Pixel with spatially varying sensor positions

• US 20060249654A1
• Filed: 10/24/2005
• Published: 11/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aptina Imaging Corporation (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Aptina Imaging Corporation (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Inventors: Gazeley, William G., Silsby, Christopher D., Borg, Matthew M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,432,491 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/208.100
• 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 27/14623 Optical shielding
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14625 Optical elements or arrangements associated with the device
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14632 Wafer-level processed structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14636 Interconnect structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14643 Photodiode arrays; MOS imagers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14689 MOS based technologies

Abstract

An image sensor including a substrate, at least one metal layer, and a plurality of pixels arranged in array. Each pixel includes a sense element disposed in the substrate and at least one metal interconnect segment disposed in the at least one metal layer. The array includes a pair of perpendicular axes extending from an optical center, wherein for a line of pixels extending perpendicularly from one of the axes to a peripheral edge of the array a spacing between the sense elements of consecutive pairs of pixels of the line is at least equal to a spacing between the associated at least one metal interconnect segments, and wherein for at least one consecutive pair of pixels of the line the spacing between the sense elements is greater by an incremental amount than the spacing between the corresponding at least one metal interconnect segments.

Claims

1. An image sensor comprising:

a substrate;

at least a first metal layer; and

a plurality of pixels arranged in an array having a pair of perpendicular axes extending from an optical center, each pixel including a sense element disposed at least partially in the substrate and at least an associated first metal interconnect segment disposed in the first metal layer, wherein for a line of pixels extending substantially perpendicularly from one of the axes to a peripheral edge of the array a spacing between the associated first metal interconnect segments of consecutive pairs of pixels of the line is equal to a first distance, wherein a spacing between sense elements of consecutive pairs of pixels of the line is at least equal to the first distance, and wherein a spacing between at least one consecutive pair of pixels of the line is equal to a second distance which is greater than the first distance.

2. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the spacing between the sense elements of consecutive pairs of pixels is at least equal to the first distance and is based on a distance of the consecutive pairs of pixels from the optical center.

3. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the spacing between the sense elements of consecutive pairs of pixels is at least equal to the first distance and is based on angle of incidence of light incident upon a surface of the array.

4. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the spacing between the sense elements of each consecutive pairs of pixels is equal to the second distance.

5. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein a spacing between sense elements of one or more sense elements is greater than the first distance and such that each sense element of the line of pixels substantially aligns with a design grid associated with the image sensor.

6. The image sensor of claim 1, further comprising a second metal layer, wherein the first metal layer is positioned between the substrate and the second metal layer, wherein each pixel includes at least an associated second metal interconnect segment disposed in the second metal layer, where a spacing between the associated second metal interconnect segments of consecutive pairs of pixels of the line is up to the first distance, and wherein a spacing between second metal interconnect segments of at least one consecutive pair of pixels of the line is equal to a third distance which is less than the first distance.

7. The image sensor of claim 6, wherein the spacing between the associated second metal interconnect segments of each consecutive pair of pixels of the line is equal to the third distance.

8. The image sensor of claim 6, wherein the spacing between the associated second metal interconnect segments of consecutive pairs of pixels is based on a distance of the consecutive pairs of pixels from the optical center.

9. The image sensor of claim 6, wherein the spacing between the associated second metal interconnect segments of consecutive pairs of pixels is based on angle of incidence of light incident upon a surface of the array.

10. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the line of pixels comprises at least a portion of a row of pixels of the array.

11. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the line of pixels comprises at least a portion of a column of pixels of the array.

12. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the image sensor comprises a complimentary metal oxide type image sensor.

21. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the first and second pixels are substantially along a line of extending from the optical center to a peripheral edge of the array, and wherein the offset value of the first pixel is more positive than the offset value of the second pixel when the line extends in a first direction and is less negative than the offset value of second pixel when the line extends in a second direction which is opposite the first direction.

13. A method of configuring an image sensor including a substrate, a first metal layer, and an array of pixels having a pair of perpendicular axes extending from an optical center, each pixel including a sense element disposed at least partially within the substrate and at least an associated first metal interconnect segment disposed in the first metal layer, the method comprising:

positioning the associated first metal interconnect segments of consecutive pairs of pixels of a line of pixels extending substantially perpendicularly from one of the axes to a peripheral edge of the array at a spacing equal to a first distance;

positioning the sense elements of consecutive pairs of pixels of the line at a spacing at least equal to the first distance and positioning the sense elements of at least one consecutive pair of pixels of the line at a spacing equal to a second distance which is greater than t he first distance.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein positioning the sense elements of consecutive pixels of the line includes positioning the sense elements of each consecutive pair of pixels of the line at a spacing equal to the second distance.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein positioning the sense elements of consecutive pairs of pixels is based on a distance of the consecutive pairs of pixels from the optical center.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein positioning the sense elements of consecutive pairs of pixels of the line includes positioning the sense elements of one or more consecutive pairs of sense elements at a spacing greater than the first distance and such that each of the sense elements of the line of pixels aligns with a design grid associated with the image sensor.

17. An image sensor comprising:

a substrate;

at least a first metal layer; and

an array of pixels having an optical center, each pixel having a sense element disposed in the substrate and at least an associated first metal interconnect segment disposed in the first metal layer, wherein the first metal interconnect segments are spaced at a first pitch, and wherein the sense elements are spaced at distances which are at least equal to the first pitch and, for selected pixels of the array, greater than the first pitch such that an offset value equal to a distance of the sense element from the optical center minus a distance of the associated first metal interconnect segment from the optical center is greater for a first pixel proximate to a peripheral edge of the array than for a second pixel proximate the optical center.

18. The image sensor of claim 17, wherein the sense elements are spaced at a second pitch which is greater than the first pitch such that the offset value of a pixel increases with increasing distance of the pixel from the optical center.

19. The image sensor of claim 17, wherein a photoelement of the pixel proximate the peripheral edge is greater in dimension than a photoelement of the pixel proximate the optical center by an amount up to difference between the associated offset values.

20. The image sensor of claim 17, wherein the distances between the sense elements are such that the sense elements substantially align with a design grid associated with the image sensor.