CMOS imager with a self-aligned buried contact

Semiconductor device manufacturing: process – Making field effect device having pair of active regions... – Having insulated gate

Reexamination Certificate

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

C438S579000

Reexamination Certificate

active

07037771

ABSTRACT:
An imaging device formed as a CMOS semiconductor integrated circuit includes a buried contact line between the floating diffusion region and the gate of a source follower output transistor. The self-aligned buried contact in the CMOS imager decreases leakage from the diffusion region into the substrate which may occur with other techniques for interconnecting the diffusion region with the source follower transistor gate. Additionally, the self-aligned buried contact is optimally formed between the floating diffusion region and the source follower transistor gate which allows the source follower transistor to be placed closer to the floating diffusion region, thereby allowing a greater photo detection region in the same sized imager circuit.

REFERENCES:
patent: 4262297 (1981-04-01), Partridge
patent: 4309624 (1982-01-01), Hynecek et al.
patent: 4319261 (1982-03-01), Kub
patent: 4374700 (1983-02-01), Scott et al.
patent: 4700459 (1987-10-01), Peek
patent: 5151385 (1992-09-01), Yamamoto et al.
patent: 5319604 (1994-06-01), Imondi et al.
patent: 5338700 (1994-08-01), Dennison et al.
patent: 5393997 (1995-02-01), Fukusho et al.
patent: 5461425 (1995-10-01), Fowler et al.
patent: 5471515 (1995-11-01), Fossum et al.
patent: 5506429 (1996-04-01), Tanaka et al.
patent: 5541402 (1996-07-01), Ackland et al.
patent: 5576763 (1996-11-01), Ackland et al.
patent: 5608243 (1997-03-01), Chi et al.
patent: 5612799 (1997-03-01), Yamazaki et al.
patent: 5614744 (1997-03-01), Merrill
patent: 5625210 (1997-04-01), Lee et al.
patent: 5705846 (1998-01-01), Merrill
patent: 5708263 (1998-01-01), Wong
patent: 5747840 (1998-05-01), Merrill
patent: 5757045 (1998-05-01), Tsai et al.
patent: 5760458 (1998-06-01), Bergemont et al.
patent: 6326652 (2001-12-01), Rhodes
patent: 6495434 (2002-12-01), Rhodes
Dickinson, A., et al., “A 256×256 CMOS Active Pixel Image Sensor with Motion Detection,” 1995 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference, pp. 226-227.
Dickinson, A., et al., “Standard CMOS Active Pixel Image Sensors for Multimedia Applications,” Proceedings of Sixteenth Conference on Advanced Research in VLSI, Mar. 27-29, 1995, pp. 214-224.
Eid, E-S., et al., “A 256×256 CMOS Active Pixel Image Sensor,” Proc. SPIE vol. 2415, Apr. 1995, pp. 265-275.
Fossum, E., “CMOS Image Sensors: Electronic Camera On A Chip,” 1995 IEEE, pp. 17-25.
Fossum, E., et al., “IEDM A 37×28mm2600k-Pixel CMOS APS Dental X-Ray Camera-on-a-Chip with Self-Triggered Readout,” 1998 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference, pp. 172-173.
Fossum, E., “Low Power Camera-on-a-Chip Using CMOS Active Pixel Sensor Technology,” 1995 iEEE, pp. 74-77.
Fossum, E., “Architectures for focal plane image processing,” Optical Engineering, vol. 28, No 8, Aug. 1989, pp. 865-871.
Janesick, J., et al., “New advancements in charge-coupled device technology—sub-electron noise and 4096×4096 pixel CCDs,” Proc. SPIE vol. 1242, 1990, pp. 223-237.
Kemeny, S.E., et al., “Update on focal-plane image processing research,” Proc. SPIE vol. 1447, 1991, pp. 243-250.
Mendis, S., et al., “CMOS Active Pixel Image Sensor,” IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, vol. 41, No. 3, Mar. 1994, pp. 452-453.
Mendis, S.K., et al., “A 128×128 CMOS Active Pixel Image Sensor for Highly Integrated Imaging Systems,” 1993 IEEE, pp. 583-586.
Mendis, S.K., et al., “CMOS Active Pixel Image Sensors for Highly Integrated Imaging Systems,” IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, vol. 32, No. 2, Feb. 1997, pp. 187-197.
Mendis, S.K., et al., “Design of a Low-Light-Level Image Sensor with On-Chip Sigma-Delta Analog-to-Digital Conversion,” Proc. SPIE vol. 1900, Jul. 1993, pp. 31-39.
Mendis, S.K., et al., “Low-Light-Level Image Sensor with On-Chip Signal Processing,” Proc. SPIE vol. 1952, Nov. 1993, pp. 23-33.
Mendis, S.K., et al., “Progress in CMOS Active Pixel image Sensors,” Proc. SPIE vol. 2172, May 1994, pps. 19-29.
Nakamura, J., et al., “CMOS Active Pixel Image Sensor with Simple Floating Gate Pixels,” IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, vol. 42, No. 9, Sep. 1995, pp. 1693-1694.
Nixon, R.H., et al., “256×256 CMOS Active Pixel Sensor Camera-on-a-Chip,” IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, vol. 31, No. 12, Dec. 1996, pp. 2046-2050.
Nixon, R. H., et al., “256×256 CMOS Active Pixel Sensor Camera-on-a-Chip,” 1996 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference, pps. 178-179.
Panicacci, R., et al., “Programmable multiresolution CMOS active pixel sensor,” Proc. SPIE vol. 2654, Mar. 1996, pp. 72-79.
Panicacci, R.A., et al., “128Mb/s Multiport CMOS Binary Active-Pixel Image Sensor,” 1996 IEEE International Solid-State Circuit Conference, pp. 100-101.
Yadid-Pecht, O., et al., “CMOS Active Pixel Sensor Star Tracker with Regional Electronic Shutter,” IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, vol. 32, No. 2, Feb. 1997, pp. 285-288.
Yadid-Pecht, O., et al., “Wide dynamic range APS star tracker,” Proc. SPIE vol. 2654, Mar. 1996, pp. 82-92.
Zarnowski, J., et al., “Imaging options expand with CMOS technology,” Laser Focus World, Jun. 1997, pp. 125-130.
Zhou, Z., et al., “A Cmos Imager with On-Chip Variable Resolution for Light-Adaptive Imaging,” 1998 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference, pp. 174-175.
Zhou, Z., et al., “A Digital CMOS Active Pixel Image Sensor For Multimedia Applications,” Proc. SPIE vol. 2894, Sep. 1996, pp. 282-288.

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for the USA inventors and patents. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

CMOS imager with a self-aligned buried contact does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with CMOS imager with a self-aligned buried contact, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and CMOS imager with a self-aligned buried contact will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3538117

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.