Active solid-state devices (e.g. – transistors – solid-state diode – Field effect device – Having insulated electrode
Reexamination Certificate
2005-11-22
2008-03-04
Tran, Minh-Loan T (Department: 2826)
Active solid-state devices (e.g., transistors, solid-state diode
Field effect device
Having insulated electrode
C257S440000, C257S443000, C257SE27134
Reexamination Certificate
active
07339216
ABSTRACT:
An array of vertical color filter (VCF) sensor groups, optionally including or coupled to circuitry for converting photogenerated carriers produced in the sensors to electrical signals, and methods for reading out any embodiment of the array. The array has a top layer (including the top sensors of the sensor group) and at least one low layer including other ones of the sensors. Only the top layer can be read out with full resolution. Each low layer can only be read out with less than full resolution to generate fewer sensor output values than the total number of pixel sensor locations. Typically, the sensor groups are arranged in cells, each cell including a S sensor groups (e.g., S=4), with S sensors in the top layer and fewer than S sensors in each low layer of the cell. Typically, each cell includes at least one shared sensor (a sensor shared by two or more VCF sensor groups) in each low layer, and each cell includes sensor selection switches (e.g., transistors) between the cell's sensors and a sense node.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3617753 (1971-11-01), Kato et al.
patent: 3971065 (1976-07-01), Bayer
patent: 4011016 (1977-03-01), Layne et al.
patent: 4238760 (1980-12-01), Carr
patent: 4309604 (1982-01-01), Yoshikawa et al.
patent: 4581625 (1986-04-01), Gay et al.
patent: 4613895 (1986-09-01), Burkey et al.
patent: 4651001 (1987-03-01), Harada et al.
patent: 4677289 (1987-06-01), Nozaki et al.
patent: 4772957 (1988-09-01), Nakagawa et al.
patent: 5397734 (1995-03-01), Iguchi et al.
patent: 5502299 (1996-03-01), Standley
patent: 5668596 (1997-09-01), Vogel
patent: 5739562 (1998-04-01), Ackland et al.
patent: 5872371 (1999-02-01), Guidash et al.
patent: 5883421 (1999-03-01), Ben Chouikha et al.
patent: 5889315 (1999-03-01), Farrenkopf et al.
patent: 5899714 (1999-05-01), Farrenkopf et al.
patent: 5965875 (1999-10-01), Merrill
patent: 6078037 (2000-06-01), Booth, Jr.
patent: 6111300 (2000-08-01), Cao et al.
patent: 6320618 (2001-11-01), Aoyama
patent: 6452632 (2002-09-01), Umeda et al.
patent: 6455833 (2002-09-01), Berezin
patent: 6593558 (2003-07-01), Edgar
patent: 6657755 (2003-12-01), Campbell
patent: 6753585 (2004-06-01), Kindt
patent: 2002/0058353 (2002-05-01), Merrill
patent: 2002/0130957 (2002-09-01), Gallagher et al.
patent: 2002/0190254 (2002-12-01), Turner et al.
patent: 2004/0125222 (2004-07-01), Bradski et al.
patent: 2004/0178463 (2004-09-01), Merrill et al.
patent: 2004/0178467 (2004-09-01), Lyon et al.
patent: 2004/0185597 (2004-09-01), Merrill et al.
patent: 2005/0248675 (2005-11-01), Hashimoto et al.
patent: 0 605 898 (1993-12-01), None
patent: 61-187282 (1986-08-01), None
patent: 1-134966 (1989-05-01), None
patent: WO 98/19455 (1998-05-01), None
patent: WO 01/63914 (2001-08-01), None
K.M. Findlater, et al., “A CMOS Image Sensor Employing a Double Junction Photodiode”,2001 IEEE Workshop on Charge-Coupled Devices and Advanced Image Sensors, IEEE Electron Devices Society(2001), pp. 60-63.
I. Takayanagi, et al., “A Low Dark Current Stacked CMOS-APS for Charged Particle Imaging”,IEDM Technical Digest, Washington, D.C., Dec. 2-5, 2001, pp. 551-554.
M. Bartek, et al., “An Integrated Silicon Colour Sensor Using Selective Epitaxial Growth”,Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, 41-42 (1994), pp. 123-128.
P. Catrysse et al., “An Integrated Color Pixel in 0.18μm CMOS Technology”,2001 IEDM Technical Digest, pp. 24.4.1-24.4.4.
D. Knipp, et al., “Low Cost Approach to Realize Novel Detectors for Color Recognition”,International Congress on Imaging Science, Sep. 7-11, 1998, Antwerp, Belgium, pp. 350-353.
D. Pasquariello, et al., “Plasma-Assisted INP-to-Si Low Temperature Wafer Bonding”,IEEE Journal on Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, vol. 8, No. 1. Jan./Feb. 2002, pp. 118-131.
Sony, Inc., “Third Generation Diagonal 4.5 mm (Type ¼) 250K/380K-pixel Color CCD Image Sensor, 250K/290K Pixels, ICX226AK (NTSC), ICX227AK (PAL), 380K/440K Pixels, ICX228AK (NTSC), ICX220AK (PAL)”, 2 pages, downloaded from the Internet on Nov. 18, 2002 from http://www.sony.net/products/sc-hp/cxpal/cxnews-20/pdf
.1cx226.pdf.
Shellcase LTD., “ShellOP”, 2 pages, downloaded from the Internet on Nov. 1, 2002 from http://www.shellcase.com/pages/products.asp.
Nayar, S.K. and Mitsunaga, T., “High Dynamic Range Imaging: Spatially Varying Pixel Exposures,”Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, vol. 1, pp. 472-479, Jun. 2000.
Hiroki Miura, et al., “A 100 Frame/s CMOS Active Pixel Sensor for 3D Gesture Recognition System”,1999 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference, pp. 142-143.
M. Ben Chouikha, et al., “Buried Triple p-n Junction Structure in a BiCMOS Technology for Color Detection”,1997 IEEE BCTM 6.4, pp. 108-111.
M. Ben Chouikha, et al., “Color Sensitive Photodetectors in Standard CMOS and BiCMOS Technologies”,Advanced Focal Plane Arrays and Electronic Cameras proceedings, Oct. 9-10, 1996, Berlin, Germany SPIE Proceedings Series, vol. 2950, pp. 108-120.
Kramer, J., “Photo-ASICS: Integrated Optical Metrology Systems with Industrial CMOS Technology”,Paul Scherrer Institute Zurich(PSIZ), 1993, pp. 4-91.
R.M. Guidash, et al., “A O.6 μm CMOS Pinned Photodiode Color Imager Technology”,1997 IEDM Tech. Digest, pp. 927-929.
Chamberlain, S.G., “Photosensitivity and Scanning of Silicon Image Detector Arrays”,IEEE Journal of Solid State Circuits, vol. SC-4, No. 6, Dec. 1969, pp. 333-342.
Bagula Mark O.
Hubel Paul M.
Lyon Richard F.
Merrill Richard B.
Foveon, Inc.
Girard & Equitz LLP
Tran Minh-Loan T
LandOfFree
Vertical color filter sensor group array with... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Vertical color filter sensor group array with..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Vertical color filter sensor group array with... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3980264