Image Sensor Light Shielding Layer Stray Light Suppression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image sensors with light shielding bodies suffer from mixing color, stray light, and reduced contour resolution due to the difficulty in forming precise light transmitting portions with photopolymerizable resin, leading to suboptimal image quality.
Innovation Solution
The image sensor design includes a light shielding body with light shielding walls and transmitting portions, a first light-shielding layer with narrower openings on the incident surface, and a microlens array, along with a second light-shielding layer on the receiving element side, using Si and different light shielding members to improve precision and reduce stray light, and a joint layer to prevent dew condensation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If photopolymerizable resin is used to form light transmitting portions, then the light shielding body can be formed, but the forming precision is difficult to increase and rectangular shape is difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from photopolymerizable resin to inorganic light shielding material (such as silicon oxide or silicon nitride). This material substitution enables precise formation of light transmitting portions with rectangular shapes through standard semiconductor manufacturing processes like etching, thereby resolving the contradiction between manufacturing precision and ease of manufacture.
2Reliability
If light shielding body is provided between microlens and light receiving element, then leakage of incident light is suppressed, but mixing color and stray light still occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the light shielding function into multiple components: the light shielding body with light transmitting portions, and additional light shielding structures (such as light shielding walls or layers) positioned at different locations. This segmentation allows the main light shielding body to prevent light leakage while the additional shielding structures specifically block stray light and prevent color mixing, thereby resolving the contradiction between light leakage suppression and stray light elimination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary light shielding structures (such as light shielding walls between adjacent light transmitting portions or additional light shielding layers) that act as mediators to block stray light paths. These intermediary structures prevent harmful stray light from reaching the light receiving element while allowing the primary light transmission function to remain intact, thus resolving the contradiction between light leakage suppression and stray light prevention.
3Ease of manufacture
If light transmitting portion has relatively large thickness, then it can be formed by photopolymerization, but forming precision is difficult to increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the formation method parameter from photopolymerization to inorganic material deposition and etching processes. By using inorganic light shielding materials formed through standard semiconductor manufacturing techniques, the patent achieves both thin precision control and rectangular shape formation, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and manufacturing precision.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration effectively suppresses mixing color and stray light, enhancing contour resolution and image composition by improving the precision of light transmission and shielding, resulting in improved image quality.
Implementation Method 1
a microlens provided for each of the openings of the first light-shielding layer on the light incident surface side of the light shielding body
Implementation Method 2
a light receiving element layer with an array of a large number of light receiving elements each performing photoelectrical conversion in accordance with incident light
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device has a mounted image sensor including a light shielding body having light shielding walls and light transmitting portions each formed in an opening between the light shielding walls, a first light-shielding layer formed on a light incident surface side of the light shielding body and having an opening narrower than the opening of the light shielding body for each of the openings of the light shielding body, a microlens provided for each of the openings of the first light-shielding layer on the light incident surface side of the light shielding body, and a light receiving element layer with an array of a large number of light receiving elements. The present disclosure can be used for, for example, a compound-eye optical system.