Solid-state imaging device and electronic apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12199114-B2
Application number	US-202318378496-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 10, 2023
Priority date	May 29, 2017
Publication date	Jan 14, 2025
Grant date	Jan 14, 2025

Abstract

The present technology relates to a solid-state imaging device and an electronic apparatus capable of improving the accuracy of phase difference detection while suppressing degradation of a picked-up image. There is provided a solid-state imaging device including: a pixel array unit, a plurality of pixels being two-dimensionally arranged in the pixel array unit, a plurality of photoelectric conversion devices being formed with respect to one on-chip lens in each of the plurality of pixels, a part of at least one of an inter-pixel separation unit formed between the plurality of pixels and an inter-pixel light blocking unit formed between the plurality of pixels protruding toward a center of the corresponding pixel in a projecting shape to form a projection portion. The present technology is applicable to, for example, a CMOS image sensor including a pixel for detecting the phase difference.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An imaging device, comprising:
a plurality of pixels arranged two-dimensionally in a plan view,
wherein each pixel of the plurality of pixels includes a first photoelectric conversion region and a second photoelectric conversion region disposed in a semiconductor substrate, and first material,
wherein, in a cross-sectional view, the first material is disposed between at least a portion of the first photoelectric conversion region and at least a portion of the second photoelectric conversion region, and
wherein a refractive index of the first material is less than a refractive index of the semiconductor substrate.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein, in the plan view, the first material protrudes toward a center of a corresponding pixel.

3. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein, in the cross-sectional view, the first material has a triangular shape that is tapered and that decreases in width with distance from a light incident surface of the semiconductor substrate.

4. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the first material is a low refractive index material.

5. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the first material is an oxide film.

6. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the first material is glass.

7. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein, in the cross-sectional view, the first and second photoelectric conversion regions are further separated by impurities in at least an area not occupied by the first material.

8. The imaging device according to claim 7 , wherein each pixel in the plurality of pixels is separated from each neighboring pixel by an inter-pixel separation unit.

9. The imaging device according to claim 8 , wherein the inter-pixel separation unit is a metal.

10. The imaging device according to claim 9 , wherein the metal is tungsten, aluminum, silver, or rhodium.

11. The imaging device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of on-chip lenses, wherein each pixel in the plurality of pixels includes one on-chip lens.

12. The imaging device according to claim 11 , further comprising:
a plurality of color filters, wherein each pixel in the plurality of pixels includes one color filter.

13. The imaging device according to claim 12 , further comprising:
an inter-pixel light blocking unit that extends along boundaries of color filters of neighboring pixels.

14. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a silicon substrate.

15. The imaging device according to claim 11 , wherein for each pixel in the plurality of pixels a part of at least one of an inter-pixel separation unit formed between the plurality of pixels and an inter-pixel light blocking unit formed between the plurality of pixels protrudes toward a center of a corresponding pixel in a projecting shape to form a projection portion.

16. The imaging device according to claim 15 , wherein, in the plan view, each pixel in the plurality of pixels is square, and wherein the projection portion extends toward a center of the square.

17. The imaging device according to claim 16 , wherein the inter-pixel separation unit is formed of a material embedded in a trench formed in a square lattice in a semiconductor layer in which the photoelectric conversion regions are formed.

18. The imaging device according to claim 15 , wherein the inter-pixel separation unit is formed of a material embedded in a trench formed in a square lattice in a semiconductor layer in which the photoelectric conversion regions are formed, and physically separates adjacent pixels, and wherein the inter-pixel light blocking unit is formed of a material formed in a square lattice in an area between the on-chip lens and a semiconductor layer in which the photoelectric conversion regions are formed and blocks light between adjacent pixels.

19. The imaging device according to claim 18 , wherein a part of the inter-pixel separation unit and a part of the inter-pixel light blocking unit protrude toward a center of the square unit pixel in a projecting shape to form the projection portion.

20. The imaging device according to claim 19 , wherein a protruding length of the projection portion depends on a focused spot diameter of the on-chip lens.

Assignees

• Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp

Inventors

• SHIRAISHI Shouichirou
• Maruyama Takuya
• Yagi Shinichiro
• Shimada Shohei
• Sato Shinya

Classifications

• H10F39/18

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

• H10F39/807 Primary

  Pixel isolation structures · CPC title

• H10F39/8053

  Colour filters · CPC title

• H10F39/8063

  Microlenses · CPC title

• H10F39/802 Primary

  Geometry or disposition of elements in pixels, e.g. address-lines or gate electrodes · CPC title