Disclosed is an apparatus and method of forming, including a supporting structure, a sensor on the supporting structure, a pair of columns on the supporting structure at opposite sides of the sensor, the pair of columns having a column height relative to a top surface of the supporting structure, the column height being higher than a height of the active surface of the sensor relative to the top surface of the supporting structure, and a lidding layer on the pair of columns and over the active surface, the lidding layer being supported at opposite ends by the pair of columns. The active surface of the sensor, the lidding layer and the pair of columns form an opening above at least more than about half of the active surface of the sensor, and the supporting structure, the sensor, the lidding layer and the pair of columns together form a flow cell.

A radiation imaging device according to one embodiment includes a radiation detection panel having a first surface on which a detection region is formed, and a second surface on a side opposite to the first surface, a base substrate having a support surface configured to face the second surface and configured to support the radiation detection panel, and a flexible circuit substrate connected to the radiation detection panel, wherein an end portion of the base substrate corresponding to a portion to which the flexible circuit substrate is connected is located further inward than an end portion of the radiation detection panel when seen in a first direction orthogonal to the support surface, and the base substrate has a protruding portion which protrudes further outward than the radiation detection panel at a position at which the base substrate does not overlap the flexible circuit substrate when seen in the first direction.

A solid-state imaging device includes a plurality of pixel cells, each of the pixel cells including a light receiving element, a floating diffusion, a first source follower circuit, and a second source follower circuit. The plurality of pixel cells are connected to an output signal line. The light receiving element photoelectrically converts incident light, and stores a signal charge. The floating diffusion converts the signal charge read out of the light receiving element into a signal voltage. The first source follower circuit is connected to the floating diffusion, and outputs an output voltage corresponding to the signal voltage. The second source follower circuit is connected in series with the first source follower circuit, and outputs a pixel signal corresponding to the output voltage.

Improvement of noise characteristics is achievable. A solid-state imaging device according to an embodiment includes a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements (333) arranged in a two-dimensional grid shape in a matrix direction and each generating a charge corresponding to a received light amount, and a detection unit (400) that detects a photocurrent produced by the charge generated in each of the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements. A chip (201a) on which the photoelectric conversion elements are disposed and a chip (201b) on which at least a part of the detection unit is disposed are different from each other.

Disclosed is a CMOS image sensor with global shutters and a method for fabricating the CMOS image sensor. In one embodiment, a semiconductor device, includes: a light-sensing region; a charge-storage region; a light-shielding structure; and at least one via contact; wherein the charge-storage region is spatially configured adjacent to the light-sensing region in a lateral direction, wherein the light-shielding structure is configured over the charge-storage region in a vertical direction so as to prevent incident light leaking from the light-sensing region to the signal-processing region, wherein the light-shielding structure is configured in an interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer, and wherein the light-shielding structure is simultaneously formed with the at least one via contact.

An image sensor includes: photodiodes arranged in a substrate; active pillars connected to the photodiodes and extending in a vertical direction perpendicular to a bottom surface of the substrate; at least two transistors stacked in the vertical direction, wherein portions of the active pillars are channel areas of the at least two transistors; a floating diffusion (FD) area disposed under a transfer transistor, which is one of the at least two transistors, wherein the FD area is configured to receive charge from the photodiode through the transfer transistor and the portions of the active pillars; and a light transmitting layer disposed on a top surface of the substrate.

A light sensing device includes a semiconductor layer including a distributed Bragg reflector including a first surface of the semiconductor layer, and a photoelectric conversion unit including a second surface of the semiconductor layer, and the distributed Bragg reflector has a plurality of holes each having, in a cross-sectional view, a width gradually changing from a first width to a second width according to a width change period; a first electrode in one region of the semiconductor layer; and a second electrode on the second surface of the semiconductor layer and having a reflective metal.

An amplifier transistor within an image-sensor pixel is implemented upside down relative to conventional orientation such that a substrate-resident floating diffusion node of the pixel forms the gate of the amplifier transistor—achieving increased pixel conversion gain by eliminating the conventional metal-layer interconnection between the floating diffusion node and amplifier-transistor gate and concomitant parasitic capacitance.

An image sensor, including a substrate having a first surface, and a second surface opposite to the first surface; a first focus pixel; a first merged pixel; a second merged pixel; a first color filter; a second color filter; a third color filter; a grid pattern separating the first to third color filters, but not overlapped by the first to third color filters; a first micro-lens disposed on the first color filter; and a second micro-lens disposed on the second and third color filters, wherein a first-third unit pixel, the first focus pixel, and a second-third unit pixel are continuously arranged along the first direction, and wherein a width of the grid pattern between the first color filter and the second color filter is greater than a width of the grid pattern between the second color filter and the third color filter.

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, a photo sensing region, and a plurality of nanostructures. The semiconductor substrate has a first dopant. The photo sensing region is embedded in the semiconductor substrate, has a top surface level with a top surface of the semiconductor substrate, and has a second dopant that is of a different conductivity type than the first dopant. The plurality of nanostructures is on the photo sensing region and is made of a material the same as the photo sensing region.