Patent ID: 8598508

Claim:
An imaging device comprising a pixel array on a substrate in which a plurality of pixels with different characteristics of spectral sensitivity are arranged in an array and in which the pixels convert light into an electric signal, said pixels comprising a plurality of color filter pixels and at least one clear pixel, wherein, the plurality of color filter pixels include (i) a first color filter pixel with a first filter effective to cause the first color filter pixel to have a peak spectral sensitivity for red light, (ii) a second color filter pixel with a second filter effective to cause the second color filter pixel to have a peak spectral sensitivity for blue light, and (iii) a third color filter pixel with a third filter effective to cause the third color filter pixel to have a peak spectral sensitivity for green light, the first, second and third color pixels are arranged in a sub-array, the at least one clear pixel has no filter or a fourth filter with a high transmittance such that the clear pixel is sensitive to white light, the clear pixel is arranged in the sub-array at a given position of a given row and a given column with respect to a first color pixel, a second color pixel, and a third color pixel, the clear pixel has a photoconversion region with an implantation region that is deeper than those of the color filter pixels, and the clear pixel has a microlens that is positioned at a height that is less than a height of the microlenses of the color filter pixels.