VERTICALLY STACKED IMAGE SENSOR

摘要

A vertically stacked image sensor having a photodiode chip and a transistor array chip. The photodiode chip includes at least one photodiode and a transfer gate extends vertically from a top surface of the photodiode chip. The image sensor further includes a transistor array chip stacked on top of the photodiode chip. The transistor array chip includes the control circuitry and storage nodes. The image sensor further includes a logic chip vertically stacked on the transistor array chip. The transfer gate communicates data from the at least one photodiode to the transistor array chip and the logic chip selectively activates the vertical transfer gate, the reset gate, the source follower gate, and the row select gate.

主权项

1. An image sensor, comprising:
a photodiode chip comprising at least one pixel cell, each pixel cell comprising:
two or more photodiodes; anda transfer transistor operably connected each photodiode; a shared transfer channel operably connected to each transfer transistor; and a transistor array chip stacked vertically on the photodiode chip, the transistor array chip comprising:
a first communication path operably connected to the shared transfer channel, the first communication path comprising a first floating diffusion node operably connected to control circuitry in the first communication path; anda second communication path operably connected to the shared transfer channel, the second communication path comprising a second floating diffusion node operably connected to control circuitry in the second communication path, whereina capacitance associated with the first floating diffusion node differs from a capacitance associated with the second floating diffusion node; andthe shared transfer channel is configured to transfer charge from at least one of the first or second photodiodes to a respective communication path.