US 12,087,783 B2
Spectral element array, image sensor and image apparatus
Masashi Miyata, Musashino (JP); Mitsumasa Nakajima, Musashino (JP); and Toshikazu Hashimoto, Musashino (JP)
Assigned to NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 17/766,472
Filed by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed Oct. 9, 2019, PCT No. PCT/JP2019/039907
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 4, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/070305, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 15, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0096263 A1, Mar. 30, 2023
Int. Cl. H01L 27/146 (2006.01); G02B 3/00 (2006.01); G02B 5/20 (2006.01); G02B 27/10 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 27/14603 (2013.01) [G02B 3/0056 (2013.01); G02B 5/201 (2013.01); G02B 27/1006 (2013.01); H01L 27/14621 (2013.01); H01L 27/14627 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An image sensor comprising:
a two-dimensional pixel array in which a plurality of pixels including photoelectric conversion elements are arranged in the form of an array on a substrate;
a transparent layer formed on the two-dimensional pixel array; and
a two-dimensional spectroscopic element array in which a plurality of spectroscopic elements are arranged in the form of an array inside or on the transparent layer,
wherein:
each of the spectroscopic elements includes a plurality of microstructures made of a material having a refractive index that is higher than a refractive index of the transparent layer, the plurality of microstructures have a microstructure pattern,
the plurality of microstructures are columnar structures having surfaces that are rotationally symmetric four times around a central axis of symmetry,
each of the spectroscopic elements splits incident light in two-dimensional directions; and
the plurality of pixels detect the light split in the two-dimensional directions,
wherein spectroscopic units are adjacent to each other in two-dimensional directions, each of the spectroscopic units is composed of four spectroscopic elements in the two-dimensional spectroscopic element array, the four spectroscopic elements are adjacent to each other in the two-dimensional directions, and the spectroscopic functions of the four spectroscopic elements in the each spectroscopic unit are different from each other.