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Sony patents stacked camera sensor design with insulated wiring

Sony describes a camera sensor design where the light-capturing layer and the signal-reading circuits are stacked on top of each other. The filing details a specific way to route electrical signals through the top layer using insulated holes, which helps connect the different parts of the sensor.

Why it mattersThis is a routine improvement in how camera chips are built, potentially allowing for thinner sensors or better signal handling in future devices.

In the filing’s own words

A light detecting device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a first substrate including a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements that each photoelectrically converts light; a second substrate stacked on the first substrate, and including a plurality of readout circuits that is each configured to output a first signal based on electric charge converted by the photoelectric conversion element; a through electrode provided for each of the readout circuits or every plurality of the readout circuits in the second substrate, and configured to transmit the first signal; and a first insulating layer provided to penetrate the second substrate around the through electrode.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A light detecting device, comprising: a first substrate including a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements that each photoelectrically converts light; a second substrate stacked on the first substrate, and including a plurality of readout circuits that is each configured to output a first signal based on electric charge converted by the photoelectric conversion element; a through electrode provided for each of the readout circuits or every plurality of the readout circuits in the second substrate, and configured to transmit the first signal; and a first insulating layer provided to penetrate the second substrate around the through electrode.

Facts

Company
Sony (SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION)
Official title
LIGHT DETECTING DEVICE AND ELECTRONIC APPARATUS
Publication number
US20260293358A1
Application number
19489326
Filed
Jun 4, 2024
Published
Sep 24, 2026
Inventors
2
Claims
30

Classified under

H10F 39/811 Electricity & electronicsH10F 39/802 Electricity & electronicsH10F 39/8037 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.