A photodetector is provided, including a plurality of optical signal detection units located at each of multiple pixels and configured to generate electric charges corresponding to light being received, and a switch transistor selectively turned on and off so as to transfer the electric charges generated through the plurality of optical signal detection units at each of the multiple pixels, wherein the plurality of optical signal detection units are connected to each other in series.

The present disclosure relates to a solid-state imaging element and an electronic device capable of suppressing occurrence of a dark current and acquiring higher image quality. The solid-state imaging element includes a high-concentration diffusion layer configured to serve as a connection portion by which a wiring is connected to a semiconductor substrate, and a junction leak control film formed to cover a surface of the diffusion layer. Also, to connect the wiring to the diffusion layer, a width of an opening formed in an insulation film stacked on the semiconductor substrate is greater than a width of the diffusion layer. Further, in a charge accumulation portion configured to accumulate a charge generated by a photoelectric conversion portion generating the charge according to an amount of received light, the junction leak control film is also used as a capacitor film of the charge accumulation portion. Furthermore, a stack structure in which a silicon oxide or low interface state oxide film is formed is included between the diffusion layer and the junction leak control film. The present technology can be applied to, for example, a CMOS image sensor.

In image sensors and methods of manufacturing the same, a substrate has a photoelectric conversion area, a floating diffusion area and a recess between the photoelectric conversion area and the floating diffusion area. A plurality of photodiodes is vertically arranged inside the substrate in the photoelectric conversion area. A transfer transistor is arranged along a surface profile of the substrate having the recess and configured to transfer electric charges generated from the plurality of photodiodes to the floating diffusion area. The transfer transistor includes a gate insulation pattern on a sidewall and a bottom of the recess and on a surface of the substrate around the recess, and a gate conductive pattern including polysilicon doped with impurities and positioned on the gate insulation pattern along the surface profile of the substrate having the recess, wherein a cavity is in an upper surface of the gate conductive pattern.

Provided is a method of fabricating an image sensor device. An exemplary includes forming a plurality of radiation-sensing regions in a substrate. The substrate has a front surface, a back surface, and a sidewall that extends from the front surface to the back surface. The exemplary method further includes forming an interconnect structure over the front surface of the substrate, removing a portion of the substrate to expose a metal interconnect layer of the interconnect structure, and forming a bonding pad on the interconnect structure in a manner so that the bonding pad is electrically coupled to the exposed metal interconnect layer and separated from the sidewall of the substrate.

An image sensor device may include an array of image sensing pixels arranged in rows and columns. Each image sensing pixel may include an image sensing photodiode, a first source follower transistor coupled to the image sensing photodiode, and a switch coupled to the image sensing photodiode. Each image sensor device may include a second source follower transistor coupled to the switch, and a row selection transistor coupled to the first and second source follower transistors.

The present technology relates to a solid-state imaging apparatus, a manufacturing method therefor, and an electronic apparatus by which fine pixel signals can be suitably generated. A charge accumulation section that is formed on a first semiconductor substrate and accumulates photoelectrically converted charges, a charge-retaining section that is formed on a second semiconductor substrate and retains charges accumulated in the charge accumulation section, and a transfer transistor that is formed on the first semiconductor substrate and the second semiconductor substrate and transfers charges accumulated in the charge accumulation section to the charge-retaining section are provided. A bonding interface between the first semiconductor substrate and the second semiconductor substrate is formed in a channel of the transfer transistor.

Image sensors are provided including a substrate defining a plurality of pixel regions, the substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. The second surface of the substrate is configured to receive light incident thereon and the substrate defines a deep trench extending from the second surface of the substrate toward the first surface substrate and separating the plurality of pixel regions from each other. In each of the plurality of pixel regions of the substrate, a photoelectric conversion region is provided. A gate electrode is provided on the photoelectric conversion region and a negative fixed charge layer covering the second surface of the substrate and at least a portion of a sidewall of the deep trench is also provided. The image sensors further include a shallow device isolation layer on the first surface of the substrate. The shallow device isolation layer defines an active region in each of the pixel regions and the negative fixed charge layer contacts the shallow device isolation layer.

Since the great number of elements constituting a unit pixel having an amplification function would hinder reduction of pixel size, unit pixel n,m arranged in a matrix form is comprised of a photodiode, a transfer switch for transferring charges stored in the photodiode, a floating diffusion for storing charges transferred by the transfer switch, a reset switch for resetting the floating diffusion, and an amplifying transistor for outputting a signal in accordance with the potential of the floating diffusion to a vertical signal line, and by affording vertical selection pulse .phi.Vn to the drain of the reset switch to control a reset potential thereof, pixels are selected in units of rows.

The present disclosure relates to a solid-state imaging device, a driving method for the same, and an electronic appliance, and an object is to provide a solid-state imaging device that can achieve the pixel miniaturization and the global shutter function with higher sensitivity and saturated charge amount. Another object is to provide an electronic appliance including the solid-state imaging device. In a solid-state imaging device 1 having the global shutter function, a first charge accumulation unit 18 and a second charge accumulation unit 25 are stacked in the depth direction of a substrate 12, and the transfer of the signal charges from the first charge accumulation unit 12 to the second charge accumulation unit 25 is conducted by a vertical first transfer transistor Tr1. Thus, the pixel miniaturization can be achieved.

The present disclosure relates to a solid-state imaging device, a method for manufacturing the same, and an electronic device capable of increasing utilization efficiency of a substrate. The solid-state imaging device includes a first semiconductor substrate provided with a sensor circuit having a photoelectric conversion part, and a second semiconductor substrate and a third semiconductor substrate provided with respective circuits different from the sensor circuit. The first semiconductor substrate, the second semiconductor substrate, and the third semiconductor substrate are stacked on each other in three layers, and a metal element for an electrode constituting an electrode for external connection is disposed in the first semiconductor substrate. An electrode for a measuring terminal is disposed within the second semiconductor substrate or the third semiconductor substrate, and the first semiconductor substrate is stacked after performing a predetermined measurement. The present technology can be applied to a backside-illuminated solid-state imaging device, for example.