Light sensor and a method for manufacturing a light sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12474207-B2
Application number	US-202318197357-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 15, 2023
Priority date	May 17, 2022
Publication date	Nov 18, 2025
Grant date	Nov 18, 2025

Abstract

A light sensor for spectrally resolved light detection, said light sensor comprises: an upper reflective element; a lower reflective element; a photo-sensitive element therebetween; a spacer element, configured to form the lower reflective element or arranged between the upper and the lower reflective element; wherein the elements form a stack of layers which define a resonance structure between the upper and the lower reflective element for providing a resonance of light; wherein the spacer element comprises at least two different materials, a distribution of which is different between different pixels in an array of pixels such that a resonance wavelength is different for different pixels; and wherein for a plurality of pixels, geometrical structures smaller than the resonance wavelength are defined by the at least two different materials.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A light sensor for spectrally resolved light detection, said light sensor comprising:
an upper reflective element; a lower reflective element; a photo-sensitive element arranged between the upper reflective element and the lower reflective element; a spacer element, which is configured to form the lower reflective element or is arranged between the upper reflective element and the lower reflective element; wherein the elements form a stack of layers with the elements arranged in mutually unique planes, parallel to each other, and wherein the stack of layers define a resonance structure between the upper reflective element and the lower reflective element for providing a resonance of light dependent on a wavelength of the light; wherein the spacer element comprises at least two different materials, wherein a distribution of the at least two different materials in a direction parallel to a plane of the spacer element is different between different pixels in an array of pixels of the light sensor such that a resonance wavelength is different for different pixels; wherein, for a plurality of pixels in the array of pixels, geometrical structures having a size smaller than the resonance wavelength are defined by the at least two different materials; and wherein, for a plurality of pixels in the array of pixels, the spacer element is formed as a metamaterial, wherein periodicity of the geometrical structures is sufficiently low such that light diffraction of the resonance wavelength is not caused by the metamaterial.

2 . The light sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the distribution of the at least two different materials controls an effective refractive index of the spacer element.

3 . The light sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the spacer element is configured to enable flow of charges from the photo-sensitive element through the spacer element.

4 . The light sensor according to claim 3 , wherein a first material of the at least two different materials is configured to enable flow of charges through the spacer element and wherein the first material of the spacer element is semi-conductive.

5 . The light sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the light sensor is configured to receive light to be detected through the upper reflective element.

6 . The light sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the first material of the spacer element is a metal, semiconductor, or a dielectric material and a second material of the at least two different materials of the spacer element is a metal, a semiconductor, or a dielectric material.

7 . The light sensor according to claim 1 , wherein, for each pixel, the spacer element comprises a first region and a second region, and wherein the first material is arranged in the first region in a common manner for all pixels, and wherein the distribution of the at least two different materials in the second region is different between different pixels.

8 . The light sensor according to claim 7 , wherein a height of structures of at least one of the two different materials in the second region is different between different pixels.

9 . The light sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the photo-sensitive element comprises quantum dots configured to detect infrared light.

10 . The light sensor according to claim 1 , further comprising a substrate carrying read-out circuitry for reading out signals from the photo-sensitive element for each pixel representative of an amount of detected light, wherein the stack of layers is arranged on the substrate with the photo-sensitive element arranged between the substrate and the upper reflective element.

11 . The light sensor according to claim 10 , wherein the lower reflective element is formed by a metal layer arranged on the substrate.

12 . The light sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the upper reflective element is formed by multiple layers forming a distributed Bragg reflector.

13 . The light sensor according to claim 1 , further comprising an electrical contact element in the stack of layers, wherein the electrical contact element is configured to form part of the upper reflective element or is configured to be arranged between the upper reflective element and the photo-sensitive element and which is configured to form electrical contact with the photo-sensitive element.

14 . The light sensor according to claim 1 , further comprising a first transport layer and a second transport layer arranged on opposite sides of the photo-sensitive element in the stack of layers.

15 . The light sensor according to claim 1 , wherein pixels are arranged in groups comprising a sub-set of pixels configured to detect different wavelengths of light, wherein the groups are repetitively arranged in the array of pixels such that the light sensor is configured to provide imaging with spatial and spectral resolution.

16 . A method for manufacturing a light sensor, said method comprising:
forming a spacer element on a surface of a substrate carrying read-out circuitry, wherein the spacer element comprises at least two different materials distributed in a direction of a plane parallel to the surface of the substrate, wherein the spacer element forms a lower reflective element or is arranged on a layer of the substrate forming a lower reflective element; planarizing the spacer element to form a smooth top surface of the spacer element; forming a photo-sensitive element above the top surface of the spacer element; forming an upper reflective element above the photo-sensitive element; wherein the elements form a stack of layers with the elements arranged in mutually unique planes, parallel to each other, and wherein the stack of layers define a resonance structure between the upper reflective element and the lower reflective element for providing a resonance of light dependent on a wavelength of the light; wherein the spacer element comprises at least two different materials, wherein a distribution of the at least two different materials in a direction of a plane of the spacer element is different between different pixels in an array of pixels of the light sensor such that a resonance wavelength is different for different pixels; and wherein the spacer element is configured to enable flow of charges from the photo-sensitive element through the spacer element, wherein, for a plurality of pixels in the array of pixels, geometrical structures having a size smaller than the resonance wavelength are defined by the at least two different materials, wherein, for a plurality of pixels in the array of pixels, the spacer element is formed as a metamaterial, wherein periodicity of the geometrical structures is such that light diffraction of the resonance wavelength is not caused by the metamaterial.

Assignees

• Imec Vzw
• Univ Leuven Kath

Inventors

• Pejovic Vladimir
• Cheyns David
• Rottenberg Xavier
• Lodewijks Kristof
• Malinowski Pawel
• Li Yunlong
• Karve Gauri

Classifications

• G01J3/2803

  using photoelectric array detector · CPC title

• G01J3/26

  using multiple reflection, e.g. Fabry-Perot interferometer, variable interference filters · CPC title

• G01J3/36 Primary

  Investigating two or more bands of a spectrum by separate detectors · CPC title

• G01J3/0259

  Monolithic · CPC title

• G01J3/0205

  Optical elements not provided otherwise, e.g. optical manifolds, diffusers, windows · CPC title