公开(公告)号：US20210082975A1

公开(公告)日：2021-03-18

申请号：US16575269

申请日：2019-09-18

Applicant: OMNIVISION TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Inventor： Gang Chen ,  Qin Wang

IPC: H01L27/146

Abstract: Backside illuminated sensor pixel structure. In one embodiment, an image sensor includes a plurality of photodiodes arranged in rows and columns of a pixel array that are disposed in a semiconductor substrate. Individual photodiodes of the pixel array are configured to receive incoming light through a backside of the semiconductor substrate. The individual photodiodes have a diffusion region formed in an epitaxial region and a plurality of storage nodes (SGs) that are disposed on the front side of the semiconductor substrate and formed in the epitaxial region. An opaque isolation layer having a plurality of opaque isolation elements is disposed proximate to the front side of the semiconductor substrate and proximate to the diffusion region of the plurality of photodiodes. The opaque isolation elements are configured to block a path of incoming light from the backside of the semiconductor substrate toward the storage nodes.

公开(公告)号：US10790322B1

公开(公告)日：2020-09-29

申请号：US16543681

申请日：2019-08-19

Applicant: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.

Inventor： Qin Wang ,  Gang Chen

IPC: H01L27/146 ,  H04N5/33

Abstract: An image sensor include a semiconductor substrate, a first epitaxial layer, a second epitaxial layer, a plurality of photodiodes, and a plurality of pixel isolation structures. The first epitaxial layer is formed on the semiconductor substrate, and the second epitaxial layer is formed on the first epitaxial layer. Each photodiode includes a first diffusion region formed in the first epitaxial layer and a second diffusion region formed in the second epitaxial layer. The second diffusion region is extended through the second epitaxial layer and electrically coupled to the first diffusion region. Each pixel isolation structure include a first isolation structure formed between adjacent first diffusion regions in the first epitaxial layer and a second isolation structure formed between adjacent second diffusion regions in the second epitaxial layer. The second isolation structure is extended through the second epitaxial layer to connect to the first isolation structure.

公开(公告)号：US20200099878A1

公开(公告)日：2020-03-26

申请号：US16141584

申请日：2018-09-25

Applicant: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.

Inventor： Gang Chen ,  Duli Mao ,  Dyson Tai ,  Lindsay Grant

IPC: H04N5/376 ,  H01L27/146 ,  H04N5/378

Abstract: An image sensor pixel comprises a first charge storage node configured to have a first charge storage electric potential; a second charge storage node configured to have a second charge storage electric potential and receive charge from the first charge storage node, wherein the second charge storage electric potential is greater than the first charge storage electric potential; and a transfer circuit coupled between the first and the second charge storage nodes, wherein the transfer circuit comprises at least three transfer regions, wherein: a first transfer region is proximate to the first charge storage node and configured to have a first transfer electric potential greater than the first charge storage electric potential and lower than the second charge storage electric potential; a second transfer region is coupled between the first and a third transfer region and configured to have a second transfer electric potential greater than the first charge storage electric potential and lower than the second charge storage electric potential; and the third transfer region is proximate to the third charge storage node and configured to have a third transfer electric potential greater than the first charge storage electric potential and lower than the second charge storage electric potential. Charges are fully transferred from the first charge storage node to the second charge storage node after a plurality of transfer signal pulses.

公开(公告)号：US10566364B2

公开(公告)日：2020-02-18

申请号：US16276561

申请日：2019-02-14

Applicant: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.

Inventor： Yuanwei Zheng ,  Gang Chen ,  Duli Mao ,  Dyson H. Tai ,  Lequn Liu

IPC: H01L27/146

Abstract: A resonant-filter image sensor includes a pixel array including a plurality of pixels and a microresonator layer above the pixel array. The microresonator layer includes a plurality of microresonators formed of a first material with an extinction coefficient less than 0.02 at a free-space wavelength of five hundred nanometers. Each of the plurality of pixels may have at least one of the plurality of microresonators at least partially thereabove. The resonant-filter image sensor may further include a layer covering the microresonator layer that has a second refractive index less than a first refractive index, the first refractive index being the refractive index of the first material. Each microresonator may be one of a parallelepiped, a cylinder, a spheroid, and a sphere.

公开(公告)号：US10418408B1

公开(公告)日：2019-09-17

申请号：US16016057

申请日：2018-06-22

Applicant: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.

Inventor： Yuanwei Zheng ,  Chia-Chun Miao ,  Gang Chen ,  Yin Qian ,  Duli Mao ,  Dyson H. Tai ,  Lindsay Grant

IPC: H01L27/146 ,  H04N5/378

Abstract: An image sensor includes a plurality of photodiodes arranged in an array and disposed in a semiconductor material to receive light through a first surface of the semiconductor material. At least part of the semiconductor material is curved. A carrier wafer is attached to a second surface, opposite the first surface, of the semiconductor material, and a polymer layer is attached to the carrier wafer, so that the carrier wafer is disposed between the polymer layer and the semiconductor material.

公开(公告)号：US20190088705A1

公开(公告)日：2019-03-21

申请号：US15707940

申请日：2017-09-18

Applicant: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.

Inventor： Qin Wang ,  Gang Chen

IPC: H01L27/146

Abstract: An image sensor comprises a semiconductor material having a front side and a back side opposite the front side; a dielectric layer disposed on the front side of the semiconductor material; a poly layer disposed on the dielectric layer; an interlayer dielectric material covering both the poly layer and the dielectric layer; an inter-metal layer disposed on the interlayer dielectric material, wherein a metal interconnect is disposed in the inter-metal layer; and a contact pad trench extending from the back side of the semiconductor material into the semiconductor material, wherein the contact pad trench comprises a contact pad disposed in the contact pad trench, wherein the contact pad and the metal interconnect are coupled with a plurality of contact plugs; and at least an air gap isolates the contact pad and side walls of the contact pad trench. The poly layer and the semiconductor material between adjacent two STI structures of a plurality of first and second STI structures are used as hard masks to form the plurality of contact plugs by selectively removing the dielectric materials between a first side of the plurality of first STI structures and the metal interconnect, wherein each of the plurality of contact plugs extends from each of the first side of the plurality of first STI structures through each of the plurality of first STI structures into the interlayer dielectric material and vertically abuts the metal interconnect.

公开(公告)号：US20180249105A1

公开(公告)日：2018-08-30

申请号：US15443783

申请日：2017-02-27

Applicant: OMNIVISION TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Inventor： Gang Chen ,  Qin Wang ,  Duli Mao ,  Dyson H. Tai ,  Lindsay Alexander Grant

IPC: H04N5/369 ,  H04N5/378 ,  H04N9/04 ,  H04N5/374 ,  H04N5/232

CPC classification number: H04N5/3696 ,  H04N5/23212 ,  H04N5/3742 ,  H04N5/378 ,  H04N9/045

Abstract: An image sensor includes an array of split dual photodiode (DPD) pairs. First groupings of the array of split DPD pairs consist entirely of either first-dimension split DPD pairs or entirely of second-dimension split DPD pairs. Each first grouping of the array of split DPD pairs consisting of the first-dimension split DPD pairs is adjacent to an other first grouping of the array of split DPD pairs consisting of the second-dimension split DPD pairs. The first-dimension is orthogonal to the second-dimension. A plurality of floating diffusion (FD) regions is arranged in each first grouping of the split DPD pairs. Each one of a plurality of transfer transistors is coupled to a respective photodiode of a respective split DPD pair, and is coupled between the respective photodiode and a respective one of the plurality of FD regions.

公开(公告)号：US09991309B1

公开(公告)日：2018-06-05

申请号：US15642177

申请日：2017-07-05

Applicant: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.

Inventor： Cunyu Yang ,  Cheng Zhao ,  Gang Chen ,  Dyson Tai ,  Chen-Wei Lu

IPC: H04N5/33 ,  H04N5/335 ,  H04N5/3745 ,  H01L27/146

CPC classification number: H01L27/14649 ,  H01L27/1461 ,  H01L27/1463 ,  H01L27/1464 ,  H04N5/332 ,  H04N5/335 ,  H04N5/3745

Abstract: An image sensor comprises a semiconductor material having an illuminated surface and a non-illuminated surface; a photodiode formed in the semiconductor material extending from the illuminated surface to receive an incident light through the illuminated surface, wherein the received incident light generates charges in the photodiode; a transfer gate electrically coupled to the photodiode to transfer the generated charges from the photodiode in response to a transfer signal; a floating diffusion electrically coupled to the transfer gate to receive the transferred charges from the photodiode; a near infrared (NIR) quantum efficiency (QE) enhancement structure comprising at least two NIR QE enhancement elements within a region of the photodiode, wherein the NIR QE enhancement structure is configured to modify the incident light at the illuminated surface of the semiconductor material by at least one of diffraction, deflection and reflection, to redistribute the incident light within the photodiode to improve an optical sensitivity, including near-infrared light sensitivity, of the image sensor.

公开(公告)号：US09936153B1

公开(公告)日：2018-04-03

申请号：US15285352

申请日：2016-10-04

Applicant: OMNIVISION TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Inventor： Duli Mao ,  Trygve Willassen ,  Johannes Solhusvik ,  Keiji Mabuchi ,  Gang Chen ,  Sohei Manabe ,  Dyson H. Tai ,  Bill Phan ,  Oray Orkun Cellek ,  Zhiqiang Lin

IPC: H04N5/361 ,  H04N5/374 ,  H04N5/378 ,  H01L27/146

CPC classification number: H04N5/361 ,  H01L27/14636 ,  H01L27/14656 ,  H04N5/374 ,  H04N5/378

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods for image sensors with pixels that reduce or eliminate flicker induced by high intensity illumination are disclosed. An example image sensor may include a photodiode, a transfer gate, an anti-blooming gate, and first and second source follower transistors. The photodiode may capture light and generate charge in response, and the photodiode may have a charge capacity. The transfer gate may selectively transfer charge to a first floating diffusion, and the anti-blooming gate may selectively transfer excess charge to a second floating diffusion when the generated charge is greater than the photodiode charge capacity. The first source-follower transistor may be directly coupled to the first floating diffusion by a gate, the first source-follower to selectively output a first signal to a first bitline in response to enablement of a first row selection transistor, and the second source-follower transistor may be capacitively-coupled to the second floating diffusion, the second source-follower to selectively output a second signal to a second bitline in response to enablement of a second row selection transistor.

公开(公告)号：US09923009B1

公开(公告)日：2018-03-20

申请号：US15342817

申请日：2016-11-03

Applicant: OMNIVISION TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Inventor： Chih-Wei Hsiung ,  Duli Mao ,  Vincent Venezia ,  Gang Chen ,  Dyson H. Tai

IPC: H01L27/146 ,  H01L21/762 ,  H01L21/306

CPC classification number: H01L27/1463 ,  H01L21/30604 ,  H01L21/76224 ,  H01L27/14621 ,  H01L27/14627 ,  H01L27/14629 ,  H01L27/14643 ,  H01L27/14685

Abstract: An image sensor includes a plurality of photodiodes disposed in a semiconductor material between a first side and a second side of the semiconductor material. The image sensor also includes a plurality of hybrid deep trench isolation (DTI) structures disposed in the semiconductor material, where individual photodiodes in the plurality of photodiodes are separated by individual hybrid DTI structures. The individual hybrid DTI structures include a shallow portion that extends from the first side towards the second side of the semiconductor material, and the shallow portion includes a dielectric region and a metal region such that at least part of the dielectric region is disposed between the semiconductor material and the metal region. The hybrid DTI structures also include a deep portion that extends from the shallow portion and is disposed between the shallow portion and the second side of the semiconductor material.