusion to amplify a charge on the floating diffusion. The source follower transistor includes a gate electrode including a semiconductor material having a first dopant type; a source electrode, having a second dopant type, disposed in the semiconductor material; a drain electrode, having the second dopant type, disposed in the semiconductor material; and a channel, having the second dopant type, disposed between the source electrode and the drain electrode.

Abstract: A chip scale package (CSP) structure for an image sensor comprises an image sensor chip, wherein the image sensor chip comprises a semiconductor substrate having a top surface to receive light, a plurality of color filters disposed over the top surface, and a plurality of micro lenses disposed on the plurality of color filters. A low refractive index material is disposed over the image sensor chip, wherein the low refractive index material covers the plurality of micro lenses, and wherein a refractive index of the low refractive index material is lower than a refractive index of the plurality of micro lenses. A cover glass is disposed directly on the low refractive index material, wherein no air gap is between the cover glass and the low refractive index material, and between the low refractive index material and the image sensor chip. Therefore, the cover glass is fully supported by the low refractive index material without any dams.

Abstract: A frequency divider unit has a digital frequency divider configured to divide by an odd integer, and a dual-edge-triggered one-shot coupled to double frequency of an output of the digital frequency divider. The frequency divider unit is configurable to divide an input frequency by a configurable ratio selectable from at least non-integer ratios of 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5. In embodiments, the frequency divider unit relies on circuit delays to determine an output pulsewidth, and in other embodiments the output pulsewidth is determined from a clock signal. In embodiments, the unit is configurable to divide an input frequency by a configurable ratio selectable from at least non-integer ratios of 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5, 5.5, 6.5, and 7.5 as well as many integer ratios including 2, 4, 6, and 8. In embodiments, the digital frequency divider is configurable to provide a 50% duty cycle to the one-shot.

Abstract: An athermal compound lens includes a plano-concave lens and a plano-convex lens. The plano-concave lens has a first focal length, a first refractive index n1, and planar object-side surface opposite a concave image-side surface. The plano-convex lens is axially aligned with the plano-concave lens and has (i) a second focal length, (ii) a second refractive index n2, (iii) a planar image-side surface, and (iv) a convex object-side surface between the planar image-side surface and the concave image-side surface. In a free-space wavelength range and temperature range: (a) the first focal length divided by the second focal length is less than ?0.68, and (b) first and second refractive indices n1 and n2 have respective temperature dependences ? ? ? n 1 ? ? ? T ? ? and ? ? ? ? ? n 2 ? ? ? T that satisfy ( ? ? ? n 1 ? ? ? T ) / ( ? ? ? n 2 ? ? ? T ) ? 2.

Abstract: A photodiode is adapted to accumulate image charges in response to incident light. A transfer transistor is coupled between the photodiode and a floating diffusion to transfer the image charges from the photodiode to the floating diffusion. A transfer gate voltage controls the transmission of the image charges from a transfer receiving terminal of the transfer transistor to the floating diffusion. A reset transistor is coupled to supply a supply voltage to the floating diffusion. A source follower transistor is coupled to receive voltage of the floating diffusion from a gate terminal of the source follower and provide an amplified signal to a source terminal of the source follower. A row select transistor is coupled to enable the amplified signal from the SF source terminal and output the amplified signal to a bitline. A bitline enable transistor is coupled to link between the bitline and a bitline source node. The bitline source node is coupled to a blacksun voltage generator.

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods for parity generations in error-correcting code (ECC) memory to reduce chip areas and test time in imaging system are disclosed herein. Memory tests are needed to catch hard failures and soft errors. Random and nondestructive errors are soft errors and are undesirable. Soft errors can be detected and corrected by the disclosed ECC which is based on Hamming code. Before data are written into memory, the first parity generator based on the disclosed ECC generates the first parity by calculating the data. The first parity and data are stored into the ECC memory as a composite word. When the previously stored word is fetched from the ECC memory, the second parity generator based on the disclosed ECC is used to generate the second parity. A comparison between the first and second parity leads to a disclosed error mask, which is used to correct a single bit error if the error only happens to a single bit of the fetched data.

Abstract: A time of flight pixel cell includes a photosensor to sense photons reflected from an object and pixel support circuitry. The pixel support circuitry includes charging control logic coupled to the photosensor to detect when the photosensor senses the photons reflected from the object. The pixel support circuitry also includes a controllable current source coupled to provide a charge current in response to a time of flight signal coupled to be received from the charging control logic. A capacitor is coupled to receive the charge current from the controllable current source in response to the time of flight signal, and voltage on the capacitor is representative of a round trip distance to the object. A counter circuit is coupled to the photosensor to count a number of the photons reflected from the object and received by the photosensor.

Abstract: A resonant-filter image sensor includes a pixel array including a plurality of pixels and a microresonator layer above the pixel array. The microresonator layer includes a plurality of microresonators formed of a first material with an extinction coefficient less than 0.02 at a free-space wavelength of five hundred nanometers. Each of the plurality of pixels may have at least one of the plurality of microresonators at least partially thereabove. The resonant-filter image sensor may further include a layer covering the microresonator layer that has a second refractive index less than a first refractive index, the first refractive index being the refractive index of the first material. Each microresonator may be one of a parallelepiped, a cylinder, a spheroid, and a sphere.

Abstract: An image sensor including a photodiode, a floating diffusion region, a first, second, and third doped region of a semiconductor material, and a first capacitor is presented. The photodiode is disposed in the semiconductor material to generate image charge in response to incident light. The floating diffusion region is disposed in the semiconductor material proximate to the photodiode. The floating diffusion region is at least partially surrounded by the first doped region of the semiconductor material. The second doped region and the third doped region of the semiconductor material each have an opposite polarity of the floating diffusion region and the first doped region. The floating diffusion region and at least part of the first doped region are laterally disposed between the second doped region and the third doped region.

Abstract: A method of image sensor fabrication includes forming a second semiconductor layer on a back side of a first semiconductor layer. The method also includes forming one or more groups of pixels disposed in a front side of the first semiconductor layer. The one or more groups of pixels include a first portion of pixels separated from the second semiconductor layer by a spacer region, and a second portion of pixels, where a first doped region of the second portion of pixels is in contact with the second semiconductor layer. Pinning wells are also formed and separate individual pixels in the one or more groups of pixels, and the pinning wells extend through the first semiconductor layer. Deep pinning wells are also formed and separate the one or more groups of pixels.

Abstract: A method of backside illuminated image sensor fabrication includes forming a plurality of photodiodes in a semiconductor material, where the plurality of photodiodes are disposed to receive image light through a backside of the backside illuminated image sensor. The method further includes forming a transfer gate coupled to extract image charge from a photodiode in the plurality of photodiodes, and forming a storage gate coupled to the transfer gate to receive the image charge. Forming the storage gate includes forming an optical shield in the semiconductor material; depositing a gate electrode proximate to a frontside of the semiconductor material; and implanting a storage node in the semiconductor material, where the storage node is disposed in the semiconductor material between the optical shield and the gate electrode.

Abstract: An image sensor includes a plurality of photodiodes disposed in a semiconductor material, and a through-semiconductor-via coupled to a negative voltage source. Deep trench isolation structures are disposed between individual photodiodes in the plurality of photodiodes to electrically and optically isolate the individual photodiodes. The deep trench isolation structures include a conductive material coupled to the through-semiconductor-via, and a dielectric material disposed on sidewalls of the deep trench isolation structures between the semiconductor material and the conductive material.