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SamsungGranted patentCameras & imagingInterest 6/10

Samsung patents stacked camera sensors that filter light by depth

Samsung describes an image sensor where each pixel is built from multiple layers stacked on top of one another. These layers are designed to absorb specific colors of light at different depths, allowing the sensor to capture color information through vertical structure rather than just horizontal filters.

Why it mattersThis design could help phone cameras capture more accurate colors or improve low-light performance by using the physical depth of the sensor to separate light wavelengths.

In the filing’s own words

Provided is a vertically stacked type image sensor including a plurality of pixels, each of the plurality of pixels including a plurality of sub-pixels stacked vertically, wherein the plurality of sub-pixels have a layer structure that is configured to generate an absorption resonance at different wavelengths of light.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A vertically stacked type image sensor comprising: a plurality of pixels, each of the plurality of pixels comprising a plurality of sub-pixels stacked vertically and symmetrical with respect to a center line; and an insulating layer between two adjacent pixels and directly contacting a side surface of each of the plurality of sub-pixels included in each of the two adjacent pixels, wherein the plurality of sub-pixels have a layer structure that is configured to generate an absorption resonance at different wavelengths of light, and wherein the center line of each of the two adjacent pixels are inclined with respect to each other.

Facts

Company
Samsung (SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.)
Official title
Vertically stacked type image sensors and electronic devices including the same
Patent number
US12732721B2
Application number
18224320
Filed
Jul 20, 2023
Granted
Sep 8, 2026
Inventors
1
Claims
18

Classified under

H04N 25/79 Electricity & electronicsG02B 13/0055 Physics & computingH04N 25/17 Electricity & electronicsH04N 25/702 Electricity & electronics
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.