SOLID-STATE IMAGE SENSOR AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20090250594A1
• Filed: 03/31/2009
• Published: 10/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Keisuke, Hirose, Yutaka, Toshikiyo, Kimiaki, Ishii, Motonori, Matsuno, Toshinobu
• Application Number:
  US12/415,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20090250594A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/208.100
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/201 in the form of arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14621 Colour filter arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14623 Optical shielding
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14627 Microlenses
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14685 Process for coatings or optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14689 MOS based technologies

Abstract

A solid-state image sensor that has a high pixel count and includes a color filter having high color reproducibility is provided. The solid-state image sensor includes: light-collecting elements each of which is a medium containing dispersant particles; light-receiving elements each of which is provided for a corresponding one of the light-collecting elements, and which receives light collected by the corresponding one of the light-collecting elements and generates an electric signal; and electrical wiring for transferring the electric signal, wherein each of the light-collecting elements has one of plural light-dispersion functions that are different depending on the corresponding light-receiving elements.

Claims

1. A solid-state image sensor comprising:

light-collecting elements each of which is a medium containing dispersant particles;

light-receiving elements each of which is provided for a corresponding one of said light-collecting elements, and which receives light collected by the corresponding one of said light-collecting elements and generates an electric signal; and

electrical wiring for transferring the electric signal,

wherein each of said light-collecting elements has one of plural light-dispersion functions that are different depending on said corresponding light-receiving elements.

2. The solid-state image sensor according to claim 1,

wherein the medium transmits 50% or more of infrared light included in visible light received by said solid-state image sensor having a refractive index of 1.4 or greater, and contains the dispersant particles that are between 5 nm and 50 nm in diameter.

3. The solid-state image sensor according to claim 2,

wherein said light-collecting elements include a first-type light-collecting element, a second-type light-collecting element, and a third-type light-collecting element, said first-type light collecting element containing at least gold, copper, chromium, or iron-chromium oxide as the dispersant particles, said second-type light-collecting element containing at least cobalt-titanium-nickel-zinc oxide, cobalt-titanium oxide, nickel-titanium-zinc oxide, or cobalt-zinc oxide as the dispersant particles, and said third-type light-collecting element containing at least cobalt-aluminum oxide, or cobalt-chromium oxide as the dispersant particles.

4. The solid-state image sensor according to claim 2,

wherein each of said light-collecting elements contains the dispersant particles composed of at least one type of organic molecules.

5. The solid-state image sensor according to claim 1,

wherein each of said light-collecting elements has a convex shape.

6. The solid-state image sensor according to claim 1,

wherein each of said light-collecting elements has an effective refractive index distribution of a light-transmitting film having concentric structural elements each having a line-width that is comparable to or shorter than a wavelength of incident light to be collected.

7. The solid-state image sensor according to claim 6,

wherein each of said light-collecting elements is covered by a light-transmitting film having a refractive index different from a refractive index of the medium, and which transmits 50% or more of infrared light included in visible light.

8. The solid-state image sensor according to claim 7,

wherein said light-transmitting film contains dispersant particles including a metal.

9. The solid-state image sensor according to claim 8,

wherein the dispersant particles contained in the medium and the dispersant particles contained in said light-transmitting film include a same metal.

10. The solid-state image sensor according to claim 6,

wherein each of said light-collecting elements has a concentric distribution of wavelength dependence of an absorption property.

11. The solid-state image sensor according to claim 1,

wherein the medium contains silicon and oxygen.

12. The solid-state image sensor according to claim 6, wherein the medium transmits 50% or more of infrared light included in visible light received by said solid-state image sensor which has a refractive index of 1.7 or greater, and a topmost layer of said light-collecting element is covered by the medium.

13. The solid-state image sensor according to claim 6,

wherein each of said light-collecting elements has a refractive index distribution that is different depending on said corresponding light-receiving elements.

14. The solid-state image sensor according to claim 12,

wherein unevenness among surfaces of adjacent ones of said light-collecting elements is less than 50% of a central wavelength of light in a height direction of said solid-state image sensor, the light being transmitted by said light-collecting elements.

15. The solid-state image sensor according to claim 12,

wherein an upper portion of each of said light-collecting elements is covered by a material having a lower refractive index than the medium.

16. The solid-state image sensor according to claim 1,

wherein said light-collecting elements are separated by a material which is provided between adjacent ones of said light receiving elements and absorbs 50% or more of infrared light included in visible light.

17. The solid-state image sensor according to claim 1,

wherein each of said light receiving elements has a reflectance from visible light to infrared light of 15% or less.

18. The solid-state image sensor according to claim 1,

wherein said light-collecting elements are insulated from said light-receiving elements and said electrical wiring.

19. The solid-state image sensor according to claim 2,

wherein both the medium and the dispersant particles are composed of inorganic material.

20. A method for manufacturing a solid-state image sensor, said method comprising:

forming, on a substrate, a semiconductor circuit including light-receiving elements, electrical wiring, a light-shielding layer, signal transmission units, and an antireflection film;

forming color separators on the formed semiconductor circuit;

forming each of a red color transmitting film, a green color transmitting film, and a blue color transmitting film on corresponding regions enclosed by the formed color separators; and

etching or patterning, into a concentric circle shape, the each of the red color transmitting film, the green color transmitting film, and the blue color transmitting film that have been formed.