Patent ID: 7692705

Claim:
An imager structure, comprising: a pixel array having pixels arranged in rows and columns; said pixel array comprising a first pixel and a second pixel formed in respectively adjacent columns and in conjunction with an active area spanning a first associated photodetector of the first pixel and a second associated photodetector of the second pixel but no other photodetectors of other pixels, said active area having the first associated photodetector and the second associated photodetector at opposite ends of said active area and having a two-dimensional shape as the pixel array is viewed from above; and a common output for charges generated from the first photodetector and the second photodetector at a portion of said active area between said first and second photodetectors, the common output being coupled to a signal output line shared by the first pixel and the second pixel, wherein the two-dimensional shape of said active area between the first and second associated photodetectors comprises an active area component that extends diagonally with respect to an extending direction of said signal output line within the pixel array.