Method of Manufacturing an Image Sensor and Image Sensor
First Claim
1. Method of manufacturing a back-side (14) illuminated image sensor (1), comprising the steps of:
- starting with a wafer (2) having a first (3) and a second (4) surface,providing light sensitive pixel regions (5) extending into the wafer from the first surface (3),securing the wafer onto a protective substrate (7) such that the first surface (3) faces the protective substrate (7),characterized in that the wafer comprises a substrate (8) of a first material with an optical transparent layer (9) and a layer of semiconductor material (10), wherein the substrate (8) is selectively removed from the layer (10) of semiconductor material by using the optical transparent layer (9) as stopping layer.
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Abstract
A method of manufacturing a back-side (14) illuminated image sensor (1) is disclosed, comprising the steps of: starting with a wafer (2) having a first (3) and a second surface (4), providing light sensitive pixel regions (5) extending into the wafer (2) from the first surface (3), securing the wafer (2) onto a protective substrate (7) such that the first surface (3) faces the protective substrate, the wafer comprising a substrate of a first material (8) with an optical transparent layer (9) and a layer of semiconductor material (10), wherein the substrate (8) is selectively removed from the layer of semiconductor material by using the optical transparent layer (9) as stopping layer. For back-side illuminated image sensors, light has to transmit through the semiconductor layer and enter into the light sensitive pixel regions (5). In order to reduce absorption losses, it is very advantageous that the semiconductor layer (10) can be made relatively thin with a good uniformity. Because of the reduced thickness of the semiconductor layer, more light can enter into the light sensitive regions, resulting in an improved efficiency of the image sensor.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. Method of manufacturing a back-side (14) illuminated image sensor (1), comprising the steps of:
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starting with a wafer (2) having a first (3) and a second (4) surface, providing light sensitive pixel regions (5) extending into the wafer from the first surface (3), securing the wafer onto a protective substrate (7) such that the first surface (3) faces the protective substrate (7), characterized in that the wafer comprises a substrate (8) of a first material with an optical transparent layer (9) and a layer of semiconductor material (10), wherein the substrate (8) is selectively removed from the layer (10) of semiconductor material by using the optical transparent layer (9) as stopping layer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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- 14. Image sensor, comprising a semiconducting layer (10) having a first (3) and a second (4) surface, the semiconductor layer comprising light sensitive regions (5) extending into the semiconductor layer from the first surface (6), the second surface of the semiconductor layer having an optical transparent layer (9) through which light enters through the semiconductor layer in the light sensitive pixel regions, the first surface of the semiconducting layer facing a protective substrate (7), characterized in that there is a color filter in direct contact with the optical transparent layer.
Specification