Abstract:
An imaging apparatus includes (a) a full-frame, charge-coupled device having (i) a conductive layer of a first dopant type; (ii) a plurality of pixels arranged as a charge-coupled device in the conductive layer that collects charge in response to incident light and transfers the collected charge; (iii) an overflow drain of a dopant type opposite the first type disposed in the conductive layer and laterally adjacent to each pixel; and the apparatus having (b) a voltage supply connected to the lateral overflow drain that is at a first voltage during readout and at a second voltage that is lower than the first voltage during integration.
Abstract:
Provided is a blooming control structure for an imager and a corresponding fabrication method. The structure is produced in a semiconductor substrate in which is configured an electrical charge collection region. The electrical charge collection region is configured to accumulate electrical charge that is photogenerated in the substrate, up to a characteristic charge collection capacity. A blooming drain region is configured in the substrate laterally spaced from the charge collection region. The blooming drain region includes an extended path of a conductivity type and level that are selected for conducting charge in excess of the characteristic charge collection capacity away from the charge collection region. A blooming barrier region is configured in the substrate to be adjacent to and laterally spacing the charge collection and blooming drain regions by a blooming barrier width. This barrier width corresponds to an acute blooming barrier impurity implantation angle with the substrate. The blooming barrier region is of a conductivity type and level that is selected based on the blooming barrier width to produce a corresponding electrical potential barrier between the charge collection and blooming drain regions. This blooming control structure, and particularly the blooming barrier regions of the structure, are very precisely defined by the selected acute blooming barrier impurity implantation angle, and optionally in addition by a rotation of the blooming barrier impurity implantation, as well as a non-vertical sidewall profile of the impurity implantation masking layer.
Abstract:
An interline area image sensor structure with particular doping arrangements which provides an effective antiblooming control and, when a voltage signal is applied to each transfer gate, all the charge collected in a photodiode will be depleted and transferred to an interline CCD.
Abstract:
A charge-coupled imager includes in a substrate (12) of a semiconductor material a plurality of spaced photodetectors (16) arranged in a line. The photodetectors (16) are each of a type that can be completely depleted. A suitable photodetector (16) is a pinned photodiode. A separate accumulation region (18) is contiguous with one side of each of the photodetectors (16). A potential is applied to each accumulation region (18) which forms an accumulation well (38) therein which is lower than that in its respective photodiode so that charge carriers generated in the photodiode will continuously flow into the accumulation region (18). An anti-blooming drain (24) is provided adjacent each accumulation region (18) with the potential barrier between the anti-blooming drain (24) and the accumulation region (18) being below thepotential well in the photodiode so that when the accumulation region (18) fills with charge carriers to the level of the potential barrier any additional charge carriers will overflow into the anti-blooming drain (24). This maintains the level of the potential well (38) in the accumulation region (18) below that in the photodiode to allow the continuous flow of charge carriers from the photodiode into the accumulation region. A CCD shift register (20) extends along the line of accumulation region (18) and has a transfer gate (29) which allows the charge carriers in the accumulation regions (18) to be transferred into the shift register (20).
Abstract:
A solid-state image sensor is disclosed which comprises a photodiode (64; 64') formed in a P-type substrate (62; 62'). A charge-coupled device (66; 66') is disposed adjacent the photodiode for receiving signal carriers from the photodiode (64; 64'). A lateral-overflow drain (75; 75') is disposed adjacent the photodiode for receiving excess carriers from the photodiode (64; 64'). In order to provide a simplified image sensor, a virtual gate (71; 71') is formed between the photodiode (64; 64') and the drain (75; 75') to effect the flow of the excess carriers from the photodiode (64; 64').
Abstract:
There is provided an imaging device that includes photovoltaic type pixels that have photoelectric conversion regions generating photovoltaic power for each pixel depending on irradiation light; and an element isolation region that is provided between the photoelectric conversion regions of adjacent pixels and in a state of substantially surrounding the photoelectric conversion region.
Abstract:
A CMOS multi-pinned pixel having very low dark current and very high charge transfer performance over that of conventional CMOS pixels is disclosed. The CMOS pixel includes epitaxial silicon and at least one transfer gate formed upon the epitaxial silicon. A pinned-photodiode is formed in the epitaxial silicon. A multi-pinned (MP) implant layer is implanted in the epitaxial silicon at least partially extending across the pinned-photodiode and substantially underlying the at least one transfer gate of the CMOS pixel to promote dark current passivation during an accumulation state and promote charge transfer during a transfer state.