Semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9515107-B2
Application number	US-201514986119-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 31, 2015
Priority date	Mar 8, 2010
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

In a CMOS image sensor in which a plurality of pixels is arranged in a matrix, a transistor in which a channel formation region includes an oxide semiconductor is used for each of a charge accumulation control transistor and a reset transistor which are in a pixel portion. After a reset operation of the signal charge accumulation portion is performed in all the pixels arranged in the matrix, a charge accumulation operation by the photodiode is performed in all the pixels, and a read operation of a signal from the pixel is performed per row. Accordingly, an image can be taken without a distortion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A semiconductor device comprising:
a first pixel; and
a second pixel,
wherein the first pixel comprises:
a first photoelectric conversion element;
a first transistor; and
a second transistor,

wherein the second pixel comprises:
a second photoelectric conversion element;
a third transistor; and
a fourth transistor,

wherein the first transistor is configured to output a signal corresponding to a potential of a first signal charge accumulation portion,
wherein the second transistor is configured to control charge accumulation in the first signal charge accumulation portion performed by the first photoelectric conversion element,
wherein the third transistor is configured to output a signal corresponding to a potential of a second signal charge accumulation portion,
wherein the fourth transistor is configured to control charge accumulation in the second signal charge accumulation portion performed by the second photoelectric conversion element,
wherein a channel formation region in the second transistor comprises an oxide semiconductor,
wherein a channel formation region in the fourth transistor comprises an oxide semiconductor,
wherein a gate of the second transistor is electrically connected to a gate of the fourth transistor,
wherein a reset operation in the first pixel and a reset operation in the second pixel are performed at substantially the same time, and
wherein a timing of a read operation in the first pixel and a timing of a read operation in the second pixel are different from each other.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 further comprising a fifth transistor included in the first pixel and a sixth transistor included in the second pixel,
wherein the fifth transistor is configured to initialize the potential of the first signal charge accumulation portion,
wherein the sixth transistor is configured to initialize the potential of the second signal charge accumulation portion,
wherein a channel formation region in the fifth transistor comprises an oxide semiconductor,
wherein a channel formation region in the sixth transistor comprises an oxide semiconductor, and
wherein a gate of the fifth transistor is electrically connected to a gate of the sixth transistor.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 2 further comprising a seventh transistor included in the first pixel and an eighth transistor included in the second pixel,
wherein one of a source and a drain of the seventh transistor is electrically connected to one of a source and a drain of the first transistor,
wherein one of a source and a drain of the eighth transistor is electrically connected to one of a source and a drain of the third transistor, and
wherein a timing of turning on the seventh transistor and a timing of turning on the eighth transistor are different from each other.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
wherein each of the first photoelectric conversion element and the second photoelectric conversion element is a photodiode.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 4 , wherein the photodiode is a pin photodiode.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 4 , wherein the photodiode comprises an amorphous silicon.

7. A display device comprising:
the semiconductor device according to claim 1 ; and
a display element.

8. An electronic device comprising the semiconductor device according to claim 1 .

9. A semiconductor device comprising:
a first pixel; and
a second pixel,
wherein the first pixel comprises:
a first photoelectric conversion element;
a first transistor; and
a second transistor,

wherein the second pixel comprises:
a second photoelectric conversion element;
a third transistor; and
a fourth transistor,

wherein the first transistor is configured to output a signal corresponding to a potential of a first signal charge accumulation portion,
wherein the second transistor is configured to control charge accumulation in the first signal charge accumulation portion performed by the first photoelectric conversion element,
wherein the third transistor is configured to output a signal corresponding to a potential of a second signal charge accumulation portion,
wherein the fourth transistor is configured to control charge accumulation in the second signal charge accumulation portion performed by the second photoelectric conversion element,
wherein a channel formation region in the first transistor comprises an oxide semiconductor,
wherein a channel formation region in the second transistor comprises an oxide semiconductor,
wherein a channel formation region in the third transistor comprises an oxide semiconductor,
wherein a channel formation region in the fourth transistor comprises an oxide semiconductor,
wherein the second transistor and the fourth transistor are turned on at the same time,
wherein a reset operation in the first pixel and a reset operation in the second pixel are performed at substantially the same time, and
wherein a timing of a read operation in the first pixel and a timing of a read operation in the second pixel are different from each other.

10. The semiconductor device according to claim 9 further comprising a fifth transistor included in the first pixel and a sixth transistor included in the second pixel,
wherein the fifth transistor is configured to initialize the potential of the first signal charge accumulation portion,
wherein the sixth transistor is configured to initialize the potential of the second signal charge accumulation portion,
wherein a channel formation region in the fifth transistor comprises an oxide semiconductor,
wherein a channel formation region in the sixth transistor comprises an oxide semiconductor,
wherein the second transistor and the fourth transistor are turned on at the same time, and
wherein the fifth transistor and the sixth transistor are turned on at the same time.

11. The semiconductor device according to claim 10 further comprising a seventh transistor included in the first pixel and an eighth transistor included in the second pixel,
wherein one of a source and a drain of the seventh transistor is electrically connected to one of a source and a drain of the first transistor,
wherein one of a source and a drain of the eighth transistor is electrically connected to one of a source and a drain of the third transistor,
wherein a channel formation region in the seventh transistor comprises an oxide semiconductor, and
wherein a channel formation region in the eighth transistor comprises an oxide semiconductor.

12. The semiconductor device according to claim 9 ,
wherein each of the first photoelectric conversion element and the second photoelectric conversion element is a photodiode.

13. The semiconductor device according to claim 12 , wherein the photodiode is a pin photodiode.

14. The semiconductor device according to claim 12 , wherein the photodiode comprises an amorphous silicon.

15. A display device comprising:
the semiconductor device according to claim 9 ; and
a display element.

16. An electronic device comprising the semiconductor device according to claim 9 .

Assignees

• Semiconductor Energy Lab

Inventors

• Kurokawa Yoshiyuki
• Ikeda Takayuki
• Tamura Hikaru
• Kozuma Munehiro
• Ikeda Masataka
• Aoki Takeshi

Classifications

• H04N25/76

  Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors · CPC title

• H10F39/811

  Interconnections · CPC title

• H10D30/6755

  Oxide semiconductors, e.g. zinc oxide, copper aluminium oxide or cadmium stannate · CPC title

• H10F39/18

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

• H10F39/802 Primary

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