An image sensor includes a substrate including a sensor array area, a pad area, and a circuit area, a wiring layer on the pad area, and a light-shielding pattern on the sensor array area. The sensor array area includes a first area including active pixels and a second area including optical back pixels. The wiring layer is apart from the substrate by a first distance on the pad area. The light-shielding pattern includes a first portion spaced apart from the substrate by a second distance less than the first distance, a second portion disposed between the first portion and the wiring layer and extending on the same level as the wiring layer, and a third portion disposed between the first portion and the second portion and integrally formed with the first portion and the second portion.

A solid state imaging device including a semiconductor layer comprising a plurality of photodiodes, a first antireflection film located over a first surface of the semiconductor layer, a second antireflection film located over the first antireflection film, a light shielding layer having side surfaces which are adjacent to at least one of first and the second antireflection film.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a back side illuminated. (BSI) image sensor. The back side illuminated (BSI) image sensor includes a semiconductive substrate and an interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer at a front side of the semiconductive substrate. The ILD layer includes a dielectric layer over the semiconductive substrate and a contact partially buried inside the semiconductive substrate. The contact includes a silicide layer including a predetermined thickness proximately in a range from about 600 angstroms to about 1200 angstroms.

Disclosed is a method of fabricating a semiconductor image sensor device. The method includes providing a substrate having a pixel region, a periphery region, and a bonding pad region. The substrate further has a first side and a second side opposite the first side. The pixel region contains radiation-sensing regions. The method further includes forming a bonding pad in the bonding pad region; and forming light-blocking structures over the second side of the substrate, at least in the pixel region, after the bonding pad has been formed.

An optical sensor including a first material layer comprising at least a first material; a second material layer comprising at least a second material that is different from the first material, where a material bandgap of the first material is larger than a material bandgap of the second material; and a graded material layer arranged between the first material layer and the second material layer, the graded material layer comprising an alloy of at least the first material and the second material having compositions of the second material that vary along a direction that is from the first material to the second material.

Various embodiments are directed to an image sensor that includes a first sensor portion and a second sensor portion coupled to the first sensor portion. The second sensor portion may be positioned relative to the first sensor portion so that the second sensor portion may initially detect light entering the image sensor, and some of that light passes through the second sensor portion and is be detected by the first sensor portion. In some embodiments, the second sensor portion may be configured to have a thickness suitable for sensing visible light. The first sensor portion may be configured to have a thickness suitable for sensing IR or NIR light. As a result of the arrangement and structure of the second sensor portion and the first sensor portion, the image sensor captures substantially more light from the light source.

A solid state imaging device including: a pixel region that is formed on a light incidence side of a substrate and to which a plurality of pixels that include photoelectric conversion units is arranged; a peripheral circuit unit that is formed in a lower portion in the substrate depth direction of the pixel region and that includes an active element; and a light shielding member that is formed between the pixel region and the peripheral circuit unit and that shields the incidence of light, emitted from an active element, to the photoelectric conversion unit.

Provided is a solid-state image pickup device that makes it possible to enhance image quality, and a manufacturing method thereof, and an electronic apparatus. A solid-state image pickup device includes a pixel section that includes a plurality of pixels, the pixels each including one or more organic photoelectric conversion sections, wherein the pixel section includes an effective pixel region and an optical black region, and the organic photoelectric conversion sections of the optical black region include a light-shielding film and a buffer film on a light-incidence side.

An image sensor includes a substrate having adjacent pixel regions and respective photodiode regions therein, and a pixel separation portion including a trench extending into the substrate between the adjacent pixel regions. The trench includes a conductive common bias line therein and an insulating device isolation layer between the common bias line and surfaces of the trench. A conductive interconnection is coupled to the common bias line and is configured to provide a negative voltage thereto. Related fabrication methods are also discussed.

Provided is a semiconductor device including: a multilayer substrate including an optical element; a light-transmitting plate provided on the substrate to cover the optical element; and a lens of an inorganic material provided between the substrate and the light-transmitting plate. A structure having a same strength as a strength per unit area of the lens is provided at a portion outside an effective photosensitive region where the optical element is formed, when the substrate is viewed in plan.