CMOS active pixel sensor

• US 7,800,148 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2008
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lee, Jong-Jan, Tweet, Douglas James, Hsu, Sheng Teng, Maa, Jer-shen
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Andy
• Application Number:
  US12/178,169
• Publication Number:
  US 20080303072A1
• Time in Patent Office: 790 Days
• Field of Search: 257/290, 257/291, 257/292, 257/293, 257/294, 257/E27.133, 257/E27.134, 257/E27.135
• US Class Current: 257/292
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14647 Multicolour imagers having a stacked pixel-element structure, e.g. npn, npnpn or MQW elements

Abstract

A CMOS active pixel sensor includes a silicon-on-insulator substrate having a silicon substrate with an insulator layer formed thereon and a top silicon layer formed on the insulator layer. A stacked pixel sensor cell includes a bottom photodiode fabricated on the silicon substrate, for sensing light of a longest wavelength; a middle photodiode fabricated on the silicon substrate, for sensing light of a medium wavelength, which is stacked above the bottom photodiode; and a top photodiode fabricated on the top silicon layer, for sensing light of a shorter wavelength, which is stacked above the middle and bottom photodiodes. Pixel transistor sets are fabricated on the top silicon layer and are associated with each pixel sensor cell by electrical connections which extend between each of the photodiodes and respective pixel transistor(s). CMOS control circuitry is fabricated adjacent to an array of active pixel sensor cells and electrically connected thereto.

Claims

1. A CMOS active pixel sensor, comprising:

a silicon-on-insulator substrate having a top silicon layer formed on an insulator layer which is formed on a silicon substrate;

a stacked pixel sensor cell, comprising;

a first photodiode fabricated on said silicon substrate;

said insulator layer being formed on said silicon substrate and said first photodiode; and

a second photodiode on said insulator layer fabricated on said top silicon layer, said second photodiode on said insulator layer being stacked above said first photodiode;

a pixel transistor set for said stacked pixel sensor cell, fabricated on the top silicon layer;

electrical connections between each of said stacked pixel sensor cells and its pixel transistor set; and

CMOS control circuitry fabricated adjacent to an array of pixel sensor cells and electrically connected thereto.

2. The CMOS active pixel sensor of claim 1 which includes filters to distinguish between green light wavelengths and red light wavelengths for said first photodiode.

3. The CMOS active pixel sensor of claim 1 wherein said CMOS circuitry is fabricated on said silicon substrate where said insulator layer and said top silicon layer of said silicon-on-insulator substrate are removed.

4. The CMOS active pixel sensor of claim 1 wherein said CMOS circuitry is fabricated on said top silicon layer of said silicon-on-insulator substrate.

5. The CMOS active pixel sensor of claim 4 wherein said top silicon layer where said CMOS circuitry is fabricated has a reduced thickness compared to said top silicon layer where said array of pixel sensor cells is fabricated.