IMAGE PICKUP DEVICE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME

• US 20140070288A1
• Filed: 09/11/2013
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Inventors: TOMIMATSU, Takahiro, KAMINO, Takeshi, KAWAMURA, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,331,114 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/292
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14612 involving a transistor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14625 Optical elements or arrangements associated with the device
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14629 Reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14643 Photodiode arrays; MOS imagers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14685 Process for coatings or optical elements

Abstract

To prevent deterioration in the sensitivity of a pixel part caused by variation in the distance between a waveguide and a photo diode and by decay of light due to suppression of reflection of entering light. In a pixel region, there is formed a waveguide which penetrates through a fourth interlayer insulating film or the like and reaches a sidewall insulating film. The sidewall insulating film is configured to have a stacked structure of a silicon oxide film and a silicon nitride film. The waveguide is formed so as to penetrate through even the silicon nitride film of the sidewall insulating film and to reach the silicon oxide film of the sidewall insulating film, or so as to reach the silicon nitride film of the sidewall.

Claims

1. An image pickup device, comprising:

a semiconductor substrate having a main surface;

a photoelectric conversion part that is formed in a predetermined region in the semiconductor substrate and converts entering light into a charge;

a gate electrode of a transfer transistor that is formed over a surface of the semiconductor substrate and transfers the charge generated in the photoelectric conversion part;

a sidewall insulating film that covers a side wall face of the gate electrode and that includes apart extending from a part covering the side wall face and covering a surface of the photoelectric conversion part;

an interlayer insulating film formed so as to cover the sidewall insulating film; and

a waveguide that is formed so as to penetrate through the interlayer insulating film and to reach the sidewall insulating film, and guides light to the photoelectric conversion part.

2. The image pickup device according to claim 1,

wherein the sidewall insulating film includes:

a silicon oxide film; and

a silicon nitride film formed so as to be in contact with a surface of the silicon oxide film, and

wherein the waveguide is formed so as to penetrate through the interlayer insulating film and the silicon nitride film and to reach the silicon oxide film.

3. The image pickup device according to claim 1,

wherein the sidewall insulating film includes:

a silicon oxide film; and

a silicon nitride film formed so as to be in contact with an upper face of the silicon oxide film, and

wherein the waveguide is formed so as to penetrate through the interlayer insulating film and to reach the silicon nitride film.

4. The image pickup device according to claim 1,

wherein the waveguide includes:

a protective film covering a surface of an opening part penetrating through the interlayer insulating film; and

an embedding member filling the opening part covered with the protective film.

5. The image pickup device according to claim 4,

wherein the protective film is a silicon nitride film;

and

wherein the embedding member is a coating-based material.

6. The image pickup device according to claim 1,

wherein the waveguide includes a predetermined film filling an opening part penetrating through the interlayer insulating film.

7. The image pickup device according to claim 6,

wherein the predetermined film is a silicon nitride film.

8. A method of manufacturing an image pickup device, the method comprising the steps of:

forming a gate electrode of a transfer transistor transferring a charge, on a surface of a semiconductor substrate having a main surface;

forming a photoelectric conversion part converting entering light into a charge by implanting an impurity of a predetermined conduction type into one of regions of the semiconductor substrate, positioned with the gate electrode being interposed;

forming a sidewall insulating film that covers a side wall face of the gate electrode and that includes a part extending from a part covering the side wall face to cover a surface of the photoelectric conversion part, by forming a predetermined insulating film so as to cover the gate electrode and the photoelectric conversion part and by performing processing on the predetermined insulating film;

forming an interlayer insulating film so as to cover the sidewall insulating film;

forming an opening part reaching the sidewall insulating film in the interlayer insulating film; and

forming a waveguide guiding light to the photoelectric conversion part so as to fill the opening part.

9. The method of manufacturing an image pickup device according to claim 8, the step of forming the sidewall insulating film including the steps of:

forming a silicon oxide film; and

forming a silicon nitride film so as to be in contact with a surface of the silicon oxide film,

as the predetermined insulating film,

wherein, in the step of forming the opening part, the opening part is formed so as to penetrate through the interlayer insulating film and to allow the silicon nitride film to be exposed; and

wherein, in the step of forming the waveguide, the waveguide is formed so as to reach the silicon nitride film.

10. The method of manufacturing an image pickup device according to claim 8, the step of forming the sidewall insulating film including the steps of:

forming a silicon oxide film; and

forming a silicon nitride film so as to be in contact with a surface of the silicon oxide film,

as the predetermined insulating film,

wherein, in the step of forming the opening part, the opening part is formed so as to penetrate through the interlayer insulating film and the silicon nitride film and to allow the silicon oxide film to be exposed; and

wherein, in the step of forming the waveguide, the waveguide is formed so as to reach the silicon oxide film.

11. The method of manufacturing an image pickup device according to claim 8, the step of forming the waveguide including the steps of:

forming a protective film so as to cover a surface of the opening part; and

filling a coating-based material in the opening part covered with the protective film.

12. The method of manufacturing an image pickup device according to claim 11,

wherein, in the step of forming the waveguide, siloxane is applied as the coating-based material.

13. The method of manufacturing an image pickup device according to claim 8,

wherein the step of forming the waveguide includes a step of forming a predetermined film so that the film is embedded in the opening part.

14. The method of manufacturing an image pickup device according to claim 13,

wherein, in the step of forming the waveguide, a silicon nitride film is applied as the predetermined film.