Imaging device and imaging unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9905604-B2
Application number	US-201314646039-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 20, 2013
Priority date	Nov 22, 2012
Publication date	Feb 27, 2018
Grant date	Feb 27, 2018

Abstract

An imaging device having a first surface on which light is incident and a second surface on an opposite side of the first surface, includes a photoelectric conversion section including semiconductors having a same conductivity type, in which an impurity concentration on the second surface side is higher than an impurity concentration on the first surface side.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An imaging device comprising:
a first substrate comprising:
a photoelectric converter including (i) a first semiconductor that is of a first conductivity type and has (a) a first surface on which light is incident and (b) a second surface on an opposite side of the first surface, and (ii) a second semiconductor that is of a second conductivity type different from the first conductivity type and is formed between the first and second surfaces; and
a transfer gate that is arranged on the second surface side of the second semiconductor and transfers a charge stored in the second semiconductor; and

a second substrate comprising an amplifying transistor,
the second semiconductor having an impurity concentration gradient from the first surface side of the second semiconductor toward the second surface side, and
an impurity concentration on the second surface side of the second semiconductor being higher than an impurity concentration of the second semiconductor on the first surface side.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1 , further comprising
a storage diode storing the charge within the second semiconductor.

3. The imaging device according to claim 2 ,
the storage diode comprising a semiconductor that is of the second conductivity type and has an impurity concentration higher than the impurity concentration on the second surface side of the second semiconductor.

4. The imaging device according to claim 3 , further comprising:
an insulator comprising a semiconductor that is of the first conductivity type and prevents the charge in the second semiconductor from entering the storage diode.

5. The imaging device according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a first pixel and a second pixel adjacent to the first pixel, each of the first pixel and the second pixel including a said photoelectric converter, a said storage diode, and a said transfer gate; and
a separator that separates the photoelectric converter of the first pixel and the photoelectric converter of the second pixel.

6. The imaging device according to claim 5 ,
the separator comprising a semiconductor of the first conductivity type.

7. The imaging device according to claim 5 ,
the separator having a trench.

8. The imaging device according to claim 5 ,
the first pixel and the second pixel further including, respectively, a first pupil-division lightproof film and a second pupil-division lightproof film that enable the photoelectric converters of the first and second pixels to convert pupil-divided light fluxes into charges and thereby output the charges as phase difference information, and
the photoelectric converter of the first pixel, the first pupil-division lightproof film, the second pupil-division lightproof film, and the photoelectric converter of the second pixel being arranged in this order in a predetermined direction.

9. The imaging device according to claim 5 ,
the first pixel further including a first lightproof film that shields the storage diode of the first pixel from light; and
the second pixel further including a second lightproof film that shields the storage diode of the second pixel from light.

10. An imaging unit, comprising:
an infrared cut filter; and
the imaging device according to claim 1 ,
light passed through the infrared cut filter entering the imaging device.

11. The imaging unit according to claim 10 ,
a thickness of the photoelectric converter in a direction orthogonal to the first surface being 3 μm or more.

12. The imaging device according to claim 1 , the second substrate further a comprising selection transistor connected to a source of the amplifying transistor.

Assignees

• Nikon Corp

Inventors

• Murata Hironobu

Classifications

• H04N25/771

  comprising storage means other than floating diffusion · CPC title

• H04N25/134

  based on three different wavelength filter elements · CPC title

• H04N23/672

  based on the phase difference signals · CPC title

• H04N25/704

  Pixels specially adapted for focusing, e.g. phase difference pixel sets · CPC title

• H04N23/663

  for controlling interchangeable camera parts based on electronic image sensor signals · CPC title