An image pickup element includes: a semiconductor substrate including a photoelectric conversion section for each pixel; a pixel separation groove provided in the semiconductor substrate; and a fixed charge film provided on a light-receiving surface side of the semiconductor substrate, wherein the fixed charge film includes a first insulating film and a second insulating film, the first insulating film being provided contiguously from the light-receiving surface to a wall surface and a bottom surface of the pixel separation groove, and the second insulating film being provided on a part of the first insulating film, the part corresponding to at least the light-receiving surface.

An image sensor includes first pixels and second pixels. The second pixels of the image sensor are distinct from the first pixels of the image sensor.

An optical filter for an image sensor includes first opaque zones. Each of the first opaque zones occupies a surface area equal to the surface area of at least one first lens in this same first zone.

Provided is a semiconductor device capable of improving the optical response speed. The semiconductor device includes a pixel array portion in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in a matrix, each of the plurality of pixels including: a pixel forming region partitioned by a separation region in a semiconductor layer; a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type and a second semiconductor region of a second conductivity type sequentially arranged from a first surface side of the pixel forming region toward a second surface side opposite to the first surface; a pn junction portion in which the first semiconductor region and the second semiconductor region are bonded; a charge extraction region of the second conductivity type provided in a side wall of the separation region; and a relay region of the second conductivity type provided at a position deeper than the second semiconductor region so as to be connected to the charge extraction region and the second semiconductor region. A plurality of the pn junction portions are scattered apart from each other, and the relay region has a higher impurity concentration than the second semiconductor region and terminates at a peripheral portion so as to surround a central portion of a surface of the second semiconductor region opposite to the pn junction portion side.

Provided is a semiconductor device capable of improving the optical response speed. The semiconductor device includes a pixel array portion in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in a matrix, each of the plurality of pixels including: a pixel forming region partitioned by a separation region in a semiconductor layer; a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type and a second semiconductor region of a second conductivity type sequentially arranged from a first surface side of the pixel forming region toward a second surface side opposite to the first surface; a pn junction portion in which the first semiconductor region and the second semiconductor region are bonded; a charge extraction region of the second conductivity type provided in a side wall of the separation region; and a relay region of the second conductivity type provided at a position deeper than the second semiconductor region so as to be connected to the charge extraction region and the second semiconductor region. A plurality of the pn junction portions are scattered apart from each other, and the relay region has a higher impurity concentration than the second semiconductor region and terminates at a peripheral portion so as to surround a central portion of a surface of the second semiconductor region opposite to the pn junction portion side.

Provided is a solid-state imaging device capable of suppressing color mixing between different colors while reducing the sensitivity difference between same colors. The solid-state imaging device includes: a plurality of photoelectric conversion units formed on a substrate to generate signal charges according to an amount of incident light; a microlens array including a microlens formed for a photoelectric conversion unit group including at least two or more adjacent photoelectric conversion units 21 to guide incident light to the photoelectric conversion unit group; a scatterer disposed on an optical path of the incident light collected by the microlens; and an inter-pixel light shielding portion including a groove formed between the photoelectric conversion unit of the photoelectric conversion unit group and the photoelectric conversion unit adjacent to the photoelectric conversion unit group and an insulating material filled in the groove. An opening side of an inner side surface of the groove on the scatterer side is a flat surface inclined so that a groove width becomes narrower toward a bottom of the groove.

Provided is a solid-state imaging device capable of suppressing color mixing between different colors while reducing the sensitivity difference between same colors. The solid-state imaging device includes: a plurality of photoelectric conversion units formed on a substrate to generate signal charges according to an amount of incident light; a microlens array including a microlens formed for a photoelectric conversion unit group including at least two or more adjacent photoelectric conversion units 21 to guide incident light to the photoelectric conversion unit group; a scatterer disposed on an optical path of the incident light collected by the microlens; and an inter-pixel light shielding portion including a groove formed between the photoelectric conversion unit of the photoelectric conversion unit group and the photoelectric conversion unit adjacent to the photoelectric conversion unit group and an insulating material filled in the groove. An opening side of an inner side surface of the groove on the scatterer side is a flat surface inclined so that a groove width becomes narrower toward a bottom of the groove.

A radiation detector includes a photoelectric conversion element array, a scintillator layer converting radiation into light, a resin frame formed on the photoelectric conversion element array, and a protective film covering the scintillator layer. The resin frame has a groove continuous with an outer edge of the protective film. The groove has an overlapping region including a first groove end portion and a second groove end portion partially overlapping in a direction intersecting with an extension direction of the groove.

A polarization imager is provided that includes a plurality of CMOS photodetectors and a plurality of polarization filters. Each of the plurality of CMOS photodetectors has a photodiode that is configured to operate in forward bias mode. Further, each of the plurality of polarization filters is monolithically integrated with a corresponding one of the plurality of CMOS photodetectors. Each of the plurality of photodiodes exhibits a logarithmic response to a flux of incident photons. The polarization imager achieves a dynamic range of at least 100 decibels with a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 60 decibels.

An image sensor includes a substrate including a plurality of photodiodes, a color filter array having a plurality of color filters, and a horizontal insulating layer disposed between the substrate and the color filter array, and a horizontal insulating layer is formed of only a high-K dielectric material, not including silicon, and having a dielectric constant higher than a dielectric constant of silicon oxide, and has a thickness of equal to or greater than 300 angstroms and equal to or less than 1,000.