An image sensor includes a substrate including a light-receiving region and a light-shielding region, a device isolation pattern in the substrate of the light-receiving region to define active pixels, and a device isolation region in the substrate of the light-shielding region to define reference pixels. An isolation technique of the device isolation pattern is different from that of the device isolation region.

A method includes performing an anisotropic etching on a semiconductor substrate to form a trench. The trench has vertical sidewalls and a rounded bottom connected to the vertical sidewalls. A damage removal step is performed to remove a surface layer of the semiconductor substrate, with the surface layer exposed to the trench. The rounded bottom of the trench is etched to form a slant straight bottom surface. The trench is filled to form a trench isolation region in the trench.

Provided is a solid-state imaging device including a lamination-type backside illumination CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor having a global shutter function. The solid-state imaging device includes a separation film including one of a light blocking film and a light absorbing film between a memory and a photo diode.

Photodetector structures and methods of manufacture are provided. The method includes forming undercuts about detector material formed on a substrate. The method further includes encapsulating the detector to form airgaps from the undercuts. The method further includes annealing the detector material causing expansion of the detector material into the airgaps.

Fabricating optical devices can include mounting a plurality of singulated lens systems over a substrate, adjusting a thickness of the substrate below at least some of the lens systems to provide respective focal length corrections for the lens systems, and subsequently separating the substrate into a plurality of optical modules, each of which includes one of the lens systems mounted over a portion of the substrate. Adjusting a thickness of the substrate can include, for example, micro-machining the substrate to form respective holes below at least some of the lens systems or adding one or more layers below at least some of the lens systems so as to correct for variations in the focal lengths of the lens systems.

A manufacturing method for an image pickup unit, the method including: a step of bonding plural lens wafers, on which optical components are formed, and forming a lens unit wafer including plural lens units; a step of bonding a bending optical element wafer including plural bending optical elements to a first surface of the lens unit wafer such that the plural bending optical elements are respectively opposed to the plural lens units and forming an optical unit wafer; a step of separating and individualizing the optical unit wafer for each of the lens units and the bending optical elements and manufacturing plural optical units; and a step of respectively bonding solid-state image pickup devices to emission surfaces of lights of the bending optical elements of the optical units.

Among other things, one or more support structures for integrated circuitry and techniques for forming such support structures are provided. A support structure comprises one or more trench structures, such as a first trench structure and a second trench structure formed around a periphery of integrated circuitry. In some embodiments, one or more trench structures are formed according to partial substrate etching, such that respective trench structures are formed into a region of a substrate. In some embodiments, one or more trench structures are formed according to discontinued substrate etching, such that respective trench structures comprise one or more trench portions separated by separation regions of the substrate. The support structure mitigates stress energy from reaching the integrated circuitry, and facilitates process-induced charge release from the integrated circuitry.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method in which a functional layer is formed over an upper semiconductor surface of a semiconductor substrate, and a capping layer is formed over the functional layer. A first etchant is used to form a recess through the capping layer and through the functional layer. The recess has a first depth and exposes a portion of the semiconductor substrate there through. A protective layer is formed along a lower surface and inner sidewalls of the recess. A second etchant is used to remove the protective layer from the lower surface of the recess and to extend the recess below the upper semiconductor surface to a second depth to form a deep trench. To prevent etching of the functional layer, the protective layer remains in place along the inner sidewalls of the recess while the second etchant is used.

An image-sensor structure is provided. The image-sensor structure includes a substrate having a first surface and a second surface and including a sensing area, a first metal layer formed above the first surface of the substrate and surrounding the sensing area, and a protection layer formed above the first surface of the substrate and overlying the sensing area and a part of the first metal layer to expose an exposed area of the first metal layer. The exposed area includes a first portion having a first width, a second portion having a second width, a third portion having a third width and a fourth portion having a fourth width.

A semiconductor device includes a substrate, light-sensing devices and a bonding layer. The substrate overlies the carrier, and has a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The substrate includes recesses in the second surface, and surfaces of each of the recesses are wet etched surfaces. The light-sensing devices are disposed on the first surface of the substrate. The bonding layer is disposed between the substrate and the carrier.