Sony patents camera sensor design to reduce image noise
Sony describes a camera sensor design that uses a shared electrical connection for multiple pixels to save space. It adds a shielding layer between these shared connections to block unwanted electrical interference, which can cause blurry or noisy images.
In the filing’s own words
Crosstalk in an imaging element, in which a charge holding section is shared, is reduced. The imaging element includes a plurality of pixel blocks and a shielding section. A pixel block includes: a semiconductor substrate with a plurality of pixels and an isolation section that isolates the pixels, the plurality of pixels each including: a photoelectric conversion section; and a charge holding section that holds a charge generated by the photoelectric conversion; a shared electrode adjacent to the semiconductor substrate and having a shape straddling the isolation section, and connected to the charge holding section of each of the plurality of pixels; a wiring region adjacent to a front surface side of the semiconductor substrate; and a signal generation section. The shielding section is disposed between the respective shared electrodes of the plurality of pixel blocks and is applied with a voltage different from a voltage of the shared electrodes.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. An imaging element, comprising: a plurality of pixel blocks including: a semiconductor substrate in which a plurality of pixels and an isolation section that isolates the pixels are arranged, the plurality of pixels each including: a photoelectric conversion section that performs photoelectric conversion of incident light; and a charge holding section that holds a charge generated by the photoelectric conversion; a shared electrode disposed adjacent to the semiconductor substrate and having a shape straddling the isolation section, the shared electrode connected to the charge holding section of each of the plurality of pixels; a wiring region disposed adjacent to a front surface side of the semiconductor substrate; and a signal generation section that generates a pixel signal that is a signal corresponding to a voltage of the shared electrode; and a shielding section disposed between the respective shared electrodes of the plurality of pixel blocks, the shielding section applied with a voltage different from a voltage of the shared electrodes.
Facts
- Company
- Sony (SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION)
- Official title
- IMAGING ELEMENT AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE
- Publication number
- US20260270584A1
- Application number
- 18875494
- Filed
- Jun 15, 2023
- Published
- Sep 10, 2026
- Inventors
- 1
- Claims
- 11
Classified under
H04N 25/617 Electricity & electronicsH04N 25/78 Electricity & electronicsH04N 25/79 Electricity & electronicsMore from Sony in Cameras & imaging
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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.