SENSOR AND IMAGE PICKUP DEVICE

• US 20080251729A1
• Filed: 11/08/2007
• Published: 10/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.), Japan Science & Technology Trading Co. Limited, Tokyo Institute of Technology (National University Corporation Tokyo Institute of Technology)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kamiya, Toshio, Nomura, Kenji, Hosono, Hideo, Saito, Keishi
• Granted Patent: US 7,535,010 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/370.09
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14601 Structural or functional details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14632 Wafer-level processed structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14658 X-ray, gamma-ray or corpuscular radiation imagers measuring X-, gamma- or corpuscular radiation G01T1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7869 having a semiconductor body comprising an oxide semiconductor material, e.g. zinc oxide, copper aluminium oxide, cadmium stannate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02322 comprising luminescent members, e.g. fluorescent sheets upon the device
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/032 including, apart from doping materials or other impurities, only compounds not provided for in groups H01L31/0272 - H01L31/0312
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/085 the device being sensitive to very short wavelength, e.g. X-ray, Gamma-rays
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/09 Devices sensitive to infrared, visible or ultraviolet radiation H01L31/101 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/118 of the surface barrier or shallow PN junction detector type, e.g. surface barrier alpha-particle detectors

Abstract

A sensor for detecting a received electromagnetic wave comprising a first electrode, a second electrode and an amorphous oxide layer interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A sensor for detecting a received electromagnetic wave, comprising:

a first electrode;

a second electrode; and

an amorphous oxide layer interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein the amorphous oxide layer contains at least one of In, Zn or Sn.

18. A sensor according to claim 16, wherein the amorphous oxide layer is a semiconductor layer comprising a metal oxide, wherein the metal is said at least one of In, Zn and Sn.

19. A sensor according to claim 16, wherein the amorphous oxide layer comprises an oxide selected from the group consisting of an oxide containing In, Zn and Sn, an oxide containing In and Zn, an oxide containing In and Sn, and an oxide containing In.

20. A sensor according to claim 16, wherein the amorphous oxide layer contains In, Ga, and Zn.

21. A sensor according to claim 16, wherein the first electrode has transmissivity with respect to light in a wavelength range to which the amorphous oxide layer is sensitive.

22. A sensor according to claim 16, wherein the amorphous oxide layer has an organic pigment.

26. An image pickup device comprising:

a sensor for detecting a received electromagnetic wave according to claim 16; and

a field effect transistor for reading a signal from said sensor.

27. An image pickup device comprising:

a sensor for detecting a received electromagnetic wave according to claim 16; and

a field effect transistor for reading a signal from the sensor,

wherein the field effect transistor is a normally-off transistor having an active layer composed of an amorphous oxide semiconductor.

28. An image pickup device according to claim 26, further comprising an imaging region which includes the sensor and is non-flat.

29. An image pickup device according to claim 27, further comprising an imaging region which includes the sensor and is non-flat.

30. An image pickup device according to claim 26, wherein the sensor is an X-ray sensor, and the X-ray sensor includes a scintillator for converting X-ray into light, and the sensor detects the light as the electromagnetic wave.

31. An image pickup device according to claim 27, wherein the sensor is an X-ray sensor, and the X-ray sensor includes a scintillator for converting X-ray into light, and the sensor detects the light as the electromagnetic wave.

17. A sensor for detecting a received electromagnetic wave, comprising:

a first electrode;

a second electrode; and

an amorphous oxide layer interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein the amorphous oxide layer has an electron carrier concentration of less than 10¹⁸/cm³.

23. A sensor for detecting a received electromagnetic wave, comprising:

a first electrode;

a second electrode; and

an amorphous oxide layer interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein the first and second electrodes and the amorphous oxide layer are provided on a flexible substrate.

24. A sensor for detecting a received electromagnetic wave, comprising:

a first electrode;

a second electrode; and

an amorphous oxide layer interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein a plurality of amorphous oxide layers are interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode

25. A sensor for detecting a received electromagnetic wave, comprising:

a first electrode;

a second electrode; and

an amorphous oxide layer interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode,

wherein the amorphous oxide layer comprises an amorphous oxide whose electron mobility tends to increase with increasing electron carrier concentration.