In some examples, techniques and architectures for fabricating an image sensor chip having a curved surface include placing a substrate on a first surface of an image sensor chip, wherein the first surface of the image sensor chip is opposite a second surface of the image sensor chip, and wherein the second surface of the image sensor chip includes light sensors to generate electrical signals in response to receiving light. Fabricating also includes modifying a volume of the substrate so as to impart forces on the image sensor chip to produce a curved image sensor chip.

Channel stop sections formed by multiple times of impurity ion implanting processes. Four-layer impurity regions are formed across the depth of a semiconductor substrate (across the depth of the bulk), so that a P-type impurity region is formed deep in the semiconductor substrate; thus, incorrect movement of electric charges is prevented. Other four-layer impurity regions of another channel stop section are decreased in width step by step across the depth of the substrate, so that the reduction of a charge storage region of a light receiving section due to the dispersion of P-type impurity in the channel stop section is prevented in the depth of the substrate.

There are provided a highly reliable semiconductor device capable of suppressing occurrence of cracks as well as securing flatness and a manufacturing method therefor. The semiconductor device includes: a semiconductor substrate; an element region; and a non-element region. The non-element region includes: a top-layer metal wiring in a top layer of metal wirings formed in the non-element region; a flattening film covering an upper surface of the top-layer metal wiring; and a protecting film formed over the flattening film. A removed part where the protecting film is removed is formed in at least part of the non-element region.

There is provided a solid-state image pickup device that includes a functional region provided with an organic film, and a guard ring surrounding the functional region

An image pickup apparatus, including: an image pickup element configured to photoelectrically convert an object image; a signal acquisition unit configured to acquire a first signal obtained from a light flux that has passed through a first pupil partial region, a second signal obtained from a light flux that has passed through a second pupil partial region, and a third signal obtained from one of a light flux that has passed through a region that includes the first pupil partial region and is wider than the first pupil partial region, and a light flux that has passed through a region that includes the second pupil partial region and is wider than the second pupil partial region; and a defocus state detection unit configured to detect a defocus state based on at least one of the first signal and the second signal, and the third signal.

A photodetector may have a structure including conductive patterns and an intermediate layer interposed between the conductive patterns. A length L of at least one side of the second conductive pattern that overlaps the first conductive pattern and the intermediate layer satisfies the equation L=/2n.sub.eff, wherein the n.sub.eff is an effective refractive index of a surface plasmon waveguide formed of the first conductive pattern, the intermediate layer, and the second conductive pattern during a surface plasmon resonance. Heat generated in the intermediate layer when the electromagnetic wave having the wavelength is incident thereon generates a current variation.

A semiconductor substrate is provided with a plurality of photosensitive regions on a first principal surface side. An insulating film has a third principal surface and a fourth principal surface opposed to each other, and is arranged on the semiconductor substrate so that the third principal surface is opposed to the first principal surface. A cross section parallel to a thickness direction of the semiconductor substrate, of a region corresponding to each photosensitive region in the first principal surface is a corrugated shape in which concave curves and convex curves are alternately continuous. A cross section parallel to a thickness direction of the insulating film, of a region corresponding to each photosensitive region in the third principal surface is a corrugated shape in which concave curves and convex curves are alternately continuous corresponding to the first principal surface. The fourth principal surface is flat.

An imaging system may include processing circuitry, a lens, and an array of pixels including image sensor pixels and temperature sensor pixels. The image sensor pixels may generate image pixel values in response to image light received through the lens. The temperature sensor pixels may generate thermal estimate signals based on the temperature of the pixel array. The image sensor pixels and temperature sensor pixels may generate dark current. As the temperature of the pixel array increases, the image sensor pixels and temperatures sensor pixels may generate increased dark current. Temperature sensor pixels may generate more dark current than image sensor pixels. Dark current generated by the temperature sensor pixels may be used to generate dark current compensation values that may compensate for the dark current generated by the image sensor pixels.

Aspects of the invention generally relate to illumination gas imaging and detection. Camera systems can illuminate a target scene with light sources configured to emit absorbing and non-absorbing wavelengths with respect to a target gas. An image of the target scene illuminated with a non-absorbing wavelength can be compared to a non-illuminated image of the target scene in order to determine information about the background of the target scene. If sufficient light of the non-absorbing wavelength is scattered by the scene toward a detector, the target scene comprises an adequate background for performing a gas imaging process. A camera system can alert a user of portions of the target scene suitable or unsuitable for performing a gas imaging process. If necessary, the user can reposition the system until sufficient portions of the target scene are recognized as suitable for performing the gas imaging process.

A solid-state image pickup device includes: a photoelectric conversion element including a charge accumulation region, the photoelectric conversion element performing photoelectric conversion on incident light and accumulating, in the charge accumulation region, electric charge obtained through the photoelectric conversion; a charge-voltage conversion element accumulating the electric charge obtained through the photoelectric conversion; and a charge accumulation element adjacent to the photoelectric conversion element, part or all of the charge accumulation element overlapping the charge accumulation region, and the charge accumulation element adding capacitance to capacitance of the charge-voltage conversion element.