Image sensor and image processing device

• US 9,385,166 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2015
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jung, Jung-Kyu, Sul, Sang-Chul, Lee, Gwi-Deok, Lee, Tae-Yon, Lee, Myung-Won
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Su C
• Application Number:
  US14/596,464
• Publication Number:
  US 20150221702A1
• Time in Patent Office: 538 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14603 Special geometry or disposition of pixel-elements, address-lines or gate-electrodes
• 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 27/1463 Pixel isolation 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 27/14665 Imagers using a photoconductor layer
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 19/20 comprising components having an active region that includes an inorganic semiconductor
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 39/32 Organic image sensors

Abstract

An image sensor includes a semiconductor layer, an organic photoelectric conversion portion disposed on an upper surface of the semiconductor layer and that converts a color component of incident light into a corresponding electrical signal, a transistor layer disposed on a lower surface of the semiconductor layer and including a pixel circuit that receives the electrical signal, and penetration wiring that laterally penetrates a side surface of the semiconductor layer between the upper and lower surfaces and that electrically connects the organic photoelectric conversion portion with the pixel circuit to communicate the electrical signal.

Claims

1. An image sensor comprising a plurality of unit pixels, each of the unit pixels comprising:

a semiconductor layer having an upper surface and an opposing lower surface;

a first organic photoelectric conversion portion disposed on the upper surface of the semiconductor layer, that receives incident light, and converts a first color component of the incident light into a corresponding first electrical signal;

a transistor layer disposed on the lower surface of the semiconductor layer and including a pixel circuit that receives the first electrical signal;

a first penetration wiring that laterally penetrates a first side surface of the semiconductor layer between the upper and lower surfaces, and that electrically connects the first organic photoelectric conversion portion with the pixel circuit to communicate the first electrical signal;

a second organic photoelectric conversion portion disposed on the first organic photoelectric conversion portion, that receives the incident light, and converts a second color component of the incident light into a corresponding second electrical signal; and

a second penetration wiring that laterally penetrates a second side surface of the semiconductor layer between the upper and lower surfaces, and that electrically connects the second organic photoelectric conversion portion with the pixel circuit to communicate the second electrical signal.

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

a photodetector disposed on the lower surface of the semiconductor layer;

a color filter layer disposed on the upper surface of the semiconductor layer that passes a third color component of the incident light different from the first color component and the second color component, such that the third color component is incident onto and is absorbed by the photodetector, and the photodetector accumulates electrical charge in proportion to the absorbed third color component and generates a corresponding third electrical signal communicated to the pixel circuit; and

a lens layer disposed on the second organic photoelectric conversion portion that focuses the incident light through the second and first organic photoelectric conversion portions towards the photodetector.

3. The image sensor of claim 2, wherein the first organic photoelectric conversion portion comprises:

a first lower electrode disposed on the color filter layer;

a first color selection layer disposed on the first lower electrode; and

a first upper electrode disposed on the first color selection layer.

4. The image sensor of claim 3, wherein the second organic photoelectric conversion portion comprises:

a second lower electrode disposed on the first upper electrode;

a second color selection layer disposed on the second lower electrode; and

a second upper electrode disposed on the second color selection layer.

5. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the first penetration wiring is disposed in a first region of the semiconductor layer extending from the upper surface to the lower surface that was removed using a deep trench isolation (DTI) technique, and the second penetration wiring is disposed in a second region of the semiconductor layer extending from the upper surface to the lower surface that was removed using a DTI technique.

6. The image sensor of claim 5, wherein each of the first and second penetration wiring comprises:

an outer portion formed of a dielectric material having a lower refractive index than material used to form the semiconductor layer; and

an inner portion formed of a conductive material that communicates the electrical signals from the organic photoelectric conversion portions to the pixel circuit.

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

a third organic photoelectric conversion portion disposed on the second organic photoelectric conversion portion, that receives the incident light, and converts a third color component of the incident light into a corresponding third electrical signal; and

a third penetration wiring that laterally penetrates a third side surface of the semiconductor layer between the upper and lower surfaces and that electrically connects the third organic photoelectric conversion portion with the pixel circuit to communicate the third electrical signal.

8. The image sensor of claim 7, further comprising:

a lens layer disposed on the third organic photoelectric conversion portion that focuses the incident light through the third, second and first organic photoelectric conversion portions towards the semiconductor layer.

9. The image sensor of claim 7, wherein the first, second and third penetration wirings are respectively disposed in first, second and third regions of the semiconductor layer extending from the upper surface to the lower surface that were removed using a deep trench isolation (DTI) technique.

10. The image sensor of claim 9, wherein each of the first, second and third penetration wirings comprise:

an outer portion formed of a dielectric material having a lower refractive index than material used to form the semiconductor layer; and

an inner portion formed of a conductive material that communicates the electrical signals from the organic photoelectric conversion portions to the pixel circuit.

11. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the pixel circuit comprises a signal charge reading unit.

12. An image sensor comprising a plurality of unit pixels, each of the unit pixels comprising:

a semiconductor layer having an upper surface and an opposing lower surface;

a first organic photoelectric conversion portion disposed on the upper surface of the semiconductor layer, that receives incident light, and converts a first color component of the incident light into a corresponding first electrical signal;

a transistor layer disposed on the lower surface of the semiconductor layer and including a pixel circuit that receives the first electrical signal;

a first penetration wiring that laterally penetrates a first side surface of the semiconductor layer between the upper and lower surfaces, and that electrically connects the first organic photoelectric conversion portion with the pixel circuit to communicate the first electrical signal;

a photodetector disposed on the lower surface of the semiconductor layer;

a color filter layer disposed on the upper surface of the semiconductor layer that passes a second color component of the incident light different from the first color component, such that the second color component is incident onto and is absorbed by the photodetector, and the photodetector accumulates electrical charge in proportion to the absorbed second color component and generates a corresponding second electrical signal communicated to the pixel circuit; and

a lens layer disposed on the first organic photoelectric conversion portion that focuses the incident light through the first organic photoelectric conversion portion towards the photodetector.

13. The image sensor of claim 12, wherein the first penetration wiring is disposed in a region of the semiconductor layer extending from the upper surface to the lower surface that was removed using a deep trench isolation (DTI) technique.

14. The image sensor of claim 13, wherein the first penetration wiring comprises:

an outer portion formed of a dielectric material having a lower refractive index than material used to form the semiconductor layer; and

an inner portion formed of a conductive material that communicates the first electrical signal from the first organic photoelectric conversion portion to the pixel circuit.

15. The image sensor of claim 12, wherein the first organic photoelectric conversion portion comprises:

a first lower electrode disposed on the color filter layer;

a first color selection layer disposed on the first lower electrode; and

a first upper electrode disposed on the first color selection layer.

16. An image sensor comprising an array of unit pixels, each of the unit pixels comprising:

a semiconductor layer having an upper surface and an opposing lower surface;

an organic photoelectric conversion portion disposed on the upper surface of the semiconductor layer, that receives incident light, and converts a color component of the incident light into a corresponding electrical signal;

a transistor layer disposed on the lower surface of the semiconductor layer and including a pixel circuit that receives the electrical signal; and

a penetration wiring that laterally penetrates an external side surface of the semiconductor layer between the upper and lower surfaces as formed by application of a deep-trench isolation technique, and that electrically connects the organic photoelectric conversion portion with the pixel circuit to communicate the electrical signal, and that is formed at a boundary region with an adjacent unit pixel,

wherein the penetration wiring blocks introduction of incident light coming from a direction of the adjacent unit pixel in the array of pixel units and blocks electrical charge passing from the adjacent unit pixel in the array of unit pixels, and

wherein the penetration wiring comprises;

an outer portion formed of a dielectric material having a lower refractive index than material used to form the semiconductor layer; and

an inner portion formed of a conductive material that communicates the electrical signal from the organic photoelectric conversion portion to the pixel circuit.

17. The image sensor of claim 16, wherein the penetration wiring is disposed in a region of the semiconductor layer extending from the upper surface to the lower surface that was removed using a deep trench isolation (DTI) technique.