Image sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12557422-B2
Application number	US-202318117166-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 3, 2023
Priority date	Mar 4, 2022
Publication date	Feb 17, 2026
Grant date	Feb 17, 2026

Abstract

An image sensor includes a substrate having first and second surfaces opposing each other; a circuit interconnection structure provided below the first surface of the substrate; a group provided in the substrate and including a plurality of pixel substrate regions; and an isolation structure provided in the substrate, wherein the isolation structure includes an isolation portion surrounding the group and extension portions extending from the isolation portion to a region between the plurality of pixel substrate regions of the group, wherein, in the group, the extension portions have end portions spaced apart from each other, and wherein at least one of the extension portions includes a width reduction region in which a width decreases in a direction away from the isolation portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An image sensor, comprising:
a substrate having a first surface and a second surface on an opposite side of the first surface; a circuit interconnection structure provided below the first surface of the substrate; an area group comprising a plurality of pixel substrate regions provided in the substrate; and an isolation structure provided in the substrate, wherein the isolation structure comprises:
an isolation portion surrounding the area group, and
extension portions extending from the isolation portion into a region between a first pixel substrate region and a second pixel substrate region among the plurality of pixel substrate regions in the area group,
wherein, in the area group, the extension portions have end portions spaced apart from each other, and wherein at least one of the extension portions comprises a first region in which a width decreases in a direction away from the isolation portion.

2 . The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein, in the at least one of the extension portions, a width of the first region decreases from a second region adjacent to the isolation portion in the direction away from the isolation portion.

3 . The image sensor of claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one of the extension portions further comprises a second region provided between the first region and the isolation structure, and wherein the second region has a width substantially equal to a maximum width of the first region.

4 . The image sensor of claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one of the extension portions further comprises a second region and a third region, wherein the second region has a width greater than a width of the third region, wherein, in the at least one of the extension portions, the first region is provided between the second region and the third region, and the second region is provided between the first region and the isolation structure, wherein the second region has substantially a same width, and wherein the third region has substantially a same width.

5 . The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein the isolation structure comprises:
an isolation pattern provided in the isolation portion and extending into the extension portions, and an isolation insulating layer provided between the isolation pattern and the substrate.

6 . The image sensor of claim 5 ,
wherein the isolation pattern comprises polysilicon, and wherein, in the isolation pattern of the at least one of the extension portions, an amount of polysilicon in the isolation pattern decreases from the isolation portion toward an end portion of the at least one of the extension portions.

7 . The image sensor of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of color filters provided on the second surface of the substrate; a plurality of microlenses provided on the plurality of color filters; and an anti-reflection layer provided between the plurality of color filters and the second surface of the substrate, wherein a plurality of area groups are provided in the substrate, wherein each of the plurality of area groups comprises four pixel substrate regions among the plurality of pixel substrate regions, wherein the isolation portion of the isolation structure surrounds each of the plurality of area groups, wherein each of the plurality of microlenses vertically overlaps the four pixel substrate regions, wherein the plurality of area groups comprises a first area group, wherein the extension portions comprise four extension portions, each of the four extension portions extending from the isolation portion to a region between four pixel substrate regions of the first area group, and wherein the substrate comprises an intermediate substrate region provided between end portions of the four extension portions.

8 . The image sensor of claim 7 ,
wherein the isolation structure extends from the second surface of the substrate toward the first surface of the substrate, and wherein at least a portion of the isolation structure extends from at least a portion of the anti-reflection layer.

9 . The image sensor of claim 1 ,
wherein the isolation structure comprises a lower isolation region and an upper isolation region on the lower isolation region, wherein the lower isolation region extends from the first surface of the substrate toward the second surface of the substrate, and wherein the upper isolation region extends from the second surface of the substrate toward the first surface of the substrate.

10 . The image sensor of claim 9 ,
wherein the lower isolation region comprises an isolation pattern and an isolation insulating layer provided between the isolation pattern and the substrate, wherein the upper isolation region is formed of an insulating material, wherein the isolation pattern comprises polysilicon, wherein the substrate comprises an intermediate substrate region provided between end portions of the extension portions adjacent to each other; wherein the lower isolation region forms the isolation portion and the extension portions of the isolation structure, wherein the upper isolation region comprises an upper isolation portion overlapping the isolation portion of the lower isolation region, and upper extension portions extending from the upper isolation portion to a region between the plurality of pixel substrate regions and connected to each other, and wherein the upper extension portions of the upper isolation region vertically overlap the intermediate substrate region.

11 . The image sensor of claim 9 ,
wherein the lower isolation region comprises:
an isolation pattern and
an isolation insulating layer provided between the isolation pattern and the substrate,
wherein the upper isolation region is formed of an insulating material, wherein the isolation pattern comprises polysilicon, wherein the substrate comprises an intermediate substrate region provided between end portions of the extension portions adjacent to each other, wherein the upper isolation region forms the isolation portion and the extension portions of the isolation structure, wherein the lower isolation region comprises a lower isolation portion overlapping the isolation portion of the upper isolation region, and lower extension portions extending from the lower isolation portion to a region between the plurality of pixel substrate regions and connected to each other, wherein the lower extension portions of the lower isolation region vertically overlap the intermediate substrate region, and wherein the lower extension portions of the lower isolation region vertically overlapping the intermediate substrate region comprise the polysilicon of the isolation pattern.

12 . The image sensor of claim 1 ,
wherein the isolation portion comprises:
a first line portion and a second line portion extending in a first direction and parallel to each other; and
a third line portion and a fourth line portion extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and parallel to each other, wherein the extension portions comprise:
a first extension portion extending in a direction from the first line portion toward the second line portion;
a second extension portion extending in a direction from the second line portion toward the first line portion;
a third extension portion extending in a direction from the third line portion toward the fourth line portion; and
a fourth extension portion extending in a direction from the fourth line portion toward the third line portion,
wherein the first to fourth line portions surround the area group, and wherein the first to fourth extension portions are spaced apart from each othe

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Junsik
• Kim Junghyun
• Lee Gyeongjin
• Joung Yoongi
• Park Jonghoon
• Lee Yunki

Classifications

• H10F39/8063

  Microlenses · CPC title

• H10F39/8053

  Colour filters · CPC title

• H10F39/807 Primary

  Pixel isolation structures · CPC title

• H10F39/18

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

• H10F39/811 Primary

  Interconnections · CPC title