SOLID-STATE IMAGING DEVICE, METHOD FOR PRODUCING SOLID-STATE IMAGING DEVICE, AND ELECTRONIC APPARATUS

• US 20170230598A1
• Filed: 07/09/2015
• Published: 08/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brillnics Singapore Pte Limited
• Original Assignee: Brillnics Inc.
• Inventors: Ariyoshi, Katsuhiko, Matsuo, Shinichiro, Tanaka, Shunsuke, Mori, Kazuya, Takayanagi, Isao
• Granted Patent: US 10,264,199 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14623 Optical shielding
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14634 Assemblies, i.e. Hybrid structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14636 Interconnect structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1464 Back illuminated imager structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14643 Photodiode arrays; MOS imagers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14689 MOS based technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1469 Assemblies, i.e. hybrid integration
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14812 Special geometry or disposition of pixel-elements, address lines or gate-electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14818 Optical shielding
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1485 Frame transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14887 Blooming suppression
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/70 SSIS architectures; Circuits associated therewith
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/71 Charge-coupled device [CCD] sensors; Charge-transfer registers specially adapted for CCD sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/75 Circuitry for providing, modifying or processing image signals from the pixel array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/76 Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/79 Arrangements of circuitry being divided between different or multiple substrates, chips or circuit boards, e.g. stacked image sensors

Abstract

A solid state imaging device has: a photosensitive part containing a plurality of charge transfer parts that transfer, in column units, the signal charges of a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements disposed in a matrix; a conversion/output unit that converts, to an electrical signal, the signal charges forwarded by the charge transfer parts; a peripheral circuit part that performs a predetermined process with respect to the electrical signals from the conversion/output part; a relay part that relays the forwarding to the peripheral circuit part of the electrical signal from the conversion/output part; a first substrate where a photosensitive part and the conversion/output part are formed; and a second substrate where the peripheral circuit part is formed. The first and second substrates are stacked together, and the relay part electrically connects the conversion/output part formed at the first substrate to the peripheral circuit part formed at the second substrate.

Claims

1. A solid-state imaging device comprising:

a photosensitive part including a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements which are arranged in a matrix and a plurality of charge transfer parts which transfer the signal charges of the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements in unit of columns or rows,

a conversion/output part, arranged in accordance with the number of columns or rows, which converts the signal charges transferred in the charge transfer parts to electrical signals and outputs the results,

a peripheral circuit part which performs predetermined processing with respect to the electrical signals from the conversion/output part,

a relay part which relays transfer of the electrical signals from the conversion/output part to the peripheral circuit part,

a first substrate on which the photosensitive part and the conversion/output part are formed, and

a second substrate on which the peripheral circuit part is formed, wherein

at least the first substrate and the second substrate are stacked, and

the relay part electrically connects the conversion/output part formed on the first substrate and the peripheral circuit part formed on the second substrate by a connecting part which passes through the substrates outside of the photosensitive region in the photosensitive part.

2. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein:

in the relay part,

in at least one of the regions corresponding to the outside of the photosensitive regions of the first substrate and the second substrate, a source-follower portion for amplifying the electrical signals from the conversion/output part is formed.

3. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 2, wherein:

the source-follower portion includes an amplifying part and a current source part which are connected in series, where the amplifying part and the current source part are formed on the second substrate, and the amplified signals are output from the output end side of the amplifying part connected to the current source part to the peripheral circuit part, and

the relay part connects the conversion/output part formed on the first substrate and the input end of the amplifying part of the source-follower portion formed on the second substrate through the connecting part.

4. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 2, wherein:

the source-follower portion includes an amplifying part and a current source part which are connected in series, where the amplifying part is formed on the first substrate, the current source part is formed on the second substrate, and the amplified signals are output from the output end side of the amplifying part connected to the current source part to the peripheral circuit part, and

the relay part connects the conversion/output part formed on the first substrate and the input end of the amplifying part of the source-follower portion and connects the output end of the amplifying part and the current source part formed on the second substrate through the connecting part.

5. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 2, wherein:

the source-follower portion includes an amplifying part and a current source part which are connected in series, where the amplifying part and the current source part are formed on the first substrate, and the amplified signals are output from the output end side of the amplifying part connected to the current source part, and

the relay part connects the conversion/output part formed on the first substrate and the input end of the amplifying part of the source-follower Portion and connects the output end side of the amplifying part and the peripheral circuit part formed on the second substrate through the connecting part.

6. The solid-state imaging device according tc claim 5, wherein

on the first substrate, between the output end side of the amplifying part and the connecting part, a buffer part for buffering the electrical signals output by the source-follower portion is formed.

7. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 5, wherein

the connecting part and the peripheral circuit part formed on the second substrate are electrically connected by AC coupling.

8. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 5, wherein

between the output end side of the amplifying part and the connecting part, a voltage-to-current conversion part for converting the voltage signal amplified by the source-follower portion to the current signal is formed.

9. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 5, wherein

on the first substrate, a first analog-to-digital converter (ADC) which converts the output signal of the source-follower portion from an analog signal to a digital signal is formed on the output end side of the amplifying part, and

on the second substrate, a second ADC which converts the output signal of the source-follower portion transferred through the connecting part from an analog signal to a digital signal is formed in the input stage of the peripheral circuit part.

10. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 5, wherein:

on the first substrate, a second amplifying part for amplifying the electrical signals output by the source-follower portion is formed on the output end side of the amplifying part,

the connecting part includes a first connecting section to which the output end side of the amplifying part in the, source-follower portion is connected and a second connecting section which is connected to the output end of the second amplifying part, and

on the second substrate, the first connecting section and the second connecting section are connected to the peripheral circuit part.

11. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein

the relay part includes a feedback type amplifier which amplifies the electrical signals from the conversion/output part in a region corresponding to the outside of the photosensitive region of the second substrate.

12. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein

the conversion/output part includes a floating diffusion part for converting the signal charges to the voltage signals.

13. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein

the conversion/output part includes

a floating diffusion part for converting the signal charges to the voltage signals and

a buffer part which outputs the voltage signals of the floating diffusion part as electrical signals.

14. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 which includes a relay selecting means for selectively connecting the plurality of charge transfer parts and the connecting part.

15. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 14, wherein

the relay selecting means can add or thin signal charges of the plurality of parallel-arranged charge transfer parts.

16. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein:

the first substrate is formed by a first conductivity type substrate, and

the second substrate is formed by a second conductivity type substrate

17. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein

the first substrate is formed by an n-type substrate or n-well and has a vertical type overflow drain structure.

18. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein

on the second substrate, at least an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for processing the output signals of the conversion/output part and a serializer for converting the image data comprised of a plurality of bits from parallel data to serial data are formed.

19. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 18, wherein

on the second substrate, a voltage generation circuit and drive pulse generator are formed.

20. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 8, wherein

on the second substrate, a means for sharing terminals for drive pulses/output signal pulses is farmed.

21. A method for producing a solid-state imaging device comprising:

a step of forming, on a first substrate, a photosensitive part including a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements which are arranged in a matrix and a plurality of charge transfer parts which transfer signal charges of the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements in unit of columns or rows and a conversion output part, arranged in accordance with the number of columns or rows, which converts the signal charges transferred in the charge transfer parts to electrical signals and outputs the results,

a step of forming, a second substrate at least a peripheral circuit part which performs predetermined processing with respect to the electrical signals from the conversion/output part, and

a step of, in a state where at least the first substrate and the second substrate are stacked, electrically connecting the conversion/output part formed on the first substrate and the peripheral circuit part formed on the second substrate by a connecting part which passes through the substrates outside of the photosensitive region in the photosensitive part.

22. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a solid-state imaging device,

an optical system forming an image in a photosensitive part in the solid-state imaging device, and

a signal processing part for processing output signals of the solid-state imaging device, wherein

the solid-state imaging device has

a photosensitive part including a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements which are arranged in a matrix and a plurality of charge transfer parts which transfer signal charges of the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements in unit of columns or rows ,

a conversion/output part, arranged in accordance with the number of columns or rows, which converts the signal charges transferred in the charge transfer parts to electrical signals and outputs the results,

a peripheral circuit part which performs predetermined processing with respect to the electrical signals from the conversion/output part,

a relay part which relays transfer of the electrical signals from the conversion/output part to the peripheral circuit part,

a first substrate on which the photosensitive part and the conversion/output part are formed, and

a second substrate on which the peripheral circuit part is formed, wherein

least the first substratee nd subs and the ate are stacked, and

the relay part electrically connects the convers on/output part formed on the first substrate and the peripheral circuit part formed on the second substrate by a connecting part which passes through the substrates outside of the photosensitive region in the photosensitive part.