Sensors and electronic devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11158676-B2
Application number	US-202016788857-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 12, 2020
Priority date	Aug 1, 2019
Publication date	Oct 26, 2021
Grant date	Oct 26, 2021

Abstract

A sensor includes an anode and a cathode, and a near-infrared photoelectric conversion layer between the anode and the cathode. The near-infrared photoelectric conversion layer is configured to absorb light of at least a portion of a near-infrared wavelength spectrum and convert the absorbed light into an electrical signal. The near-infrared photoelectric conversion layer includes a first material having a maximum absorption wavelength in the near-infrared wavelength spectrum and a second material forming a pn junction with the first material and having a wider energy bandgap than an energy bandgap of the first material. The first material is included in the near-infrared photoelectric conversion layer in a smaller amount than the second material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sensor, comprising:
an anode and a cathode, each of the anode and the cathode including an oxide conductor;
a near-infrared photoelectric conversion layer between the anode and the cathode, the near-infrared photoelectric conversion layer configured to absorb light of at least a portion of a near-infrared wavelength spectrum and convert the absorbed light into an electrical signal, and
a first charge auxiliary layer between the near-infrared photoelectric conversion layer and the cathode,
wherein the near-infrared photoelectric conversion layer includes
a first amount of a first material, the first material being a p-type semiconductor and having a maximum absorption wavelength in the near-infrared wavelength spectrum, and
a second amount of a second material, the second material being an n-type semiconductor forming a pn junction with the first material and an energy bandgap of the second material being wider than an energy bandgap of the first material,

wherein a difference between a highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level of the first material and a work function of the cathode is less than about 0.8 eV,
wherein a difference between a highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level of the first charge auxiliary layer and the work function of the cathode is greater than or equal to about 1.5 eV, and
wherein a composition ratio of the first material relative to the second material is about 0.10 to about 0.50.

2. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein a difference between a highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level of the second material and the HOMO energy level of the first material is greater than or equal to about 1.0 eV.

3. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein a difference between a highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level of the second material and the work function of the cathode is greater than or equal to about 1.5 eV.

4. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein the energy bandgap of the second material is wider than the energy bandgap of the first material by about 0.5 eV to about 2.0 eV.

5. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein a maximum absorption wavelength of the second material is not within the near-infrared wavelength spectrum.

6. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein the near-infrared photoelectric conversion layer comprises a mixed layer including a mixture of the first material and the second material.

7. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein a maximum absorption wavelength of the near-infrared photoelectric conversion layer is within about 750 nm to about 1500 nm.

8. The sensor of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second charge auxiliary layer between the near-infrared photoelectric conversion layer and the anode.

9. The sensor of claim 8 , wherein a difference between a lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy level of the second charge auxiliary layer and a work function of the anode is greater than or equal to about 1.5 eV.

10. The sensor of claim 1 , further comprising:
a semiconductor substrate, wherein the cathode, anode, and near-infrared photoelectric conversion layer are stacked on the semiconductor substrate.

11. The sensor of claim 10 , further comprising:
a visible light sensor configured to detect light in a visible wavelength spectrum.

12. The sensor of claim 11 , wherein
the visible light sensor includes
a blue sensor configured to sense light in a blue wavelength spectrum,
a green sensor configured to sense light in a green wavelength spectrum, and
a red sensor configured to sense light in a red wavelength spectrum,

wherein the blue sensor, the green sensor and the red sensor are integrated in the semiconductor substrate.

13. The sensor of claim 11 , wherein
the visible light sensor includes
a blue sensor configured to sense light in a blue wavelength spectrum,
a green sensor configured to sense light in a green wavelength spectrum, and
a red sensor configured to sense light in a red wavelength spectrum,

wherein two sensors of the blue sensor, the green sensor, or the red sensor are photodiodes integrated in the semiconductor substrate, and
a remaining one sensor of the blue sensor, the green sensor, and the red sensor is a photoelectric conversion device on the semiconductor substrate.

14. The sensor of claim 13 , wherein the photoelectric conversion device includes a visible photoelectric conversion layer between a pair of electrodes, the visible photoelectric conversion layer configured to absorb visible light of one wavelength spectrum of the blue wavelength spectrum, the green wavelength spectrum, or the red wavelength spectrum to convert the absorbed visible light into a visible light electrical signal.

15. The sensor of claim 11 , wherein
the visible light sensor includes
a blue sensor configured to sense light in a blue wavelength spectrum,
a green sensor configured to sense light in a green wavelength spectrum, and
a red sensor configured to sense light in a red wavelength spectrum,

wherein each sensor of the blue sensor, the green sensor, and the red sensor is a photoelectric conversion device.

16. The sensor of claim 15 , wherein
the blue sensor includes a blue photoelectric conversion layer configured to absorb first light in the blue wavelength spectrum and convert the first light into a first electrical signal,
the green sensor includes a green photoelectric conversion layer configured to absorb second light in the green wavelength spectrum and convert the second light into a second electrical signal, and
the red sensor includes a red photoelectric conversion layer configured to absorb third light in the red wavelength spectrum and convert the third light into a third electrical signal.

17. An electronic device comprising the sensor of claim 1 .

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Leem Dong-Seok
• Kim Rae Sung
• Choi Hyesung
• Kwon Ohkyu
• Kim Changki
• Kim Hwang Suk
• Park Bum Woo
• Lee Jae Jun

Classifications

• H10K30/353

  comprising blocking layers, e.g. exciton blocking layers · CPC title

• H10K30/20

  comprising organic-organic junctions, e.g. donor-acceptor junctions · CPC title

• H10F39/80

  Constructional details of image sensors · CPC title

• H10F39/184 Primary

  Infrared image sensors · CPC title

• H10F39/193

  Infrared image sensors · CPC title