Commissariat &#xc0; L'&#xc9;nergie Atomique Et Aux &#xc9;nergies Alternatives

Commissariat a L'energie Atomique

Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique

Thales

Alcatel Lucent

Norbert Moussy

Benoit Giffard

Olivier Saxod

Cyril Guedj

Cédric Giroud-Garampon

Yvon Cazaux

Pierre Gidon

Hubert Moriceau

Jean-Louis Ouvrier-Buffet

Laurent Frey

Xavier Hugon

Philippe Bois

Eric Jalaguier

Jean-Luc Reverchon

Guy Feuillet

François Ayel

Stephane Pocas

Jean-Paul Kleider

Yvan Eric Bonnassieux

Stéphane Pocas

Benoît Giffard

José Alvarez

Péré Roca I Cabarrocas

Svetoslav Tchakarov

An image sensor including a plurality of avalanche photodiodes formed inside and on top of a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type having a front side and a back side, wherein: trenches vertically extend in the substrate from its front side to its back side, the trenches having, in top view, the shape of a continuous grid laterally delimiting a plurality of substrate islands, each island defining a pixel including a single individually-controllable avalanche photodiode, and including a doped area of collection of an avalanche signal of the pixel photodiode the lateral walls of the trenches are coated with a first semiconductor layer having a conductivity type opposite to that of the collection area, and a conductive region extends in the trenches, the conductive region being in contact with the surface of the first semiconductor layer opposite to the substrate.

Image sensor comprising a plurality of SPAD photodiodes

A SPAD-type photodiode comprising a depletion area in a first portion of a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type and further comprising a gate electrically-insulated from the substrate, extending into the substrate from an upper surface of the substrate, and separating the first portion of the substrate from a second portion. The photodiode further comprises a first region of the second conductivity type extending from the upper surface of the substrate into the second portion.

SPAD-type photodiode

A method of forming an insulation structure inside and on top of a first semiconductor substrate, including the steps of: a) forming a trench vertically extending in the first substrate from a first surface of the first substrate; b) filling the trench, from the first surface of the first substrate, with a polysilicon region; c) thinning the first substrate on the side of a second surface of the first substrate, opposite to the first surface, to expose the polysilicon region at the bottom of the trench; d) removing the polysilicon region from the second surface of the first substrate; and e) filling the trench, from the second surface of the first substrate, with a metal.

Insulation structure forming method

A SPAD-type photodiode including: a semiconductor substrate of a first conductive type having a front side and a back side; and a first semiconductor region of the second conductivity type extending in the substrate from the front side thereof and towards the back side thereof, the lateral surfaces of the first region being in contact with the substrate and the junction between the lateral surfaces of the first region and the substrate defining an avalanche area of the photodiode.

SPAD photodiode

A SPAD including, in a substrate of a first conductivity type: a first region of the second conductivity type extending from the upper surface of the substrate; a second region of the first type of greater doping level than the substrate, extending from the lower surface of the first region, having a surface area smaller than that of the first region and being located opposite a central portion of the first region; a third region of the first type of greater doping level than the substrate extending from the upper surface of the substrate, laterally surrounding the first region; and a fourth buried region of the first type of greater doping level than the substrate, forming a peripheral ring connecting the second region to the third region.

The invention relates to a single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) photodiode having a layer made of semiconductor material, including an N doped zone and a P doped zone separated by an avalanche zone. The semiconductor material layer is intercalated between a periodic structure and a low index layer having a refractive index less than that of the semiconductor material layer and less than that of the periodic structure. The periodic structure is deposited directly on the semiconductor material layer. The photodiode provides low temporal dispersion and high quantum efficiency, without requiring a strong charge acceleration voltage.

SPAD photodiode covered with a network

This optical detector unit is a hybrid unit operating in a given wavelength range and includes, superposed, a first optical detector comprising detecting elements formed in a semiconductor structure, each detecting element being intended for converting a flux of incident photons into an electrical signal; and a first read out circuit, for reading the electrical signal from each detecting element. The optical detector unit furthermore has an imaging system with a second optical detector intended for increasing the operating wavelength range of the optical detector unit and a second read out circuit for reading the electrical signals from the detecting elements of the second optical detector. The first and second read out circuit are integrated together, so as to form a common read out circuit.

Optical detector unit

The invention relates to a radiation detection device including a silicon substrate and an infrared photodiode made of a material optimized for infrared detection. The substrate comprises a photosensitive area, readout circuits, and interconnects formed in an electrically-insulating material. The interconnects and the metal contact connect the readout circuits, the photosensitive areas, and the infrared photodiode. The detection device also comprises an infrared radiation filtering structure which covers the photosensitive area without covering the infrared photodiode.

Monolithic multispectral visible and infrared imager

Photodetecting device having semiconductor regions separated by a potential barrier

A photo-detecting device including a plurality of pixels, each including at least one alternate stack of photodiodes and electrically conducting electrodes. Each photodiode includes one intrinsic amorphous semiconductor layer in contact with one doped amorphous semiconductor layer distinct from the amorphous semiconductor layers in other photodiodes, and is arranged between two electrodes. Each pair of photodiodes includes one of the electrodes arranged between photodiodes. In each pixel: each electrode includes an electrically conducting portion not superposed on other electrodes of the pixel and electrically connected to one interconnection hole filled with an electrically conducting material; and portions of an electrically conducting material are superposed approximately on each of non-superposed portions of electrodes.

Photo-detecting device and method of making a photo-detecting device

This method for producing a non-planar microelectronic component, especially a concave component, involves superposing a layer that contains an active flexible circuit above a cavity shaped according to the desired profile of said component, said cavity being formed in substrate; and applying a pressure difference either side of said layer thereby causing slumping of the flexible circuit into the cavity therefore causing the circuit to assume the shape of the cavity. Superposition of the flexible circuit and the cavity is realized by filling the cavity with a material capable of being selectively removed relative to the substrate and the flexible circuit; then fitting or forming the flexible circuit on the cavity thus filled; then forming at least one feedthrough to access the filled cavity; and by selectively etching the material that fills the cavity via at least one feedthrough in order to remove said material.

Method for producing a non-planar microelectronic component using a cavity

An assembly method to enable local electrical bonds between zones located on a face of a first substrate and corresponding zones located on a face of a second substrate, the faces being located facing each other, at least one of the substrates having a surface topography. The method forms an intermediate layer including at least one burial layer on the face of the substrate or substrates having a surface topography to make it (them) compatible with molecular bonding of the faces of substrates to each other from a topographic point of view, resistivity and/or thickness of the intermediate layer being chosen to enable the local electrical bonds, brings the two faces into contact, the substrates positioned to create electrical bonds between areas on the first substrate and corresponding areas on the second substrate, and bonds the faces by molecular bonding.

Assembling two substrates by molecular adhesion

A matrix of detection pixels and a photoelectric detector that includes a matrix of detection pixels and a reading circuit of loads detected by the detection pixels of the matrix. A detection pixel includes a photosensitive semi-conductor area with a first face covered with a first electrode and a second face located opposite the first face and covered with a second electrode. The first electrode includes a metal pattern that can collect the electrical loads generated by the detection pixel. The matrix can be applied, for example, to the creation of sensors used in scanners and photographic apparatuses or digital cameras or biosensors.

Detecting pixel matrix integrated into a charge reader circuit

Assembly of sensors formed as an imager with a detection brick including a photosensitive material, a brick for addressing and optionally processing signals from the sensor(s), an interconnection brick located between the detection brick and the addressing brick, this brick including connection pads, characterized in that the photosensitive material of the detection brick contains polymorphous silicon. The invention also relates to a method for the making of the latter.

Growing community of inventors

Sainte Agnes, France

Norbert Moussy