# US 11,029,204 B1 · Single photon sensitive element based high throughput analytical system

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- Number: US 11,029,204 B1
- Document ID: US11029204B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 17/127,917
- Filed: 2020-12-18
- Granted: 2021-06-08
- Earliest claimed: 2020-03-20
- Assignees: GeneSense Technology Inc.
- Applicants: GeneSense Technology Inc.
- Inventors: Mei Yan
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11029204B1

## CPC

- G01N 21/05: Flow-through cuvettes (G01N21/09 takes precedence; handling fluid samples G01N1/10)
- B01L 3/508: {Rigid containers without fluid transport within}
- C12Q 1/002: {Electrode membranes}
- G01J 1/44: Electric circuits {(for command of an exposure part G03B7/02)}
- G01N 21/6454: {using an integrated detector array}
- G01N 21/648: {using evanescent coupling or surface plasmon coupling for the excitation of fluorescence}
- G01N 21/76: Chemiluminescence; Bioluminescence
- G01N 27/4145: {specially adapted for biomolecules, e.g. gate electrode with immobilised receptors}
- G01N 27/4148: {Integrated circuits therefor, e.g. fabricated by CMOS processing}
- G01N 33/5438: {Electrodes}
- G02B 6/42: Coupling light guides with opto-electronic elements
- G02B 6/4298: {coupling with non-coherent light sources and/or radiation detectors, e.g. lamps, incandescent bulbs, scintillation chambers}
- H04N 25/78: Readout circuits for addressed sensors, e.g. output amplifiers or A/D converters
- H10D 84/01: Manufacture or treatment
- H10F 39/018: {of hybrid image sensors}
- H10F 39/026: {Wafer-level processing}
- H10F 39/028: {performed after manufacture of the image sensors, e.g. annealing, gettering of impurities, short-circuit elimination or recrystallisation}
- H10F 39/18: Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor [CMOS] image sensors; Photodiode array image sensors
- H10F 39/806: {Optical elements or arrangements associated with the image sensors}
- H10F 39/8063: {Microlenses}
- H10F 39/809: {of hybrid image sensors}
- H10F 39/811: {Interconnections}
- H10F 71/139: {using temporary substrates}
- H10W 20/484: {Interconnections having extended contours, e.g. pads having mesh shape or interconnections comprising connected parallel stripes}
- H10W 70/60: Insulating or insulated package substrates; Interposers; Redistribution layers (leadframes H10W70/40)
- H10W 70/635: {Through-vias}
- B01L 2200/12: Specific details about manufacturing devices
- B01L 2200/16: Reagents, handling or storing thereof
- B01L 2300/0627: Sensor or part of a sensor is integrated
- B01L 2300/0654: Lenses; Optical fibres
- B01L 2300/0681: Filter
- B01L 2300/12: Specific details about materials
- G01J 2001/446: {Photodiode}
- G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q)
- B01L: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE
- C12Q: MEASURING OR TESTING PROCESSES INVOLVING ENZYMES, NUCLEIC ACIDS OR MICROORGANISMS (immunoassay G01N33/53); COMPOSITIONS OR TEST PAPERS THEREFOR; PROCESSES OF PREPARING SUCH COMPOSITIONS; CONDITION-RESPONSIVE CONTROL IN MICROBIOLOGICAL OR ENZYMOLOGICAL PROCESSES
- G01J: MEASUREMENT OF INTENSITY, VELOCITY, SPECTRAL CONTENT, POLARISATION, PHASE OR PULSE CHARACTERISTICS OF INFRARED, VISIBLE OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT; COLORIMETRY; RADIATION PYROMETRY (light sources F21, H01J, H01K, H05B; investigating properties of materials by optical means G01N)
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
- H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

The present disclosure describes a throughput-scalable photon sensing system. The system includes a plurality of semiconductor dies sharing a common semiconductor substrate and comprising one or more through-silicon vias. The system further includes a plurality of photon detection sensors configured to perform a single molecule or cluster sequencing analysis of biological or chemical samples. The system further includes a plurality of dicing streets separating the plurality of semiconductor dies from one another. Two immediately neighboring photon detection sensors of the plurality of photon detection sensors are arranged on respective two semiconductor dies separated by a dicing street of the plurality of dicing streets. A photon detection sensor comprises a plurality of sub-diffraction limit (SDL) photosensitive elements. Each SDL photosensitive element is sensitive to a single photoelectron. A single image pixel is generated based on one or more two-dimensional or three-dimensional arrays of outputs generated by SDL photosensitive elements.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A throughput-scalable photon sensing system, comprising:
a plurality of semiconductor dies sharing a common semiconductor substrate and comprising one or more through-silicon vias;
a plurality of photon detection sensors configured to perform a single molecule or cluster sequencing analysis of biological or chemical samples;
a plurality of dicing streets separating the plurality of semiconductor dies from one another, wherein each dicing street of the plurality of dicing streets comprises an indented area between two immediately neighboring semiconductor dies, the indented area facilitating separation of the two immediately neighboring semiconductor dies;
wherein two immediately neighboring photon detection sensors of the plurality of photon detection sensors are arranged on respective two semiconductor dies separated by a dicing street of the plurality of dicing streets,
wherein each photon detection sensor of the plurality of photon detection sensors is arranged on a separate semiconductor die of the plurality of semiconductor dies, and
wherein at least one photon detection sensor of the plurality of photon detection sensors comprises:
a plurality of sub-diffraction limit (SDL) photosensitive elements, each SDL photosensitive element being sensitive to a single photoelectron, and wherein a single image pixel is generated based on one or more two-dimensional or three-dimensional arrays of outputs generated by SDL photosensitive elements.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the number of photon detection sensors of the plurality of photon detection sensors is determined based on a throughput scaling requirement for the throughput-scalable photon sensing system and based on a throughput capacity of each photon detection sensor of the plurality of photon detection sensors.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein an output image pixel size of the at least one photo detection sensor is programmable.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one photon detection sensor of the plurality of photon detection sensors further comprises through-hole vias at least partially enclosing conductors of a redistribution layer, the conductors electrically coupling electrically-conductive pads and corresponding electrically-conductive spheres.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of photon detection sensors is silicon-base sensors, wherein the through-hole vias are one or more through-silicon vias, and wherein the electrically-conductive pads and the electrically-conductive spheres are electrically coupled by the corresponding conductors of the redistribution layer.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein an SDL photosensitive element of the plurality of SDL photosensitive elements comprises:
a charge transfer gate disposed above the common semiconductor substrate;
a pinned photodiode disposed in the common semiconductor substrate at a first side of the charge transfer gate; and
one or more floating diffusion nodes disposed in the semiconductor substrate at a second side of the charge transfer gate, wherein the combination of the charge transfer gate, the pinned photodiode, and the one or more floating diffusion nodes enable charge transfer from the first side of the charge transfer gate to the second side of the charge transfer gate.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The system of claim 6, wherein the charge transfer gate and the floating diffusion node are not spatially overlapped.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The system of claim 6, wherein the SDL photosensitive element of the plurality of SDL photosensitive elements further comprises a source follower circuit.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, further comprising a signal processing circuitry including:
a correlated double sampling circuit configured to sample an output voltage signal of one of more SDL photosensitive elements;
a sense amplifier electrically coupled to the correlated double sampling circuit; and
an analog to digital converter configured to receive output signals of the sense amplifier.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the common semiconductor substrate is a first semiconductor substrate of a first semiconductor wafer, the system further comprising: a plurality of readout circuits disposed on a plurality of semiconductor dies of a second semiconductor wafer, the second semiconductor wafer being electrically coupled to the first semiconductor wafer.