A semiconductor apparatus includes a semiconductor layer that includes a photoelectric conversion unit disposed between a front surface and a back surface and a transistor disposed at the front surface, and a dielectric film in contact with the back surface, wherein the semiconductor layer includes a region extending 100 nm from the back surface, the region having boron concentrations whose maximum value is more than 1×10.sup.20 [atoms/cm.sup.3].

Hybrid bonded structures and methods of manufacture are described. In an embodiment, a hybrid bonded structure includes a first plurality of first conductive bonding regions of a first substrate stack bonded directly to a second plurality of second conductive bonding regions of a second substrate stack, and a first dielectric layer of the first substrate stack bonded to a second dielectric layer of the second substrate stack with an intermediate organic adhesive layer.

A decrease in image quality is suppressed. A solid-state imaging apparatus according to an embodiment includes: a photoelectric conversion unit (PD) including a material having a smaller band gap energy than silicon; and a circuit board joined to the photoelectric conversion unit, the circuit board including: a pixel signal generation circuit that generates a pixel signal having a voltage value corresponding to a charge generated in the photoelectric conversion unit; and a thermometer circuit that detects a temperature of the circuit board.

An image sensor module comprises an image sensor having a light sensing area, a cover glass for covering the light sensing area, a dam between the image sensor and the cover glass, which surrounds the light sensing area, and has an outer wall and an inner wall, where a cross-section of the inner wall parallel to the surface of the light sensing area of the image sensor forms a sawtooth pattern and/or, where a cross-section of the inner wall orthogonal to the surface of the light sensing area of the image sensor forms an inclined surface.

Embodiments herein describe techniques for an optical device including a substrate of a wafer. An image sensor device is formed on a front side of the substrate, while a plurality of posts of a metasurface lens are formed on a backside opposite to the front side of the substrate. A post of the plurality of posts includes a metasurface material that is transparent to light. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

A process of overlay offset measurement includes providing a substrate; forming a first pattern layer with a predetermined first pattern on the substrate; forming a first photoresist layer on the substrate and the first pattern layer; forming a second photoresist layer on the first photoresist layer; forming a second pattern layer with a predetermined second pattern on the second photoresist layer; patterning the second photoresist layer to form a trench having a predetermined third pattern being substantially aligned with the predetermined first pattern of the first pattern layer; and performing overlay offset measurement according to the second pattern layer and the trench.

A method of, and a detector for, performing energy sensitive imaging of ionizing radiation are provided, including acquiring a first frame having a plurality of pixels, each pixel of the plurality having an energy of detection and a location; grouping, into a cluster, pixels of the plurality having an energy of detection above a predetermined threshold and a location along with at least one other pixel also having an energy of detection above the predetermined threshold and being within a predetermined distance of the location; summing the energy of detection of all pixels within the grouped cluster to determine a cluster energy; determining a location of the cluster based on a distribution and an intensity of the summed energy of detection; and generating an image of the cluster based on the determined cluster energy and the determined location of the cluster.

A device is disclosed. The device includes a plurality of pixels disposed over a first surface of a semiconductor layer. The device includes a device layer disposed over the first surface. The device includes metallization layers disposed over the device layer. One of the metallization layers, closer to the first surface than any of other ones of the metallization layers, includes at least one conductive structure. The device includes an oxide layer disposed over a second surface of the semiconductor layer, the second surface being opposite to the first surface, the oxide layer also lining a recess that extends through the semiconductor layer. The device includes a spacer layer disposed between inner sidewalls of the recess and the oxide layer. The device includes a pad structure extending through the oxide layer and the device layer to be in physical contact with the at least one conductive structure.

A dark-current-inhibiting image sensor includes a semiconductor substrate, a thin and a thin junction. The semiconductor substrate includes a front surface, a back surface opposite the front surface, a photodiode, and a concave surface between the front surface and the back surface. The concave surface extends from the back surface toward the front surface, and defines a trench that surrounds the photodiode in a cross-sectional plane parallel to the back surface. The thin junction extends from the concave surface into the semiconductor substrate, and is a region of the semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor substrate includes a first substrate region, located between the thin junction and the photodiode, that has a first conductive type. The photodiode and the thin junction have a second conductive type opposite the first conductive type.

To prevent damage to an imaging element configured by bonding a plurality of semiconductor chips together. The imaging element includes a plurality of semiconductor chips each having a semiconductor substrate and a wiring region. One of the plurality of semiconductor chips is provided with a photoelectric conversion unit for performing photoelectric conversion of incident light. Two of the plurality of semiconductor chips are provided with first pads in which surfaces of wiring regions of the two semiconductor chips are bonded to each other and which are arranged on the surfaces of the wiring regions and bonded to each other. At least one of the two semiconductor chips is provided with a second pad arranged in the wiring region and having a protrusion formed thereon so as to face toward the bonded surface. The second pad is configured to have a size different from that of the first pad.