Image sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11404457-B2
Application number	US-202017035908-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2020
Priority date	Jan 3, 2017
Publication date	Aug 2, 2022
Grant date	Aug 2, 2022

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 including 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, which are arranged in a line and 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 the storage nodes face the floating diffusion parts respectively;
a transfer gate adjacent to a region between the floating diffusion parts and the storage nodes;
a plurality of photoelectric conversion parts sequentially stacked on the first surface or the second surface of the substrate,
wherein the photoelectric conversion parts absorb lights with different wavelengths and generate electric charges from the absorbed lights, and the electric charges are transferred from the photoelectric conversion parts to their corresponding storage nodes, and
wherein a signal from a first one of the storage nodes to a corresponding 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 transfer gate in one of the unit pixel regions.

2. 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.

3. The image sensor of claim 2 , 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.

4. The image sensor of claim 2 , 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.

5. 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.

6. The image sensor of claim 5 , wherein the transfer gate has a ‘C’-shaped structure facing opposite sides of each of the floating diffusion parts.

7. The image sensor of claim 5 , wherein the transfer gate has a comb-shaped structure facing three side surfaces of each of the floating diffusion parts.

8. The image sensor of claim 5 , wherein the transfer gate has a ladder-shaped structure surrounding four sides of each of the floating diffusion parts.

9. 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.

10. The image sensor of claim 9 , wherein the transfer gate is partially disposed in the substrate.

11. An image sensor, comprising:
first, second and third layers disposed at a first side of a substrate, the first layer configured to detect a light having a wavelength corresponding to a first color, the second layer configured to detect a light having a wavelength corresponding to a second color, and the third layer configured to detect a light having a wavelength corresponding to a third color;
a first storage node connected to the first layer;
a second storage node connected to the second layer;
a third storage node connected to the third layer;
first, second and third floating diffusion parts disposed at a second side of the substrate, the first floating diffusion part facing the first storage node, the second floating diffusion part facing the second storage node, and the third floating diffusion part facing the third storage node; and
a transfer gate disposed adjacent to the first floating diffusion part,
wherein a signal from the first storage node to the first floating diffusion part is simultaneously transferred with a signal from the second storage node to the second floating diffusion part by the transfer gate in one, of the unit pixel regions.

12. The image sensor of claim 11 , wherein the first, second and third layers are quantum dot layers or photoelectric conversion part layers.

13. The image sensor of claim 11 , wherein the transfer gate includes a protruded gate portion on the second side and a buried gate portion extended from the protruded gate portion towards the first side.

14. The image sensor of claim 11 , wherein the transfer gate is configured to simultaneously transfer signals associated with the first, second and third colors.

15. The image sensor of claim 11 , wherein a signal from the third storage node to the third floating diffusion part is simultaneously transferred with a signal from the second storage node to the second floating diffusion part by the transfer gate in one of the unit pixel regions.

16. An image sensor, comprising:
first, second and third layers disposed at a first side of a substrate, the first layer configured to detect a light having a wavelength corresponding to a first color, the second layer configured to detect a light having a wavelength corresponding to a second color, and the third layer configured to detect a light having a wavelength corresponding to a third color;
first, second and third storage nodes sequentially arranged in a first direction in the substrate adjacent to the first side, the first storage node connected to the first layer, the second storage node connected to the second layer, and the third storage node connected to the third layer;
first, second and third floating diffusion parts sequentially arranged in the first direction in the substrate adjacent to the first side, the first, second and third floating diffusion parts spaced apart from the first, second and third storage nodes in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and
a single transfer gate on the first side of the substrate, the single transfer gate extending between the first storage node and the first floating diffusion part, between the second storage node and the second floating diffusion part, and between the third storage node and the third floating diffusion part.

17. The image sensor of claim 16 , wherein a signal from the first storage node to the first floating diffusion part, a signal from the second storage node to the second floating diffusion part, and a signal from the third storage node to the third floating diffusion part are simultaneously transferred by the single transfer gate.

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

19. The image sensor of claim 16 , further comprising at least one separation part interposed among the first, second and third storage nodes and among first, second and third floating diffusion parts.

20. The image sensor of claim 19 , 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 first, second and third floating diffusion parts.

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