Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090035888 | TWO EPITAXIAL LAYERS TO REDUCE CROSSTALK IN AN IMAGE SENSOR - An image sensor includes a substrate of a first conductivity type having an image area with a plurality of photosensitive sites, wherein a portion of the charge generated in response to light is collected in the pixel; and a subcollector of a second conductivity spanning the image area that collects another portion of the generated charge that would have otherwise diffused to adjacent photosensitive sites. | 02-05-2009 |
20090243025 | PIXEL STRUCTURE WITH A PHOTODETECTOR HAVING AN EXTENDED DEPLETION DEPTH - An image sensor includes an imaging area that includes a plurality of pixels that are formed in a substrate layer of a first conductivity type. Each pixel includes a collection region that is formed in a portion of the substrate layer and doped with a dopant of a first conductivity type. A plurality of wells are disposed in portions of the substrate layer and doped with another dopant of the second conductivity type. Each well is positioned laterally adjacent to each collection region. A buried layer spans the imaging area and is disposed in a portion of the substrate layer that is beneath the photodetectors and the wells. The buried layer is doped with a dopant of a second conductivity type. Each collection region, each well, and the buried layer are formed such that a region of the substrate layer having substantially the same doping as the substrate layer resides between each collection region and the buried layer. | 10-01-2009 |
20100116971 | BACK-ILLUMINATED CMOS IMAGE SENSORS - A back-illuminated image sensor includes a sensor layer disposed between an insulating layer and a circuit layer electrically connected to the sensor layer. An imaging area includes a plurality of photodetectors is formed in the sensor layer and a well that spans the imaging area. The well can be disposed between the backside of the sensor layer and the photodetectors, or the well can be a buried well formed adjacent to the backside of the sensor layer with a region including formed between the photodetectors and the buried well. One or more side wells can be formed laterally adjacent to each photodetector. The dopant in the well has a segregation coefficient that causes the dopant to accumulate on the sensor layer side of an interface between the sensor layer and the insulating layer. | 05-13-2010 |
20100140668 | SHALLOW TRENCH ISOLATION REGIONS IN IMAGE SENSORS - An image sensor includes an imaging area that includes a plurality of pixels, with each pixel including a photosensitive charge storage region formed in a substrate. A passivation implantation region contiguously surrounds the side wall and bottom surfaces of each trench in the one or more trench isolation regions. A portion of each passivation implantation region is laterally adjacent to a respective charge storage region and resides only in an isolation gap disposed between the respective charge storage region and a respective trench isolation region and does not substantially reside under the charge storage region. Each passivation implantation region is formed by implanting one or more dopants at a low energy into the side wall and bottom surfaces of each trench after annealing the image sensor and prior to filling the trenches with an insulating material. | 06-10-2010 |
20100140728 | LATERAL OVERFLOW DRAIN AND CHANNEL STOP REGIONS IN IMAGE SENSORS - A lateral overflow drain and a channel stop are fabricated using a double mask process. Each lateral overflow drain is formed within a respective channel stop. Due to the use of two mask layers, one edge of each lateral overflow drain is aligned, or substantially aligned, with an edge of a respective channel stop. | 06-10-2010 |
20100140729 | LATERAL OVERFLOW DRAIN AND CHANNEL STOP REGIONS IN IMAGE SENSORS - A lateral overflow drain and a channel stop are fabricated using a double mask process. Each lateral overflow drain is formed within a respective channel stop. Due to the use of two mask layers, one edge of each lateral overflow drain is aligned, or substantially aligned, with an edge of a respective channel stop. | 06-10-2010 |
20100148230 | TRENCH ISOLATION REGIONS IN IMAGE SENSORS - Trenches are formed in a substrate or layer and a solid source doped with one or more dopants is deposited over the image sensor such that the solid source fills the one or more trenches and is disposed on the surface of the substrate. The surface of the image sensor is then planarized so that the solid source remains only in the trenches. A thermal drive operation is performed to cause at least a portion of the one or more dopants in the solid source to diffuse into the portions of the substrate or layer that are immediately adjacent to and surround the sidewall and bottom surfaces of the trenches. The diffused dopant or dopants form passivation regions that passivate the interface between the substrate or layer and the sidewall and bottom surfaces of the trenches. | 06-17-2010 |
20100188545 | PMOS PIXEL STRUCTURE WITH LOW CROSS TALK FOR ACTIVE PIXEL IMAGE SENSORS - An image sensor with an image area having a plurality of pixels each having a photodetector of a first conductivity type, the image sensor includes a substrate of the first conductivity type; a first layer of the second conductivity type between the substrate and the photodetectors, spanning the image area and biased at predetermined potential with respect to the substrate for driving excess carriers into the substrate to reduce cross talk; one or more adjacent active electronic components disposed in the first layer within each pixel; and electronic circuitry disposed in the substrate outside of the image area. | 07-29-2010 |
20110156112 | IMAGE SENSOR WITH DOPED TRANSFER GATE - An image sensor includes an array of pixels, with at least one pixel including a photodetector formed in a substrate layer and a transfer gate disposed adjacent to the photodetector. The substrate layer further includes multiple charge-to-voltage conversion regions. A single photodetector can transfer collected charge to a single charge-to-voltage conversion region, or alternatively multiple photodetectors can transfer collected charge to a common charge-to-voltage conversion region shared by the photodetectors. An implant region formed when dopants are implanted into the substrate layer to form source/drain implant regions is disposed in only a portion of each transfer gate while each charge-to-voltage conversion region is substantially devoid of the implant region. | 06-30-2011 |
20110159635 | METHOD FOR FORMING DEEP ISOLATION IN IMAGERS - An image sensor having an imaging area that includes a substrate layer and a plurality of pixels formed therein. Multiple pixels each include a photodetector formed in the substrate layer. Isolation layers are formed in the substrate layer by performing a series of implants of one or more dopants of a first conductivity type into the substrate layer. Each isolation layer implant is performed with a different energy than the other isolation layer implants in the series and each implant implants the one or more dopants into the entire imaging area. The photodetectors are formed in the substrate layer by performing a series of implants of one or more dopants of a second conductivity type into each pixel in the substrate layer. Each photodetector implant is performed with a different energy than the other photodetector implants in the series. | 06-30-2011 |
20120080731 | PHOTODETECTOR ISOLATION IN IMAGE SENSORS - A first shallow trench isolation region is disposed in the silicon semiconductor layer laterally adjacent to a photodetector while a second shallow trench isolation region is disposed in the silicon semiconductor layer laterally adjacent to other electrical components in a pixel. The first and second shallow trench isolation regions each include a trench disposed in the silicon semiconductor layer that is filled with a dielectric material. An isolation layer having the second conductivity is disposed only along a portion of a bottom and only along a sidewall of the trench immediately adjacent to the photodetector. The isolation layer is not disposed along the other portion of the bottom and along the other sidewall of the trench adjacent the photodetector. The isolation layer is not disposed along the bottom and sidewalls of the trench adjacent to the other electrical components. | 04-05-2012 |
20120080733 | PHOTODETECTOR ISOLATION IN IMAGE SENSORS - Shallow trench isolation regions are disposed in an n-type silicon semiconductor layer laterally adjacent to a collection region of a photodetector and laterally adjacent to a charge-to-voltage conversion region. The shallow trench isolation regions each include a trench disposed in the silicon semiconductor layer and a first dielectric structure disposed along an interior bottom and sidewalls of each trench. A second dielectric structure is disposed over the pinning layer. The dielectric structures include a silicon nitride layer disposed over an oxide layer. An n-type isolation layer is disposed along only a portion of the exterior bottom of the trench and the exterior sidewall of the trench immediately adjacent to the photodetector. The n-type isolation layer is not disposed along the remaining portion of the bottom or the opposing exterior sidewall of the trench. | 04-05-2012 |
20120083067 | METHOD FOR FORMING PHOTODETECTOR ISOLATION IN IMAGERS - A first shallow trench isolation region is disposed in the silicon semiconductor layer laterally adjacent to a photodetector while a second shallow trench isolation region is disposed in the silicon semiconductor layer laterally adjacent to other electrical components in a pixel. The first and second shallow trench isolation regions each include a trench disposed in the silicon semiconductor layer that is filled with a dielectric material. An isolation layer having the second conductivity is disposed only along a portion of a bottom and only along a sidewall of the trench immediately adjacent to the photodetector. The isolation layer is not disposed along the other portion of the bottom and along the other sidewall of the trench adjacent the photodetector. The isolation layer is not disposed along the bottom and sidewalls of the trench adjacent to the other electrical components. | 04-05-2012 |