Patents by Inventor Sozo Yokogawa

Sozo Yokogawa has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20240085535
    Abstract: A ranging sensor includes a pixel including a photoelectric conversion element, a first storage node and a second storage node that store charge transferred from the photoelectric conversion element, a first transfer gate and a second transfer gate connected to the photoelectric conversion element so as to branch and transfer the charge generated in the photoelectric conversion element to different paths, a third transfer gate connected between the first storage node and the first transfer gate, a fourth transfer gate connected between the second storage node and the second transfer gate, a fifth transfer gate connected between the first storage node and the second transfer gate, and a sixth transfer gate connected between the second storage node and the first transfer gate, the ranging sensor including a transfer gate drive unit that drives each of the first to sixth transfer gates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2021
    Publication date: March 14, 2024
    Inventor: SOZO YOKOGAWA
  • Publication number: 20240055456
    Abstract: A solid-state imaging device according to an embodiment includes: a plurality of pixels, each of the plurality of pixels including a substrate having a first surface serving as a light incident surface, a photoelectric conversion unit located inside the substrate, a light shielding unit provided on a first surface side, the light shielding unit having a hole portion configured to allow light to be incident on the photoelectric conversion unit, and a first lens made of silicon, the first lens being provided on the light shielding unit and condensing incident light toward the hole portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2021
    Publication date: February 15, 2024
    Applicant: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinichiro NOUDO, Tomohiro YAMAZAKI, Yoshiki EBIKO, Sozo YOKOGAWA, Tomoharu OGITA, Hiroyasu MATSUGAI, Yusuke MORIYA
  • Patent number: 11843018
    Abstract: An imaging device includes a first photoelectric conversion region (170) receiving light within a first range of wavelengths, a second photoelectric conversion region (170) receiving light within a second range of wavelengths, and a third photoelectric conversion region (170) receiving light within a third range of wavelengths. At least a portion of a light-receiving surface of the first photoelectric conversion region has a first concave-convex structure (113), and a light-receiving surface of the second photoelectric conversion region has a different structure (111) than the first concave-convex structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventor: Sozo Yokogawa
  • Publication number: 20230308781
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a solid-state image pickup device and an electronic apparatus by which a phase-difference detection pixel that avoids defects such as lowering of sensitivity to incident light and lowering of phase-difference detection accuracy can be realized. A solid-state image pickup device as a first aspect of the present disclosure is a solid-state image pickup device in which a normal pixel that generates a pixel signal of an image and a phase-difference detection pixel that generates a pixel signal used in calculation of a phase-difference signal for controlling an image-surface phase difference AF function are arranged in a mixed manner, in which, in the phase-difference detection pixel, a shared on-chip lens for condensing incident light to a photoelectric converter that generates a pixel signal used in calculation of the phase-difference signal is formed for every plurality of adjacent phase-difference detection pixels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2023
    Publication date: September 28, 2023
    Applicant: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventors: Sozo Yokogawa, Isao Hirota
  • Patent number: 11711629
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a solid-state image pickup device and an electronic apparatus by which a phase-difference detection pixel that avoids defects such as lowering of sensitivity to incident light and lowering of phase-difference detection accuracy can be realized. A solid-state image pickup device as a first aspect of the present disclosure is a solid-state image pickup device in which a normal pixel that generates a pixel signal of an image and a phase-difference detection pixel that generates a pixel signal used in calculation of a phase-difference signal for controlling an image-surface phase difference AF function are arranged in a mixed manner, in which, in the phase-difference detection pixel, a shared on-chip lens for condensing incident light to a photoelectric converter that generates a pixel signal used in calculation of the phase-difference signal is formed for every plurality of adjacent phase-difference detection pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventors: Sozo Yokogawa, Isao Hirota
  • Patent number: 11705473
    Abstract: An imaging device includes a photodetector and an optical filter disposed on a light-receiving surface of the photodetector. The optical filter may include a diffraction grating, a core layer, and a reflector disposed on first and second opposing sides of the core layer. In some cases, the optical filter (e.g., a GMR filter) uses interference of electromagnetic waves on an incidence plane of light or a plane parallel to the incidence plane. The reflector may reflect electromagnetic waves between adjacent optical filters. The present technology can be applied to, for example, an image sensor provided with a GMR filter, such as a back-side-illuminated or front-side-illuminated CMOS image sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventors: Sozo Yokogawa, Hirotaka Murakami, Mikinori Ito
  • Patent number: 11573320
    Abstract: A light receiving element includes: a first tap; a second tap; a first photoelectric conversion unit configured to detect a charge generated by photoelectric conversion according to a light amount of incident light in accordance with a voltage applied to the first tap; a second photoelectric conversion unit configured to detect a charge generated by photoelectric conversion according to a light amount of the incident light in accordance with a voltage applied to the second tap; a plurality of accumulation units configured to accumulate the charges generated by the first photoelectric conversion unit and the second photoelectric conversion unit; a plurality of transmission units configured to transmit the charges generated by the first photoelectric conversion unit and the second photoelectric conversion unit to the plurality of accumulation units; and a calculation unit configured to execute calculation based on the charges accumulated in the plurality of accumulation units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Frederick Brady, Sungin Hwang, Ward van der Tempel, Timmermans Michiel, Sozo Yokogawa, Taisuke Suwa
  • Publication number: 20230013285
    Abstract: A light receiving element including: a semiconductor substrate; a photoelectric conversion unit (PD) in the semiconductor substrate that converts light into electric charges; a first electric charge accumulation unit (MEM) in the semiconductor substrate to which the electric charges are transferred from the photoelectric conversion unit; a first distribution gate on a front surface of the semiconductor substrate that distributes the electric charges from the photoelectric conversion unit to the first electric charge accumulation unit; a second electric charge accumulation unit (MEM) in the semiconductor substrate to which the electric charges are transferred from the photoelectric conversion unit; and a second distribution gate on the front surface of the semiconductor substrate that distributes the electric charges from the photoelectric conversion unit to the second electric charge accumulation unit, in which the first and second distribution gates each have a pair of buried gate portions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2020
    Publication date: January 19, 2023
    Applicant: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuhi YORIKADO, Yoshiki EBIKO, Suzunori ENDO, Nobuhiro KAWAI, Fumihiko KOGA, Nobuo NAKAMURA, Sozo YOKOGAWA, Hayato WAKABAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20220375969
    Abstract: To provide a light receiving element including: a photoelectric conversion unit (PD) that is provided in a semiconductor substrate and converts light into a charge; a first charge accumulation unit (MEM) to which the charge is transferred from the photoelectric conversion unit; a second charge accumulation unit (MEM) to which the charge is transferred from the photoelectric conversion unit, in which each of the first and second charge accumulation units includes a stack of an electrode, a first insulating layer, and a semiconductor layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2020
    Publication date: November 24, 2022
    Applicant: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuhi YORIKADO, Yoshiki EBIKO, Suzunori ENDO, Nobuhiro KAWAI, Fumihiko KOGA, Nobuo NAKAMURA, Sozo YOKOGAWA, Hayato WAKABAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20220373653
    Abstract: In a light receiving device, a light receiving element includes a first photoelectric conversion unit (PD) that converts light into electric charges, a first electric charge storage unit (MEM) to which the electric charges are transferred from the first photoelectric conversion unit, a first distribution gate, a second electric charge storage unit (MEM) to which the electric charges are transferred from the first photoelectric conversion unit, and a second distribution gate, in which the first and second distribution gates are provided at positions axially symmetric to each other with respect to a first center axis extending so as to pass through the center of the first photoelectric conversion unit, in a direction intersecting the column direction at a predetermined angle, when viewed from above the semiconductor substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2020
    Publication date: November 24, 2022
    Applicant: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nobuo NAKAMURA, Yoshiki EBIKO, Suzunori ENDO, Nobuhiro KAWAI, Fumihiko KOGA, Sozo YOKOGAWA, Yuhi YORIKADO, Hayato WAKABAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20220344388
    Abstract: There is provided a light-receiving element including: an on-chip lens; an interconnection layer; and a semiconductor layer arranged between the on-chip lens and the interconnection layer, the semiconductor layer including a photodiode, an interpixel trench portion engraved up to at least a part in a depth direction of the semiconductor layer at a boundary portion of an adjacent pixel, and an in-pixel trench portion engraved at a prescribed depth from a front surface or a rear surface of the semiconductor layer at a position overlapping a part of the photodiode in a plan view.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2020
    Publication date: October 27, 2022
    Applicant: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshiki EBIKO, Sozo YOKOGAWA, Junji NARUSE
  • Publication number: 20220244046
    Abstract: A distance measurement accuracy is improved. A solid-state imaging device according to an embodiment includes a pixel array part in which a plurality of pixels is arranged in a matrix, in which each of the pixels includes a plurality of photoelectric conversion units that each photoelectrically converts incident light to generate a charge, a floating diffusion region that accumulates the charge, a plurality of transfer circuits that transfer the charge generated in each of the plurality of photoelectric conversion units to the floating diffusion region, and a first transistor that causes a pixel signal of a voltage value corresponding to a charge amount of the charge accumulated in the floating diffusion region to appear in a signal line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2020
    Publication date: August 4, 2022
    Applicant: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Sozo YOKOGAWA, Yusuke MORIYAMA, Nobuhiro KAWAI, Yuhi YORIKADO, Fumihiko KOGA, Yoshiki EBIKO, Suzunori ENDO, Hayato WAKABAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20220238567
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a solid state imaging element and an electronic device that make it possible to improve sensitivity to light on a long wavelength side. A solid state imaging element according to a first aspect of the present disclosure has a solid state imaging element in which a large number of pixels are arranged vertically and horizontally, the solid state imaging element includes a periodic concave-convex pattern on a light receiving surface and an opposite surface to the light receiving surface of a light absorbing layer as a light detecting element. The present disclosure can be applied to, for example, a CMOS and the like installed in a sensor that needs a high sensitivity to light belonging to a region on the long wavelength side, such as light in the infrared region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2022
    Publication date: July 28, 2022
    Applicant: SONY GROUP CORPORATION
    Inventor: Sozo Yokogawa
  • Publication number: 20220208826
    Abstract: An imaging device includes a photodetector and an optical filter disposed on a light-receiving surface of the photodetector. The optical filter may include a diffraction grating, a core layer, and a reflector disposed on first and second opposing sides of the core layer. In some cases, the optical filter (e.g., a GMR filter) uses interference of electromagnetic waves on an incidence plane of light or a plane parallel to the incidence plane. The reflector may reflect electromagnetic waves between adjacent optical filters. The present technology can be applied to, for example, an image sensor provided with a GMR filter, such as a back-side-illuminated or front-side-illuminated CMOS image sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2022
    Publication date: June 30, 2022
    Applicant: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventors: Sozo Yokogawa, Hirotaka Murakami, Mikinori Ito
  • Patent number: 11329080
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a solid state imaging element and an electronic device that make it possible to improve sensitivity to light on a long wavelength side. A solid state imaging element according to a first aspect of the present disclosure has a solid state imaging element in which a large number of pixels are arranged vertically and horizontally, the solid state imaging element includes a periodic concave-convex pattern on a light receiving surface and an opposite surface to the light receiving surface of a light absorbing layer as a light detecting element. The present disclosure can be applied to, for example, a CMOS and the like installed in a sensor that needs a high sensitivity to light belonging to a region on the long wavelength side, such as light in the infrared region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Sozo Yokogawa
  • Publication number: 20220141408
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a solid-state image pickup device and an electronic apparatus by which a phase-difference detection pixel that avoids defects such as lowering of sensitivity to incident light and lowering of phase-difference detection accuracy can be realized. A solid-state image pickup device as a first aspect of the present disclosure is a solid-state image pickup device in which a normal pixel that generates a pixel signal of an image and a phase-difference detection pixel that generates a pixel signal used in calculation of a phase-difference signal for controlling an image-surface phase difference AF function are arranged in a mixed manner, in which, in the phase-difference detection pixel, a shared on-chip lens for condensing incident light to a photoelectric converter that generates a pixel signal used in calculation of the phase-difference signal is formed for every plurality of adjacent phase-difference detection pixels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2022
    Publication date: May 5, 2022
    Applicant: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventors: Sozo Yokogawa, Isao Hirota
  • Patent number: 11310444
    Abstract: Provided is a solid-state image pickup element that includes a pixel, a light-receiving-surface-sided trench, and a light-receiving-surface-sided shielding member. A plurality of protrusions is formed on the light-receiving surface of the pixel in the solid-state image pickup element. In addition, the light-receiving-surface-sided trench is formed around the pixel having the plurality of protrusions formed, at the light-receiving surface in the solid-state image pickup element. In addition, the light-receiving-surface-sided member is buried in the light-receiving-surface-sided trench formed around the pixel having the plurality of protrusions formed on the light-receiving surface in the solid-state image pickup element. In addition, the photoelectric conversion region of a near-infrared-light pixel expands to the surface side opposed to the light-receiving surface of the photoelectric conversion region of a visible-light pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Harumi Tanaka, Itaru Oshiyama, Sozo Yokogawa
  • Publication number: 20220102411
    Abstract: An imaging device includes: a semiconductor substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposed to each other, and provided with a plurality of pixels; a wiring layer which is provided on side of the second surface of the semiconductor substrate and to which a signal is to be transmitted for each of the plurality of pixels; a light-blocking film opposed to the wiring layer with the semiconductor substrate interposed therebetween and having an opening satisfying Expression (1) below for each of the pixels; and a waveguide provided on side of the first surface of the semiconductor substrate for each of the plurality of pixels and extending to the opening of the light-blocking film. B < A ( 1 ) where B is an area of the opening in each pixel, and A is an area of the first surface covered with the light-blocking film in each pixel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2020
    Publication date: March 31, 2022
    Inventors: Sozo Yokogawa, Hiroki Hagiwara
  • Patent number: 11264424
    Abstract: An imaging device includes a photodetector and an optical filter disposed on a light-receiving surface of the photodetector. The optical filter may include a diffraction grating, a core layer, and a reflector disposed on first and second opposing sides of the core layer. In some cases, the optical filter (e.g., a guided mode resonance (“GMR”) filter) uses interference of electromagnetic waves on an incidence plane of light or a plane parallel to the incidence plane. The reflector may reflect electromagnetic waves between adjacent optical filters. In some cases, the imaging device is a back-side-illuminated or front-side-illuminated CMOS or CCD image sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventors: Sozo Yokogawa, Hirotaka Murakami, Mikinori Ito
  • Patent number: 11252360
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a solid-state image pickup device and an electronic apparatus by which a phase-difference detection pixel that avoids defects such as lowering of sensitivity to incident light and lowering of phase-difference detection accuracy can be realized. A solid-state image pickup device as a first aspect of the present disclosure is a solid-state image pickup device in which a normal pixel that generates a pixel signal of an image and a phase-difference detection pixel that generates a pixel signal used in calculation of a phase-difference signal for controlling an image-surface phase difference AF function are arranged in a mixed manner, in which, in the phase-difference detection pixel, a shared on-chip lens for condensing incident light to a photoelectric converter that generates a pixel signal used in calculation of the phase-difference signal is formed for every plurality of adjacent phase-difference detection pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Sozo Yokogawa, Isao Hirota