Thin Film Image Sensor for Compact 3D Depth Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional 3-dimensional image sensors are complex and difficult to manufacture for use in small devices like mobiles and Internet of Things due to their optical lens systems, making it challenging to achieve compact and efficient 3D imaging capabilities.
Innovation Solution
The development of an image sensor with thin lenses and light-sensing cells on a substrate, where the thin lenses concentrate light of different wavelengths onto light-sensing cells, allowing for compact 3D imaging and depth information extraction, using scatterers with specific shapes and arrangements to control light paths and filter wavelengths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional optical lenses are used in 3-dimensional image sensors, then light pathway control capability is improved, but device size and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional thick optical lenses with thin-film optical elements formed by depositing dielectric layers with varying refractive indices on the substrate. This thin-film approach maintains light pathway control functionality while dramatically reducing the optical path length and overall device thickness, enabling compact 3-dimensional image sensors suitable for mobile applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes mechanical optical lenses with a planar optical system using thin-film interference and refraction. Instead of relying on bulky mechanical lens structures to control light pathways, the invention uses precisely controlled thin-film layer configurations that achieve the same optical function with minimal thickness, thereby reducing device volume while maintaining optical performance.
2Ease of operation
If conventional optical lenses are used in 3-dimensional image sensors, then light pathway control capability is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical lens assembly processes with thin-film deposition and patterning techniques that are compatible with standard semiconductor manufacturing. The optical elements are formed as integrated thin-film structures on the substrate using sequential deposition of dielectric layers with different refractive indices, eliminating the need for separate lens manufacturing and assembly steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The thin-film optical elements serve multiple functions simultaneously: they control light pathways for different wavelengths, provide wavelength-selective filtering, and enable depth information extraction. This multi-functionality is achieved through a single integrated thin-film structure rather than requiring separate optical components, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process while maintaining comprehensive light pathway control.
3Volume of moving object
If thin lenses with scatterers are used, then device size is reduced, but wavelength selectivity capability must be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves wavelength selectivity by precisely controlling the physical parameters of the thin-film structure, including layer thickness, refractive index, and composition. By adjusting these parameters during deposition, the optical elements can be tuned to selectively concentrate or filter specific wavelengths of light, maintaining wavelength-selective capability in the compact thin-lens design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite thin-film structures consisting of multiple dielectric layers with different refractive indices and optical properties. These composite materials enable precise control over wavelength-selective light concentration by leveraging interference and refraction effects at the interfaces between layers with contrasting optical characteristics.
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 enables the creation of compact image sensors capable of producing multi-color images and extracting depth information, facilitating the integration of 3D imaging in small devices while maintaining image quality and reducing manufacturing complexity.
Implementation Method 1
thin lenses disposed on a first surface of the substrate and configured to concentrate lights incident on the first surface
Implementation Method 2
light-sensing cells being configured to sense lights passing through the thin lenses, and generate electrical signals based on the sensed lights
Data Source
AI summary
An image sensor includes a substrate, a first thin lens configured to concentrate light of a first wavelength, and including a plurality of first scatterers disposed on the substrate. The plurality of first scatterers includes a material having a refractive index greater than a refractive index of the substrate. The image sensor further includes a plurality of light-sensing cells configured to sense the light concentrated by the first thin lens.