Image sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10861887-B2
Application number	US-201715692244-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2017
Priority date	Jan 3, 2017
Publication date	Dec 8, 2020
Grant date	Dec 8, 2020

Abstract

An image sensor may include a substrate including a plurality of unit pixel regions and having first and second surfaces facing each other. Each of the unit pixel regions may include a plurality of floating diffusion parts spaced apart from each other in the substrate, storage nodes provided in the substrate to be spaced apart from and facing the floating diffusion parts, a transfer gate adjacent to a region between the floating diffusion parts and the storage nodes, and photoelectric conversion parts sequentially stacked on one of the first and second surfaces. Each of the photoelectric conversion parts may include common and pixel electrodes respectively provided on top and bottom surfaces thereof and each pixel electrode may be electrically connected to a corresponding one of the storage nodes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image sensor, comprising:
a substrate comprising a plurality of unit pixel regions, the substrate having first and second surfaces facing each other,
wherein each of the unit pixel regions comprises:
a plurality of floating diffusion parts spaced apart from each other in the substrate;
a plurality of storage nodes provided in the substrate and spaced apart from the floating diffusion parts, wherein each of the storage nodes faces a corresponding one of the floating diffusion parts;
a single transfer gate adjacent to a region between the floating diffusion parts and the storage nodes; and
a plurality of photoelectric conversion parts sequentially stacked on one of the first and second surfaces, wherein each of the photoelectric conversion parts comprises a common electrode and a pixel electrode,
the common electrode being provided at a top surface of its photoelectric conversion part,
the pixel electrode being provided at a bottom surface of its photoelectric conversion part, and electrically connected to a corresponding one of the storage nodes,
wherein the single transfer gate includes a first portion, which is provided on the first surface of the substrate, and a second portion which is extended from the first portion and is inserted into the substrate, and
wherein a signal from a first one of the storage nodes to a corresponding a first one of the floating diffusion parts is simultaneously transferred with a signal from a second one of the storage nodes to a corresponding second one of the floating diffusion parts by the single transfer gate in one of the unit pixel regions.

2. The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein each of the photoelectric conversion parts further comprise a first photoelectric conversion layer interposed between its common and pixel electrodes, and
the first photoelectric conversion layer comprising quantum dots or photoactive organic materials.

3. The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein each of the photoelectric conversion parts further comprise a photoelectric conversion layer, which absorbs lights with different wavelengths and generates electric charges from the absorbed lights.

4. The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein each of the floating diffusion parts and the storage nodes is an impurity region or an impurity-doped semiconductor pattern that is formed in the substrate.

5. The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein the common electrodes, which are positioned at a same level in each of the unit pixel regions cover substantially all of the first surface or the second surface, and
the pixel electrodes, which are positioned at a same level in each of the unit pixel regions, are separated from each other.

6. The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein the floating diffusion parts are adjacent to the first surface,
the storage nodes are adjacent to the second surface, and
the photoelectric conversion parts are stacked on the second surface.

7. The image sensor of claim 6 , wherein the single transfer gate has a ‘C’-shaped structure facing opposite sides of each of the floating diffusion parts.

8. The image sensor of claim 6 , further comprising:
a first interlayered insulating layer covering the first surface in a first unit pixel region of the unit pixel regions;
a second interlayered insulating layer disposed between a lowermost one of the photoelectric conversion parts and the second surface in the first unit pixel region;
a third interlayered insulating layer disposed between adjacent photoelectric conversion parts in the first unit pixel region; and
an insulating pattern disposed between the pixel electrodes which are positioned at a same level in the first unit pixel region and a second unit pixel region of the unit pixel regions.

9. The image sensor of claim 8 , further comprising:
a plurality of first contact plugs provided in the first interlayered insulating layer in the first unit pixel region and in contact with the floating diffusion parts, respectively;
a second contact plug penetrating the second interlayered insulating layer and connecting the pixel electrode of the lowermost one of the photoelectric conversion parts to a first one of the storage nodes in the first unit pixel region; and
an insulating layer disposed at a side surface of the second contact plug.

10. The image sensor of claim 6 , wherein the transfer gate has a comb shaped structure facing three side surfaces of each of the floating diffusion parts.

11. The image sensor of claim 6 , wherein the transfer gate has a ladder-shaped structure surrounding four sides of each of the floating diffusion parts.

12. The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein each of the unit pixel regions further comprise:
a plurality of channel regions which are provided between the floating diffusion parts and the storage nodes, respectively: and
at least one separation part interposed between the channel regions.

13. The image sensor of claim 12 , wherein the at least one separation part is an insulating layer, an impurity region or a semiconductor pattern that is doped to have a conductivity type different from that of the floating diffusion parts.

14. The image sensor of claim 12 . wherein the at least one separation part is extended into at least one of a gap between adjacent floating diffusion parts and a gap between adjacent storage nodes.

15. The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein the floating diffusion parts and the storage nodes in a first unit pixel region of the unit pixel regions are adjacent to the first surface,
the transfer gate in the first unit pixel region is disposed on the first surface, and
the photoelectric conversion parts in the first unit pixel region are sequentially stacked on the first surface.

16. The image sensor of claim 15 , wherein the transfer gate is partially disposed in the substrate.

17. The image sensor of claim 15 , further comprising:
a first interlayered insulating layer disposed between the first surface and a lowermost one of the photoelectric conversion parts in the first unit pixel region;
a second interlayered insulating layer disposed between adjacent photoelectric conversion parts in the first unit pixel region; and
an insulating pattern disposed between the pixel electrodes which are positioned at a same level in the first unit pixel region and a second unit pixel region of the unit pixel regions.

18. The image sensor of claim 17 , further comprising:
a plurality of first contact plugs disposed in the first interlayered insulating layer in the first unit pixel region and in contact with the floating diffusion parts, respectively;
a plurality of second contact plugs penetrating the first interlayered insulating layer and in contact with the storage nodes in the first unit pixel region; and
an insulating layer disposed at a side surface of each of the second contact plugs,
wherein the second contact plugs connect the pixel electrodes of the photoelectric conversion parts of the first unit pixel region to the storage nodes of the first unit pixel region, respectively.

19. The image sensor of claim 18 , wherein the optical transmittance of the second contact plugs is higher than that of the first contact plugs.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Gwi-Deok Ryan
• Lee Taeyon

Classifications

• H10F39/014

  of CMOS image sensors · CPC title

• H10F39/811

  Interconnections · CPC title

• H10F39/18

  Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor [CMOS] image sensors; Photodiode array image sensors · CPC title

• H10F39/809

  of hybrid image sensors · CPC title

• H10F39/807

  Pixel isolation structures · CPC title