US 9,865,631 B2Granted

Solid-state image pickup apparatus

AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsYuichiro Yamashita, Masaya Ogino, Junji Iwata, Kentarou Suzuki

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Abstract

Provided is a back-illuminated solid-state image pickup apparatus having an improved color separation characteristic. A photo detector includes a first photo detector unit and a second photo detector unit disposed deeper than the first photo detector unit with respect to a back surface of a semiconductor substrate, wherein the first photo detector unit includes a first-conductivity-type first semiconductor region where carriers generated through photo-electric conversion are collected as signal carriers. A readout portion includes a first-conductivity-type second semiconductor region extending in a depth direction such that the carriers collected in the first semiconductor region are read out to a front surface of the semiconductor substrate. A unit that reduces the amount of light incident on the second semiconductor region is provided.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A solid-state image pickup apparatus comprising:

a semiconductor substrate including a plurality of pixels, each pixel including a photo detector and a readout portion;
a wire disposed on a first main surface of the semiconductor substrate;
and
a plurality of microlenses disposed on a second main surface of the semiconductor substrate opposite to the first main surface,
wherein the photo detector includes a first photo detector unit and a second photo detector unit disposed deeper than the first photo detector unit with respect to the second main surface,
wherein the first photo detector unit includes a first-conductive-type first semiconductor region,
wherein the readout portion includes a first-conductive-type second semiconductor region extending in a depth direction of the semiconductor substrate from the first semiconductor region to the first main surface, and
wherein, in a planar view with respect to the second main surface, a part of the second semiconductor region is disposed between two adjacent microlenses of the plurality of microlenses, and one of the two adjacent microlenses overlaps a part of the second semiconductor region.

5 more elements

A solid-state image pickup apparatus comprising:

a semiconductor substrate including a plurality of pixels, each pixel including a photo detector and a readout portion;
a wire disposed on a first main surface of the semiconductor substrate;
and
a microlens layer disposed on a second main surface of the semiconductor substrate opposite to the first main surface, including a plurality of microlenses, and having a recess portion in a sectional view,
wherein the photo detector includes a first photo detector unit and a second photo detector unit disposed deeper than the first photo detector unit with respect to the second main surface,
wherein the first photo detector unit includes a first-conductive-type first semiconductor region,
wherein the readout portion includes a first-conductive-type second semiconductor region extending in a depth direction of the semiconductor substrate from the first semiconductor region to the first main surface, and
wherein a projection of a bottom of the recess portion in the depth direction intersects the second semiconductor region.

5 more elements

A solid-state image pickup apparatus comprising:

a semiconductor substrate including a plurality of pixels, each pixel including a photo detector and a readout portion;
a wire disposed on a first main surface of the semiconductor substrate;
a microlens configured to focus light and disposed on a second main surface of the semiconductor substrate opposite to the first main surface;
and
a light-shielding portion disposed on the second main surface of the semiconductor substrate and configured to block light,
wherein the photo detector includes a first photo detector unit and a second photo detector unit disposed deeper than the first photo detector unit with respect to the second main surface,
wherein the first photo detector unit includes a first-conductive-type first semiconductor region,
wherein the readout portion includes a first-conductive-type second semiconductor region extending in a depth direction of the semiconductor substrate from the first semiconductor region to the first main surface, and
wherein a projection of the light-shielding portion in the depth direction overlaps the second semiconductor region.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/972,510Filed 17 Dec 2015 · continuation
Priority: JP 2009-28846118 Dec 2009
Published: US 2016/0104728 A114 Apr 2016
Granted: 9 Jan 2018
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

H10F 39/8033
Pixels having integrated switching, control, storage or amplification elements: photosensitive area
H10F 39/182
Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor [CMOS] image sensors; Photodiode array image sensors: colour image sensors
H10F 39/1825
Colour image sensors: multicolour image sensors having stacked structure, e.g. NPN, NPNPN or multiple quantum well [MQW] structures
H10F 39/199
Image sensors: back-illuminated image sensors

Family

PCT/JP2010/007224Parent of this continuation · filed 13 Dec 2010
US 2016/0104728 A1Pre-grant publication · published 14 Apr 2016
Application13/515,786Parent of this continuation
US 9,245,919 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2012/0298841 A1Published application
US 9,865,631 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.