1. A stacked photodiode image sensor pixel in an image sensor array formed in a semiconductor substrate, comprising:
a first photodiode formed using a first p-type doped region and a first n-type doped region;
a second photodiode formed using a second p-type doped region and a second n-type doped region, wherein the first photodiode is stacked vertically above the second photodiode;
a vertical charge transfer region transfer gate; and
a vertical charge transfer region that is located below the vertical charge transfer region transfer gate and that is adjacent to the first and second photodiodes, wherein the vertical charge transfer region transfer gate assists in transferring charge collected in the second n-type doped region to the first n-type doped region through the vertical charge transfer region.
2. The stacked photodiode image sensor pixel defined in claim 1, further comprising:
a floating diffusion region formed in the substrate; and
a floating diffusion region transfer gate that assists in transferring charge collected in the first n-type doped region to the floating diffusion region.
3. The stacked photodiode image sensor pixel defined in claim 2, further comprising a given n-type doped region in the vertical charge transfer region, wherein the vertical charge transfer region transfer gate is turned on to transfer the charge collected in the second n-type doped region to the given n-type doped region for temporary storage and wherein the vertical charge transfer region transfer gate is turned off to transfer the charge temporarily stored in the given n-type doped region through the first n-type doped region to the floating diffusion region.
4. The stacked photodiode image sensor pixel defined in claim 2, further comprising pixel circuitry connected to the floating diffusion region, wherein the pixel circuitry resets the floating diffusion region and reads data out of the image sensor pixel.
5. The stacked photodiode image sensor pixel defined in claim 1, further comprising a given n-type doped region in the vertical charge transfer region, wherein the vertical charge transfer region transfer gate is turned on to transfer the charge collected in the second n-type doped region to the given n-type doped region for temporary storage and wherein the vertical charge transfer region transfer gate is turned off to transfer the charge temporarily stored in the given n-type doped region through the first n-type doped region to the floating diffusion region.
6. The stacked photodiode image sensor pixel defined in claim 1, further comprising a p+ doped potential barrier region formed between the first photodiode and the second photodiode.
7. The stacked photodiode image sensor pixel defined in claim 1, further comprising a p+ doped passivation layer formed over the first photodiode that minimizes dark current generation at the surface of the substrate.
8. The stacked photodiode image sensor pixel defined in claim 1, further comprising p-type implant regions that partially surround the first and second photodiodes and prevent pixel crosstalk.
9. An image sensor, comprising:
a plurality of image sensor pixels; and
a color filter array formed over the plurality of image sensor pixels, wherein the color filter array includes non-clear color filters and clear color filters.
10. The image sensor defined in claim 9, wherein each non-clear color filter comprises a selected one of: a cyan color filter, a magenta color filter, a green color filter, and a red color filter.
11. The image sensor defined in claim 9, wherein each image sensor pixel comprises:
a first photodiode formed from a first p-type doped region and a first n-type doped region; and
a second photodiode formed from a second p-type doped region and a second n-type doped region, wherein the first photodiode is stacked vertically above the second photodiode.
12. The image sensor defined in claim 11, wherein the image sensor pixels formed under the clear color filters are configured to detect blue light using their respective first photodiodes and wherein the image sensor pixels formed under the clear color filters are configured to detect red and green light using their respective second photodiodes.
13. The image sensor defined in claim 11, wherein the image sensor pixels formed under the non-clear color filters are configured to detect blue light using their respective first photodiodes and wherein the image sensor pixels formed under the non-clear color filters are configured to detect red or green light using their respective second photodiodes.
14. The image sensor defined in claim 11, wherein the image sensor pixels formed under the non-clear color filters are configured to detect red or green light using their respective second photodiodes.
15. The image sensor defined in claim 11, wherein each image sensor pixel further comprises:
a vertical charge transfer region transfer gate; and
a vertical charge transfer region that is located below the vertical charge transfer region transfer gate and that is adjacent to the first and second photodiodes, wherein the vertical charge transfer region transfer gate is used to transfer charge collected in the second n-type doped region to the first n-type doped region through the vertical charge transfer region.
16. A method of operating a stacked photodiode image sensor pixel having first and second photodiodes, a floating diffusion region transfer gate, a floating diffusion region, a vertical charge transfer region transfer gate, and a vertical charge transfer region that is located below the vertical charge transfer region transfer gate and that is adjacent to the first and second photodiodes, wherein the first photodiode is stacked vertically above the second photodiode, the method comprising:
transferring charge collected in a shallow implant region in the first photodiode to the floating diffusion region by turning on the floating diffusion region transfer gate; and
transferring charge collected in a deep implant region in the second photodiode to the floating diffusion region via the vertical charge transfer region using the vertical charge transfer region transfer gate.
17. The method defined in claim 16, wherein the image sensor pixel further comprises a given n-type doped region in the vertical charge transfer region, wherein transferring the charge collected in the deep implant region in the second photodiode to the floating diffusion region comprises:
turning on the vertical charge transfer region transfer gate to transfer the charge collected in the deep implant region to the given n-type doped region in the vertical charge transfer region; and
turning off the vertical charge transfer region transfer gate to transfer the charge stored in the given n-type doped region to the floating diffusion region.
18. The method defined in claim 17, wherein the image sensor pixel further includes image sensor pixel circuitry connected to the floating diffusion, the method further comprising:
with the image sensor pixel circuitry, resetting the floating diffusion region by writing a reset data value into the image sensor pixel; and
with the image sensor pixel circuitry, reading data out of the image sensor pixel, wherein the data corresponds to part of a captured image.
19. The method defined in claim 16, wherein the image sensor pixel further comprises a potential barrier formed between the shallow implant region of the first photodiode and the deep implant region of the second photodiode, the method further comprising:
with the potential barrier, blocking direct charge transfer between the shallow implant region and the deep implant region while the vertical charge transfer region transfer gate is turned off.
20. The method defined in claim 16, wherein a non-clear color filter is formed over the image sensor pixel, the method further comprising:
with the second photodiode, collecting charge generated by a selected one of: green light and red light.
21. The method defined in claim 16, wherein a clear color filter is formed over the image sensor pixel, the method further comprising:
with the first photodiode, collecting charge generated by blue light; and
with the second photodiode, collecting charge generated by red and green light.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for identifying an agent that modulates an activity of TM7XN1 in an adenocarcinoma cell expressing TM7XN1, the method comprising:
contacting a candidate agent with an adenocarcinoma cell expressing a TM7XN1 polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID No:2; and
determining whether there is an effect on the cell, indicating that the agent modulates an activity of TM7XN1.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent downregulates or upregulates expression of TM7XN1.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent inhibits or increases an activity of TM7XN1.
4. A method for identifying an agent that modulates an activity of TM7XN1 in a non-melanoma skin cancer cell expressing TM7XN1, the method comprising:
contacting a candidate agent with a non-melanoma skin cancer cell expressing a TM7XN1 polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID No:2; and
determining whether there is an effect on the cell, indicating that the agent modulates an activity of TM7XN.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the agent downregulates or upregulates expression of TM7XN1.
6. The method of claim 4, wherein the agent inhibits or increases activity of TM7XN1.
7. A method for identifying an agent that modulates activity of TM7XN1 in a renal carcinoma cell expressing TM7XN1, the method comprising:
contacting a candidate agent with a renal carcinoma cell expressing a TM7XN1 polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID No:2; and
determining whether there is an effect on the cell, indicating that the agent modulates an activity of TM7XN.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the agent downregulates or upregulates expression of TM7XN1.
9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the agent inhibits or increases an activity of TM7XN1.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein modulation of TM7XN1 is measured by a change in intracellular calcium mobilization in said cell in an in vitro assay.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein modulation of TM7XN1 is measured by a said change in concentration of cAMP.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein modulation of TM7XN1 is measured by the ability of the cell to move through a matrix in an in vitro assay.
13. The method according to claim 1, wherein modulation of TM7XN1 is measured by inhibition of apoptosis of said cells.
14. The method according to claim 1, wherein modulation of TM7XN1 is measured by the expression of enzymes involved in matrix degradation in an in vitro assay.
15. The method of claim 4, wherein modulation of TM7XN1 is measured by a change in intracellular calcium mobilization in said cell in an in vitro assay.
16. The method of claim 4, wherein modulation of TM7XN1 is measured by a change in concentration of cAMP.
17. The method of claim 4, wherein modulation of TM7XN1 is measured by the ability of the cell to move through a matrix in an in vitro invasion assay.
18. The method according to claim 4, wherein modulation of TM7XN1 is measured by inhibition of apoptosis of the cell.
19. The method according to claim 4, wherein modulation of TM7XN1 is measured by the expression of enzymes involved in matrix degradation in an in vitro assay.
20. The method of claim 7, wherein modulation of TM7XN1 is measured by a change in intracellular calcium mobilization in said cell in an in vitro assay.
21. The method of claim 7, wherein modulation of TM7XN1 is measured by a change in concentration of cAMP.
22. The method according to claim 7, wherein modulation of TM7XN1 is measured by a change in the ability of the cell to move through a matrix in an in vitro invasion assay.
23. The method according to claim 7, wherein modulation of TM7XN1 is measured by inhibition of apoptosis of said cells.
24. The method according to claim 7, wherein modulation of TM7XN1 is measured by the expression of enzymes involved in matrix degradation in an in vitro assay.