A semiconductor device manufacturing method includes a step of forming a hole reaching a first insulating layer over a first conductive member; a step of forming a trench reaching a second insulating layer and in communication with the hole; a step of forming an opening exposing the first conductive member in the hole; and a step of forming a second conductive member connected to the first conductive member by embedding a conductive material in the opening, the hole, and the trench. The trench is formed under an etching condition such that the etching rate with respect to the second insulating layer is lower than the etching rate with respect to the third insulating layer.

A method of fabricating a pixel array includes forming a transistor network along a frontside of a semiconductor substrate. A contact element is formed for every pixel in the pixel array that is electrically coupled to a transistor within the transistor network. An interconnect layer is formed upon the frontside to control the transistor network with a dielectric that covers the contact element. A cavity is formed in the interconnect layer. A conductive layer is formed along cavity walls of the cavity and a dielectric layer is formed over the conductive layer within the cavity. A photosensitive semiconductor material is deposited over the dielectric layer within the cavity. An electrode cavity is formed that extends into the contact element. The electrode cavity is at least partially filled with a conductive material to form an electrode. The electrode, the conductive layer, and the photosensitive semiconductor material form a photosensitive capacitor.

The present technique relates to an imaging element and a distance measurement module capable of reducing parasitic capacity. A distance measurement module includes: a first wiring that connects predetermined transistors in first adjacent pixels to a via formed in one of first adjacent pixels and connected to a wiring formed in another layer; and a second wiring that connects predetermined transistors in second adjacent pixels to a via formed in a pixel that is adjacent to one of second adjacent pixels and connected to a wiring formed in another layer, in which the first wiring is connected to a redundant wiring. The present technique can be applied to a distance measurement sensor that performs distance measurement, for example.

A Ge-on-Si photodetector constructed without doping or contacting Germanium by metal is described. Despite the simplified fabrication process, the device has responsivity of 1.24 A/W, corresponding to 99.2% quantum efficiency. Dark current is 40 nA at 4 V reverse bias. 3-dB bandwidth is 30 GHz.

Methods of forming an image sensor are provided. A method of forming an image sensor includes forming a trench in a substrate to define a unit pixel region of the substrate. The method includes forming an in-situ-doped passivation layer on an exposed surface of the trench. The method includes forming a capping pattern on the in-situ-doped passivation layer, in the trench. The method includes forming a photoelectric conversion region in the unit pixel region. Moreover, the method includes forming a floating diffusion region in the unit pixel region.

A semiconductor package includes: a sheet-like thin plate on which a semiconductor chip is secured; and a substrate including a wiring layer, disposed on the thin plate to extend over a part of a region surrounding the region where the semiconductor chip is secured or over the entire surrounding region, wherein the semiconductor chip and the substrate are electrically connected.

An image pickup device capable of completely transmit charges generated at a photodiode to a floating diffusion region is provided. In a pixel region, a plurality of fin-like structures are so formed as to loin a photodiode formation region with the floating diffusion region. In the fin-like structure, a depth from a surface of a P type well to a predetermined position of depth is defined as a height. Having the height and a width, the fin-like structure extends in a direction intersecting a direction in which a gate electrode extends. The gate electrode of a transfer transistor is so formed as to cover opposing side surfaces and an upper surface of each fin-like structure.

A solid-state image sensor is provided. The sensor includes a substrate having a light-receiving surface. The substrate includes a charge accumulation portion that forms part of a photoelectric conversion element, a charge holding portion arranged at a position deeper than the charge accumulation portion from the light-receiving surface, and a first transfer portion configured to transfer charges generated by the photoelectric conversion element to the charge holding portion along a depth direction of the substrate. A distance between the charge holding portion and the light-receiving surface is not less than 4 m.

The present technique relates to a solid-state imaging device and an imaging apparatus that enable provision of a solid-state imaging device having superior color separation and high sensitivity.

The solid-state imaging device includes a semiconductor layer 11 in which a surface side becomes a circuit formation surface, photoelectric conversion units PD1 and PD2 of two layers or more that are stacked and formed in the semiconductor layer 11, and a longitudinal transistor Tr1 in which a gate electrode 21 is formed to be embedded in the semiconductor layer 11 from a surface 15 of the semiconductor layer 11. The photoelectric conversion unit PD1 of one layer in the photoelectric conversion units of the two layers or more is formed over a portion 21A of the gate electrode 21 of the longitudinal transistor Tr1 embedded in the semiconductor substrate 11 and is connected to a channel formed by the longitudinal transistor Tr1.

A plurality of first pixels P1 corresponding to color filters of two or more colors constitute a pixel group. A plurality of the pixel groups are arranged so that each of the pixel groups corresponds to one of second pixels P2. The light which is transmitted through the color filters enters first photoelectric conversion units of the first pixels P1 corresponding to the color filters. The light which is transmitted through the pixel group enters a second photoelectric conversion unit of the second pixel P2 corresponding to the pixel group. The number of colors of the color filters corresponding to the plurality of first pixels P1 that constitute the pixel group, and the number of the first pixels P1 corresponding to each color are equal to each other among the plurality of pixel groups.