Infrared Imager (epo) Patents (Class 257/E27.136)
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Patent number: 11133340Abstract: A photosensor device and the method of making the same are provided. In one embodiment, the device includes at least one pixel cell. The at least one pixel cell includes a substrate formed from a semiconductor material, and includes first and second photosensor regions. The first photosensor region is disposed in the substrate and includes a first dopant of a first conductivity type. The second photosensor region is disposed above the first photosensor region and includes a second dopant of a second conductivity type. The second photosensor region can have an increase in dopant concentration from an outer edge to a center portion therein.Type: GrantFiled: December 5, 2019Date of Patent: September 28, 2021Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.Inventors: Chia-Chan Chen, Yueh-Chuan Lee, Ta-Hsin Chen, Shih-Hsien Huang, Chih-Huang Li
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Patent number: 10804328Abstract: A solid state imaging device that includes a substrate having oppositely facing first and second surfaces and a photoelectric conversion unit layer having a light incident side facing away from the substrate. The substrate includes a first photoelectric conversion unit and a second photoelectric conversion and the photoelectric conversion layer includes a third photoelectric conversion unit.Type: GrantFiled: September 25, 2018Date of Patent: October 13, 2020Assignee: Sony CorporationInventor: Tetsuji Yamaguchi
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Patent number: 10523993Abstract: Aspects described herein include a user display unit that determines a portion of a presentation currently being viewed by a user through a transparent display. For example, if the display area is a theater screen, only a portion of the screen may be viewable to the user through the transparent display. The display unit may display metadata on the transparent display with a spatial relationship to one or more objects in the presentation. For example, the display unit may output a text bubble near an actor in the presentation that provides an interesting fact about the actor which may overlay or occlude the presentation. In one aspect, if the object in the presentation moves or the display unit is reoriented, the display unit may move the metadata to maintain the spatial relationship between the object and the metadata in the transparent display.Type: GrantFiled: October 16, 2014Date of Patent: December 31, 2019Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.Inventor: Joseph George Hager, IV
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Patent number: 10205037Abstract: The present disclosure provides a photodiode device, which includes a semiconductor substrate, a well region in the semiconductor substrate of a first dopant type, a first doped region of the first dopant type in the well region, and a second doped region of a second dopant type disposed in the well region and over the first doped region. The second doped region comprises first recesses exposed through a surface of the second doped region, and a first portion of the second doped region on the surface comprises a first doping concentration of the second dopant type greater than a second doping concentration of a second portion of the second doped region away from the first recesses.Type: GrantFiled: June 9, 2017Date of Patent: February 12, 2019Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY LTD.Inventors: Yuichiro Yamashita, Hsueh-Liang Chou
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Patent number: 10147766Abstract: A solid state imaging device that includes a substrate having oppositely facing first and second surfaces and a photoelectric conversion unit layer having a light incident side facing away from the substrate. The substrate includes a first photoelectric conversion unit and a second photoelectric conversion and the photoelectric conversion layer includes a third photoelectric conversion unit.Type: GrantFiled: October 23, 2017Date of Patent: December 4, 2018Assignee: Sony CorporationInventor: Tetsuji Yamaguchi
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Patent number: 9887243Abstract: A solid state imaging device that includes a substrate having oppositely facing first and second surfaces and a photoelectric conversion unit layer having a light incident side facing away from the substrate. The substrate includes a first photoelectric conversion unit and a second photoelectric conversion and the photoelectric conversion layer includes a third photoelectric conversion unit.Type: GrantFiled: July 19, 2016Date of Patent: February 6, 2018Assignee: Sony CorporationInventor: Tetsuji Yamaguchi
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Patent number: 8872302Abstract: Disclosed is an electronic apparatus in which a thermoelectric conversion element and at least one of a photoelectric conversion element and a transistor or a diode are monolithically integrated, or which prevents interference between a p-type thermoelectric conversion unit and an n-type thermoelectric conversion unit. This electronic apparatus includes a thermoelectric conversion element (100) including a semiconductor layer of stacked heterostructure (38) which performs thermoelectric conversion using Seebeck effect and at least one of a photoelectric conversion element (102) in which at least a portion of the semiconductor layer of stacked heterostructure (38) performs photoelectric conversion and a transistor (104) or a diode having at least a portion of the semiconductor layer of stacked heterostructure (38) as an operating layer.Type: GrantFiled: August 5, 2010Date of Patent: October 28, 2014Assignees: Eyeviewtech Co., Ltd., 3D-Bio Co., Ltd.Inventor: Masayuki Abe
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Patent number: 8791514Abstract: An apparatus and method to decrease light saturation in a photosensor array and increase detection efficiency uses a light distribution profile from a scintillator-photodetector geometry to configure the photosensor array to have a non-uniform sensor cell pattern, with varying cell density and/or varying cell size and shape. A solid-state photosensor such as a SiPM sensor having such a non-uniform cell structure realizes improved energy resolution, higher efficiency and increased signal linearity. In addition the non-uniform sensor cell array can have improved timing resolution due to improvements in statistical fluctuations. A particular embodiment for such photosensors is in PET medical imaging.Type: GrantFiled: July 2, 2012Date of Patent: July 29, 2014Assignees: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc., Siemens AktiengesellschaftInventors: Debora Henseler, Ronald Grazioso, Nan Zhang
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Patent number: 8749010Abstract: According to one embodiment, an infrared imaging device includes a substrate, a detecting section, an interconnection, a contact plug and a support beam. The detecting section is provided above the substrate and includes an infrared absorbing section and a thermoelectric converting section. The interconnection is provided on an interconnection region of the substrate and is configured to read the electrical signal. The contact plug is extends from the interconnection toward a connecting layer provided in the interconnection region. The contact plug is electrically connected to the interconnection and the connecting layer. The support beam includes a support beam interconnection and supports the detecting section above the substrate. The support beam interconnection transmits the electrical signal from the thermoelectric converting section to the interconnection.Type: GrantFiled: March 21, 2012Date of Patent: June 10, 2014Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha ToshibaInventors: Ikuo Fujiwara, Hitoshi Yagi, Keita Sasaki
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Patent number: 8592838Abstract: Methods and systems for a combination of up converters and semiconductor light sources in low voltage display or indicator system that can be battery powered. The display or indicator system includes one or more spatial light modulators and one or more up converters in combination with one or more semiconductor light sources. The spatial light modulator can be a liquid crystal display or a micro electro mechanical system or other spatial light modulator and can use direct modulation of the semiconductor light sources to modulate the visible emission from the up converters. The spatial light modulator can be placed between the up converting light source and the viewer or behind the up converting light source depending on the type of spatial light modulator, or modulation may be applied directly to one or more semiconductor light sources or arrays of semiconductor light sources that excite the up converters.Type: GrantFiled: January 7, 2009Date of Patent: November 26, 2013Assignee: University of Central Florida Research Foundation, Inc.Inventors: Dennis Deppe, Michael Bass
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Patent number: 8552414Abstract: An electronically scannable multiplexing device is capable of addressing multiple bits within a volatile or non-volatile memory cell. The multiplexing device generates an electronically scannable conducting channel with two oppositely formed depletion regions. The depletion width of each depletion region is controlled by a voltage applied to a respective control gate at each end of the multiplexing device. The present multi-bit addressing technique allows, for example, 10 to 100 bits of data to be accessed or addressed at a single node. The present invention can also be used to build a programmable nanoscale logic array or for randomly accessing a nanoscale sensor array.Type: GrantFiled: February 16, 2012Date of Patent: October 8, 2013Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Hemantha Kumar Wickramasinghe, Kailash Gopalakrishnan
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Patent number: 7915652Abstract: An integrated infrared (IR) and full color complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) imager array is provided. The array is built upon a lightly doped p doped silicon (Si) substrate. Each pixel cell includes at least one visible light detection pixel and an IR pixel. Each visible light pixel includes a moderately p doped bowl with a bottom p doped layer and p doped sidewalls. An n doped layer is enclosed by the p doped bowl, and a moderately p doped surface region overlies the n doped layer. A transfer transistor has a gate electrode overlying the p doped sidewalls, a source formed from the n doped layer, and an n+ doped drain connected to a floating diffusion region. The IR pixel is the same, except that there is no bottom p doped layer. An optical wavelength filter overlies the visible light and IR pixels.Type: GrantFiled: October 24, 2008Date of Patent: March 29, 2011Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.Inventors: Jong-Jan Lee, Douglas J. Tweet, Jon M. Speigle
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Publication number: 20110062333Abstract: A novel pixel circuit and multi-dimensional array for receiving and detecting black body radiation in the SWIR, MWIR or LWIR frequency bands. An electromagnetic thermal sensor and imaging system is provided based on the treatment of thermal radiation as an electromagnetic wave. The thermal sensor and imager functions essentially as an electromagnetic power sensor/receiver, operating in the SWIR (200-375 THz), MWIR (60-100 THz), or LWIR (21-38 THz) frequency bands. The thermal pixel circuit of the invention is used to construct thermal imaging arrays, such as 1D, 2D and stereoscopic arrays. Various pixel circuit embodiments are provided including balanced and unbalanced, biased and unbiased and current and voltage sensing topologies. The pixel circuit and corresponding imaging arrays are constructed on a monolithic semiconductor substrate using in a stacked topology. A metal-insulator-metal (MIM) structure provides rectification of the received signal at high terahertz frequencies.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 13, 2010Publication date: March 17, 2011Inventor: David Ben-Bassat
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Patent number: 7767479Abstract: Emissive quantum photonic imagers comprised of a spatial array of digitally addressable multicolor pixels. Each pixel is a vertical stack of multiple semiconductor laser diodes, each of which can generate laser light of a different color. Within each multicolor pixel, the light generated from the stack of diodes is emitted perpendicular to the plane of the imager device via a plurality of vertical waveguides that are coupled to the optical confinement regions of each of the multiple laser diodes comprising the imager device. Each of the laser diodes comprising a single pixel is individually addressable, enabling each pixel to simultaneously emit any combination of the colors associated with the laser diodes at any required on/off duty cycle for each color. Each individual multicolor pixel can simultaneously emit the required colors and brightness values by controlling the on/off duty cycles of their respective laser diodes.Type: GrantFiled: September 16, 2009Date of Patent: August 3, 2010Assignee: Ostendo Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Hussein S. El-Ghoroury, Robert G. W. Brown, Dale A. McNeill, Huibert DenBoer, Andrew J. Lanzone
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Publication number: 20090266987Abstract: An infrared detector includes: a readout wiring portion provided on a semiconductor substrate; a support structure portion disposed over a concave portion formed in a surface portion of the semiconductor substrate, the support structure portion having connection wiring connected electrically to the readout wiring portion; and a cell portion disposed over the concave portion and supported by the support structure portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 17, 2009Publication date: October 29, 2009Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBAInventors: Hiroto HONDA, Hideyuki FUNAKI, Ikuo FUJIWARA
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Patent number: 7592654Abstract: CMOS image sensor having high sensitivity and low crosstalk, particularly at far-red to infrared wavelengths, and a method for fabricating a CMOS image sensor. A CMOS image sensor has a substrate, an epitaxial layer above the substrate, and a plurality of pixels extending into the epitaxial layer for receiving light. The image sensor also includes at least one of a horizontal barrier layer between the substrate and the epitaxial layer for preventing carriers generated in the substrate from moving to the epitaxial layer, and a plurality of lateral barrier layers between adjacent ones of the plurality of pixels for preventing lateral diffusion of electrons in the epitaxial layer.Type: GrantFiled: November 15, 2007Date of Patent: September 22, 2009Assignee: Aptina Imaging CorporationInventors: Sandeep R. Bahl, Fredrick P. LaMaster, David W. Bigelow
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Patent number: 7420147Abstract: A method of fabricating a multichannel plate is provided. The method includes providing a N layers, each layer having an array of wells formed therein. The N layers are aligned and stacked. The stack of N layers are sliced along a first and second line of the array of wells. The first line of the array of wells provides a first surface corresponding to a first array of channel openings of the MCP, and the second line of said array of wells provides a second surface corresponding to a second array of channel openings of the MCP. This method provides several functional benefits compared to conventional methods. These include, but are not limited to: the ability to produce well known and well characterized channels; the ability to produce well known and well characterized periods between channels; the ability to produce channels having any desired secondary electron emission enabling material therein; the ability to fabricate the substrate and/or final MCP of silicon.Type: GrantFiled: April 24, 2006Date of Patent: September 2, 2008Assignee: Reveo, Inc.Inventor: Sadeg M. Faris
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Patent number: 7332756Abstract: A semiconductor structure having a damascene gate structure and a resistive device on a semiconductor substrate is disclosed. The structure includes a first dielectric layer having a first opening and a second opening formed on the semiconductor substrate, and one or more sidewall spacers formed on inner sides of the first opening, in which a portion of the semiconductor substrate is exposed. In addition, the structure includes a coating layer formed on inner sides and a bottom surface of the second opening, a damascene gate structure surrounded by the sidewall spacers formed in the first opening, and a resistive device formed on the coating layer in the second opening.Type: GrantFiled: November 21, 2005Date of Patent: February 19, 2008Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.Inventors: Chung Long Cheng, Kong-Beng Thei, Harry Haklay Chuang