An optical device and a method of fabricating the same are disclosed. The optical device includes a first die layer and a second die layer. The first die layer includes a first substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, first and second pixel structures, an inter-pixel isolation structure disposed in the first substrate and surrounding the first and second pixel structures, and a floating diffusion region disposed in the first substrate and between the first and second pixel structures. The second die layer includes a second substrate having a third surface and a fourth surface opposite to the third surface and a pixel transistor group disposed on the third surface of the second substrate and electrically connected to the first and second pixel structures.

An image sensor structure including an image stack disposed over a device stack. The image stack includes a plurality of light detectors. A first optical filter stack is disposed over the image stack. The first optical filter stack includes a light guide layer. Light pipe cavities are disposed in the light guide layer. Each light pipe cavity is associated with a light detector. Each light pipe cavity has an aspect ratio that is greater than about 2.5 to about 1. A nanowell layer is disposed over the first optical filter stack. Nanowells are disposed in the nanowell layer. Each nanowell is associated with a light detector.

Image sensors are provided. The image sensors may include a plurality of unit pixels and a color filter array on the plurality of unit pixels. The color filter array may include a color filter unit including four color filters that are arranged in a two-by-two array, and the color filter unit may include two yellow color filters, a cyan color filter, and one of a red color filter or a green color filter.

An image sensor includes: a semiconductor substrate including a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other; a buried transfer gate electrode arranged in a transfer gate trench extending from the first surface of the semiconductor substrate into the semiconductor substrate, wherein the buried transfer gate electrode has an upper surface arranged at a level lower than that of the first surface of the semiconductor substrate with respect to the second surface of the semiconductor substrate; and a transfer gate spacer arranged on an upper sidewall of the transfer gate trench and on the buried transfer gate electrode.

Disclosed are image sensors and methods of fabricating the same. The image sensor includes a semiconductor substrate including a pixel zone and a pad zone and having a first surface and a second surface opposing each other, a first pad separation pattern on the pad zone and extending from the first surface of the semiconductor substrate toward the second surface of the semiconductor substrate, a second pad separation pattern extending from the second surface toward the first surface of the semiconductor substrate on the pad zone the second pad and in contact with the first pad separation pattern, and a pixel separation pattern on the pixel zone and extending from the second surface of the semiconductor substrate toward the first surface of the semiconductor substrate.

In order to solve the foregoing problem, the present disclosure provides an imaging device composed of a plurality of pixels, wherein a first pixel among the plurality of pixels includes: a first photoelectric conversion element; a first power storage unit; a first transfer element that enables a conductive state or a non-conductive state between the first photoelectric conversion element and the first power storage unit; and a first amplifying element that amplifies an image signal on the basis of a charge stored by photoelectric conversion in at least any of adjacent pixels, including a second pixel, that are adjacent to the first pixel, the second pixel including: a second amplifying element that amplifies an image signal based on a charge stored in the first power storage unit by photoelectric conversion of the first photoelectric conversion element, and a second distance between the first power storage unit and the second amplifying element is shorter than a first distance between the first power storage unit and the first amplifying element.

The present disclosure relates to a CMOS image sensor, and an associated method of formation. In some embodiments, the CMOS image sensor comprises a substrate and a transfer gate disposed from a front-side surface of the substrate. The CMOS image sensor further comprises a photo detecting column disposed at one side of the transfer gate within the substrate. The photo detecting column comprises a doped sensing layer comprising one or more recessed portions along a circumference of the doped sensing layer in parallel to the front-side surface of the substrate. By forming the photo detecting column with recessed portions, a junction interface is enlarged compared to a previous p-n junction interface without recessed portions, and thus a full well capacity of the photodiode structure is improved.

A solid-state imaging device includes: a first semiconductor substrate including a photoelectric conversion element; and a second semiconductor substrate including at least a part of a peripheral circuit arranged in a main face of the second semiconductor substrate, the peripheral circuit generating a signal based on the charge of the photoelectric conversion element, a main face of the first semiconductor substrate and the main face of the second semiconductor substrate being opposed to each other with sandwiching a wiring structure therebetween; a pad to be connected to an external terminal; and a protection circuit electrically connected to the pad and to the peripheral circuit, wherein the protection circuit is arranged in the main face of the second semiconductor substrate.

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.

An image sensor includes a photodiode disposed in a substrate and including an n-type impurity region, wherein the n-type impurity region is doped with n-type impurities, a transfer gate (TG) structure partially buried in the substrate and disposed on the n-type impurity region, a recess disposed at an upper surface of the substrate and being spaced apart from the TG structure, a floating diffusion (FD) region disposed under the recess and doped with n-type impurities, and an impurity region disposed at a portion of the substrate between the TG structure and the recess and doped with p-type impurities. An upper surface of the FD region is lower than an upper surface of the impurity region.