IP Library Granted Patent US 12,364,043
Granted Patent B2
US 12,364,043 · App. 17/876,878 · Granted Jul 15, 2025

Image sensor device

Inventors: Feng-Chien Hsieh (Pingtung, TW); Yun-Wei Cheng (Taipei, TW); Wei-Li Hu (Tainan, TW); Kuo-Cheng Lee (Tainan, TW); Ying-Hao Chen (Tainan, TW)
Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
H10F39/8057H10F39/011
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,364,043
App. No.
17/876,878
Granted
Jul 15, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An image sensor device includes a substrate, photosensitive pixels, an interconnect structure, a dielectric layer, and a light blocking element. The photosensitive pixels are in the substrate. The interconnect structure is over a first side of the substrate. The dielectric layer is over a second side of the substrate opposite the first side of the substrate. The light blocking element has a first portion extending over a top surface of the dielectric layer and a second portion extending in the dielectric layer. The second portion of the light blocking element laterally surrounds the photosensitive pixels.

Claims (39)

1. An image sensor device, comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of photosensitive pixels in the substrate;

a plurality of reference photosensitive pixels around the photosensitive pixels from a top view;

an interconnect structure over a first side of the substrate;

a dielectric layer over a second side of the substrate opposite the first side of the substrate; and

a light blocking element covering the reference photosensitive pixels and uncovering the photosensitive pixels, wherein the light blocking element has a first portion extending over a top surface of the dielectric layer and a second portion extending in the dielectric layer, and the second portion of the light blocking element laterally surrounds the photosensitive pixels from the top view.

2. The image sensor device of claim 1 , wherein one of the reference photosensitive pixels immediately adjacent the photosensitive pixels is overlapped with the second portion of the light blocking element.

3. The image sensor device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a grid structure over the photosensitive pixels, wherein the grid structure extends from the light blocking element.

4. The image sensor device of claim 3 , wherein a width of the second portion of the light blocking element is greater than a line width of the grid structure.

5. The image sensor device of claim 1 , wherein a width of the second portion of the light blocking element is greater than a pitch of the photosensitive pixels.

6. The image sensor device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a doped region in the substrate and extending in parallel with the second portion of the light blocking element from the top view, wherein the doped region is directly below the second portion of the light blocking element, and the doped region has a same conductivity type as a plurality of photosensitive regions of the photosensitive pixels.

7. The image sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric layer comprises a plurality of isolation structures extending into the substrate, and the isolation structures separate the photosensitive pixels from each other.

8. The image sensor device of claim 1 , wherein a top surface of the first portion of the light blocking element is higher than a top surface of the second portion of the light blocking element.

9. The image sensor device of claim 1 , wherein a bottom surface of the second portion of the light blocking element is in contact with the substrate.

10. An image sensor device, comprising:

a substrate having a pixel array region and a black level correction (BLC) region laterally surrounding the pixel array region from a top view;

a plurality of photosensitive pixels in the pixel array region of the substrate;

a plurality of reference photosensitive pixels in the BLC region of the substrate;

a grid structure over the photosensitive pixels; and

a light blocking element over the reference photosensitive pixels, wherein a bottommost surface of the light blocking element is lower than a bottom surface of the grid structure.

11. The image sensor device of claim 10 , wherein the light blocking element is continuously connected with the grid structure.

12. The image sensor device of claim 10 , wherein the bottommost surface of the light blocking element is in contact with the substrate.

13. The image sensor device of claim 12 , further comprising:

a doped region in the substrate, wherein the doped region comprises a same conductive type as plurality of photosensitive regions of the photosensitive pixels and the reference photosensitive pixels, wherein the bottommost surface of the light blocking element is in contact with the doped region in the substrate.

14. The image sensor device of claim 10 , further comprising:

a color filter layer over the grid structure.

15. An image sensor device, comprising:

a substrate having a pixel array region;

a plurality of photosensitive pixels in the pixel array region; and

a light blocking structure surrounding the pixel array region of the substrate from a top view, wherein a bottom surface of the light blocking structure is in contact with the substrate and has a width measured along a first direction and a length measured along a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction from the top view, the width of the bottom surface of the light blocking structure is greater than a width of one of the photosensitive pixels measured along the first direction from the top view, and the length of the bottom surface of the light blocking structure is greater than a length of said one of the photosensitive pixels measured along the second direction from the top view.

16. The image sensor device of claim 15 , further comprising:

a light blocking layer having a grid structure over the pixel array region and an extending portion, wherein the light blocking structure extends from the extending portion of the light blocking layer.

17. The image sensor device of claim 15 , wherein the light blocking structure surrounds a corner of the pixel array region from the top view.

18. The image sensor device of claim 15 , wherein the light blocking structure forms a closed loop encircling the pixel array region from the top view.

19. The image sensor device of claim 15 , wherein the light blocking structure comprises a first light blocking structure and a second light blocking structure respectively at two sides of the pixel array region.

20. The image sensor device of claim 15 , wherein the light blocking structure comprises a first light blocking structure and a second light blocking structure at a same side of the pixel array region.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 4, 2022
From: HSIEH, FENG-CHIEN; CHENG, YUN-WEI; HU, WEI-LI; LEE, KUO-CHENG; CHEN, YING-HAO
To: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 060719/0428 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 3, 2022
From: HSIEH, FENG-CHIEN; CHENG, YUN-WEI; HU, WEI-LI; LEE, KUO-CHENG; CHEN, YING-HAO
To: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 060712/0354 →
Continuity (3)
Division 17010717 · Sep 2, 2020
Provisional Application 62963913 · Jan 21, 2020
Related Publication 20220367549A1 · Nov 17, 2022
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