Patent ID: 7307788

Claim:
An imager comprising: a pixel array comprising a plurality of pixels, each having a photosensor embedded in a substrate; a color filter array comprising a plurality of color filters, each filter located at least partially over at least one pixel; and a single substantially gapless microlens array formed over the pixel array, wherein no other microlenses are located between the microlens array and the pixel array, said microlens array comprising: a plurality of first spherically-shaped microlenses formed of a microlens material in a first material layer; and a plurality of second spherically-shaped microlenses formed of the same microlens material in a second material layer and arranged such that each of said second spherically-shaped microlenses abuts at least four of said first spherically-shaped microlenses, wherein said first and second plurality of microlenses share a common light wavelength transmissivity characteristic, wherein the plurality of first microlenses have a different focal length than a focal length of the plurality of second microlenses in order to focus incoming light at a different depth in the substrate.