Image sensors are provided. The image sensors may include a substrate including first, second, third and fourth regions, a first photoelectric conversion element in the first region, a second photoelectric conversion element in the second region, a third photoelectric conversion element in the third region, a fourth photoelectric conversion element in the fourth region, a first microlens at least partially overlapping both the first and second photoelectric conversion elements, and a second microlens at least partially overlapping both the third and fourth photoelectric conversion elements. The image sensors may also include a floating diffusion region and first, second and third pixel transistors configured to perform different functions from each other. Each of the first, second and third pixel transistors may be disposed in at least one of first, second, third and fourth pixel regions. The first pixel transistor may include multiple first pixel transistors.

A photoelectric conversion element according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a first electrode including a plurality of electrodes independent from each other; a second electrode disposed to be opposed to the first electrode; an n-type photoelectric conversion layer including a semiconductor nanoparticle, the n-type photoelectric conversion layer being provided between the first electrode and the second electrode; and a semiconductor layer including an oxide semiconductor material, the semiconductor layer being provided between the first electrode and the n-type photoelectric conversion layer.

The present technology relates to an imaging element, a manufacturing method, and an electronic apparatus capable of forming a photoelectric conversion part in a steep impurity profile. Laminated first and second photoelectric conversion parts are provided between a first surface of a semiconductor substrate and a second surface opposite to the first surface, an impurity profile of the first photoelectric conversion part is a profile having a peak on the first surface side, and an impurity profile of the second photoelectric conversion part is a profile having a peak on the second surface side. A side on which an impurity concentration of the first photoelectric conversion part is low and a side on which an impurity concentration of the second photoelectric conversion part is low face each other. The present technology can be applied to, for example, an imaging element in which a plurality of photoelectric conversion parts are laminated in a semiconductor substrate.

An imaging apparatus according to the present technology includes an imaging element including a light shielding pixel and a photodiode division pixel, and a defocus amount calculation unit that calculates a defocus amount using at least one of an output signal of the light shielding pixel and an output signal of the photodiode division pixel on the basis of an exposure amount.

The present technology relates to a solid state imaging sensor that is possible to suppress the reflection of incident light with a wide wavelength band. A reflectance adjusting layer is provided on the substrate in an incident direction of the incident light with respect to the substrate such as Si and configured to adjust reflection of the incident light on the substrate. The reflectance adjusting layer includes a first layer formed on the substrate and a second layer formed on the first layer. The first layer includes a concavo-convex structure provided on the substrate and a material which is filled into a concave portion of the concavo-convex structure and has a refractive index lower than that of the substrate, and the second layer includes a material having a refractive index lower than that of the first layer. It is possible to reduce the reflection on the substrate such as Si by using the principle of the interference of the thin film. Such a technology can be applied to solid state imaging sensors.

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.

A semiconductor device according to an embodiment includes a plurality of element arrays, a signal-processing circuit, and a comparison-voltage generation circuit. Each element array is selectively connected to a vertical signal line and includes an amplification transistor configured to output a first analog signal on the basis of an input analog voltage and an actual value of variation of a characteristic value of each element array included in the plurality of element arrays. The comparison-voltage generation circuit is configured to output a gradually increasing or gradually decreasing comparison voltage. The signal-processing circuit includes a storage circuit and is configured to compare the first analog signal with the comparison voltage and store a timing at which the comparison voltage and a value of a second analog signal generated by adding a predetermined absolute value to the first analog signal match each other onto the storage circuit.

This disclosure presents a novel smart CMOS imaging sensor and the methods and system for imaging of an object using the smart CMOS imaging sensor. A CMOS-implemented 3D imaging system compromises a wise-pixels-containing imaging sensor and a scanning light point or beam to achieve 3D shape reconstruction, by recording performance of each wise-pixel to the incident light over the period of “valve modulation”. The “valve modulation” is a one-time process of accumulation and release of charges. A frame period comprises multiple valve modulations. In the “frame period”, each wise-pixel will repeat the process that temporarily stores the light intensity, and then release, along with a selection of preferred intensity (e.g. the globally maximum intensity, or the locally maximum intensities, and or the intensities above a certain threshold) during the whole frame period, and the selected intensity and the corresponding time will be exported to the computing units. The selection of the different preferred light intensities is implemented by memory-based, threshold-based, and difference-based approaches, respectively. The obtained maximum intensity and time information can be used to reconstruct 3D geometric information of the surface of the object scanned by moving light source.

The present disclosure relates to a camera module capable of achieving a smaller height, a method of manufacturing a camera module, an imaging apparatus, and an electronic apparatus. An imaging device having its imaging surface bonded to a provisional substrate is attached, and the imaging device in that state is joined to a substrate via an electrode having a TSV structure. After the provisional substrate is detached, an IR cut filter (IRCF) on which a light blocking film is printed or jet-dispensed in a region other than the effective pixel region is bonded to the imaging surface via a transparent resin. Because of this, there is no need to provide any sealing glass in the stage before the imaging surface, and the optical length of the lens can be shortened. Thus, a smaller height can be achieved. The present disclosure can be applied to camera modules.