GB2586377A - Improvements in lens layers for semiconductor devices - Google Patents
Improvements in lens layers for semiconductor devices Download PDFInfo
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- GB2586377A GB2586377A GB2014914.2A GB202014914A GB2586377A GB 2586377 A GB2586377 A GB 2586377A GB 202014914 A GB202014914 A GB 202014914A GB 2586377 A GB2586377 A GB 2586377A
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- 239000004065 semiconductor Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 83
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 79
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 35
- 238000002161 passivation Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 12
- 238000001514 detection method Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 11
- 150000004767 nitrides Chemical class 0.000 claims abstract description 9
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 37
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 claims description 12
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 claims description 7
- 230000000295 complement effect Effects 0.000 claims description 4
- 229910044991 metal oxide Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 4
- 150000004706 metal oxides Chemical class 0.000 claims description 4
- 238000000151 deposition Methods 0.000 claims description 2
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 10
- 239000003989 dielectric material Substances 0.000 description 5
- 230000035945 sensitivity Effects 0.000 description 5
- XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicon Chemical compound [Si] XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 4
- 229910052710 silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 4
- 239000010703 silicon Substances 0.000 description 4
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 3
- 229910052581 Si3N4 Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 238000010521 absorption reaction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000001459 lithography Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000001465 metallisation Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000005452 bending Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000969 carrier Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000006243 chemical reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000012141 concentrate Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000003247 decreasing effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005530 etching Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000001746 injection moulding Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000002955 isolation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000000059 patterning Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004886 process control Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000005855 radiation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000004044 response Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000000243 solution Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 description 1
Classifications
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L31/00—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
- H01L31/02—Details
- H01L31/0232—Optical elements or arrangements associated with the device
- H01L31/02327—Optical elements or arrangements associated with the device the optical elements being integrated or being directly associated to the device, e.g. back reflectors
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- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B19/00—Condensers, e.g. light collectors or similar non-imaging optics
- G02B19/0033—Condensers, e.g. light collectors or similar non-imaging optics characterised by the use
- G02B19/0076—Condensers, e.g. light collectors or similar non-imaging optics characterised by the use for use with a detector
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L27/00—Devices consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid-state components formed in or on a common substrate
- H01L27/14—Devices consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid-state components formed in or on a common substrate including semiconductor components sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation
- H01L27/144—Devices controlled by radiation
- H01L27/146—Imager structures
- H01L27/14601—Structural or functional details thereof
- H01L27/14625—Optical elements or arrangements associated with the device
- H01L27/14627—Microlenses
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L27/00—Devices consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid-state components formed in or on a common substrate
- H01L27/14—Devices consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid-state components formed in or on a common substrate including semiconductor components sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation
- H01L27/144—Devices controlled by radiation
- H01L27/146—Imager structures
- H01L27/14601—Structural or functional details thereof
- H01L27/14603—Special geometry or disposition of pixel-elements, address-lines or gate-electrodes
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- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Power Engineering (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Electromagnetism (AREA)
- Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
- Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
- Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
- Optics & Photonics (AREA)
- Light Receiving Elements (AREA)
- Solid State Image Pick-Up Elements (AREA)
Abstract
A semiconductor device 2, e.g. a CMOS device, for light detection comprises: a semiconductor layer having an optical active region 4 for receiving incident light and a peripheral region 6 around said optical active region; a lens layer 16 comprising a first lens 8 for directing light into said optical active region, said first lens being located in a region of said lens layer which overlaps said peripheral region but not said optical active region. The peripheral lens around the outside of the active region may be a binary lens comprising a patterned nitride passivation layer. A second lens may also be present above the active region and having a different focal length to the outer lens.
Description
Improvements in lens layers for semiconductor devices
Technical Field
The invention relates to improvements of semiconductor devices for light detection, and particularly to improvements in lens layers for semiconductor devices.
Background
Integrated photo sensors are widely used in semiconductor devices for conversion of light signals into electrical signals with analog or digital signal output. Such optical sensors (e.g. Photodiodes, Image sensors or Avalanche Photodiodes) have optical active regions for converting incident light into an electric signal.
To improve the fill factor of integrated photo sensors, lenses are applied in the light path. In pixel sensors, refractive micro lenses are often used. In large area solar cells, Fresnel lenses are used instead, as refractive optics are too bulky for this application.
If a larger area is to be covered with a lens, and or multiple different sizes are required at the same time (i.e. on the same chip), established refractive micro lens processes fail. If a binary or Fresnel lens is used instead, then there are more degrees of freedom, but all manufacturing processes still impose limitations especially in terms of the minimum achievable dimensions (i.e. the critical dimension, CD). CMOS processes are limited in the achievable resolution for lithography and patterning. Binary lenses do require small features to be effective, especially for short distance and large area devices (i.e. devices having a diameter of more than a few pm).
Summary of invention
Aspects of the present invention provide semiconductor devices for light detection as set out in the accompanying claims.
Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Brief description of the drawings
Figure la is a schematic diagram of a part of a semiconductor device according to an embodiment with a peripheral binary lens; Figure lb is a cross-sectional diagram of a part of a semiconductor device according to the embodiment of Figure la; Figure 2a is a schematic diagram of a part of a semiconductor device according to an embodiment with a central binary lens; Figure 2b is a cross-sectional diagram of a part of a semiconductor device according to the embodiment of Figure 2a; Figure 3a is a schematic diagram of a part of a semiconductor device according to an embodiment with two central binary lenses; Figure 3b is a cross-sectional diagram of a part of a semiconductor device according to the embodiment of Figure 3a; Figure 4a is a schematic diagram of a part of a semiconductor device according to an embodiment with both central binary lenses and a peripheral binary lens; Figure 4b is a cross-sectional diagram of a part of a semiconductor device according to the embodiment of Figure 4a.
Figure 5 is a cross-sectional diagram of a part of a semiconductor device according to an embodiment with two binary lenses; and Figure 6 is a cross-sectional diagram of a part of a semiconductor device according to an embodiment with three binary lenses having the same pattern.
Description of preferred embodiments
Embodiments described herein provide lens designs for device configurations for which known lens designs may be unsuitable or difficult to manufacture. The described lens designs can improve the effective light concentration and/or manipulate the angle of incidence, without changing the given manufacturing limits. Also the embodiments can enable fixed designs for devices having flexible dimensions, which can simplify the lens layout and the manufacturing process, as well as the process control. The approach can be scaled, so that even very large areas can be covered with a lens of this kind, while no modification of the production process is required.
The purpose of a lens is to modify the light propagation along its path. The described embodiments focus on two main aspects.
The first aspect relates to how to improve the sensitivity of a photodetector. All detectors have a sensitive area (i.e. an optical active region of the device) and a footprint larger than that which includes an optically insensitive peripheral region (also referred to as the perimeter). The fill factor defines the ratio of the area of the optical active region to the whole detector area. Embodiments described herein can increase the sensitivity and improve the fill factor by bringing light incident on the peripheral region (outside the optical active region) into the optical active region. That is, the embodiments can change the light propagation from the peripheral region towards the optical active region. As the optical active region does not necessarily need a lens, the lens can be applied to the perimeter of the device only, in which case the critical dimension of the process is sufficient.
Figures la shows a top view of a part of a semiconductor device 2 according to an embodiment. The device has an optical active region 4 in the centre surrounded by a peripheral region 6. A binary lens 8, having multiple elements (i.e. peaks and troughs) is located in a region 10 (between the dashed lines in Figure la) overlapping the peripheral region 6, but not the optical active region 4. Figure la shows the lens 8 overlapping the whole peripheral region 6 of the device 2, in other embodiments the lens 8 may overlap a part but not the whole of the peripheral region 6.
Figure lb shows a cross-sectional side view of a part of the semiconductor device 2 according to the embodiment. The device has a semiconductor layer 12 (typically silicon, having a refractive index of about n = 3.5) with an optical active region 4 and a peripheral region 6. On top of the semiconductor layer 12 is a layer of backend dielectrics 14, which may include a plurality of dielectric and metallization layers. The layer of backend dielectrics has a thickness of 5 pm, and is covered by a nitride (Si3N4) passivation layer 16. In this embodiment, the passivation layer 16 is the lens layer (i.e. the layer in which the binary lens is formed). The passivation layer 16 has a thickness of 600 nm. A binary lens 8 is formed in the passivation layer 16 in a region which overlaps the peripheral region 6 of the semiconductor layer 12. Incident light 18 is focused by the binary lens 8 into focussed light 19 incident upon the optical active region 4, where it can be detected by the semiconductor device 2 Hence, the binary lens 8 can increase the sensitivity of the device.
In the case of photodiodes, the optical active region 4 is usually quite large, whereas the insensitive perimeter is limited in extent and fixed. As a consequence, even for devices of different sizes, the perimeter stays substantially constant. Hence, a single lens design for optimal collection from the perimeter could be used for all sizes of photodiodes without requiring further modifications. Therefore a lens layout can be crafted once and then used in multiple products, which can reduce manufacturing costs. Also, the modelling of detector devices becomes easier, as the perimeter of the device is fixed, which makes modelling of flexible device sizes and shapes possible. If the binary lens is applied to the perimeter, the fill factor is increased and the lens only needs to cover a small device portion. It is enough to get the light into the optical active region, a focus to the centre is not necessary. However, for light already incident on the optical active region, an oblique incidence can be a benefit, especially if the silicon surface is structured (for example with a Shallow Trench Isolation, STI, pattern). Light having an "oblique incidence" refers to light having an angle of incidence which is not normal or parallel to an interface (at the optical active region in this case).
The second aspect relates to how to modify the angle of incidence of light into the detector. The effective absorption width of detectors is limited but can be increased by oblique incidence of light. In a CMOS process, for example, a thin epi-layer is used for detection. If the light enters this layer with 45° or 60° instead of 0°, the path length is increased by 65% or 120% respectively, which causes longer wavelength light (e.g. IR radiation) to be detected more effectively. In addition, charges generated closer to the centre of the active region are more likely to diffuse to the (correct) photodetector onto which the light fell. Crosstalk can therefore be supressed by directing light into the centre of the device (i.e. away from the edges of the optical active region). To achieve some of these benefits it is not necessary to focus all light to a single point. A scalable and manufacturable solution proposed herein, is to apply section lenses that cover a certain area and are repeated as often as required by the device area.
Figure 2a shows a top view of a part of a semiconductor device 20 according to an embodiment. To aid understanding, similar features of embodiments illustrated in different figures have been given the same reference numerals. A single central binary lens 22 bends a portion of the light to the centre under an oblique angle. The binary lens 22 is located in a region 24 (inside the dashed lines in Figure 2a) overlapping a part of the optical active region 4. The binary lens 22 comprises consecutive etched troughs with decreasing spacing between troughs. The area of the region 24 of the binary lens 22 may hence be determined by the minimum width achievable in the manufacturing process (i.e. the CD limit).
Figure 2b shows a cross-sectional side view of a part of the semiconductor device 20 according to the embodiment. The device 20 has a semiconductor layer 12 (typically silicon, having a refractive index of about n = 3.5) with an optical active region 4 and a peripheral region 6. On top of the semiconductor layer 12 is a layer of backend dielectrics 14, which may include a plurality of dielectric and metallization layers. The layer of backend dielectrics has a thickness of 5 pm, and is covered by a nitride (Si3N4) passivafion layer 16. The passivafion layer 16 has a thickness of 600 nm. A binary lens 22 is formed in the passivation layer 16 in a region which overlaps a part of the optical active region 4 of the semiconductor layer 12. Incident light 18 is focused by the binary lens 22 into focussed light 19 incident upon the optical active region 4, thereby increasing the angle of incidence of the light 19 in the optical active region 4.
A lens can comprise multiple binary lenses, which are ideally placed concentrically and the layout of one lens stops when the CD limit is reached. Then the next lens starts until the CD limit is reached again and so forth. This pattern of consecutive lenses can continue from the centre of the device out into the perimeter. The pattern of each binary lens, i.e. the widths of peaks and troughs, can be exactly repeated for each concentric lens. Each lens then causes the light to bend by an equal amount, so that light rays directed by different lenses are substantially parallel. Because the lenses are located at different distances from the centre, but bend the light by substantially the same angle, the focal point of each lens is different. A lens closer to the periphery will therefore generally have a greater focal length than a lens closer to the centre. The focal length is the vertical distance from the plane of the lens to its focal point. That is, individual binary lenses, having substantially the same pattern and bending angle but different focal lengths, are located (repeated) over the optical active region. Because the design of the lens is fixed in its pattern, it easier to layout, produce and control.
Also the crosstalk of devices is reproducible as the light stimulus is the same for all sizes of devices, which give a much better predictability. The light is bent in an equal way across the whole optical active area and thus the same path length and light intensity is maintained regardless of the area of the device. The light is concentrated towards the centre which can reduce crosstalk. Also the IR sensitivity is increased because of the longer effective absorption length in the photosensitive EPI layer, due to the increased angle of incidence. Because of the equal incidence behaviour across the whole active area, the device can be scaled while the behaviour stays relatively stable. If in contrast there would be one large lens or multiple lenses that focus all the light to the centre (i.e. to the same point) of the device, then small devices would show a different sensitivity and crosstalk behaviour compared to large ones and the lens elements would require critical dimensions that cannot be manufactured.
Figure 3a shows a top view of a part of a semiconductor device 26 having two binary lenses 22 and 28. The outer binary lens 28 is located in a region 30 (between the dashed lines in Figure 3a) which also overlaps the optical active region 4. The outer binary lens 26 starts where the inner (central) element 22 stops. The focal length of the outer binary lens 28 is greater than that of the inner binary lens 22.
Figure 3b shows a cross-sectional side view of the device 26. The angle of incidence produced by the two lenses 22 and 28 is substantially the same, because of the repeated binary lens pattern. Using multiple central binary lenses 22 and 28 effectively bends all light and concentrates the generated carriers away from the perimeter, thus lowering the electrical (and optical) crosstalk.
Figure 4a shows a top view of a semiconductor device 32 with two binary lenses 22 and 28 in regions 24 and 30 overlapping the optical active region 4 and another binary lens 8 in a region 10 overlapping the peripheral region. The embodiment illustrated in Figure 4a combines features from the embodiments of Figures la and 3a.
Figure 4b shows a cross sectional side view of the device 32. The binary lenses 8, 22 and 28 are formed in the passivation layer 16 of the device 32. The inner two lenses 22 and 28 increase the angle of incidence of light already incident upon the optical active region 4. The outer binary lens 8 focuses incident light 18 into the optical active region 4, which would otherwise have been incident upon the peripheral region 6.
Each of the binary lenses will in general have a different focal length.
Combining a lens at the perimeter and multiple central binary lenses can improve the fill factor, increase the IS response, lower the crosstalk and enable fabrication with the limitations of the backend and critical dimensions of a typical CMOS process.
Figure 5 shows a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor device 34 for light detection according to another embodiment. The device 34 comprises a binary lens 22 (having multiple peaks and troughs in between) in a region 24 which overlaps a part but not the whole of the optical active region 4. The device 34 also comprises a binary lens 8 in a region 10 overlapping the peripheral region 6 as well as a part of the optical active region 4. The optical active region 4 and peripheral region 6 are in a semiconductor layer 12 (e.g. a silicon substrate). Both binary lenses 8 and 22 are formed in the nitride passivation layer 16. In other embodiments the lens layer may be a layer in the backend dielectrics layer 14. The inner binary lens 22 has a focal point 36 and the outer binary lens 8 has a different focal point 38. The focal length 40 of the inner binary lens 22 is smaller than the focal length 42 of the outer binary lens 8. The inner binary lens 22 has a Fresnel zone plate design with troughs and peaks in the nitride passivation layer 16 that decrease in width with distance away from the centre. The outermost peak or trough of the lens 22 has a width at or close to the CD limit of the manufacturing process in which the device 34 was made.
Figure 6 illustrates a part of the repeated pattern of three concentric lenses 44, 46 and 48 according to an embodiment. The first, innermost, binary lens 44 is centred over the optical active region (not shown) and has a central axis 50. The radius of the nth edge of a peak/trough of the first lens 44 is given by R. The radii of the first four edges of the first lens 44 are shown in the figure.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been described above, it will be appreciated that the invention as defined by the claims may be practised otherwise than as described. The descriptions above are intended to be illustrative, and not limiting. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the invention as described without departing from the scope of the claims set out below. For example, although the described embodiments make use of etching to form the binary lenses other possible techniques include imprint lithography and injection moulding. Even spherical lenses could be formed accordingly (cut to half and arranged as described).
Each feature disclosed or illustrated in the present specification may be incorporated in the invention, whether alone or in any appropriate combination with any other feature disclosed or illustrated herein.
The originally filed claims of the parent application are included below as numbered clauses to form a part of the subject matter of this application as filed.
Clauses 1. A semiconductor device for light detection comprising: a semiconductor layer having an optical active region for receiving incident light and a peripheral region around said optical active region; a lens layer comprising a first lens for directing light into said optical active region, said first lens being located in a first region of said lens layer which overlaps a part but not the whole of said optical active region in the semiconductor layer.
2. A semiconductor device according to clause 1, further comprising a second lens for directing light into said optical active region, wherein said second lens has a focal length different from a focal length of the first lens.
3. A semiconductor device according to clause 2, wherein said second lens is located in a second region of said lens layer which overlaps a different part of said optical active region.
4. A semiconductor device according to clause 3, wherein said second region also overlaps said peripheral region of said semiconductor layer.
5. A semiconductor device according to clause 2, wherein said second lens is located in a second region of said lens layer which overlaps said peripheral region but not said optical active region of said semiconductor layer.
6. A semiconductor device according to any one of clauses 2 to 5, wherein said first and second lenses are concentric.
7. A semiconductor device according to clause 6, wherein said first and second lenses have patterns which are substantially the same, so that, when in use, light directed into the optical active region by each lens is bent by substantially the same angle.
8. A semiconductor device according to anyone of clauses 3 to 7, further comprising a third lens for directing light into said optical active region, wherein said third lens has a focal length different from the focal length of the first lens and from the focal length of the second lens, and wherein said third lens is located in a third region of said lens layer which is in between said first and second regions.
9. A semiconductor device according to clause 8, wherein said focal length of the third lens is greater than that of the first lens and less than that of the second lens.
10. A semiconductor device according to any preceding clause, wherein said semiconductor device is a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor, CMOS, device.
11. A semiconductor device according to clause 10, wherein said lens layer is a patterned nitride passivation layer of said CMOS device.
12. A semiconductor device for light detection comprising: a semiconductor layer having an optical active region for receiving incident light and a peripheral region around said optical active region; a lens layer comprising a lens for directing light into said optical active region, said lens being located in a region of said lens layer which overlaps said peripheral region but not said optical active region.
13. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device for light detection, the method comprising: providing a semiconductor layer having an optical active region for receiving incident light and a peripheral region around said optical active region; providing a lens layer on top of said semiconductor layer; and forming a first lens for directing light into said optical active region in a first region of said lens layer which overlaps a part but not the whole of said optical active region in the semiconductor layer.
14. A method according to clause 13, further comprising forming a second lens for directing light into said optical active region in said lens layer, wherein said second lens has a focal length that is different from a focal length of said first lens.
15. A method according to clause 14, wherein said second lens is formed in a second region of said lens layer which overlaps a different part of said optical active region.
16. A method according to clause 15, wherein said second region also overlaps said peripheral region of said semiconductor layer.
17. A method according to clause 14, wherein said second lens is formed in a second region of said lens layer which overlaps said peripheral region but not said optical active region of said semiconductor layer.
18. A method according to any one of clauses 14 to 17, wherein the first, and second lenses are formed such that they are concentric.
19. A method according to clause 18, wherein said first and second lenses are formed such that they have patterns which are substantially the same. 30 20. A method according to any one of clauses 15 to 19, further comprising forming a third lens for directing light into said optical active region, wherein said third lens has a focal length different from the focal length of the first lens and from the focal length of the second lens, and wherein said third lens is formed in a third region of said lens layer which is in between said first and second regions.
21. A method according to clause 20, wherein the first, second and third lenses are formed simultaneously by the same set of process steps.
22. A method according to any one of clauses 13 to 21, wherein said method is carried out in a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor, CMOS, process.
23. A method according to clause 22, wherein said step of providing a lens layer comprises depositing a nitride passivation layer. 10 24. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device for light detection, the method comprising: providing a semiconductor layer having an optical active region for receiving incident light and a peripheral region around said optical active region; providing a lens layer on top of said semiconductor layer; and forming a lens for directing light into said optical active region, said lens being located in a region of said lens layer which overlaps said peripheral region but not said optical active region.
25. A semiconductor device or method according to any preceding clause, wherein the or each lens is a binary lens.
Claims (22)
- CLAIMS: 1. A semiconductor device for light detection comprising: a semiconductor layer having an optical active region for receiving incident light and a peripheral region around said optical active region; a lens layer comprising a first lens for directing light into said optical active region, said first lens being located in a region of said lens layer which overlaps said peripheral region but not said optical active region.
- 2. A semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein said lens layer comprises a second lens for directing light into said optical active region, said second lens being located in a region of said lens layer which overlaps at least a part of said optical active region.
- 3. A semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein said second lens has a focal length different from a focal length of said first lens.
- 4. A semiconductor device according to claim 3, further comprising a third lens for directing light into said optical active region, wherein said third lens has a focal length different from said focal lengths of said first and second lens.
- 5. A semiconductor device according to claim 3, wherein said third lens is located in a region of said lens layer which overlaps a different part of said optical active region.
- 6. A semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein said region also overlaps a part of said peripheral region of said semiconductor layer.
- 7. A semiconductor device according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein said first and second lenses are concentric.
- 8. A semiconductor device according to claim 7, wherein said first and second lenses have patterns which are substantially the same, so that, when in use, light directed into the optical active region by each lens is bent by substantially the same angle.
- 9. A semiconductor device according to any preceding claim, wherein said semiconductor device is a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor, CMOS, device.
- 10. A semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein said lens layer is a patterned nitride passivation layer of said CMOS device.
- 11. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device for light detection, the method comprising: providing a semiconductor layer having an optical active region for receiving incident light and a peripheral region around said optical active region; providing a lens layer on top of said semiconductor layer; and forming a first lens for directing light into said optical active region, said first lens being located in a region of said lens layer which overlaps said peripheral region but not said optical active region.
- 12. A method according to claim 11, further comprising: forming a second lens for directing light into said optical active region in a region of said lens layer which overlaps at least a part of said optical active region.
- 13. A method according to claim 12, wherein said second lens has a focal length different from a focal length of said first lens.
- 14. A method according to claim 13, further comprising forming a third lens for directing light into said optical active region in said lens layer, wherein said third lens has a focal length that is different from said focal lengths of said first and second lens.
- 15. A method according to claim 14, wherein said third lens is formed in a region of said lens layer which overlaps a different part of said optical active region.
- 16. A method according to claim 15, wherein said region also overlaps a part of said peripheral region of said semiconductor layer.
- 17. A method according to any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein said first, and second lenses are formed such that they are concentric.
- 18. A method according to claim 17, wherein said first and second lenses are formed such that they have patterns which are substantially the same.
- 19. A method according to any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein said first, second and third lenses are formed simultaneously by the same set of process steps.
- 20. A method according to any one of claims 11 to 19, wherein said method is carried out in a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor, CMOS, process.
- 21. A method according to claim 20, wherein said step of providing a lens layer comprises depositing a nitride passivafion layer.
- 22. A semiconductor device or method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the or each lens is a binary lens.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB2014914.2A GB2586377B (en) | 2018-08-10 | 2018-08-10 | Improvements in lens layers for semiconductor devices |
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| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB2014914.2A GB2586377B (en) | 2018-08-10 | 2018-08-10 | Improvements in lens layers for semiconductor devices |
| GB1813110.2A GB2576212B (en) | 2018-08-10 | 2018-08-10 | Improvements in lens layers for semiconductor devices |
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| GB202014914D0 GB202014914D0 (en) | 2020-11-04 |
| GB2586377A true GB2586377A (en) | 2021-02-17 |
| GB2586377B GB2586377B (en) | 2022-11-30 |
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| US20070284510A1 (en) * | 2006-06-09 | 2007-12-13 | Micron Technology, Inc. | Method and apparatus providing a microlens for an image sensor |
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| JP3729353B2 (en) * | 2003-06-18 | 2005-12-21 | 松下電器産業株式会社 | Solid-state imaging device and manufacturing method thereof |
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| JP2002280532A (en) * | 2001-03-14 | 2002-09-27 | Sharp Corp | Solid-state imaging device |
| US20070069108A1 (en) * | 2004-02-03 | 2007-03-29 | Yuuichi Inaba | Solid-state imaging device, method for manufacturing the same, and camera using the same |
| US20070284510A1 (en) * | 2006-06-09 | 2007-12-13 | Micron Technology, Inc. | Method and apparatus providing a microlens for an image sensor |
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| Publication number | Publication date |
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| GB202014914D0 (en) | 2020-11-04 |
| GB2586377B (en) | 2022-11-30 |
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