Process module for increasing the response of backside illuminated photosensitive imagers and associated methods

• US 9,496,308 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2012
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SiOnyx, LLC (Black Silicon Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SiOnyx, LLC (Black Silicon Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Haddad, Homayoon, McKee, Jeffrey, Jiang, Jutao, Miller, Drake, Palsule, Chintamani, Forbes, Leonard
• Primary Examiner(s): Henry, Caleb
• Assistant Examiner(s): Belousov, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US13/493,891
• Publication Number:
  US 20120313204A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,618 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1462 Coatings
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14629 Reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1464 Back illuminated imager structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14685 Process for coatings or optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14689 MOS based technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14692 Thin film technologies, e.g. amorphous, poly, micro- or nanocrystalline silicon
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0232 Optical elements or arrangements associated with the device H01L31/0236 takes precedence; for photovoltaic cells H01L31/054; for photovoltaic modules H02S40/20
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/18 Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of these devices or of parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/57 for mobile receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/59 for emergency or urgency
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/72 of terrestrial networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information

Abstract

Backside illuminated photosensitive devices and associated methods are provided. In one aspect, for example, a backside-illuminated photosensitive imager device can include a semiconductor substrate having multiple doped regions forming a least one junction, a textured region coupled to the semiconductor substrate and positioned to interact with electromagnetic radiation where the textured region includes surface features sized and positioned to facilitate tuning to a preselected wavelength of light, and a dielectric region positioned between the textured region and the at least one junction. The dielectric region is positioned to isolate the at least one junction from the textured region, and the semiconductor substrate and the textured region are positioned such that incoming electromagnetic radiation passes through the semiconductor substrate before contacting the textured region. Additionally, the device includes an electrical transfer element coupled to the semiconductor substrate to transfer an electrical signal from the at least one junction.

Claims

1. A backside-illuminated photosensitive image device, comprising:

a semiconductor substrate having multiple doped regions forming at least one junction;

a textured region coupled to the semiconductor substrate and positioned such that incoming electromagnetic radiation passes through the semiconductor substrate before contacting the textured region, wherein the textured region interacts with the electromagnetic radiation so as to redirect at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation back into the semiconductor substrate,

a dielectric region positioned between the textured region and the at least one junction, the dielectric region being positioned to isolate the at least one junction from the textured region,

a reflecting region coupled to the textured region for reflecting electromagnetic radiation passing through the textured region back to the textured region, wherein the textured region is disposed between the dielectric region and the reflecting region, and

an electrical transfer element coupled to the semiconductor substrate and operable to transfer an electrical signal from the at least one junction.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the textured region includes surface features having an average center-to-center distance of one half wavelength of a preselected wavelength of light, multiples of one half wavelength of the preselected wavelength of light, or at least one half wavelength of the preselected wavelength of light.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the center-to-center distance distribution is a substantially uniform distance distribution.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the surface features have an average height of about a multiple of a quarter wavelength of the preselected wavelength of light.

5. The device of claim 2, wherein the preselected wavelength of light is in the near infrared or infrared range.

6. The device of claim 2, wherein the preselected wavelength of light is greater than or equal to about 800 nm.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising a dielectric layer positioned between the reflecting region and the textured region.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the reflecting region includes a member selected from the group consisting of a Bragg reflector, a metal reflector, a metal reflector over a dielectric material, and combinations thereof.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the textured region includes surface features selected from the group consisting of sloping, pyramidal, inverted pyramidal, spherical, square, rectangular, parabolic, ellipsoidal, asymmetric, symmetric, scallops, gratings, pillars, cones, microlenses, quantum dots, and combinations thereof.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the textured region includes surface features having a size selected from the group consisting of micron-sized, nano-sized, and combinations thereof.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the textured region has been formed by a process selected from the group consisting of plasma etching, reactive ion etching, porous silicon etching, lasing, chemical etching, nanoimprinting, material deposition, selective epitaxial growth, and combinations thereof.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the textured region includes surface features that are sized and positioned to reduce specular reflection in the zero^th order direction.

13. The device of claim 1, further comprising an anti-reflective layer deposited on the semiconductor substrate at a surface opposite the at least one junction such that incident light passes through the anti-reflective layer prior to contacting the semiconductor substrate.

14. The device of claim 13, further comprising at least one isolation feature in the semiconductor substrate, the at least one isolation feature being positioned to reflect light impinging thereon back into the semiconductor substrate.

15. A backside-illuminated photosensitive image device, comprising:

a semiconductor substrate having multiple doped regions forming at least one junction;

a textured region coupled to the semiconductor substrate and positioned to interact with electromagnetic radiation, wherein the textured region includes a plurality of grooves;

a dielectric region positioned between the textured region and the at least one junction, the dielectric region being positioned to isolate the at least one junction from the textured region, wherein the semiconductor substrate and the textured region are positioned such that incoming electromagnetic radiation passes through the semiconductor substrate and the dielectric region before contacting the textured region; and

an electrical transfer element coupled to the semiconductor substrate and operable to transfer an electrical signal from the at least one junction.