Backside illuminated image sensor

• US 7,847,326 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2008
• Issued: 12/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures II LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Crosstek Capital LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Park, Sung-Hyung, Lee, Ju-Il
• Primary Examiner(s): LEBENTRITT, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US12/216,065
• Publication Number:
  US 20090001494A1
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 257228-233, 257/292, 257447-463, 257/E21.122, 257/27.015, 257/112, 257/137, 257/152, 257E31084-E31093
• US Class Current: 257/292
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14603 Special geometry or disposition of pixel-elements, address-lines or gate-electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14629 Reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1464 Back illuminated imager structures

Abstract

A backside illuminated image sensor includes a photodiode, formed below the top surface of a semiconductor substrate, for receiving light illuminated from the backside of the semiconductor substrate to generate photoelectric charges, a reflecting gate, formed on the photodiode over the front upper surface of the semiconductor substrate, for reflecting light illuminated from the backside of the substrate and receiving a bias to control a depletion region of the photodiode, and a transfer gate for transferring photoelectric charges from the photodiode to a sensing node of a pixel.

Claims

1. A backside illuminated image sensor, comprising:

a photodiode formed below a front upper surface of a semiconductor substrate, wherein the photodiode is configured to receive light illuminated from a backside of the semiconductor substrate that generates photoelectric charges;

a reflecting gate formed on the photodiode proximate the front upper surface of the semiconductor substrate, wherein the reflecting gate is configured to reflect light illuminated from the backside of the semiconductor substrate, and wherein the reflecting gate is further configured to receive a bias signal to control a depletion region of the photodiode; and

a transfer gate configured to transfer photoelectric charges from the photodiode to a sensing node of a pixel.

2. The backside illuminated image sensor of claim 1, wherein the reflecting gate comprises a metal silicide layer or a metal layer configured to reduce loss of light illuminated from the backside of the semiconductor substrate.

3. The backside illuminated image sensor of claim 1, further comprising a buffer region formed below the front upper surface of the semiconductor substrate between the photodiode and the transfer gate, wherein the buffer region is configured to improve a photoelectric charge transfer efficiency and timing margin in transferring the photoelectric charges from the photodiode to the sensing node.

4. The backside illuminated image sensor of claim 1, wherein the reflecting gate is further configured to receive a negative bias as the bias signal, and wherein the reflecting gate is configured to control a width of the depletion region.

5. The backside illuminated image sensor of claim 1, wherein the photodiode comprises a pinning layer configured to reduce a dark current generated proximate the front upper surface of the semiconductor substrate.

6. The backside illuminated image sensor of claim 1, wherein the sensing node comprises a floating diffusion region.

7. The backside illuminated image sensor of claim 1, wherein the sensing node is connected so that it is shared by at least two photodiodes.

8. The backside illuminated image sensor of claim 1, further comprising a negative charge pumping circuit integrated into the backside illuminated image sensor and configured to generate the bias signal applied to the reflecting gate.

9. The backside illuminated image sensor of claim 1, wherein the backside illuminated image sensor comprises a correlated double sampling (CDS) circuit, and wherein the CDS circuit is configured to remove thermal noise in capacitor (kTC) noise of the sensing node.

10. The backside illuminated image sensor of claim 1, wherein the photodiode, the reflecting gate, and the transfer gate comprise CMOS circuit structures.

11. The backside illuminated image sensor of claim 1, wherein the reflecting gate is partially overlapped by the transfer gate, and wherein an insulation layer is interposed between the reflecting gate and the transfer gate.

12. The backside illuminated image sensor of claim 1, further comprising a microlens formed proximate the backside of the semiconductor substrate.

13. The backside illuminated image sensor of claim 1, further comprising an anti-reflecting layer formed proximate the backside of the semiconductor substrate.

14. The backside illuminated image sensor of claim 13, wherein the anti-reflecting layer comprises an insulation layer.

15. The backside illuminated image sensor of claim 13, wherein the anti-reflecting layer comprises at least one of an oxide layer, a nitride layer, or a stacked structure thereof.

16. The backside illuminated image sensor of claim 15, wherein the oxide layer comprises at least one layer selected from the group consisting of:

a borophosphosilicate glass (BPSG) layer, a phosphosilicate glass (PSG) layer, a borosilicate glass (BSG), an un-doped silicate glass (USG) layer, a tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) layer, a high density plasma (HDP) layer, and a silicon oxide (SiO₂) layer.

17. The backside illuminated image sensor of claim 15, wherein the nitride layer comprises a silicon nitride (Si_xN_y) layer, where x and y are natural numbers, or a silicon oxynitride (Si_xO_yN_z) layer, where x, y and z are natural numbers.

18. A pixel of a backside illuminated image sensor, the pixel comprising:

a substrate having a front upper surface and a backside;

a photodiode configured to generate photoelectric charges in response to light received from the backside of the substrate, wherein the photodiode is formed proximate the front upper surface of the substrate; and

a reflecting gate disposed over the photodiode and configured to reflect light received from the backside of the substrate onto a frontside of the photodiode, wherein the reflecting gate is further configured to receive a bias signal to control an extent of a depletion region of the photodiode.

19. The pixel of claim 18, further comprising a transfer transistor configured to transfer the photoelectric charges to a floating diffusion node.

20. The pixel of claim 19, wherein the transfer transistor comprises a transfer gate laterally spaced from the reflecting gate, and wherein the transfer gate and the reflecting gate are disposed at substantially a same distance from the front upper surface of the substrate.

21. The pixel of claim 19, wherein the transfer transistor comprises a buffer region formed in the substrate and vertically aligned with an edge of the reflecting gate.

22. The pixel of claim 20, wherein a portion of the transfer gate overlies the reflecting gate.

23. The pixel of claim 18, wherein the reflecting gate comprises a stacked layer structure.

24. The pixel of claim 23, wherein the stacked layer structure comprises:

a polysilicon layer; and

a metal layer adjacent the polysilicon layer.

25. The pixel of claim 24, wherein the metal layer comprises a tungsten silicide layer.

26. The pixel of claim 24, wherein the metal layer comprises tungsten.

27. The pixel of claim 18, wherein the reflecting gate comprises a single-layer structure.

28. The pixel of claim 27, wherein the single-layer structure comprises a metal silicide layer or metal layer.