IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,888,012
Granted Patent B2
US 11,888,012 · App. 17/261,221 · Granted Jan 30, 2024

Solid-state image capturing element, solid-state image capturing device, and solid-state image capturing element reading method

Inventors: Kenichi Murata (Kanagawa, JP); Masahiro Joei (Kanagawa, JP); Fumihiko Koga (Kanagawa, JP); Iwao Yagi (Kanagawa, JP); Shintarou Hirata (Kanagawa, JP); Hideaki Togashi (Kumamoto, JP); Yosuke Saito (Tokyo, JP); Shingo Takahashi (Kanagawa, JP)
Assignees: SONY CORPORATION; SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
H01L27/14643H01L27/14623H04N25/76
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,888,012
App. No.
17/261,221
Granted
Jan 30, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

Provided is a solid-state image capturing element including a semiconductor substrate and first and second photoelectric conversion parts configured to convert light into electric charge. The first and the second photoelectric conversion parts each have a laminated structure including an upper electrode, a lower electrode, a photoelectric conversion film sandwiched between the upper electrode and the lower electrode, and an accumulation electrode facing the upper electrode through the photoelectric conversion film and an insulating film. The lower electrode of each of the first and the second photoelectric conversion parts is electrically connected with a common electric charge accumulation part through a common penetration electrode provided in common to the first and the second photoelectric conversion parts and penetrating through the semiconductor substrate, the common electric charge accumulation part being provided in common to the first and the second photoelectric conversion parts in the semiconductor substrate.

Claims (61)

1. A solid-state image capturing element comprising:

a semiconductor substrate;

a first photoelectric conversion part provided above the semiconductor substrate and configured to convert light into electric charge; and

a second photoelectric conversion part provided above the first photoelectric conversion part and configured to convert light into electric charge, wherein

the first and the second photoelectric conversion parts each have a laminated structure including

an upper electrode,

a lower electrode,

a photoelectric conversion film sandwiched between the upper electrode and the lower electrode, and

an accumulation electrode facing the upper electrode through the photoelectric conversion film and an insulating film, and

the lower electrode of each of the first and the second photoelectric conversion parts is electrically connected with a common electric charge accumulation part through a common penetration electrode provided in common to the first and the second photoelectric conversion parts and penetrating through the semiconductor substrate, the common electric charge accumulation part being provided in common to the first and the second photoelectric conversion parts in the semiconductor substrate.

2. The solid-state image capturing element according to claim 1 , wherein the lower electrode of each of the first and the second photoelectric conversion parts is electrically connected with a common pixel transistor through the common penetration electrode, the common pixel transistor being provided in common to the first and the second photoelectric conversion parts in the semiconductor substrate.

3. The solid-state image capturing element according to claim 1 , further comprising a first wiring layer sandwiched between the semiconductor substrate and the first photoelectric conversion part, wherein

the lower electrode of each of the first and the second photoelectric conversion parts is electrically connected with the common penetration electrode through a first wire included in the first wiring layer.

4. The solid-state image capturing element according to claim 1 , wherein the lower electrode of the second photoelectric conversion part is electrically connected with the lower electrode of the first photoelectric conversion part through a first penetration electrode penetrating through the first photoelectric conversion part.

5. The solid-state image capturing element according to claim 4 , further comprising a second wiring layer sandwiched between the first photoelectric conversion part and the second photoelectric conversion part, wherein

the lower electrode of the second photoelectric conversion part is electrically connected with the first penetration electrode through a second wire included in the second wiring layer.

6. The solid-state image capturing element according to claim 5 , wherein the first penetration electrode penetrates through the second wiring layer and the first photoelectric conversion part from the second wire to the lower electrode of the first photoelectric conversion part.

7. The solid-state image capturing element according to claim 2 , further comprising a third photoelectric conversion part provided above the second photoelectric conversion part and configured to convert light into electric charge, wherein

the third photoelectric conversion part has the laminated structure, and

the lower electrode of the third photoelectric conversion part is electrically connected with the common electric charge accumulation part through the common penetration electrode.

8. The solid-state image capturing element according to claim 7 , wherein the lower electrode of the third photoelectric conversion part is electrically connected with the common pixel transistor through the common penetration electrode.

9. The solid-state image capturing element according to claim 7 , wherein the lower electrode of the third photoelectric conversion part is electrically connected with the lower electrode of the second photoelectric conversion part through a second penetration electrode penetrating through the second photoelectric conversion part.

10. The solid-state image capturing element according to claim 9 , further comprising a third wiring layer sandwiched between the second photoelectric conversion part and the third photoelectric conversion part, wherein

the lower electrode of the third photoelectric conversion part is electrically connected with the second penetration electrode through a third wire included in the third wiring layer.

11. The solid-state image capturing element according to claim 10 , wherein the second penetration electrode penetrates through the third wiring layer and the second photoelectric conversion part from the third wire to the lower electrode of the second photoelectric conversion part.

12. The solid-state image capturing element according to claim 1 , wherein the laminated structure further includes a transfer electrode provided between the lower electrode and the accumulation electrode and facing the upper electrode through the photoelectric conversion film and the insulating film.

13. The solid-state image capturing element according to claim 1 , wherein the photoelectric conversion film includes an organic material.

14. The solid-state image capturing element according to claim 1 , further comprising a fourth photoelectric conversion part provided in the semiconductor substrate and configured to convert light into electric charge.

15. The solid-state image capturing element according to claim 4 , wherein when the solid-state image capturing element is viewed from above,

a first exposure region that is exposed through an opening provided at the insulating film of the first photoelectric conversion part and contacts the photoelectric conversion film of the first photoelectric conversion part is provided at part of the lower electrode of the first photoelectric conversion part, and

a first contact region contacting the first penetration electrode is provided at a remaining part of the lower electrode of the first photoelectric conversion part.

16. The solid-state image capturing element according to claim 15 , wherein when the solid-state image capturing element is viewed from above,

a second exposure region that is exposed through an opening provided at the insulating film of the second photoelectric conversion part and contacts the photoelectric conversion film of the second photoelectric conversion part is provided at the lower electrode of the second photoelectric conversion part, and

a second contact region electrically connected with the first penetration electrode is provided at part of the second exposure region.

17. A solid-state image capturing device comprising a plurality of solid-state image capturing elements disposed in a matrix,

each of the solid-state image capturing elements including

a semiconductor substrate,

a first photoelectric conversion part provided above the semiconductor substrate and configured to convert light into electric charge, and

a second photoelectric conversion part provided above the first photoelectric conversion part and configured to convert light into electric charge, wherein

the first and the second photoelectric conversion parts each have a laminated structure including

an upper electrode,

a lower electrode,

a photoelectric conversion film sandwiched between the upper electrode and the lower electrode, and

an accumulation electrode facing the upper electrode through the photoelectric conversion film and an insulating film, and

the lower electrode of each of the first and the second photoelectric conversion parts is electrically connected with a common electric charge accumulation part through a common penetration electrode provided in common to the first and the second photoelectric conversion parts and penetrating through the semiconductor substrate, the common electric charge accumulation part being provided in common to the first and the second photoelectric conversion parts in the semiconductor substrate.

18. The solid-state image capturing device according to claim 17 , further comprising a third penetration electrode provided at an outer peripheral part surrounding a pixel region in which the plurality of solid-state image capturing elements are disposed, wherein

the lower electrode of the second photoelectric conversion part is electrically connected with the common penetration electrode through the third penetration electrode.

19. The solid-state image capturing device according to claim 17 , wherein each of the solid-state image capturing elements further includes a shield electrode provided between the solid-state image capturing elements adjacent to each other when the solid-state image capturing device is viewed from above.

20. A solid-state image capturing element reading method, the solid-state image capturing element including

a semiconductor substrate,

a first photoelectric conversion part provided above the semiconductor substrate and configured to convert light into electric charge, and

a second photoelectric conversion part provided above the first photoelectric conversion part and configured to convert light into electric charge,

the first and the second photoelectric conversion parts each having a laminated structure including

an upper electrode,

a lower electrode,

a photoelectric conversion film sandwiched between the upper electrode and the lower electrode, and

an accumulation electrode facing the upper electrode through the photoelectric conversion film and an insulating film, and

the lower electrode of each of the first and the second photoelectric conversion parts being electrically connected with a common electric charge accumulation part through a common penetration electrode provided in common to the first and the second photoelectric conversion parts and penetrating through the semiconductor substrate, the common electric charge accumulation part being provided in common to the first and the second photoelectric conversion parts in the semiconductor substrate,

the solid-state image capturing element reading method comprising:

controlling the accumulation electrode of each of the first and the second photoelectric conversion parts to sequentially transfer electric charge accumulated in the photoelectric conversion film of each of the first and the second photoelectric conversion parts to the lower electrode of each of the first and the second photoelectric conversion parts in a temporally sequential manner; and

sequentially accumulating the electric charge sequentially transferred to the lower electrode of each of the first and the second photoelectric conversion parts in the common electric charge accumulation part and sequentially reading the accumulated electric charge.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 31, 2021
From: MURATA, KENICHI; JOEI, MASAHIRO; KOGA, FUMIHIKO; YAGI, IWAO; HIRATA, SHINTAROU; TOGASHI, HIDEAKI; SAITO, YOSUKE; TAKAHASHI, SHINGO
To: SONY CORPORATION; SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 055789/0463 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2018-140152 · Jul 26, 2018 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20210313381A1 · Oct 7, 2021
Cited By (3)
US 12,426,435 US 12,484,320 US 12,677,582