Pixel sensor cell, methods and design structure including optically transparent gate

A CMOS pixel sensor cell comprising:

• a semiconductor substrate including a photoactive region laterally separated from a floating diffusion region by a channel region, the channel region including at least one gate conductor;
• a first gate dielectric layer being present on an upper surface of the semiconductor substrate at least overlying the photoactive region and disposed between the at least one gate conductor and the channel region of the semiconductor substrate;
• a second gate dielectric layer being present on a portion of the first gate dielectric layer that is overlying the photoactive region and is present overlying the channel region on an upper surface of the at least one gate conductor, wherein the second gate dielectric layer is a single layer extending from the photoactive region to the channel region of the substrate;
• at least one optically transparent gate located upon the second gate dielectric layer and also at least in-part over the photoactive region and at least in-part over the channel region;
• and
• at least two additional gates located upon the first gate dielectric layer and at least in-part over the channel region, the at least one optically transparent gate and the at least two additional gates in series connection.

A design structure embodied in a machine readable medium, the design structure including a pixel sensor cell comprising:

• a semiconductor substrate including a photoactive region laterally separated from a floating diffusion region by a channel region, the channel region including at least one gate conductor;
• a first gate dielectric layer being present on an upper surface of the semiconductor substrate at least overlying the photoactive region and disposed between the at least one gate conductor and the channel region of the semiconductor substrate;
• a second gate dielectric layer being present on a portion of the first gate dielectric layer that is overlying the photoactive region and is present overlying the channel region on an upper surface of the at least one gate conductor, wherein the second gate dielectric layer is a single layer extending from the photoactive region to the channel region of the substrate;
• and
• at least one optically transparent gate conductor located upon the second gate dielectric layer and also at least in-part over the channel region, wherein the at least one optically transparent gate conductor is also formed at least in part over the photoactive region and is isolated from the at least one gate conductor in the channel region by the second gate dielectric layer that is formed on that at least one gate conductor.