# US 12,015,096 B2 · Time of flight sensor device and time of flight sensor arrangement

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- Number: US 12,015,096 B2
- Document ID: US12015096B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/807,957
- Filed: 2020-03-03
- Published: 2020-09-10
- Granted: 2024-06-18
- Earliest claimed: 2019-03-04
- Assignees: Infineon Technologies AG
- Applicants: Infineon Technologies AG
- Inventors: Henning Feick
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12015096B2

## CPC

- G01S 7/4914: of detector arrays, e.g. charge-transfer gates
- H10F 30/221: the potential barrier being a PN homojunction
- H10F 39/103: {the at least one element covered by H10F30/00 having potential barriers, e.g. integrated devices comprising photodiodes or phototransistors}
- H10F 77/20: Electrodes
- H10F 77/953: {for devices having potential barriers}
- G01S 17/894: Three-dimensional [3D] imaging with simultaneous measurement of time-of-flight at a two-dimensional [2D] array of receiver pixels, e.g. time-of-flight cameras or flash lidar
- G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
- H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION

## Abstract

According to an embodiment, a time of flight sensor device includes: a semiconductor substrate having a conversion region to convert an electromagnetic signal into photo-generated charge carriers, and including a substrate doping region having a n-doping type. The substrate doping region extends from a first main surface region of the semiconductor substrate into the semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor substrate has a p doped region adjacent to the substrate doping region. The substrate doping region at least partially forms the conversion region in the semiconductor substrate. A readout node arranged in the semiconductor substrate within the substrate doping region and having the n-doping type is configured to readout the photo generated charge carriers. A control electrode is arranged in the substrate doping region of the semiconductor substrate and in the substrate doping region and has a p-doping type.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A time of flight sensor device, comprising:
a semiconductor substrate comprising a conversion region to convert an electromagnetic signal into photo-generated charge carriers and a substrate doping region having a n-doping type, the substrate doping region extending from a first main surface region of the semiconductor substrate into the semiconductor substrate, the semiconductor substrate having a p doped region adjacent to the substrate doping region, the substrate doping region at least partially forming the conversion region in the semiconductor substrate;
a readout node arranged in the semiconductor substrate within the substrate doping region and having the n-doping type, the readout node being configured to readout the photo generated charge carriers;
a sensor electrode separated from the semiconductor substrate by an isolating material, the sensor electrode being configured to modify an electric potential distribution in the substrate doping region; and
a control electrode arranged in the substrate doping region and having a p-doping type, the control electrode being configured to demodulate electrons of the photo-generated charge carriers,
wherein the substrate doping region laterally extends uninterrupted beyond the conversion region in the semiconductor substrate.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The time of flight sensor device of claim 1, wherein the conversion region vertically extends beyond the substrate doping region in the semiconductor substrate.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The time of flight sensor device of claim 1, further comprising:
a further control electrode arranged in the substrate doping region of the semiconductor substrate and having the p-doping type; and
a resistive pinning layer comprising a p doped resistive region of the semiconductor substrate,
wherein the resistive pinning layer is arranged in the semiconductor substrate adjacent to the first main surface region and between the control electrode and the further control electrode.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The time of flight sensor device of claim 1, further comprising:
a buried doping layer in the semiconductor substrate and having a higher concentration of the p doping type than the p-doped region of the semiconductor substrate adjacent to the substrate doping region,
wherein the buried doping layer is formed vertically below the substrate doping region in the semiconductor substrate.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The time of flight sensor device of claim 4, wherein the buried doping layer provides a graded doping profile in the semiconductor substrate having a maximum doping concentration of the p-doping type in an intermediate region of the buried doping layer.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The time of flight sensor device of claim 1, further comprising:
a trench structure arranged laterally with respect to the substrate doping region and extending vertically with respect to the first main surface region of the semiconductor substrate in the semiconductor substrate.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The time of flight sensor device of claim 6, wherein the trench structure is arranged directly adjacent to the substrate doping region.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The time of flight sensor device of claim 6, wherein the trench structure is laterally spaced from the substrate doping region, and wherein at least part of the p-doped region of the semiconductor substrate is arranged between the substrate doping region and the trench structure.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The time of flight sensor device of claim 6, further comprising:
a trench pinning layer comprising a p doped resistive region of the semiconductor substrate,
wherein the trench pinning layer is arranged adjacent to the trench structure and is arranged at least between the trench structure and the substrate doping region and extends to the p-doped region of the semiconductor substrate.

### Claim 10 (depends on 6)

The time of flight sensor device of claim 6, wherein the trench structure comprises a trench dielectric material with stored charge carriers in the trench dielectric material adjacent to the substrate doping region.

### Claim 11 (depends on 6)

The time of flight sensor device of claim 6, wherein the trench structure is buried in the semiconductor substrate and reaches in a depth direction the p-doped region of the semiconductor substrate.

### Claim 12 (depends on 6)

The time of flight sensor device of claim 6, further comprising:
a substrate contact region having the p-doping type in the semiconductor substrate and adjacent to the first main surface region of the semiconductor substrate.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The time of flight sensor device of claim 12, wherein the substrate contact region is arranged between the first main surface region of the semiconductor substrate and the trench structure.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The time of flight sensor device of claim 11, wherein the trench structure is buried in the semiconductor substrate and reaches in a depth direction the p-doped region of the semiconductor substrate, and wherein the buried trench structure extends between the substrate contact region and the buried doping layer.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

A time of flight sensor arrangement, comprising:
a plurality of the time of flight sensor devices according to claim 1 and arranged in an array; and
a controller configured to provide a control signal to the control electrode of each time of flight sensor device.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The time of flight sensor device of claim 1, further comprising:
a substrate contact configured to receive and discharge holes of the photo-generated charge carriers.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The time of flight sensor device of claim 1, wherein the p doped region adjacent to the substrate doping region extends from the first main surface region into the semiconductor substrate.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The time of flight sensor device of claim 1, wherein the conversion region extends vertically, in a z-direction or depth direction, beyond the substrate doping region to a second main surface region of the semiconductor substrate.

### Claim 19

A time of flight sensor device, comprising:
a semiconductor substrate comprising a conversion region to convert an electromagnetic signal into photo-generated charge carriers and a substrate doping region having a n-doping type, the substrate doping region extending from a first main surface region of the semiconductor substrate into the semiconductor substrate, the semiconductor substrate having a p-doped region adjacent to the substrate doping region, the substrate doping region at least partially forming the conversion region in the semiconductor substrate;
a readout node arranged in the semiconductor substrate within the substrate doping region and having the n doping type, the readout node being configured to readout the photo-generated charge carriers;
a sensor electrode separated from the semiconductor substrate by an isolating material, the sensor electrode being configured to modify an electric potential distribution in the substrate doping region;
a control electrode arranged in or on the substrate doping region of the semiconductor substrate, the control electrode being configured to demodulate electrons of the photo-generated charge carriers; and
a buried doping layer in the semiconductor substrate having a higher concentration of a p-doping type than the p-doped region of the semiconductor substrate adjacent to the substrate doping region,
wherein the buried doping layer is formed in the semiconductor substrate and vertically below the substrate doping region in the semiconductor substrate,
wherein the substrate doping region laterally extends uninterrupted beyond the conversion region in the semiconductor substrate.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The time of flight sensor device of claim 19, wherein the control electrode is arranged in the substrate doping region and has the p doping type.

### Claim 21 (depends on 19)

The time of flight sensor device of claim 19, wherein the buried doping layer provides a graded doping profile in the semiconductor substrate having a maximum doping concentration of the p-doping type in an intermediate region of the buried doping layer.

### Claim 22 (depends on 19)

The time of flight sensor device of claim 19, further comprising:
a trench structure arranged laterally with respect to the substrate doping region and extending vertically with respect to the first main surface region of the semiconductor substrate in the semiconductor substrate.

### Claim 23 (depends on 19)

A time of flight sensor arrangement, comprising:
a plurality of the time of flight sensor devices according to claim 19 and arranged in an array; and
a controller configured to provide a control signal to the control electrode of each time of flight sensor device.

### Claim 24 (depends on 19)

The time of flight sensor device of claim 19, wherein the conversion region extends vertically, in a z-direction or depth direction, into the buried doping layer.

### Claim 25 (depends on 19)

The time of flight sensor device of claim 19, wherein the buried doping layer extends vertically, in a z-direction or depth direction, to a second main surface region of the semiconductor substrate.