IP Library Granted Patent US 12672372
Granted Patent B2
US 12672372 · App. 18/556,873 · Granted Jun 30, 2026

Frontside-illuminated image sensor

Inventors: Yuchao Chen (Suzhou, CN); Kai Cheng (Suzhou, CN)
Assignee: ENKRIS SEMICONDUCTOR, INC.
H10F39/8033H10F39/8037H10F39/811
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12672372
App. No.
18/556,873
Granted
Jun 30, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present application provides a frontside-illuminated image sensor, including a substrate, a photosensitive unit, and a lens structure. The substrate has a plurality of charge storage regions; The photosensitive unit is above the substrate, and the photosensitive unit includes a plurality of photosensitive sub-units. Each photosensitive sub-unit includes a red photosensitive layer, a green photosensitive layer, and a blue photosensitive layer that are stacked. One photosensitive sub-unit is electrically connected with one charge storage region; the lens structure is on a side of the photosensitive unit away from the substrate.

Claims (18)

1 . A frontside-illuminated image sensor, comprising:

a substrate having a plurality of charge storage regions;

a photosensitive unit above the substrate; wherein the photosensitive unit comprises a plurality of photosensitive sub-units, each of the plurality of photosensitive sub-units comprises a red photosensitive layer, a green photosensitive layer, and a blue photosensitive layer that are stacked; and wherein one photosensitive sub-unit is electrically connected with one charge storage region, and there is a light blocking structure between adjacent photosensitive sub-units; and

a lens structure is on a side of the photosensitive unit away from the substrate.

2 . The frontside-illuminated image sensor according to claim 1 , wherein materials of the red photosensitive layer, the green photosensitive layer, and the blue photosensitive layer are GaN based materials containing indium element, and proportions of indium components of the red photosensitive layer, the green photosensitive layer, and the blue photosensitive layer are different, so as to generate or not generate photosensitive charges based on wavelength of received light and store the photosensitive charges in a corresponding charge storage region.

3 . The frontside-illuminated image sensor according to claim 2 , wherein

a proportion of indium component in the red photosensitive layer ranges from 0.4 to 0.6;

a proportion of indium component in the green photosensitive layer ranges from 0.2 to 0.3; and

a proportion of indium component in the blue photosensitive layer ranges from 0.01 to 0.1.

4 . The frontside-illuminated image sensor according to claim 1 , wherein in each photosensitive sub-unit, the red photosensitive layer is away from the substrate, the blue photosensitive layer is close to the substrate, and the green photosensitive layer is between the red photosensitive layer and the blue photosensitive layer.

5 . The frontside-illuminated image sensor according to claim 1 , wherein there are a plurality of transistors on the substrate, and a source region or a drain region of at least one transistor is one of the plurality of charge storage regions; there is a metal interconnection layer between the substrate and the photosensitive unit, and a metal interconnection structure of the metal interconnection layer is configured to electrically connect with the plurality of transistors.

6 . The frontside-illuminated image sensor according to claim 5 , wherein at least one of the plurality of transistors is provided with a photosensitive processing circuit, the photosensitive processing circuit is configured to detect a photosensitive electrical signal generated by the photosensitive sub-unit;

if a photosensitive electrical signal intensity detected by the photosensitive processing circuit from the photosensitive sub-unit is greater than a first threshold, a blue light incident signal is stored;

if the photosensitive electrical signal intensity detected by the photosensitive processing circuit from the photosensitive sub-unit that is greater than a second threshold but less than a first threshold, a green light incident signal is stored; and

if the photosensitive electrical signal intensity detected by the photosensitive processing circuit from the photosensitive sub-unit is less than or equal to the second threshold, a red light incident signal is stored.

7 . The frontside-illuminated image sensor according to claim 5 , wherein the metal interconnection layer comprises a conductive plug, a first end of the conductive plug is connected with one photosensitive sub-unit, and a second end of the conductive plug is electrically connected with one of the plurality of charge storage regions.

8 . The frontside-illuminated image sensor according to claim 7 , wherein the first end of the conductive plug is connected with a side wall of one photosensitive sub-unit.

9 . The frontside-illuminated image sensor according to claim 1 , wherein a material of the light blocking structure comprises a metal molybdenum, an alloy of metal molybdenum, a metal aluminum, or an alloy of metal aluminum.