IP Library Granted Patent US 11,101,305
Granted Patent B2
US 11,101,305 · App. 16/341,974 · Granted Aug 24, 2021

Imaging element and electronic device

Inventors: Sozo Yokogawa (Kanagawa, JP); Mikinori Ito (Kanagawa, JP); Itaru Oshiyama (Kanagawa, JP)
Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
H01L27/14612H01L27/146H01L27/1462H01L27/1463H01L27/1464H01L27/14603H01L27/14605H01L27/14621H01L27/14629H01L27/14641H04N5/374H01L27/14627
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,101,305
App. No.
16/341,974
Granted
Aug 24, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present technology relates to an imaging element and an electronic device capable of improving sensitivity to infrared light in a back side irradiation imaging element. An imaging element is provided with a semiconductor substrate on which a photoelectric converting unit is formed, a wiring layer arranged on a side opposite to a light receiving surface of the semiconductor substrate, and provided with a wire and a reflective film, and an insulating film stacked between the semiconductor substrate and the wiring layer, in which the reflective film is arranged between the insulating film and the wire and overlaps with at least a part of the photoelectric converting unit of each pixel in a first direction in which the semiconductor substrate and the wiring layer are stacked, and a first interlayer film between the insulating film and the reflective film is thicker than the insulating film. The present technology is applicable to a back side irradiation CMOS image sensor, for example.

Claims (56)

1. An imaging element comprising:

a semiconductor substrate on which a photoelectric converting unit is formed;

a wiring layer arranged on a side opposite to a light receiving surface of the semiconductor substrate, and provided with a wire and a reflective film; and

an insulating film stacked between the semiconductor substrate and the wiring layer,

wherein the reflective film is arranged between the insulating film and the wire and overlaps with at least a part of the photoelectric converting unit of each pixel in a first direction in which the semiconductor substrate and the wiring layer are stacked,

wherein a first interlayer film between the insulating film and the reflective film is thicker than the insulating film, and

wherein, when a center wavelength of light reflected by the reflective film is set to λ, a refractive index of the first interlayer film is set to n A , a refractive index of the reflective film is set to n B , and i and j are integers of 0 or larger, a thickness of the first interlayer film is set in a vicinity of (2i+1)λ/4n A , and a thickness of the reflective film is set in a vicinity of (2j+1)λ/4n B .

2. The imaging element according to claim 1 ,

wherein a thickness of the first interlayer film is in a range of 80 nm to 200 nm, and

a thickness of the reflective film is in a range of 40 nm to 80 nm.

3. The imaging element according to claim 1 ,

wherein the first interlayer film includes a silicon oxide film or a silicon nitride film as a main component, and

the reflective film includes polysilicon, amorphous silicon, or single crystal silicon as a main component.

4. The imaging element according to claim 1 ,

wherein two or more reflective films are stacked through a second interlayer film.

5. The imaging element according to claim 4 ,

wherein a thickness of the first and second interlayer films is in a range of 100 nm to 200 nm, and

a thickness of at least one of the two or more reflective films is in a range of 80 nm to 100 nm.

6. The imaging element according to claim 4 ,

wherein the first and second interlayer films include silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or TiO 2 as a main component, and

at least one of the reflective films includes polysilicon, amorphous silicon, single crystal silicon, TaO, silicon nitride, Ge, SiC, TiN, Ti, or TiO 2 as a main component.

7. The imaging element according to claim 1 ,

wherein the reflective film is arranged in a position not overlapping with a gate electrode of a transistor formed on a surface on a side opposite to the light receiving surface of the semiconductor substrate in the first direction.

8. The imaging element according to claim 1 ,

wherein at least one of a shape, a size, or a position of the reflective film is different for each pixel.

9. The imaging element according to claim 8 ,

wherein at least one of the shape, the size, or the position of the reflective film is adjusted corresponding to pupil correction.

10. The imaging element according to claim 1 ,

wherein the reflective film is shared by a plurality of pixels.

11. The imaging element according to claim 1 ,

wherein irregularities are formed on a surface of the reflective film.

12. The imaging element according to claim 1 ,

wherein a trench-shaped pixel separating unit is formed between pixels on the semiconductor substrate, and

a core is formed at a center of the trench-shaped pixel separating unit.

13. The imaging element according to claim 12 ,

wherein the core includes polysilicon, amorphous silicon, or single crystal silicon as a main component, and

the core is covered with a dielectric material including silicon oxide or silicon nitride as a main component.

14. The imaging element according to claim 13 ,

wherein a thickness of the core in a second direction in which the pixels are adjacent is in a range of 50 nm to 200 nm, and

a thickness of the dielectric material around the core in the second direction is in a range of 50 nm to 200 nm.

15. The imaging element according to claim 1 ,

wherein an antireflective film is stacked on the light receiving surface of the semiconductor substrate, and

when a second center wavelength of light for which a reflection rate of the antireflective film is lowered is set to λ and a refractive index of the antireflective film is set to n, a thickness of the antireflective film is set in a vicinity of λ/4n.

16. The imaging element according to claim 1 ,

wherein a diffraction structure is formed on the light receiving surface of the semiconductor substrate.

17. The imaging element according to claim 1 ,

wherein the center wavelength of light reflected by the reflective film is 700 nm or longer.

18. An electronic device, comprising:

an imaging element; and

a signal processing unit which processes a signal output from the imaging element, the imaging element including:

a semiconductor substrate on which a photoelectric converting unit is formed;

a wiring layer arranged on a side opposite to a light receiving surface of the semiconductor substrate, and provided with a wire and a reflective film; and

an insulating film stacked between the semiconductor substrate and the wiring layer,

wherein the reflective film is arranged between the insulating film and the wire and overlaps with at least a part of the photoelectric converting unit of each pixel in a first direction in which the semiconductor substrate and the wiring layer are stacked, and

a first interlayer film between the insulating film and the reflective film is thicker than the insulating film,

wherein, when a center wavelength of light reflected by the reflective film is set to λ, a refractive index of the first interlayer film is set to n A , a refractive index of the reflective film is set to n B , and i and j are integers of 0 or larger, a thickness of the first interlayer film is set in a vicinity of (2i+1)λ/4n A , and a thickness of the reflective film is set in a vicinity of (2j+1)λ/4n B .

Assignments (2)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ATTORNEY DOCKET NUMBER PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 049434 FRAME 0534. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Feb 14, 2020
From: YOKOGAWA, SOZO; ITO, MIKINORI; OSHIYAMA, ITARU
To: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 053404/0504 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 11, 2019
From: YOKOGAWA, SOZO; ITO, MIKINORI; OSHIYAMA, ITARU
To: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 049434/0534 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP JP2016-210295 · Oct 27, 2016 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20190244992A1 · Aug 8, 2019