IMAGE SENSOR AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME

• US 20090194836A1
• Filed: 12/27/2008
• Published: 08/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dongbu HiTek Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Dongbu HiTek Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Jong-Man
• Granted Patent: US 7,875,490 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/461
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1463 Pixel isolation structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14687 Wafer level processing

Abstract

An image sensor includes a semiconductor substrate including circuitry, an interlayer dielectric including metal lines arranged on the semiconductor substrate, crystalline photodiode patterns arranged on the interlayer dielectric such that the photodiode patterns are connected to the metal lines, hard mask patterns arranged on the respective photodiode patterns, a device-isolation trench interposed between the adjacent photodiode patterns, to isolate the photodiode patterns from each other, a barrier film implanted with impurity ions, arranged into the inner wall of the device-isolation trench, and a device-isolation insulating layer arranged over the interlayer dielectric including the photodiode pattern and the device-isolation trench.

Claims

1. An image sensor comprising:

a semiconductor substrate including circuitry;

an interlayer dielectric including metal lines arranged over the semiconductor substrate;

crystalline photodiode patterns arranged over the interlayer dielectric such that the photodiode patterns are electrically coupled with the metal lines;

hard mask patterns arranged over respective crystalline photodiode patterns;

a respective device-isolation trench located between adjacent crystalline photodiode patterns;

a barrier film implanted with impurity ions, arranged on an inner wall of each device-isolation trench; and

a device-isolation insulating layer arranged over the interlayer dielectric, the crystalline photodiode patterns, and the device-isolation trenches.

2. The image sensor according to claim 1, wherein each device-isolation trench is configured to isolate adjacent crystalline photodiode patterns from each other.

3. The image sensor according to claim 1, wherein the barrier film comprises a P-type impurity.

4. The image sensor according to claim 1, wherein the barrier film is formed on a side of a respective crystalline photodiode pattern by implanting ions into the respective crystalline photodiode pattern through the respective device-isolation trench.

5. The image sensor according to claim 4, wherein the ions comprise BF₂ ions.

6. The image sensor according to claim 1, wherein the interlayer dielectric comprises a plurality of dielectric layers.

7. The image sensor according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the metal lines comprises at least one of aluminum, copper, cobalt and tungsten.

8. A method for manufacturing an image sensor, comprising:

forming a semiconductor substrate including circuitry;

forming an interlayer dielectric including a metal line over the semiconductor substrate;

joining a crystalline photodiode with the interlayer dielectric such that the photodiode is electrically coupled with the metal line;

forming a hard mask pattern over the photodiode to form a photodiode pattern including a device-isolation trench;

implanting impurities into the inner wall of the device-isolation trench to form a barrier film; and

forming a device-isolation insulating layer over the interlayer dielectric, the photodiode pattern and the device-isolation trench.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein forming the barrier film includes implanting P-type impurities into the device-isolation trench.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the barrier film comprises BF₂ ions.

11. The method according to claim 8, comprising:

forming a device-isolation film on the semiconductor substrate, to define an active region and a field region.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the interlayer dielectric comprises a plurality of layers.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the metal line comprises one of aluminum, copper, cobalt and tungsten.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein joining of the crystalline photodiode and the interlayer dielectric is carried out through a bonding process.

15. The method according to claim 8, wherein the hard mask pattern comprises an oxide film including TEOS.

16. The method according to claim 8, wherein the hard mask pattern has a thickness between about 3,000 to about 5,000 Å

.

17. An image sensor comprising:

a semiconductor substrate including circuitry;

an interlayer dielectric including one or more conductive lines arranged over the semiconductor substrate;

one or more photodiode patterns arranged over the interlayer dielectric such that the photodiode patterns are connected to the metal lines;

a hard mask pattern arranged over each respective photodiode patterns;

a device-isolation trench located between adjacent photodiode patterns;

a barrier film implanted with impurity ions, arranged on the inner wall of the device-isolation trench; and

a device-isolation insulating layer arranged over the one or more photodiode patterns and the device-isolation trench.

18. The image sensor according to claim 17, wherein the one or more conductive lines are comprised of at least one of a metal, an alloy, and a silicide.

19. The image sensor according to claim 17, wherein each of the one or more photodiode patterns comprise a crystalline photodiode pattern.

20. The image sensor according to claim 17, wherein the barrier film comprises BF₂ ions.