Dual photodiode for phase detection autofocus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10073239-B1
Application number	US-201715594985-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	May 15, 2017
Priority date	May 15, 2017
Publication date	Sep 11, 2018
Grant date	Sep 11, 2018

Abstract

A phase detection autofocus image sensor includes a first photodiode in a plurality of photodiodes disposed in a semiconductor material and a second photodiode in the plurality of photodiodes. A first pinning well is disposed between the first photodiode and the second photodiode, and the first pinning well includes a first trench isolation structure that extends from a first surface of the semiconductor material into the semiconductor material a first depth. A second trench isolation structure is disposed in the semiconductor material and surrounds the first photodiode and the second photodiode. The second trench isolation structure extends from the first surface of the semiconductor material into the semiconductor material a second depth, and the second depth is greater than the first depth.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A phase detection autofocus image sensor, comprising:
a first photodiode in a plurality of photodiodes disposed in a semiconductor material;
a second photodiode in the plurality of photodiodes;
a first pinning well disposed between the first photodiode and the second photodiode, wherein the first pinning well includes a first trench isolation structure that extends from a first surface of the semiconductor material into the semiconductor material a first depth, and wherein the first pinning well has a dopant density to provide a charge overflow path between the first photodiode and the second photodiode when one of the first photodiode or the second photodiode includes image charge beyond a threshold value of image charge; and
a second trench isolation structure disposed in the semiconductor material and surrounding the first photodiode and the second photodiode, wherein the second trench isolation structure extends from the first surface of the semiconductor material into the semiconductor material a second depth, wherein the second depth is greater than the first depth.

2. The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein the first trench isolation structure is disposed within a lateral bounds of the first pinning well.

3. The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein the threshold value of image charge is below a photodiode saturation limit to permit the phase detection autofocus.

4. The image sensor of claim 1 , further comprising a third photodiode and a fourth photodiode, wherein the first pinning well is disposed between the third photodiode and fourth photodiode, and wherein the second trench isolation structure surrounds the first photodiode, the second photodiode, the third photodiode, and the fourth photodiode.

5. The image sensor of claim 4 , wherein the first photodiode and the second photodiode have a light absorbing area that when viewed from the first surface of the semiconductor material is a same size as a light absorbing area of the third photodiode and fourth photodiode.

6. The image sensor of claim 5 , wherein the first trench isolation structure and second trench isolation structure include at least one of oxide material or metal, and wherein the first trench isolation structure and the second trench isolation structure include substantially a same material composition.

7. The image sensor of claim 5 , wherein the first trench isolation structure includes oxide material and the second trench isolation structure includes at least one of oxide material or metal.

8. The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein the first pinning well extends from the first surface of the semiconductor material to a second surface of the semiconductor material opposite the first surface, and wherein the second trench isolation structure is disposed in a second pinning well that extends from the first surface of the semiconductor material to the second surface of the semiconductor material.

9. The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein the first pinning well extends only part way between the first photodiode and the second photodiode.

10. The image sensor of claim 9 , further comprising:
a first floating diffusion and a first transfer gate coupled between the first photodiode and the first floating diffusion to transfer image charge from the first photodiode to the first floating diffusion; and
a second floating diffusion and a second transfer gate coupled between the second photodiode and the second floating diffusion to transfer image charge from the second photodiode to the second floating diffusion.

11. The image sensor of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first floating diffusion and a first transfer gate coupled between the first photodiode and the first floating diffusion to transfer image charge from the first photodiode to the first floating diffusion; and
a second transfer gate coupled between the second photodiode and the first floating diffusion to transfer image charge from the second photodiode to the first floating diffusion, wherein the first transfer gate, the second transfer gate, and the first floating diffusion form a substantially “U” shaped structure when viewed from the first surface of the semiconductor material.

12. An image sensor system, comprising:
a first photodiode in a plurality of photodiodes disposed in a semiconductor material;
a second photodiode in the plurality of photodiodes disposed in the semiconductor material;
a first trench isolation structure disposed in the semiconductor material that extends from a first surface of the semiconductor material into the semiconductor material a first depth;
a second trench isolation structure disposed in the semiconductor material and surrounding the first photodiode and the second photodiode, wherein the second trench isolation structure extends from the first surface of the semiconductor material into the semiconductor material a second depth, wherein the second depth is greater than the first depth;
a first pinning well including the first trench isolation structure disposed within a lateral bounds of the first pinning well, wherein the first pinning well has a dopant density to provide a charge overflow path between the first photodiode and the second photodiode when one of the first photodiode or the second photodiode includes image charge beyond a threshold value of image charge;
a second pinning well including the second trench isolation structure disposed within the lateral bounds of the second pinning well; and
control circuitry and readout circuitry coupled to the plurality of photodiodes, wherein the control circuitry is coupled to the plurality of photodiodes to control image acquisition of the plurality of photodiodes, and wherein the readout circuitry is coupled to the plurality of photodiodes to readout image data from the plurality of photodiodes.

13. The image sensor system of claim 12 , wherein the threshold value of image charge is below a photodiode saturation limit, and wherein the control circuitry and readout circuitry are coupled to function logic to perform phase detection autofocus with unsaturated image charge extracted from the plurality of photodiodes.

14. The image sensor system of claim 12 , further comprising a third photodiode and a fourth photodiode, wherein the first trench isolation structure is disposed between the third photodiode and fourth photodiode, and wherein the second trench isolation structure surrounds the first photodiode, the second photodiode, the third photodiode, and the fourth photodiode.

15. The image sensor system of claim 12 , wherein the first trench isolation structure and second trench isolation structure include at least one of oxide material or metal, and wherein the first trench isolation structure and the second trench isolation structure include substantially a same material composition.

16. The image sensor system of claim 12 , wherein the first trench isolation structure includes oxide material and the second trench isolation structure includes at least one of oxide material or metal.

17. The image sensor system of claim 12 , wherein the first trench isolation structure extends only part way between the first photodiode and the second photodiode.

18. The image sensor system of claim 17 , further comprising:
a first floating diffusion and a first transfer gate coupled between the first photodiode and the first floating diffusion to transfer image charge from the first photodiode to the first floating diffusion; and
a second transfer gate coupled between the second photodiode and the first floating diffusion to transfer i

Assignees

• Omnivision Tech Inc

Inventors

• Jung Young Woo
• Hsiung Chih-Wei
• Watanabe Kazufumi

Classifications

• H04N23/67

  Focus control based on electronic image sensor signals · CPC title

• H04N25/704

  Pixels specially adapted for focusing, e.g. phase difference pixel sets · CPC title

• G02B5/003

  Light absorbing elements · CPC title

• G02B7/346

  using horizontal and vertical areas in the pupil plane, i.e. wide area autofocusing · CPC title

• G02B5/201

  in the form of arrays · CPC title