Image sensor and manufacturing method of image sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025031473-A1
Application number	US-202418667657-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 17, 2024
Priority date	Jul 19, 2023
Publication date	Jan 23, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

An image sensor includes: a substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface in a first direction, the substrate including pixel areas arranged along a second direction parallel to the first surface; photodiodes in the substrate in each of the pixel areas and separated from each other in the second direction; a first device isolation layer between the pixel areas; and a pair of second device isolation layers extending between the photodiodes from the first device isolation layer along a third direction and being spaced apart from each other in the third direction, wherein the third direction is parallel to the first surface and different from the second direction, the substrate further includes a potential barrier region between the photodiodes and between the pair of second device isolation layers, and the potential barrier region includes p-type impurities and carbon.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An image sensor comprising:
a substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface in a first direction, the substrate comprising pixel areas arranged along a second direction parallel to the first surface; photodiodes in the substrate in each of the pixel areas and separated from each other in the second direction; a first device isolation layer between the pixel areas; and a pair of second device isolation layers extending between the photodiodes from the first device isolation layer along a third direction and being spaced apart from each other in the third direction, wherein the third direction is parallel to the first surface and different from the second direction, and wherein the substrate further comprises a potential barrier region between the photodiodes and between the pair of second device isolation layers, and the potential barrier region comprises p-type impurities and carbon.

2 . The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein the p-type impurities comprise boron, aluminum, gallium, indium, or a combination thereof.

3 . The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein a concentration of the carbon in the potential barrier region is greater than a concentration of the p-type impurities in the potential barrier region.

4 . The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein a concentration of the carbon in the potential barrier region is about 1×10 18 at/cm 3 to about 1×10 20 at/cm 3, and
wherein a concentration of the p-type impurities in the potential barrier region is less than or equal to about 1×10 18 at/cm 3 .

5 . The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein the potential barrier region further comprises silicon, and
wherein a concentration of the silicon in the potential barrier region is less than or equal to about 5×10 22 at/cm 3 .

6 . The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein, in a first region of the potential barrier region where a distance from a surface adjacent to the second device isolation layers in the third direction is less than or equal to about 50 nm, a concentration of the p-type impurities is greater than a concentration of the carbon, and
wherein, in a second region of the potential barrier region where a distance from the surface adjacent to the second device isolation layers in the third direction is greater than about 50 nm, a concentration of the carbon is greater than a concentration of the p-type impurities.

7 . The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein the potential barrier region extends along the first direction from the first surface of the substrate to a depth spaced from the second surface of the substrate.

8 . The image sensor of claim 1 , further comprising:
photodiodes separated in the third direction in each of the pixel areas; and another pair of second device isolation layers extending from the first device isolation layer between the photodiodes along the second direction and spaced apart from each other in the second direction, wherein the potential barrier region is between the photodiodes and the second device isolation layers.

9 . The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein the potential barrier region is in a central region of each of the pixel areas.

10 . The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein the photodiodes are connected to the potential barrier region.

11 . The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein the substrate further comprises a first doped region adjacent to a sidewall of the second device isolation layers, and the first doped region comprises p-type impurities and carbon.

12 . The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein the substrate further comprises a second doped region adjacent to a sidewall of the first device isolation layer, and the second doped region comprises p-type impurities and carbon.

13 . The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein the substrate further comprises a third doped region on the first surface, and the third doped region comprises p-type impurities and carbon.

14 . The image sensor of claim 13 , further comprising:
a transfer transistor on the first surface of the substrate in each of the pixel areas, wherein the third doped region is between the transfer transistor and the first surface of the substrate.

15 . The image sensor of claim 13 , wherein the substrate further comprises a floating diffusion region adjacent to the transfer transistor and in the first surface of the substrate, and
wherein the third doped region is between the floating diffusion region and the first surface of the substrate.

16 . An image sensor comprising:
a substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface in a first direction, the substrate comprising pixel areas arranged along a second direction parallel to the first surface; photodiodes in the substrate in each of the pixel areas and separated from each other in the second direction; a first device isolation layer between the pixel areas; and a pair of second device isolation layers extending between the photodiodes from the first device isolation layer along a third direction and being spaced apart from each other in the third direction, wherein the third direction is parallel to the first surface and different from the second direction; wherein the substrate further comprises a first doped region adjacent to a sidewall of the second device isolation layers, and the first doped region comprises p-type impurities and carbon, wherein, in a first region of the first doped region where a distance from a surface adjacent to the second device isolation layers in a vertical direction is less than or equal to about 50 nm, a concentration of the p-type impurities is greater than a concentration of the carbon, and wherein, in a second region of the first doped region where a distance from surface adjacent to the second device isolation layers in the vertical direction is greater than about 50 nm, a concentration of the carbon is greater than a concentration of the p-type impurities.

17 . The image sensor of claim 16 , wherein the substrate further comprises a second doped region adjacent to a sidewall of the first device isolation layer, the second doped region comprising p-type impurities and carbon,
wherein, in a first region of the second doped region where a distance from a surface adjacent to the first device isolation layer in the vertical direction is less than or equal to about 50 nm, a concentration of the p-type impurities is greater than a concentration of the carbon, and wherein, in a second region of the second doped region where a distance from surface adjacent to the second device isolation layers in the vertical direction is greater than about 50 nm, a concentration of the carbon is greater than a concentration of the p-type impurities.

18 . The image sensor of claim 16 , wherein the substrate further comprises a second doped region adjacent to a sidewall of the first device isolation layer, the second doped region comprising p-type impurities and carbon, and
wherein, in each of the first doped region and the second doped region, the concentration of the carbon is greater than the concentration of the p-type impurities.

19 . The image sensor of claim 16 , wherein the substrate further comprises a second doped region adjacent to a sidewall of the first device isolation layer, the second doped region comprising p-type impurities and carbon, and
wherein, in each of the first doped region and the second doped region, the concentration of the carbon (C) is about 1×10 18 at/cm 3 to about 1×10 20 at/cm 3 , and the conce

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Hyungchae
• Han Jinhwa
• Huh Jinsuk

Classifications

• H10F39/014

  of CMOS image sensors · CPC title

• H10F39/811

  Interconnections · CPC title

• H10F39/802

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

• H10F39/807 Primary

  Pixel isolation structures · CPC title

• H10F39/18 Primary

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