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Sony patents light sensor design with thicker insulator for better sensitivity

Patent drawing
Patent drawing from the official filing.

Sony describes a light detection element that converts light into an electrical charge, then amplifies and compares that signal to determine light intensity. The design uses a transistor with a thicker gate insulating film in the feedback circuit to improve the sensitivity of the light detection process.

Why it mattersThis improvement could help cameras in phones or cameras capture clearer images in low-light conditions by making the sensor more responsive to small amounts of light.

In the filing’s own words

Light detection elements with improved detection sensitivity are disclosed. In one example, a light detection element includes a light reception section that generates a charge according to an amount of received light; a voltage conversion section that acquires the charge via an input node, converts the charge into a voltage signal, and outputs the voltage signal from an output node; a signal amplification section that amplifies the voltage signal; and a comparison section that compares the amplified voltage signal with a predetermined voltage. The voltage conversion section includes an amplification circuit connected between the input node and the output node; and a feedback circuit connected between the input node and the output node, and a gate insulating film of at least one transistor included in the feedback circuit is thicker than gate insulating films of transistors included in the signal amplification section and the comparison section.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A light detection element comprising: a light reception section that generates a charge according to an amount of received light; a voltage conversion section that acquires the charge generated in the light reception section via an input node, converts the charge into a voltage signal, and outputs the voltage signal from an output node; a signal amplification section that amplifies the voltage signal; and a comparison section that compares a voltage of the voltage signal amplified by the signal amplification section with a predetermined voltage, wherein the voltage conversion section includes: an amplification circuit connected between the input node and the output node; and a feedback circuit connected between the input node and the output node, and a gate insulating film of at least one transistor included in the feedback circuit is thicker than gate insulating films of transistors included in the signal amplification section and the comparison section.

Facts

Company
Sony (Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation)
Official title
Light detection element, electronic device, and manufacturing method of light detection element
Patent number
US12756948B2
Application number
18998688
Filed
Jul 21, 2023
Granted
Oct 6, 2026
Inventors
5
Claims
18

Classified under

H04N 25/47 Electricity & electronicsH04N 25/707 Electricity & electronicsH04N 25/778 Electricity & electronicsH04N 25/78 Electricity & electronicsH10F 39/12 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.