Image sensors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10468460-B2
Application number	US-201715787846-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 19, 2017
Priority date	Apr 12, 2017
Publication date	Nov 5, 2019
Grant date	Nov 5, 2019

Abstract

An image sensor includes a photoelectric conversion element and a charge storage node coupled to the photoelectric conversion element. The charge storage node may store photocharges generated in the photoelectric conversion element. The charge storage node may include a floating diffusion region in a semiconductor substrate, a barrier dopant region on the floating diffusion region in the semiconductor substrate, and a charge drain region on the barrier dopant region in the semiconductor substrate, where the semiconductor substrate is associated with a first conductivity type, the floating diffusion region is associated with a second conductivity type, the barrier dopant region is associated with the first conductivity type, and the charge drain region is associated with the second conductivity type.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image sensor, comprising:
a semiconductor substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other;
a photoelectric conversion element configured to generate photocharges and disposed on the first surface of the semiconductor substrate; and
a charge storage node configured to be coupled to the photoelectric conversion element and being adjacent to the second surface of the semiconductor substrate, the charge storage node configured to store photocharges generated in the photoelectric conversion element, the charge storage node including
a floating diffusion region in the semiconductor substrate, the semiconductor substrate associated with a first conductivity type, the floating diffusion region associated with a second conductivity type;
a barrier dopant region on the floating diffusion region in the semiconductor substrate, the barrier dopant region associated with the first conductivity type, and
a charge drain region on the barrier dopant region in the semiconductor substrate, the charge drain region associated with the second conductivity type,

wherein the floating diffusion region, the barrier dopant region, and the charge drain region are spaced apart from the first surface.

2. The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein,
the charge storage node further includes a pickup dopant region in the charge drain region,
the pickup dopant region is isolated from direct contact with the floating diffusion region and the barrier dopant region, and
the pickup dopant region is associated with the second conductivity type.

3. The image sensor of claim 2 , further comprising:
a connection line coupled to the pickup dopant region, the connection line configured to provide a bias voltage to the pickup dopant region.

4. The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein a concentration of dopants associated with the first conductivity type in the barrier dopant region is less than a concentration of dopants associated with the second conductivity type in the floating diffusion region.

5. The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein a concentration of dopants associated with the second conductivity type in the charge drain region is less than a concentration of dopants associated with the second conductivity type in the floating diffusion region.

6. The image sensor of claim 1 , further comprising:
a reset transistor electrically coupled to the floating diffusion region.

7. The image sensor of claim 1 , further comprising:
an amplifying transistor including an amplifying gate electrode, the amplifying gate electrode electrically coupled to the floating diffusion region.

8. The image sensor of claim 1 , further comprising:
an interconnection structure configured to couple the photoelectric conversion element to the charge storage node,
wherein the interconnection structure includes
a through-electrode penetrating the semiconductor substrate such that the through-electrode is coupled to a terminal of the photoelectric conversion element,
a lower insulating layer on the second surface of the semiconductor substrate,
a first bottom contact plug penetrating the lower insulating layer such that the first bottom contact plug is coupled to the floating diffusion region,
a second bottom contact plug penetrating the lower insulating layer such that the second bottom contact plug is coupled to the through-electrode, and
an interconnection line coupling the first bottom contact plug to the second bottom contact plug.

9. The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein the photoelectric conversion element includes a bottom electrode, a top electrode, and an organic photoelectric conversion layer, the organic photoelectric conversion layer between the bottom electrode and the top electrode.

10. An image sensor, comprising:
a floating diffusion region in a semiconductor substrate, the semiconductor substrate associated with a first conductivity type, the floating diffusion region associated with a second conductivity type;
a charge drain region in the semiconductor substrate, the charge drain region isolated from direct contact with the floating diffusion region, the charge drain region associated with the second conductivity type;
a barrier dopant region between the floating diffusion region and the charge drain region in the semiconductor substrate, the barrier dopant region associated with the first conductivity type;
a buffer insulating layer on the semiconductor substrate;
an organic photoelectric conversion element on the buffer insulating layer, the organic photoelectric conversion element including a bottom electrode, a top electrode,
and an organic photoelectric conversion layer, the organic photoelectric conversion layer between the bottom electrode and the top electrode; and
a first interconnection structure configured to couple the floating diffusion region to the bottom electrode of the organic photoelectric conversion element,
wherein a width of the charge drain region is greater than a width of the floating diffusion region.

11. The image sensor of claim 10 , wherein a concentration of dopants associated with the first conductivity type in the barrier dopant region is less than a concentration of dopants associated with the second conductivity type in the floating diffusion region.

12. The image sensor of claim 10 , further comprising:
a pickup dopant region in the charge drain region, the pickup dopant region isolated from direct contact with the floating diffusion region and the barrier dopant region,
wherein the pickup dopant region is associated with the second conductivity type.

13. The image sensor of claim 12 , further comprising:
a second interconnection structure configured to provide a bias voltage to the pickup dopant region.

14. The image sensor of claim 10 , further comprising:
a reset transistor electrically coupled to the floating diffusion region.

15. The image sensor of claim 10 , further comprising:
an amplifying transistor including an amplifying gate electrode, the amplifying gate electrode electrically coupled to the floating diffusion region.

16. The image sensor of claim 10 , wherein the first interconnection structure includes a through-electrode penetrating the semiconductor substrate;
a top contact plug configured to couple the through-electrode to the bottom electrode;
a plurality of bottom contact plugs, the plurality of bottom contact plugs including a first bottom contact plug that is coupled to the floating diffusion region and a second bottom contact plug that is coupled to the through-electrode; and
an interconnection line configured to couple the plurality of bottom contact plugs to each other.

17. The image sensor of claim 10 , further comprising:
a photoelectric conversion region in the semiconductor substrate, the photoelectric conversion region including dopants associated with the second conductivity type,
wherein the photoelectric conversion region overlaps with the organic photoelectric conversion element in a direction that is perpendicular to a top surface of the semiconductor substrate.

18. An image sensor comprising:
a semiconductor substrate associated with a first conductivity type;
an organic photoelectric conversion element on the semiconductor substrate;
a first charge storage node in the semiconductor substrate, the first charge storage node including
a first dopant region associated with a second conductivity type,
a second dopant region associated with the second conductivity type, and
a third dopant region associated with the first conduc

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ishii Masaru
• Lee Gwideokryan
• Lee Taeyon

Classifications

• H04N25/77

  Pixel circuitry, e.g. memories, A/D converters, pixel amplifiers, shared circuits or shared components · CPC title

• H04N25/778

  comprising amplifiers shared between a plurality of pixels, i.e. at least one part of the amplifier must be on the sensor array itself · CPC title

• H04N25/621

  for the control of blooming · CPC title

• H04N25/76

  Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors · CPC title

• H04N25/626

  Reduction of noise due to residual charges remaining after image readout, e.g. to remove ghost images or afterimages · CPC title