Stack-type image sensor

• US 20110204461A1
• Filed: 09/13/2010
• Published: 08/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Jung-hyun
• Granted Patent: US 8,680,638 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/432
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14621 Colour filter arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14647 Multicolour imagers having a stacked pixel-element structure, e.g. npn, npnpn or MQW elements

Abstract

Example embodiments are directed to a stack-type image sensor including resistance change elements. The stack-type image sensor includes at least two light-sensing layers that detect different color light stacked on different layers. The stack-type image sensor may not require a size of a unit pixel that detects a light color to be less than 1 μm in order to generate a high resolution color image. As such, resolution saturation may be avoided.

Claims

1. An image sensor comprising:

at least two light-sensing layers stacked on different layers,

wherein each of the at least two light-sensing layers includes at least one resistance change element, an electrical resistance of the at least one resistance changing element changing according to an amount of incident light.

2. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the resistance change element is carbon nanotubes on which spironaphthoxazine (SPO) is adsorbed.

3. The image sensor of claim 1, further comprising:

a substrate;

a first filter layer; and

a second filter layer, wherein

the at least two light-sensing layers include a first light-sensing layer, a second light-sensing layer and a third light-sensing layer, and

the first light-sensing layer, the first filter layer, the second light-sensing layer, the second filter layer, and the third light-sensing layer are sequentially stacked on the substrate.

4. The image sensor of claim 3, further comprising at least one transparent insulating layer between the first light-sensing layer and the second light-sensing layer and between the second light-sensing layer and the third light-sensing layer.

5. The image sensor of claim 3, wherein the first filter layer blocks light having a blue wavelength and transmits light having wavelengths other than the blue wavelength, and the second filter layer blocks light having a green wavelength and transmits light having wavelengths other than the green wavelength or transmits light having a red wavelength and blocks light having wavelengths other than the red wavelength.

6. The image sensor of claim 5, wherein each of the first and second filter layers includes a light absorption adjusting layer, the light absorption adjusting layer including a light absorption material having an absorption coefficient that varies according to a wavelength of light incident on the light absorption adjusting layer and a thickness of the light absorption adjusting layer.

7. The image sensor of claim 6, wherein the light absorption adjusting layer of the first filter layer is thinner than the light absorption adjusting layer of the second filter layer.

8. The image sensor of claim 5, wherein the first filter layer is a blue complementary color filter that blocks light having a blue wavelength and transmits light having other wavelengths, and the second filter layer is a green color complementary color filter that blocks light having a green wavelength and transmits light having other wavelengths or a red color filter that transmits light having a red wavelength.

9. The image sensor of claim 3, wherein each of the first through third light-sensing layers comprises:

the resistance change element and a capacitor connected to each other in parallel;

a reset transistor having a source connected to one end of the resistance change element and the capacitor;

a source follower transistor having a gate connected to the one end of the resistance change element and the capacitor and a drain connected to a drain of the reset transistor;

a select transistor having a drain connected to a source of the source follower transistor; and

an output line connected to a source of the select transistor.

10. The image sensor of claim 9, wherein each of the first through third light-sensing layers further comprises:

a set transistor between the one end of the resistance change element and the capacitor, and the source of the reset transistor and the gate of the source follower transistor.

11. A two-dimensional pixel array comprising:

a plurality of pixels, at least one pixel of the plurality of pixels including the image sensor of claim 1.