Stack-type image sensor

• US 8,680,638 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2010
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Jung-hyun
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson, Allan R
• Application Number:
  US12/923,273
• Publication Number:
  US 20110204461A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,289 Days
• Field of Search: 257/432, 257/440, 257/E31.113, 257/E31.127, 438/65, 438/67
• US Class Current: 257/440
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14621 Colour filter arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14647 Multicolour imagers having a stacked pixel-element structure, e.g. npn, npnpn or MQW elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/76 Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors

Abstract

Example embodiments are directed to a stack-type image sensor including resistance change elements. The stack-type image sensor includes at least two light-sensing layers that detect different color light stacked on different layers. The stack-type image sensor may not require a size of a unit pixel that detects a light color to be less than 1 μm in order to generate a high resolution color image. As such, resolution saturation may be avoided.

Claims

1. An image sensor comprising:

at least two light-sensing layers stacked on different layers, each of the at least two light-sensing layers including at least one resistance change element, an electrical resistance of the at least one resistance change element changing according to an amount of incident light; and

at least one filter layer, the at least one filter layer including a light absorption adjusting layer, wherein

the at least two light-sensing layers and the at least one filter layer are alternately disposed in a vertical direction, and

the light absorption adjusting layer includes a light absorption material having an absorption coefficient that varies according to a wavelength of light incident on the light absorption adjusting layer and a thickness of the light absorption adjusting layer.

2. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the resistance change element is carbon nanotubes on which spironaphthoxazine (SPO) is adsorbed.

3. The image sensor of claim 1, further comprising:

a substrate;

wherein

the at least one filter layer includes a first filter layer and a second filter layer,

the at least two light-sensing layers include a first light-sensing layer, a second light-sensing layer and a third light-sensing layer, and

the first light-sensing layer, the first filter layer, the second light-sensing layer, the second filter layer, and the third light-sensing layer are sequentially stacked on the substrate.

4. The image sensor of claim 3, wherein the first filter layer blocks light having a blue wavelength and transmits light having wavelengths other than the blue wavelength, and the second filter layer blocks light having a green wavelength and transmits light having wavelengths other than the green wavelength or transmits light having a red wavelength and blocks light having wavelengths other than the red wavelength.

5. The image sensor of claim 4, wherein the light absorption adjusting layer of the first filter layer is thinner than the light absorption adjusting layer of the second filter layer.

6. The image sensor of claim 4, wherein the first filter layer is a blue complementary color filter that blocks light having a blue wavelength and transmits light having other wavelengths, and the second filter layer is a green color complementary color filter that blocks light having a green wavelength and transmits light having other wavelengths or a red color filter that transmits light having a red wavelength.

7. A two-dimensional pixel array comprising:

a plurality of pixels, at least one pixel of the plurality of pixels including the image sensor of claim 1.

8. An image sensor comprising:

at least two light-sensing layers stacked on different layers, each of the at least two light-sensing layers including at least one resistance change element, an electrical resistance of the at least one resistance change element changing according to an amount of incident light;

a substrate;

a first filter layer;

a second filter layer, each of the first and second filter layers including a light absorption adjusting layer, wherein

the light absorption adjusting layer includes a light absorption material having an absorption coefficient that varies according to a wavelength of light incident on the light absorption adjusting layer and a thickness of the light absorption adjusting layer,

the at least two light-sensing layers include a first light-sensing layer, a second light-sensing layer and a third light-sensing layer, and

the first light-sensing layer, the first filter layer, the second light-sensing layer, the second filter layer, and the third light-sensing layer are sequentially stacked on the substrate; and

at least one transparent insulating layer between the first light-sensing layer and the second light-sensing layer and between the second light-sensing layer and the third light-sensing layer.

9. A two-dimensional pixel array comprising:

a plurality of pixels, at least one pixel of the plurality of pixels including the image sensor of claim 8.

10. An image sensor comprising:

at least two light-sensing layers stacked on different layers, each of the at least two light-sensing layers including at least one resistance change element, an electrical resistance of the at least one resistance change element changing according to an amount of incident light;

at least one filter layer, the at least one filter layer including a light absorption adjusting layer, the at least two light-sensing layers and the at least one filter layer being alternately disposed in a vertical direction; and

a substrate, wherein,

the at least one filter layer includes a first filter layer and a second filter layer,

the at least two light-sensing layers include a first light-sensing layer, a second light-sensing layer and a third light-sensing layer,

the first light-sensing layer, the first filter layer, the second light-sensing layer, the second filter layer, and the third light-sensing layer are sequentially stacked on the substrate, and

each of the first through third light-sensing layers includes,

the resistance change element and a capacitor connected to each other in parallel,

a reset transistor having a source connected to one end of the resistance change element and the capacitor,

a source follower transistor having a gate connected to the one end of the resistance change element and the capacitor and a drain connected to a drain of the reset transistor,

a select transistor having a drain connected to a source of the source follower transistor, and

an output line connected to a source of the select transistor.

11. The image sensor of claim 10, wherein each of the first through third light-sensing layers further comprises:

a set transistor between the one end of the resistance change element and the capacitor, and the source of the reset transistor and the gate of the source follower transistor.

12. An image sensor comprising:

at least two light-sensing layers stacked on different layers, each of the at least two light-sensing layers including at least one resistance change element, a current flowing in each of the two light-sensing layers being changed according to an amount of incident light; and

at least one filter layer, the at least one filter layer including a light absorption adjusting layer, wherein

the at least two light-sensing layers and the at least one filter layer are alternately disposed in a vertical direction, and

the light absorption adjusting layer including a light absorption material having an absorption coefficient that varies according to a wavelength of light incident on the light absorption adjusting layer and a thickness of the light absorption adjusting layer.