IP Library Granted Patent US 7,809,255
Granted Patent B2
US 7,809,255 · App. 11/783,146 · Granted Oct 5, 2010

Solid state imaging device

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,809,255
App. No.
11/783,146
Granted
Oct 5, 2010
Kind
B2
Abstract

The solid-state imaging device includes a semiconductor substrate and a light receiving portion. On the back surface of the semiconductor substrate a contact surface is provided. The solid-state imaging device photoelectrically converts, in the semiconductor substrate, light transmitted through the object to be imaged in contact with the contact surface, and receives the electric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion with the light receiving portion, to thereby acquire the image of the object to be imaged. The contact surface is a rough surface.

Claims (30)

1. A solid-state imaging device, comprising:

a semiconductor substrate;

a light receiving portion in said semiconductor substrate; and

a cover layer on a back surface of said semiconductor substrate,

wherein a surface of the cover layer facing opposite the semiconductor substrate forms a contact surface with which an object to be imaged is brought into contact,

wherein said back surface of said semiconductor substrate and said contact surface are rough surfaces,

wherein said cover layer is formed of one of SiO, SiN, and SiON, and

wherein light transmitted through said object to be imaged in contact with said contact surface is photoelectrically converted in said semiconductor substrate, so that said light receiving portion receives an electric charge generated by said photoelectric conversion, thereby acquiring an image of said object to be imaged.

2. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 ,

wherein said object to be imaged is a finger,

wherein said contact surface has a concave portion and a convex portion arranged alternately, and

wherein an average arrangement pitch of said concave and convex portions of said contact surface is smaller than an average arrangement pitch of concave and convex portions of a fingerprint of said finger.

3. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 2 ,

wherein said average arrangement pitch of said concave and convex portions of said contact surface is ½ or smaller of said average arrangement pitch of said concave and convex portions of said fingerprint of said finger.

4. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 2 ,

wherein said average arrangement pitch of said concave and convex portions of said contact surface is 500 μm or less.

5. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 2 ,

wherein an average height of said convex portion of said contact surface is lower than an average height of said convex portion of said fingerprint of said finger.

6. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 2 ,

wherein the semiconductor substrate comprises a plurality of said light receiving portions, and

wherein said average arrangement pitch of said concave and convex portions of said contact surface is smaller than an average arrangement pitch of said light receiving portions.

7. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 6 ,

wherein said average arrangement pitch of said light receiving portions is smaller than said average arrangement pitch of said concave and convex portions of said fingerprint of said finger.

8. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 2 ,

wherein said concave and convex portions of said contact surface include distortion originating from processing.

9. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the cover layer has a thickness of approximately 0.3 μm.

10. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 9 , wherein a roughness of the contact surface corresponds to the roughness of the back surface.

11. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the contact surface has concave portions and convex portions arranged alternately, and

wherein an average height of the convex portions of the contact surface is between 0.1 μm and 10 μm, and an average arrangement pitch of the concave and convex portions of the contact surface is approximately 50 μm.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Nov 4, 2010
From: NEC ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
To: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 025311/0869 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 6, 2007
From: NAKASHIBA, YASUTAKA
To: NEC-ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 019207/0891 →