18447529. VERTICALLY ARRANGED SEMICONDUCTOR PIXEL SENSOR simplified abstract (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.)
Contents
VERTICALLY ARRANGED SEMICONDUCTOR PIXEL SENSOR
Organization Name
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
Inventor(s)
Feng-Chien Hsieh of Pingtung City (TW)
Yun-Wei Cheng of Taipei City (TW)
Kuo-Cheng Lee of Tainan City (TW)
Cheng-Ming Wu of Tainan City (TW)
VERTICALLY ARRANGED SEMICONDUCTOR PIXEL SENSOR - A simplified explanation of the abstract
This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18447529 titled 'VERTICALLY ARRANGED SEMICONDUCTOR PIXEL SENSOR
Simplified Explanation
The abstract describes a pixel sensor design that improves performance and reduces size by vertically arranging the photodiode and floating diffusion regions. This arrangement allows the photodiode to collect more photons in a given area, increasing the sensor's performance. The transfer gate surrounding these regions provides better control over the transfer of photocurrent and reduces switching delay.
- The pixel sensor includes a vertically stacked photodiode and floating diffusion region.
- Vertical arrangement increases the area for photon collection, improving sensor performance.
- The transfer gate surrounds the regions, providing a larger gate switching area.
- Increased gate switching area allows for better control over photocurrent transfer and reduces switching delay.
Potential Applications
- Digital cameras
- Smartphone cameras
- Surveillance cameras
- Medical imaging devices
Problems Solved
- Limited area for photon collection in pixel sensors
- Inefficient control over photocurrent transfer
- Switching delay in pixel sensors
Benefits
- Improved performance of pixel sensors
- Reduced size of pixel sensors
- Better control over photocurrent transfer
- Reduced switching delay in pixel sensors
Original Abstract Submitted
A pixel sensor may include a vertically arranged (or vertically stacked) photodiode region and floating diffusion region. The vertical arrangement permits the photodiode region to occupy a larger area of a pixel sensor of a given size relative to a horizontal arrangement, which increases the area in which the photodiode region can collect photons. This increases performance of the pixel sensor and permits the overall size of the pixel sensor to be reduced. Moreover, the transfer gate may surround at least a portion of the floating diffusion region and the photodiode region, which provides a larger gate switching area relative to a horizontal arrangement. The increased gate switching area may provide greater control over the transfer of the photocurrent and/or may reduce switching delay for the pixel sensor.
