Image sensor and method of manufacturing the same

• US 7,135,706 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2004
• Issued: 11/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Izumi, Yoshihiro, Nagata, Hisashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thien F.
• Application Number:
  US11/003,343
• Publication Number:
  US 20050092992A1
• Time in Patent Office: 708 Days
• Field of Search: 257/59, 257/72, 257/258, 257/291, 257/444
• US Class Current: 257/59
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/12 the substrate being other than a semiconductor body, e.g. an insulating body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14609 Pixel-elements with integrated switching, control, storage or amplification elements scanning details of imagers (circuitry of solid-state image sensors H04N25/00); circuitry of imagers H04N25/70
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14676 X-ray, gamma-ray or corpuscular radiation imagers measuring X-, gamma- or corpuscular radiation G01T1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/41733 for thin film transistors with insulated gate

Abstract

On a transparent electrically insulating substrate, formed are a scanning line, and a gate electrode of a switching element, further formed are a gate insulating film, a semiconductor layer, an n⁺-Si layer to be formed into a source electrode and a drain electrode. After the patterning of the foregoing structure, the dielectric film is formed, and the portion corresponding to the contact hole is removed by etching, and photosensitive resin is applied to form the interlayer insulating film. Then, the transparent electrode is extended from the pixel electrode over the switching element, whereon a conversion layer and a gold layer for use in electrode are vapor-deposited. In this structure, an increase in capacitor between the pixel electrode and the signal line can be suppressed by the interlayer insulating film, and the transparent electrode functions as a top gate and release excessive electric charge. As a result, excessive electric charge can be released effectively in the double gate structure while suppressing an increase in capacitor between the pixel electrode and the signal line.

Claims

1. An image sensor, which converts an incident electromagnetic wave into electric charge by a conversion section, and which reads out as a signal, the electric charge as collected in a pixel electrode, via a switching element,

wherein said switching element is a thin film transistor wherein its drain electrode is connected to said pixel electrode, and its source electrode is connected to a signal line;

said image sensor, comprising;

an electrically conductive film which is extended from the pixel electrode to a layer above said switching element; and

a dielectric film made of an inorganic film, said dielectric film being formed at least on a channel region of said switching element; and

an interlayer insulating film made of an organic film, formed on an upper surface of said dielectric film and at a lower surface of said electrically conductive film and said pixel electrode,

wherein a total amount of electrostatic capacitance of said interlayer insulating film and said dielectric film is selected so as to prevent said switching element from being destroyed against high voltage, and to prevent a leak current in normal operations; and

a thickness of said dielectric film and a thickness of said interlayer insulating film are selected respectively to satisfy said total amount of electrostatic capacitance of said interlayer insulating film and said dielectric film.

2. The image sensor as set forth in claim 1, wherein said switching element is a dual-gate transistor, and said electrically conductive film functions as one gate electrode of said dual-gate transistor.

3. The image sensor as set forth in claim 1 wherein said conversion section is made of selenium.

4. The image sensor as set forth in claim 1, wherein the electric charge stored in said pixel electrode is a positive charge, and

said switching element conducts with an application of a positive bias voltage.

5. An image sensor comprising:

a conversion section for converting an incident electromagnetic wave into electric charge;

pixel electrodes for storing the electric charge generated by said conversion section;

switching elements for controlling reading out of the electric charge from the pixel electrodes;

an interlayer insulating film made of an organic film formed immediately below a lower surface of said pixel electrodes;

an electrically conductive film which is electrically connected to said pixel electrode and which is extended from the pixel electrode to a layer above each switching element;

a dielectric layer formed between the switching element and said electrically conductive film;

wherein said switching element is a dual-gate transistor, and said electrically conductive film functions as one gate electrode of said dual-gate transistor;

wherein a total amount of electrostatic capacitance of said interlayer insulating film and said dielectric layer is selected so as to prevent said switching element from being destroyed against high voltage, and to prevent a leak current in normal operations; and

a thickness of said dielectric layer and a thickness of said interlayer insulating film are selected respectively to satisfy said total amount of electrostatic capacitance of said interlayer insulating film and said dielectric layer.

6. The image sensor as set forth in claim 5, wherein said conversion section is made of selenium.

7. The image sensor as set forth in claim 5, wherein:

the electric charge stored in said pixel electrode is a positive charge, and

said switching element conducts with an application of a positive bias voltage.