SOI active pixel cell design with grounded body contact

A method of making a photosensitive device comprising the steps of:

• providing a substrate;
• depositing an insulating layer on the substrate;
• forming a semiconductor layer on the insulating layer;
• etching a plurality of trenches into the semiconductor layer, the trenches extending through the semiconductor layer to the insulating layer, the trenches dividing the semiconductor layer into a plurality of isolated cells of semiconductor material;
• depositing an insulating material into the trenches to form an insulating barrier extending through the semiconductor layer to the insulating layer, the insulating barrier electrically isolating the semiconductor material in each cell from the semiconductor material in other cells;
• and
• constructing an active pixel sensor in the semiconductor material of each cell, each active pixel sensor including a body, a pinning layer and a photosensitive region.

Apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of active silicon regions;
• an insulating barrier;
• a plurality of pixel cells;
• a plurality of conductive plugs;
• the plurality of pixel cells each formed in one of the plurality of active silicon regions and each comprising a pinning layer, an n region and a p region;
• the insulating barrier electrically insulating each of the active silicon regions from each of the other active silicon regions;
• and
• the conductive plugs each coupling the pinning layer to the p region in a corresponding pixel cell.