Solid state imaging device, with suppressed dark current, method of manufacturing, and imaging apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8946840-B2
Application number	US-97776610-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2010
Priority date	May 7, 2007
Publication date	Feb 3, 2015
Grant date	Feb 3, 2015

Abstract

A solid state imaging device having a light sensing section that performs photoelectric conversion of incident light includes: an insulating layer formed on a light receiving surface of the light sensing section; a layer having negative electric charges formed on the insulating layer; and a hole accumulation layer formed on the light receiving surface of the light sensing section.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A solid state imaging device having a light sensing section that performs photoelectric conversion of incident light and a peripheral circuit section at a side portion of the light sensing section, comprising:
an insulating layer formed on a light receiving surface of the light sensing section;
a hole accumulation layer at the light receiving surface of the light sensing section;
a first layer including at least one of an oxide, a nitride, and an oxynitride on the insulating layer, the first layer having an upper surface that is furthest from the light sensing section and the peripheral circuit section, the upper surface having a first upper surface located under an entire length of the color filter and a second upper surface, and the first and second upper surfaces having different heights such that a distance of the second upper surface from an upper surface of the peripheral circuit section is greater than a distance of the first upper surface from an upper surface of the hole accumulation layer; and
a second layer between the peripheral circuit section and the first layer.

2. The solid state imaging device of claim 1 , wherein said first layer is made from at least one material selected from the group consisting of hafnium oxide (HfO 2 ) layer, a zirconium oxide (ZrO 2 ) layer, a tantalum oxide (Ta 2 O 5 ) layer, or a titanium oxide (TiO 2 ) layer, a lanthanum oxide (La 2 O 3 ), a praseodymium oxide (Pr 2 O 3 ), a cerium oxide (CeO 2 ), a neodymium oxide (Nd 2 O 3 ), a promethium oxide (Pm 2 O 3 ), an europium oxide (Eu 2 O 3 ), a gadolinium oxide (Gd 2 O 3 ), a terbium oxide (Tb 2 O 3 ), a dysprosium oxide (Dy 2 O 3 ), a holmium oxide (Ho 2 O 3 ), an erbium oxide (Er 2 O 3 ), a thulium oxide (Tm 2 O 3 ), an ytterbium oxide (Yb 2 O 3 ), a lutetium oxide (Lu 2 O 3 ), an yttrium oxide (Y 2 O 3 ), a hafnium nitride layer, an aluminum nitride layer, a hafnium oxynitride layer, and an aluminum oxynitride layer.

3. The solid state imaging device according to claim 2 , wherein the first layer is a layer having negative electric charges, the first layer being a hafnium oxide layer, an aluminum oxide layer, a zirconium oxide layer, a tantalum oxide layer, or a titanium oxide layer.

4. The solid state imaging device of claim 2 , further comprising:
a third layer on said first layer, the third layer being made from at least one material selected from the group consisting of a hafnium oxide (HfO 2 ) layer, a tantalum oxide (Ta 2 O 5 ) layer, or a titanium oxide (TiO 2 ) layer, a lanthanum oxide (La 2 O 3 ), a praseodymium oxide (Pr 2 O 3 ), a cerium oxide (CeO 2 ), a neodymium oxide (Nd 2 O 3 ), a promethium oxide (Pm 2 O 3 ), an europium oxide (Eu 2 O 3 ), a gadolinium oxide (Gd 2 O 3 ), a terbium oxide (Tb 2 O 3 ), a dysprosium oxide (Dy 2 O 3 ), a holmium oxide (Ho 2 O 3 ), an erbium oxide (Er 2 O 3 ), a thulium oxide (Tm 2 O 3 ), an ytterbium oxide (Yb 2 O 3 ), a lutetium oxide (Lu 2 O 3 ), an yttrium oxide (Y 2 O 3 ), a hafnium nitride layer, an aluminum nitride layer, a hafnium oxynitride layer, and an aluminum oxynitride layer.

5. The solid state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the insulating layer is of a silicon oxide layer.

6. The solid state imaging device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of pixel sections each having a light sensing section, which converts incident light into an electric signal; and a wiring layer provided on a surface of a semiconductor substrate formed with the pixel sections,

wherein,
the solid state imaging device receives light, which is incident from a side opposite a surface on which the wiring layer is formed, in the light sensing section.

7. The solid state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the first layer is formed of a conductive material capable of transmitting the incident light therethrough.

8. The solid state imaging device of claim 7 , wherein the first layer is made of at least one material selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, indium oxide, tin oxide, and a gallium zinc oxide.

9. The solid state imaging device of claim 1 , wherein said first layer is made of silicon nitride.

10. The solid state imaging device of claim 1 , wherein said second layer is a light-shielding film.

11. The solid state imaging device of claim 10 , wherein the light-shielding film is formed over the peripheral circuit section and a portion of the light sensing section.

12. The solid state imaging device of claim 1 , wherein said second layer is an insulating layer.

13. The solid state imaging device according to claim 12 , wherein the insulating layer between the peripheral circuit section and the first layer is configured to have a laminated structure including one or a plurality of kinds of layers of a silicon oxide layer, a silicon nitride layer, and a silicon oxynitride layer.

14. The solid state imaging device of claim 1 , wherein said second layer comprises silicon nitride.

15. An imaging apparatus comprising:
a condensing optical section that condenses incident light;
a solid state imaging device that receives the incident light condensed in the condensing optical section and performs photoelectric conversion of the received light; and
a signal processing section that processes signal charges photoelectrically converted,

wherein,
the solid state imaging device includes:
a light sensing section that performs photoelectric conversion of incident light and a peripheral circuit section at a side portion of the light sensing section;
an insulating layer formed on a light receiving surface of the light sensing section;
a hole accumulation layer at the light receiving surface of the light sensing section;
a first layer including at least one of an oxide, a nitride, and an oxynitride on the insulating layer, the first layer having an upper surface that is furthest from the light sensing section and the peripheral circuit section, the upper surface having a first upper surface located under an entire length of the color filter and a second upper surface, and the first and second upper surfaces having different heights such that a distance of the second upper surface from an upper surface of the peripheral circuit section is greater than a distance of the first upper surface from an upper surface of the hole accumulation layer; and
a second layer between the peripheral circuit section and the first layer.

16. The imaging apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising: a second layer between the peripheral circuit section and the first layer such that the distance of an upper surface of the first layer from the surface of the peripheral circuit section is greater than the distance of the upper surface of the first layer from a surface of the light sensing section.

17. The imaging apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the second layer comprises silicon nitride.

18. The imaging apparatus of claim 15 , wherein said first layer comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of hafnium oxide (HfO 2 ) layer, a tantalum oxide (Ta 2 O 5 ) layer, or a titanium oxide (TiO 2 ) layer, a lanthanum oxide (La 2 O 3 ), a praseodymium oxide (Pr 2 O 3 ), a cerium oxide (CeO 2 ), a neodymium oxide (Nd 2 O 3 ), a promethium oxide (Pm 2 O 3 ), an europium oxide (Eu 2 O 3 ), a gadolinium oxide (Gd 2 O 3 ), a terbium oxide (Tb 2 O 3 ), a dysprosium oxide (Dy 2 O 3 ), a holmium oxide (Ho 2 O 3 ), an erbium oxide (Er 2 O 3 ), a thulium oxide (Tm 2 O 3 ), an ytterbium oxide (Yb 2 O 3 ), a lutetium oxide (Lu 2 O 3 ), an yttrium oxide (

Assignees

• Oshiyama Itaru
• Ando Takashi
• Hiyama Susumu
• Yamaguchi Tetsuji
• Ohgishi Yuko
• Ikeda Harumi
• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Oshiyama Itaru
• Ando Takashi
• Hiyama Susumu
• Yamaguchi Tetsuji
• Ohgishi Yuko
• Ikeda Harumi

Classifications

• H10F39/18

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

• H10F39/8067

  Reflectors · CPC title

• H10F39/8063

  Microlenses · CPC title

• H10F39/8057

  Optical shielding · CPC title

• H10F39/8053

  Colour filters · CPC title