Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090309232 | METHOD OF MAKING CONNECTIONS IN A BACK-LIT CIRCUIT - A method for forming, on a surface of a thinned-down semiconductor substrate, a contact connected to a metal track of an interconnect stack formed on the opposite surface of the thinned-down substrate, including the steps of: forming, on the side of a first surface of a substrate, an insulating region penetrating into the substrate and coated with a conductive region and with an insulating layer crossed by conductive vias, the vias connecting a metal track of the interconnect stack to the conductive region; gluing the external surface of the interconnect stack on a support and thinning down the substrate; etching the external surface of the thinned-down substrate and stopping on the insulating region; etching the insulating region and stopping on the conductive region; and filling the etched opening with a metal. | 12-17-2009 |
20100032734 | MINIATURE IMAGE SENSOR - An image sensor including at least one photodiode and at least one transistor formed in and on a silicon substrate, the assembly of the photodiode and of the transistor being surrounded with a heavily-doped insulating wall, wherein the silicon substrate has a crystal orientation (110). | 02-11-2010 |
20100182474 | IMAGE CAPTURE DEVICE COMPRISING PIXEL COMBINATION MEANS - An image capture device includes n image sensors arranged to capture images respectively of a same scene according to at least three different colors, each of the sensors comprising a pixel array, each pixel being associated with a MOS transfer transistor, the transfer transistors of n neighboring pixels being associated with a same output; and a read circuit associated with control circuitry for reading separately, the output of each transfer transistor, or cumulatively, the outputs of from two to n neighboring transfer transistors. | 07-22-2010 |
20100193845 | BACKSIDE ILLUMINATION SEMICONDUCTOR IMAGE SENSOR - A backside illumination semiconductor image sensor, wherein each photodetection cell includes a semiconductor body of a first conductivity type of a first doping level delimited by an insulation wall, electron-hole pairs being capable in said body after a backside illumination; on the front surface side of said body, a ring-shaped well of the second conductivity type, this well delimiting a substantially central region having its upper portion of the first conductivity type of a second doping level greater than the first doping level; and means for controlling the transfer of charge carriers from said body to said upper portion. | 08-05-2010 |
20100327325 | MULTIDIRECTIONAL TWO-PHASE CHARGE-COUPLED DEVICE - A charge transfer device formed in a semiconductor substrate and including an array of electrodes distributed in rows and columns, wherein: each electrode is formed in a cavity with insulated walls formed of a groove which generally extends in the row direction, having a first end closer to an upper row and a second end closer to a lower row; and the electrodes of two adjacent rows are symmetrical with respect to a plane orthogonal to the sensor and comprising the direction of a row. | 12-30-2010 |
20100327326 | TWO-PHASE CHARGE-COUPLED DEVICE - A charge-coupled unit formed in a semiconductor substrate and including an array of identical electrodes forming rows and columns, wherein: each electrode extends in a cavity with insulated walls formed of a groove, oriented along a row, dug into the substrate thickness, and including, at one of its ends, a protrusion extending towards at least one adjacent row. | 12-30-2010 |
20100327327 | PHOTOSENSITIVE CHARGE-COUPLED DEVICE COMPRISING VERTICAL ELECTRODES - A charge transfer device formed in a semiconductor substrate and including an array of electrodes forming rows and columns, wherein: the electrodes extend, in rows, in successive grooves with insulated walls, disposed in the substrate thickness and parallel to the charge transfer direction. | 12-30-2010 |
20110068381 | IMAGE SENSOR PIXEL CIRCUIT - A pixel circuit of an image sensor includes a sense node for storing a charge transferred from one or more photodiodes, a source follower transistor having its gate coupled to the sense node and its source node coupled to an output line of the pixel circuit via a read transistor, wherein a body contact of the source follower transistor is connected to the output line. | 03-24-2011 |
20110096208 | IMAGE SENSOR WITH VERTICAL TRANSFER GATE - An image sensor including a first pixel positioned between second and third pixels, each of the first, second and third pixels comprising a photodiode region surrounded by an isolation trench; a first charge transfer gate comprising a first column electrode surrounded by an insulating layer and positioned in an opening of the isolation trench between the first and second pixels, the first column electrode being configured to receive a first transfer voltage signal; and a second charge transfer gate including a second column electrode surrounded by an insulating layer and positioned in an opening of the isolation trench between the first and third pixels, the second column electrode being configured to receive a second transfer voltage signal. | 04-28-2011 |
20110180689 | COMPACT IMAGE SENSOR ARRANGEMENT - An image sensor having a number of pixel zones delimited by isolation trenches, each pixel zone including a photodiode; a transfer gate associated with each of the pixel zones and arranged to transfer charge from the photodiode to a sensing node; and a read circuit for reading a voltage at one of the sensing nodes, the read circuitry including a number of transistors of which at least one is positioned at least partially over a pixel zone of the pixel zones. | 07-28-2011 |
20110183709 | IMAGE SENSOR PHOTODIODE - An image sensor including a plurality of pixels each including a charge collection region including an N-type region bounded by P-type regions and having an overlying P-type layer; and an insulated gate electrode positioned over the P-type layer and arranged to receive a gate voltage for conveying charges stored in the charge collection region through the P-type layer. | 07-28-2011 |
20120007201 | MONOLITHIC PHOTODETECTOR - A photodetector including a photodiode formed in a semiconductor substrate and a waveguide element formed of a block of a high-index material extending above the photodiode in a thick layer of a dielectric superposed to the substrate, the thick layer being at least as a majority formed of silicon oxide and the block being formed of a polymer of the general formula R | 01-12-2012 |
20120007243 | METHOD OF MAKING CONNECTIONS IN A BACK-LIT CIRCUIT - A method for forming, on a surface of a thinned-down semiconductor substrate, a contact connected to a metal track of an interconnect stack formed on the opposite surface of the thinned-down substrate, including the steps of: forming, on the side of a first surface of a substrate, an insulating region penetrating into the substrate and coated with a conductive region and with an insulating layer crossed by conductive vias, the vias connecting a metal track of the interconnect stack to the conductive region; gluing the external surface of the interconnect stack on a support and thinning down the substrate; etching the external surface of the thinned-down substrate and stopping on the insulating region; etching the insulating region and stopping on the conductive region; and filling the etched opening with a metal. | 01-12-2012 |
20120018618 | Imaging Device Having Improved Performance and Method of Controlling It - Imaging device comprising at least one photosite comprising a charge storage semiconductor zone, a charge collection semiconductor zone and transfer means designed to permit charge transfer between the charge storage zone and the charge collection zone, characterized in that the charge storage semiconductor zone comprises a lower semiconductor zone and a conduction channel buried beneath the upper surface of the photosite and connecting said lower semiconductor zone to the charge collection zone. | 01-26-2012 |
20120018619 | Method of Resetting a Photosite, and Corresponding Photosite - A method of resetting a photosite is disclosed. Photogenerated charges accumulated in the photosite are reset by recombining the photogenerated charges with charges of opposite polarity. | 01-26-2012 |
20120097838 | IMAGING DEVICE IN PARTICULAR OF THE CMOS TIME DELAY AND INTEGRATION TYPE - An imaging device may be formed in a semiconductor substrate including a matrix array of photosites extending in a first direction and a second direction. The imaging device may include a transfer module configured to transfer charge in the first direction and an extraction module configured to extract charge in the second direction. | 04-26-2012 |
20120261670 | BACK-SIDE ILLUMINATED IMAGE SENSOR WITH A JUNCTION INSULATION - A method for forming a back-side illuminated image sensor, including the steps of: a) forming, from the front surface, doped polysilicon regions, of a conductivity type opposite to that of the substrate, extending in depth orthogonally to the front surface and emerging into the first layer; b) thinning the substrate from its rear surface to reach the polysilicon regions, while keeping a strip of the first layer; c) depositing, on the rear surface of the thinned substrate, a doped amorphous silicon layer, of a conductivity type opposite to that of the substrate; and d) annealing at a temperature capable of transforming the amorphous silicon layer into a crystallized layer. | 10-18-2012 |
20120261732 | METHOD FOR FORMING A BACK-SIDE ILLUMINATED IMAGE SENSOR - A method for forming a back-side illuminated image sensor from a semiconductor substrate, including the steps of: a) thinning the substrate from its rear surface; b) depositing, on the rear surface of the thinned substrate, an amorphous silicon layer of same conductivity type as the substrate but of higher doping level; and c) annealing at a temperature enabling to recrystallized the amorphous silicon to stabilize it. | 10-18-2012 |
20120261783 | BACK-SIDE ILLUMINATED IMAGE SENSOR PROVIDED WITH A TRANSPARENT ELECTRODE - A back-side illuminated image sensor formed from a thinned semiconductor substrate, wherein: a transparent conductive electrode, insulated from the substrate by an insulating layer, extends over the entire rear surface of the substrate; and conductive regions, insulated from the substrate by an insulating coating, extend perpendicularly from the front surface of the substrate to the electrode. | 10-18-2012 |
20120261784 | METHOD FOR FORMING A BACK-SIDE ILLUMINATED IMAGE SENSOR - A method for forming a back-side illuminated image sensor from a semiconductor substrate, including the steps of: a) forming, from the front surface of the substrate, areas of same conductivity type as the substrate but of higher doping level, extending deep under the front surface, these areas being bordered with insulating regions orthogonal to the front surface; b) thinning the substrate from the rear surface to the vicinity of these areas and all the way to the insulating regions; c) partially hollowing out the insulating regions on the rear to surface side; and d) performing a laser surface anneal of the rear surface of the substrate. | 10-18-2012 |
20130026546 | INTEGRATED CIRCUIT COMPRISING AN ISOLATING TRENCH AND CORRESPONDING METHOD - An integrated circuit including at least one isolating trench that delimits an active area made of a monocrystalline semiconductor material, the or each trench including an upper portion including an insulating layer that encapsulates a lower portion of the trench, the lower portion being at least partly buried in the active area and the encapsulation layer including nitrogen or carbon. | 01-31-2013 |