# US 10,872,921 B2 · Image sensor and method for fabricating the image sensor

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- Number: US 10,872,921 B2
- Document ID: US10872921B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/118,335
- Filed: 2018-08-30
- Published: 2020-03-05
- Granted: 2020-12-22
- Earliest claimed: 2018-08-30
- Assignees: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
- Applicants: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Yun-Wei Cheng; Chun-Hao Chou; Kuo-Cheng Lee; Hsin-Chi Chen
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10872921B2

## CPC

- H10F 39/18: Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor [CMOS] image sensors; Photodiode array image sensors
- H10F 39/014: {of CMOS image sensors}
- H10F 39/024: {of coatings or optical elements}
- H10F 39/184: {Infrared image sensors}
- H10F 39/199: {Back-illuminated image sensors}
- H10F 39/8033: {Photosensitive area}
- H10F 39/8037: {the integrated elements comprising a transistor}
- H10F 39/805: {Coatings}
- H10F 39/8067: {Reflectors}
- H10F 39/8053: {Colour filters}
- H10F 39/807: {Pixel isolation structures}
- H10F 39/811: {Interconnections}
- H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION

## Abstract

An image sensor and a method for fabricating the image sensor are provided. In the method for fabricating the image sensor, at first, a substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface is provided. Then, light-sensitive regions are formed in the substrate. Thereafter, transfer gate structures are formed on the first surface of the substrate. Then, the first surface of the substrate is formed to form recess structures on the light-sensitive regions. Thereafter, light-reflective layers are formed to cover the recess structures of the first surface of the substrate, in which the recess structures are filled with protrusion structures of the light-reflective layers. Further, the second surface of the substrate may be etched to form recess structures corresponding to the light-sensitive regions.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An image sensor, comprising:
a substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface;
a plurality of transfer gate structures disposed on the first surface of the substrate;
a plurality of gate spacers on sidewalls of the transfer gate structures;
a plurality of light-sensitive regions each of which is located in the substrate and is disposed between two adjacent transfer gate structures;
at least one light-reflective layer disposed on the first surface, wherein the first surface of the substrate has a plurality of recess structures towards the light-sensitive regions, and the at least one light-reflective layer fills the recess structures and is disposed between two adjacent transfer gate structures such that the at least one light-reflective layer has a plurality of protrusion structures towards the light-sensitive regions for reflecting incident light to the light-sensitive regions; and
an interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer disposed on the first surface and covering the transfer gate structures and the light-reflective layer, wherein the ILD layer is in contact with a sidewall of the light-reflective layer.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The image sensor of claim 1, further comprising a liner layer conformal to surfaces of the recess structures, wherein the light-reflective layer covers the liner layer.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The image sensor of claim 1, wherein each of the recess structures of the first surface of the substrate is an inverted pyramid recess.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The image sensor of claim 1, further comprising a dielectric layer disposed between the substrate and the at least one light-reflective layer, wherein the dielectric layer has a plurality of recess structures matching with the protrusion structures of the at least one light-reflective layer.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the second surface of the substrate has a plurality of recess structures towards the light-sensitive regions.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The image sensor of claim 5, wherein each of the recess structures of the second surface of the substrate is an inverted pyramid recess.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The image sensor of claim 5, further comprises a dielectric layer covering the second surface of the substrate.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The image sensor of claim 7, wherein the dielectric layer comprises a plurality of deep trench isolations each of which is disposed between two adjacent light-sensitive regions.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The image sensor of claim 7, further comprises a liner conformal to surfaces of the recess structures of the second surface of the substrate, wherein the dielectric layer covers the liner.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the at least one light-reflective layer comprises metal.

### Claim 11

An image sensor, comprising:
a substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface;
a transfer gate structure disposed over the first surface of the substrate;
a floating region in the substrate and adjacent to a first side of the transfer gate structure;
a light sensing region in the substrate and adjacent to a second side of the transfer gate structure opposite to the first side of the transfer gate structure;
an interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer disposed over the first surface of the substrate and covering the transfer gate structure and the light sensing region;
a metallization stack disposed over the ILD layer; and
a light-reflective layer disposed over the metallization stack, the metallization stack being vertically between the ILD layer and the light-reflective layer, wherein the light-reflective layer has a plurality of protrusions extending toward the substrate.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The image sensor of claim 11, wherein the light-reflective layer comprises metal.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The image sensor of claim 11, further comprising a dielectric layer over the second surface of the substrate, wherein the dielectric layer has a plurality of protrusions embedded in the substrate.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The image sensor of claim 11, wherein the ILD layer is in contact with a surface of the light-reflective layer distal to the substrate.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The image sensor of claim 11, further comprising a dielectric layer between the light-reflective layer and the metallization stack.

### Claim 16

An image sensor, comprising:
a semiconductor substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, wherein the first surface of the semiconductor substrate has a plurality of recessed structures;
a transfer gate structure disposed on the first surface of the semiconductor substrate;
a light sensing region in the semiconductor substrate and adjacent to the transfer gate structure;
a light-reflective metal layer over the first surface of the semiconductor substrate and covering the light sensing region, the light-reflective metal layer having a plurality of first protrusions matching shapes of the recessed structures; and
a first dielectric layer over the second surface of the semiconductor substrate, the first dielectric layer having a plurality of second protrusions, wherein a width of the first protrusions of the light-reflective metal layer decreases toward a first direction, and a width of the second protrusions of the first dielectric layer decreases in a first direction toward a second direction opposite to the first direction.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The image sensor of claim 16, wherein the first protrusions of the light-reflective metal layer at least partially overlap the second protrusions of the first dielectric layer.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The image sensor of claim 16, wherein the first protrusions of the light-reflective metal layer are above a top surface of the transfer gate structure.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The image sensor of claim 18, wherein the first protrusions of the light-reflective metal layer have a rectangular shape.

### Claim 20 (depends on 16)

The image sensor of claim 16, wherein the first protrusions of the light-reflective metal layer are below a top surface of the transfer gate structure.