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SonyPatent applicationCameras & imagingInterest 6/10

Sony patents camera sensor design to handle bright light better

Patent drawing
Patent drawing from the official filing.

Sony describes a design for a camera sensor that uses two vertical gate electrodes to manage the flow of electrical charge. This setup creates a specific path for excess charge to overflow, preventing the sensor from becoming 'blown out' in very bright scenes.

Why it mattersThis could lead to cameras that capture clearer details in high-contrast lighting, such as sunny days with deep shadows.

In the filing’s own words

The present technology relates to a solid-state imaging device and an electronic device capable of improving a saturation characteristic. A photo diode is formed on a substrate, and a floating diffusion accumulates a signal charge read from the photo diode. A plurality of vertical gate electrodes is formed from a surface of the substrate in a depth direction in a region between the photo diode and the floating diffusion, and an overflow path is formed in a region interposed between a plurality of vertical gate electrodes. The present technology may be applied to a CMOS image sensor.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A light detecting device, comprising: a photoelectric conversion region; a first vertical gate electrode; a second vertical gate electrode; a first semiconductor region; and a driving circuit, wherein the first vertical gate electrode and the second vertical gate electrode are configured to transfer a charge from the photoelectric conversion region to the first semiconductor region, and wherein the driving circuit is configured to apply a voltage to the first vertical gate electrode and the second vertical gate electrode while the charge is generated and accumulated in the photoelectric conversion region.

Facts

Company
Sony (SONY GROUP CORPORATION)
Official title
SOLID-STATE IMAGING DEVICE AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE
Publication number
US20260333899A1
Application number
19686392
Filed
May 22, 2026
Published
Oct 22, 2026
Inventors
1
Claims
6

Classified under

H10F 39/1865 Electricity & electronicsH04N 23/75 Electricity & electronicsH04N 25/57 Electricity & electronicsH04N 25/622 Electricity & electronicsH04N 25/76 Electricity & electronicsH10F 39/18 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.