Image sensor, method for manufacturing the same, and image processing device having the image sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9905615-B2
Application number	US-201615233383-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 10, 2016
Priority date	Jun 21, 2013
Publication date	Feb 27, 2018
Grant date	Feb 27, 2018

Abstract

An image sensor comprising: a first layer having a plurality of groups of photodiodes formed in a semiconductor substrate, each group representing a 2×2 array of photodiodes, with 2 first pixels configured to detect light of a first wavelength and 2 second pixels configured to detect light of a second wavelength, each first pixel positioned adjacent to the second pixels; and a second layer overlapping the first layer, the second layer is organic, having a plurality of organic photodiodes configured to detect light of a third wavelength, each organic photodiode positioned to partially overlap 2 first photodiodes and 2 second photodiodes of the first layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image sensor comprising:
a semiconductor substrate;
a first layer including a plurality of groups of photodiodes formed in the semiconductor substrate, each of the plurality of groups of photodiodes representing an n×m array of photodiodes, n being an integer equal to or greater than two, m being a positive integer; and
a second layer disposed on the first layer and including a plurality of organic photodiodes, the second layer at least partially overlapping the first layer,
wherein each of the plurality of groups of photodiodes of the first layer includes a plurality of first photodiodes configured to detect light of a first wavelength and a plurality of second photodiodes configured to detect light of a second wavelength,
the plurality of organic photodiodes are configured to detect light of a third wavelength, and
each of the plurality of organic photodiodes partially overlaps at least one among the plurality of first photodiodes and partially overlaps at least one among the plurality of second photodiodes.

2. The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of first photodiodes is positioned adjacent to two of the plurality of second photodiodes.

3. The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein n is two.

4. The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein an overlapping area between the plurality of first photodiodes and each of the plurality of organic photodiodes is the same as an overlapping area between the plurality of second photodiodes and each of the plurality of organic photodiodes.

5. The image sensor of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of organic photodiodes are skewed with respect to the plurality of first photodiodes and with respect to the plurality of second photodiodes.

6. The image sensor of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of transparent electrodes disposed on the first layer; and
a common electrode disposed on the second layer.

7. The image sensor of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first photoelectric conversion region disposed in the semiconductor substrate and configured to perform a photoelectric conversion operation based on the first wavelength;
a second photoelectric conversion region disposed in the semiconductor substrate and configured to perform the photoelectric conversion operation based on the second wavelength; and
a plurality of third storage regions disposed in the semiconductor substrate and configured to perform the photoelectric conversion operation based on the third wavelength.

8. An image sensor comprising:
a semiconductor substrate;
a first layer including a plurality of groups of photodiodes formed in the semiconductor substrate, each of the plurality of groups of photodiodes representing an n×m array of photodiodes, n being an integer equal to or greater than two, m being a positive integer; and
a plurality of transparent electrodes disposed on the first layer;
a second layer disposed on the plurality of transparent electrodes and including a plurality of organic photodiodes, the second layer partially overlapping the first layer; and
a common electrode disposed on the second layer,
wherein each of the plurality of groups of photodiodes of the first layer includes a plurality of first photodiodes configured to detect light of a first wavelength and a plurality of second photodiodes configured to detect light of a second wavelength,
the plurality of organic photodiodes are configured to detect light of a third wavelength, and
the plurality of organic photodiodes are skewed with respect to the plurality of first photodiodes and with respect to the plurality of second photodiodes.

9. The image sensor of claim 8 , wherein the common electrode is transparent.

10. The image sensor of claim 8 , wherein each of the plurality of transparent electrodes includes zinc oxide, indium tin oxide, or tin-doped indium oxide.

11. The image sensor of claim 8 , wherein n is two.

12. The image sensor of claim 8 , wherein each of the plurality of organic photodiodes partially overlaps two among the plurality of first photodiodes and partially overlaps two among the plurality of second photodiodes.

13. The image sensor of claim 8 , wherein an overlapping area between the plurality of first photodiodes and each of the plurality of organic photodiodes is the same as an overlapping area between the plurality of second photodiodes and each of the plurality of organic photodiodes.

14. The image sensor of claim 8 , further comprising a color filter disposed between the first layer and the second layer.

15. The image sensor of claim 8 , further comprising:
a first photoelectric conversion region disposed in the semiconductor substrate and configured to perform a photoelectric conversion operation based on the first wavelength;
a second photoelectric conversion region disposed in the semiconductor substrate and configured to perform the photoelectric conversion operation based on the second wavelength; and
a plurality of third storage regions disposed in the semiconductor substrate and configured to perform the photoelectric conversion operation based on the third wavelength.

16. The image sensor of claim 8 , wherein the light of the third wavelength is green.

17. The image sensor of claim 8 , wherein the number of photodiodes formed in the semiconductor substrate is the same as the number of organic photodiodes formed in the second layer.

18. A image processing device comprising:
a semiconductor substrate;
a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements formed in the semiconductor substrate;
an organic photoelectric conversion layer disposed on a first surface of the semiconductor substrate and detecting light of a first wavelength region, the organic photoelectric conversion layer including a plurality of organic photoelectric conversion elements;
a lens through which incident light passes;
a first transparent electrode disposed on a first surface of the organic photoelectric conversion layer; and
a plurality of second transparent electrodes disposed on a second surface of the organic photoelectric conversion layer,
wherein the plurality of organic photoelectric conversion elements are skewed with respect to the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements.

19. The image processing device of claim 18 , wherein the organic photoelectric conversion layer and the first transparent electrode cover a region including light receiving surfaces of the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements.

20. The image processing device of claim 18 , wherein the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements include a plurality of first photodiodes configured to detect light of a first wavelength and a plurality of second photodiodes configured to detect light of a second wavelength.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Myung Won
• Sul Sang Chul
• Goto Hirosige
• Kim Sae Young
• Lee Gwi Deok Ryan
• Ishii Masaru
• Choo Kyo Jin

Classifications

• H04N25/13

  characterised by the spectral characteristics of the filter elements · CPC title

• H04N23/80

  Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof · CPC title

• H04N25/76 Primary

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

• H04N25/70 Primary

  SSIS architectures; Circuits associated therewith · CPC title

• H04N5/378

  Electricity · mapped topic