CanonNews / Sunday, October 22, 2017

A variety of stacked sensor patent applications

Canon continues to pursue stacked sensor patent designs.

I suspect they feel this is easier than back side illuminated sensors to fabricate with their equipment, as we continue to see a multitude of designs for stacked or laminated sensors, and rarely any dealing with back side illumination.

Japan patent application 2017-022207

This patent is for a laminated sensor with the pixels on one substrate and all the processing logic is on another. Pads extend from one surface to another to form the laminated sensor.

Japan patent application 2017-005262

This is another stacked sensor, with this patent dealing with how to form a reliable connection in between the two substrates even when fabricated with very small design rules. Note the pads on the processing substrate are larger than the pads on the pixel substrate, allowing for some variance in manufacturing when they put them together.

Japan patent application 2017-011300

Another stacked senor design patent, this one describing a different method of making the plugs between the two substrates. Note the image is almost the same (if not the same) as 005262, which would seem to indicate a continuation and enhancement of the stacked sensor design. Note the difference in the pads though, where on this patent, the pads are the same size between the two substrates.

How to view Japan Patent applications.

Unfortunately, there's no direct way of linking to the patent application (sad!) however, this is the easiest process to view a japan patent or application.

Go to the Japan Patent Office search page.
If it's a patent application (they are usually in the format of YEAR+Number ie: 2017-011300) then type the patent application number into the second field down from the top where it says publication of patent application.
Click on search.
Then click on the patent application number link, and there's the patent application!