US-12621587-B2 - Image capturing element and image capturing apparatus

US12621587B2US 12621587 B2US12621587 B2US 12621587B2US-12621587-B2

Abstract

An image capturing element includes a first substrate having a plurality of pixel blocks including at least one pixel, the plurality of pixel blocks being arranged to be aligned in a row direction and a column direction, and a second substrate having a plurality of control blocks including a conversion unit which converts a signal output from the pixel into a digital signal and a through electrode unit configured to output the signal converted into the digital signal by the conversion unit, the plurality of control blocks being arranged to be aligned in the row direction and the column direction.

Inventors

Sota NAKANISHI

Assignees

NIKON CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20230929
Priority Date: 20210331

Claims (20)

1 . An image capturing element comprising: a first substrate having a pixel unit in which are arranged a first photoelectric conversion unit which converts light into electric charges and a second photoelectric conversion unit which converts light into electric charges; a second substrate having a control circuit unit in which are arranged a first control block and a second control block, the first control block including a first conversion unit which converts a first signal which is based on the electric charges converted by the first photoelectric conversion unit into a digital signal, and a first through electrode unit in which is formed a first through hole of a first through electrode, from which is output a first digital signal converted from the first signal into the digital signal by the first conversion unit, the second control block including a second conversion unit which converts a second signal which is based on the electric charges converted by the second photoelectric conversion unit into a digital signal, and a second through electrode unit in which is formed a second through hole of a second through electrode, from which is output a second digital signal converted from the second signal into the digital signal by the second conversion unit, the second substrate being stacked with the first substrate; and a third substrate that has a processing unit which performs processing on the first digital signal output from a third through electrode and the second digital signal output from a fourth through electrode, the third substrate including (i) a third through electrode unit, in which is formed a third through hole of a third through electrode that is electrically connected to the first through electrode, and (ii) a fourth through electrode unit, in which is formed a fourth through hole of a fourth through electrode that is electrically connected to the second through electrode, the third substrate being stacked with the first substrate.
2 . The image capturing element according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is arranged at a position that overlaps with the control circuit unit in a direction in which the second substrate and the third substrate are stacked.
3 . The image capturing element according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit performs processing of decreasing at least one of an amount of data of the first digital signal and an amount of data of the second digital signal.
4 . The image capturing element according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit performs processing of compressing at least one of an amount of data of the first digital signal and an amount of data of the second digital signal.
5 . The image capturing element according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit includes (i) a first processing block, which includes the third through electrode unit and a first processing unit which performs processing of decreasing an amount of data of the first digital signal, and (ii) a second processing block, which includes the fourth through electrode unit and a second processing unit which performs processing of decreasing an amount of data of the second digital signal.
6 . The image capturing element according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit includes (i) a first processing block, which includes the third through electrode unit and a first processing unit which performs processing of compressing an amount of data of the first digital signal, and (ii) a second processing block, which includes the fourth through electrode unit and a second processing unit which performs processing of compressing an amount of data of the second digital signal.
7 . The image capturing element according to claim 5 , wherein the first processing block is arranged at a position that overlaps with the first control block in a direction in which the second substrate and the third substrate are stacked, and the second processing block is arranged at a position that overlaps with the second control block in the direction in which the second substrate and the third substrate are stacked.
8 . The image capturing element according to claim 1 , wherein the third substrate has a fifth through electrode unit in which is formed a fifth through hole for a fifth through electrode, from which is output at least one of the first digital signal processed by the processing unit and the second digital signal processed by the processing unit.
9 . The image capturing element according to claim 8 , wherein the fifth through electrode unit is arranged outside of the processing unit in the third substrate.
10 . The image capturing element according to claim 8 , wherein the second substrate has a sixth through electrode unit in which is formed a sixth through hole for a sixth through electrode electrically connected to the fifth through electrode.
11 . The image capturing element according to claim 10 , wherein the first substrate includes an I/O unit that is electrically connected to the sixth through electrode.
12 . The image capturing element according to claim 11 , wherein the I/O unit is arranged outside of the pixel unit in the first substrate.
13 . The image capturing element according to claim 1 , wherein the first through electrode unit has a first through electrode region in which the first through hole is formed and a first element arrangement prohibition region in which an arrangement of a semiconductor element is prohibited, and the second through electrode unit has a second through electrode region in which the second through hole is formed and a second element arrangement prohibition region in which an arrangement of a semiconductor element is prohibited.
14 . The image capturing element according to claim 13 , wherein the second control block is arranged next to the first control block, and the first through electrode region and the second through electrode region are arranged so as to be surrounded by the first element arrangement prohibition region and the second element arrangement prohibition region.
15 . The image capturing element according to claim 14 , wherein the second control block is arranged next to the first control block in a row direction, and the first through electrode region and the second through electrode region are arranged between the first element arrangement prohibition region and the second element arrangement prohibition region in the row direction.
16 . The image capturing element according to claim 14 , wherein the second control block is arranged next to the first control block in a column direction, and the first through electrode region and the second through electrode region are arranged between the first element arrangement prohibition region and the second element arrangement prohibition region in the column direction.
17 . The image capturing element according to claim 1 , wherein: the pixel unit includes a first pixel block including the first photoelectric conversion unit, a first transfer unit configured to transfer the electric charges converted by the first photoelectric conversion unit, a first accumulation unit to which the electric charges converted by the first photoelectric conversion unit are transferred by the first transfer unit, and a first reset unit configured to discharge the electric charges of the first accumulation unit, and a second pixel block including the second photoelectric conversion unit, a second transfer unit configured to transfer the electric charges converted by the second photoelectric conversion unit, a second accumulation unit to which the electric charges converted by the second photoelectric conversion unit are transferred by the second transfer unit, and a second reset unit configured to discharge the electric charges of the second accumulation unit; the first control block outputs a first transfer control signal for controlling the first transfer unit; and the second control block outputs a second transfer control signal for controlling the second transfer unit.
18 . The image capturing element according to claim 17 , wherein the first control block is arranged at a position that overlaps with the first pixel block in a direction in which the first substrate and the second substrate are stacked, and the second control block is arranged at a position that overlaps with the second pixel block in a direction in which the first substrate and the second substrate are stacked.
19 . The image capturing element according to claim 17 , wherein the second substrate has a drive unit configured to output a reset control signal for controlling the first reset unit and the second reset unit.
20 . The image capturing element according to claim 19 , wherein the drive unit is arranged outside of the control circuit unit in the second substrate.

Description

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field The present invention relates to an image capturing element and an image capturing apparatus. 2. Related Art An image capturing element constituted by layering semiconductor chips one above the other has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1). A higher functionality has been demanded more than before. PRIOR ART DOCUMENT Patent Document Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-49361 SUMMARY According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image capturing element including a first substrate having a plurality of pixel blocks including at least one pixel, the plurality of pixel blocks being arranged to be aligned in a row direction and a column direction, and a second substrate having a plurality of control blocks including a conversion unit which converts a signal which is output from the pixel into a digital signal and a through electrode unit configured to output the signal converted into the digital signal by the conversion unit, the plurality of control blocks being arranged to be aligned in the row direction and the column direction. According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image capturing apparatus including the image capturing element. Note that the summary clause does not necessarily describe all necessary features of the embodiments of the present invention. The present invention may also be a sub-combination of the features described above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 illustrates an overview of an image capturing element 400. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a specific configuration of a pixel unit 110. FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a circuit configuration of a pixel 112. FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a more specific configuration of a control circuit unit 210. FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a more specific configuration of a control block 220. FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a more specific configuration of an image processing unit 310. FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a more specific configuration of a processing block 320. FIG. 8 is a diagram for describing an example of a wiring method of the image capturing element 400. FIG. 9 is a schematic view illustrating an arrangement relationship of a plurality of control blocks 220. FIG. 10 is a schematic view illustrating an arrangement relationship of a plurality of processing blocks 320. FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a specific configuration of another control block 620. FIG. 12 is a diagram for describing an example of a wiring method of an image capturing element 800 using the control block 620. FIG. 13 is a schematic view illustrating an arrangement relationship of a plurality of control blocks 620. FIG. 14 illustrates an example of a specific configuration of still another control block 640. FIG. 15 is a schematic view illustrating an arrangement relationship of a plurality of control blocks 640. FIG. 16 illustrates an example of a specific configuration of still another control block 660. FIG. 17 is a schematic view illustrating an arrangement relationship of a plurality of control blocks 660. FIG. 18 is a schematic view illustrating a detail of an arrangement of a through electrode 62. FIG. 19 is a schematic view illustrating a detail of the arrangement of the through electrode 62. FIG. 20 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image capturing apparatus 500 according to an embodiment. DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to claims. In addition, not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the solving means of the invention. In the present specification, the X axis and the Y axis are orthogonal to each other, and the Z axis is orthogonal to the XY plane. The XYZ axes constitute a right-handed system. A direction parallel to the Z axis may be referred to as a stacking direction of the image capturing element. As used herein, the terms “upper” and “lower” are not limited to the upper and lower direction in the direction of gravity. These terms just refer to relative directions in the Z axis direction. Note that, in the present specification, the alignment in the X axis direction is described as a “row” and the alignment in the Y axis direction is described as a “column”, but the row direction and the column direction are not limited thereto. FIG. 1 illustrates an overview of an image capturing element 400. The image capturing element 400 is configured to capture a subject. The image capturing element 400 is configured to generate image data of the captured subject. The image capturing element 400 includes a first substrate 100, a second substrate 200, and a third substrate 300. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the first substrate 100 is stacked above the second substrate 200. In addition