US 12,192,670 B2
LWIR sensor with capacitive microbolometer and hybrid visible/LWIR sensor
Yibing Michelle Wang, Temple City, CA (US); Kwang Oh Kim, Cerritos, CA (US); and Radwanul Hasan Siddique, Pasadena, CA (US)
Assigned to SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., (KR)
Filed by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Suwon-si (KR)
Filed on Sep. 21, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/950,083.
Application 17/950,083 is a continuation of application No. 16/868,527, filed on May 6, 2020, granted, now 11,496,697.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/982,859, filed on Feb. 28, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0016984 A1, Jan. 19, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H04N 5/33 (2023.01); H01L 27/146 (2006.01)
CPC H04N 5/33 (2013.01) [H01L 27/14645 (2013.01); H01L 27/14649 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A pixel for an image sensor, comprising:
a microbolometer sensor portion that outputs a first signal corresponding to an infrared (IR) image sensed by the microbolometer sensor portion;
a visible image sensor portion that outputs a second signal corresponding to a visible image sensed by the visible image sensor portion; and
a floating diffusion of the pixel that is shared by the microbolometer sensor portion and the visible image sensor portion to provide a common readout path, the microbolometer sensor portion and the visible image sensor portion being controlled to selectively output the first signal corresponding to the IR image or the second signal corresponding to the visible image to the floating diffusion.