In an illuminance sensor, a slow axis of a first quarter-wave plate has a relation of +45° or −45° in regard to a polarization direction of a first linear polarization plate; a relation of a slow axis of a first portion of a second quarter-wave plate in regard to a polarization direction of a second linear polarization plate is the same with relation of the slow axis of the first quarter-wave plate in regard to the polarization direction of the first linear polarization plate, that is, +45° or −45°; and a relation of a slow axis of a second portion of the second quarter plate in regard to the polarization direction of the second linear polarization plate is −45° or +45° that is opposite in sign to the relation of the slow axis of the first quarter-plate in regard to the polarization direction of the first linear polarization plate.

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to depth sensing using a device. An example device includes a light projector configured to project light in a first and a second distribution. The first and the second distribution include a flood projection when the device operates in a first mode and a pattern projection when the device operates in a second mode, respectively. The example device includes a receiver configured to detect reflections of light projected by the light projector. The example device includes a processor connected to a memory storing instructions. The processor is configured to determine first depth information based on reflections detected by the receiver when the device operates in the first mode, determine second depth information based on reflections detected by the receiver when the device operates in the second mode, and resolve multipath interference (MPI) using the first depth information and the second depth information.

An imaging device with low power consumption is provided. The pixel of the imaging device includes first and second photoelectric conversion elements, and first to fifth transistors. A cathode of the first photoelectric conversion element is electrically connected to the first transistor. An anode of a second photoelectric conversion element is electrically connected to the second transistor. Imaging data of a reference frame is obtained using the first photoelectric conversion element, and then imaging data of a difference detection frame is obtained using the second photoelectric conversion element. After the imaging data of the difference detection frame is obtained, a first potential that is a potential of a signal output from the pixel and a second potential that is a reference potential are compared. Whether or not there is a difference between the imaging data of the reference frame and the imaging data of the difference detection frame is determined using the first potential and the second potential.

An imaging element according to an embodiment includes: a unit pixel including a first pixel having a first photoelectric conversion element and including a second pixel having a second photoelectric conversion element, the second pixel being arranged adjacent to the first pixel; and an accumulation portion that accumulates a charge generated by the second photoelectric conversion element and converts the accumulated charge into a voltage. The accumulation portion is disposed at a boundary between the unit pixel and another unit pixel adjacent to the unit pixel.

An optical sensor including a planar nano-photonic microlens array and an electronic apparatus including the same are provided. The optical sensor may include: a sensor substrate including a plurality of photosensitive cells for sensing light; a filter layer provided on the sensor substrate; and a planar nano-photonic microlens array provided on the filter layer, and including a plurality of planar nano-photonic microlenses, wherein the plurality of planar nano-photonic microlenses are two-dimensionally arranged in a first direction and a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction, and each of the planar nano-photonic microlenses include nano-structures arranged such that the light transmitting through each of the planar nano-photonic microlenses has a phase profile in which a phase change curve is convex in the first direction and the second direction.

An image sensing device includes a pixel array including image sensing pixels, phase detection pixel pairs disposed between the image sensing pixels, photoelectric conversion regions corresponding to the image sensing pixels and the phase detection pixels, device isolation structures isolating the photoelectric conversion regions, color filters corresponding to the image sensing pixels and the phase detection pixel pairs, a first grid structure disposed between a color filter of a first image sensing pixel and a color filter of an adjacent first phase detection pixel pair and shifted by a first distance from a first device isolation structure disposed between the first image sensing pixel and the first phase detection pixel pair, and a second grid structure disposed in color filters of the first phase detection pixel pair and shifted by a second distance from a second device isolation structure disposed between the first phase detection pixel pairs.

A first light receiving element according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a plurality of pixels, a photoelectric converter that is provided as a layer common to the plurality of pixels, and contains a compound semiconductor material, and a first electrode layer that is provided between the plurality of pixels on light incident surface side of the photoelectric converter, and has a light-shielding property.

A reduced cross-talk pixel-array substrate includes a semiconductor substrate, a buffer layer, a metal annulus, and an attenuation layer. The semiconductor substrate includes a first photodiode region. A back surface of the semiconductor substrate forms a trench surrounding the first photodiode region in a cross-sectional plane parallel to a first back-surface region of the back surface above the first photodiode region. The buffer layer is on the back surface and has a feature located above the first photodiode region with the feature being one of a recess and an aperture. The metal annulus is on the buffer layer and covers the trench. The attenuation layer is above the first photodiode region.

An image sensing device includes a pixel array including image sensing pixels, phase detection pixel pairs disposed between the image sensing pixels, photoelectric conversion regions corresponding to the image sensing pixels and the phase detection pixels, device isolation structures isolating the photoelectric conversion regions, color filters corresponding to the image sensing pixels and the phase detection pixel pairs, a first grid structure disposed between a color filter of a first image sensing pixel and a color filter of an adjacent first phase detection pixel pair and shifted by a first distance from a first device isolation structure disposed between the first image sensing pixel and the first phase detection pixel pair, and a second grid structure disposed in color filters of the first phase detection pixel pair and shifted by a second distance from a second device isolation structure disposed between the first phase detection pixel pairs.

An imaging device may include single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs). To improve the sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio of the SPADs, light scattering structures may be formed in the semiconductor substrate to increase the path length of incident light through the semiconductor substrate. To mitigate crosstalk, an isolation structure may be formed in a ring around the SPAD. The isolation structure may be a hybrid isolation structure with both a metal filler that absorbs light and a low-index filler that reflects light. The isolation structure may be formed as a single trench or may include a backside deep trench isolation portion and a front side deep trench isolation portion. The isolation structure may also include a color filtering material.