# US 2021/0242271 A1 · Image sensors and electronic devices > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0242271 A1 - Document ID: US20210242271A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/097,329 - Filed: 2020-11-13 - Published: 2021-08-05 - Earliest claimed: 2020-01-31 - Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Kyung Bae PARK; Yong Wan JIN; Sun Young YUN; Sung Jun PARK; Feifei FANG; Chul Joon HEO - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210242271A1 ## CPC - H10F 39/1825: {Multicolour image sensors having stacked structure, e.g. NPN, NPNPN or multiple quantum well [MQW] structures} - H10F 39/1847: {Multispectral infrared image sensors having a stacked structure, e.g. NPN, NPNPN or multiple quantum well [MQW] structures} - H10F 77/143: {comprising quantum structures} - H10K 39/32: Organic image sensors - H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION - H10K: ORGANIC ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES ## Abstract An image sensor may include a first photo-sensing device on a semiconductor substrate and configured to sense light of a first wavelength spectrum, and second and third photo-sensing devices integrated in the semiconductor substrate and configured to sense light of a second and third wavelength spectrum, respectively. The first photo-sensing device may overlap each of the second and third photo-sensing devices in a thickness direction of the semiconductor substrate. The second and third photo-sensing devices do not overlap in the thickness direction and each have an upper surface, a lower surface, and a doped region therebetween. The third photo-sensing device includes an upper surface deeper further from the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate than the upper surface of the second photo-sensing device and a doped region thicker than the doped region of the second photo-sensing device. The image sensor may omit the first photo-sensing device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image sensor, comprising: a first photo-sensing device on a semiconductor substrate, the first photo-sensing device being configured to sense light in a first wavelength spectrum associated with a first color, a second photo-sensing device integrated in the semiconductor substrate, the second photo-sensing device being configured to sense light of in a second wavelength spectrum associated with a second color, and a third photo-sensing device integrated in the semiconductor substrate, the third photo-sensing device being configured to sense light in a third wavelength spectrum associated with a third color, wherein the first photo-sensing device and the second photo-sensing device are overlapped with each other in a thickness direction of the semiconductor substrate, the thickness direction being perpendicular to an upper surface of the semiconductor substrate, wherein the first photo-sensing device and the third photo-sensing device are overlapped with each other in the thickness direction, wherein the second photo-sensing device and the third photo-sensing device are not overlapped with each other in the thickness direction, wherein the second photo-sensing device and the third photo-sensing device each include an upper surface that is proximate to the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate, a lower surface facing the upper surface and distal from the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate, and a doped region between the upper surface and the lower surface, wherein the upper surface of the third photo-sensing device is distal from the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate in relation to the upper surface of the second photo-sensing device, and wherein the doped region of the third photo-sensing device is thicker, in the thickness direction, than the doped region of the second photo-sensing device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the image sensor does not include any color filter. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The image sensor of claim 1, further comprising: an insulation layer between the semiconductor substrate and the first photo-sensing device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the upper surface of the third photo-sensing device is distal from the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate in relation to the upper surface of the second photo-sensing device by a distance that is equal to or greater than about 300 nm. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The image sensor of claim 4, wherein the upper surface of the second photo-sensing device is at a depth of about 0 nm to about 200 nm from the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate in the thickness direction. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The image sensor of claim 1, wherein a wavelength selectivity of the third wavelength spectrum relative to the second wavelength spectrum of the third photo-sensing device varies depending on a depth of the upper surface of the third photo-sensing device from the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate in the thickness direction, and the depth of the upper surface of the third photo-sensing device from the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate in the thickness direction is a depth D3 that satisfies Relationship Equation 1: EQE(λ3)≥3×EQE(λ2) [Relationship Equation 1] wherein, in Relationship Equation 1, EQE (λ3) is external quantum efficiency at a wavelength (λ3) included in the third wavelength spectrum of the third photo-sensing device based on the depth of the upper surface of the third photo-sensing device in the semiconductor substrate being the depth D3, and EQE (λ2) is external quantum efficiency at a wavelength (λ2) included in the second wavelength spectrum of the third photo-sensing device based on the depth of the upper surface of the third photo-sensing device in the semiconductor substrate being the depth D3. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The image sensor of claim 6, wherein the depth of the upper surface of the third photo-sensing device from the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate in the thickness direction is about 400 nm to about 1 μm. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the doped region of the third photo-sensing device is about 1.5 times to about 5 times thicker, in the thickness direction, than the doped region of the second photo-sensing device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The image sensor of claim 1, wherein an external quantum efficiency at a wavelength included in the third wavelength spectrum of the third photo-sensing device is different based on a thickness, in the thickness direction, of the doped region of the third photo-sensing device, and the thickness of the doped region of the third photo-sensing device satisfies Relationship Equation 2: 2.5×EQE(T3)≥EQE(T2) [Relationship Equation 2] wherein, in Relationship Equation 2, EQE (T3) is external quantum efficiency at a wavelength included in the third wavelength spectrum based on the thickness of the doped region of the third photo-sensing device in the thickness direction being a thickness T3, EQE (T2) is external quantum efficiency at a wavelength included in the second wavelength spectrum based on the thickness of the doped region of the second photo-sensing device in the thickness direction being a thickness T2, and T3>T2. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The image sensor of claim 9, wherein the thickness T3 is greater than or equal to about 1 μm. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The image sensor of claim 9, wherein the thickness T2 is about 200 nm to about 800 nm. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The image sensor of claim 9, wherein the thickness T3 is about 1 μm to about 3 μm, and the thickness T2 is about 300 nm to about 700 nm. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The image sensor of claim 1, wherein an external quantum efficiency at a wavelength included in the second wavelength spectrum of the second photo-sensing device is about 1.1 times to about 2.5 times higher than an external quantum efficiency at a wavelength included in the third wavelength spectrum of the third photo-sensing device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The image sensor of claim 1, wherein differences among external quantum efficiency of the image sensor at a wavelength included in the first wavelength spectrum, external quantum efficiency of the image sensor at a wavelength included in the second wavelength spectrum, and external quantum efficiency of the image sensor at a wavelength included in the third wavelength spectrum is less than or equal to about 50%. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the third wavelength spectrum includes longer wavelengths than the second wavelength spectrum. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the first color is green, the second color is blue, and the third color is red. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the first photo-sensing device includes a first electrode and a second electrode facing each other, and a photoelectric conversion layer between the first electrode and the second electrode. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The image sensor of claim 17, further comprising: an insulation layer between the semiconductor substrate and the first photo-sensing device, and the first electrode is integrated in the insulation layer. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The image sensor of claim 17, wherein the first photo-sensing device further includes a buffer layer between the first electrode and the photoelectric conversion layer or between the second electrode and the photoelectric conversion layer, wherein the buffer layer includes a lanthanide element, calcium (Ca), potassium (K), aluminum (Al), or an alloy thereof. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) An electronic device comprising the image sensor of claim 1. ### Claim 21 An image sensor, comprising: a first photo-sensing device integrated in a semiconductor substrate, the first photo-sensing device being configured to sense light of a first wavelength spectrum associated, and a second photo-sensing device integrated in the semiconductor substrate, the second photo-sensing device being configured to sense light of a second wavelength spectrum, wherein the first photo-sensing device and the second photo-sensing device are not overlapped with each other in a thickness direction extending perpendicular to an upper surface of the semiconductor substrate and are spaced apart from each other in a surface direction extending parallel to the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate, wherein the first photo-sensing device and the second photo-sensing device each include an upper surface that is proximate to the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate, a lower surface facing the upper surface and distal from the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate, and a doped region between the upper surface and the lower surface, wherein the second photo-sensing device has at least one of the upper surface of the second photo-sensing device being distal from the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate in relation to the upper surface of the first photo-sensing device, or the doped region of the second photo-sensing device being thicker, in the thickness direction, than the doped region of the first photo-sensing device. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The image sensor of claim 21, further comprising: a third photo-sensing device on the semiconductor substrate, the third photo-sensing device being configured to sense light of a third wavelength spectrum, wherein the third photo-sensing device is overlapped with at least one of the first photo-sensing device or the second photo-sensing device in the thickness direction. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The image sensor of claim 22, wherein the third photo-sensing device is overlapped with the first photo-sensing device in the thickness direction, and the third photo-sensing device is overlapped with the second photo-sensing device in the thickness direction. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) The image sensor of claim 22, further comprising: a fourth photo-sensing device on the semiconductor substrate, the fourth photo-sensing device being configured to sense light of a fourth wavelength spectrum, wherein the fourth photo-sensing device overlaps with the third photo-sensing device in the surface direction, wherein the third photo-sensing device is overlapped with the first photo-sensing device and is not overlapped with the second photo-sensing device in the thickness direction, and wherein the fourth photo-sensing device is overlapped with the second photo-sensing device and is not overlapped with the first photo-sensing device in the thickness direction. ### Claim 25 (depends on 21) The image sensor of claim 21, wherein the first photo-sensing device and the second photo-sensing device are at least partially overlapped with each other in the surface direction, such that the lower surface of the first photo-sensing device is equidistant or distal from the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate in relation to the upper surface of the second photo-sensing device. ### Claim 26 (depends on 21) The image sensor of claim 21, wherein the first photo-sensing device and the second photo-sensing device are not overlapped with each other in the surface direction, such that the lower surface of the first photo-sensing device is proximate to the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate in relation to the upper surface of the second photo-sensing device. ### Claim 27 (depends on 21) The image sensor of claim 21, wherein the image sensor does not include any color filter. ### Claim 28 (depends on 21) An electronic device including the image sensor of claim 21.