Reverse MIM capacitor
View Patent ↗A method and apparatus for a reverse metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor. The apparatus includes a lower metal layer, a bottom electrode, and an upper metal layer. The lower metal layer is disposed above a substrate layer. The bottom electrode is disposed above the lower metal layer and coupled to the lower metal layer. The upper metal layer is disposed above the bottom electrode. The upper metal layer comprises a top electrode of a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor.
1. An apparatus, comprising:
a lower metal layer disposed above a substrate layer; and
a reverse metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor coupled to, and disposed above, the lower metal layer, the reverse MIM capacitor comprising a stack of layers, the stack comprising:
bottom electrode coupled to the lower metal layer;
a dielectric layer disposed above the bottom electrode;
an etch stop layer disposed above the dielectric layer; and
an upper metal layer disposed above the etch stop layer as a top electrode,
wherein the top electrode comprises a material composition different from the material composition of the etch stop layer,
wherein the bottom electrode, the dielectric layer and the upper metal layer form the reverse MIM capacitor, and
wherein the upper metal layer has more surface area than the lower metal layer.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a second dielectric layer disposed adjacent to the dielectric layer and the etch stop layer of the stack, wherein the second dielectric layer comprises a spacer post to prevent electrical coupling between the etch stop layer and the bottom electrode of the stack of the reverse MIM capacitor.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the top electrode of the stack defines an optical aperture of a pixel stack.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a conductive via to couple the bottom electrode of the stack to the lower metal layer, wherein the bottom electrode and the top electrode of the stack comprise titanium tungsten (TiW).
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the top electrode of the stack is configured to carry a constant voltage.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the reverse MIM capacitor is a sense capacitor of a pixel in an image sensor.
7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the pixel is a pixel comprising at least two transistors.
8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the sense capacitor is a shared capacitor to be shared with the pixel and at least one additional pixel.