Eastman-kodak Company

Rajinder P Khosla

Teh-Hsuang Lee

Liang-sun Hung

Thomas Kelly

Bruce C Burkey

Peter M Zeitzoff

David L Heald

Fluorination can be used to neutralize transition metal impurities in Si. Fluorine is incorporated into the near-surface region of Si by implantation or annealing in a fluorine containing ambient. Thermal treatments at appropriate temperatures are used to initiate the interdiffusion and reaction between fluorine and metal contaminants. The impurities readily react with fluorine to form a compound or complex, thus significantly reducing the number of mid-gap impurities.

Metal impurity neutralization within semiconductors by fluorination

An area image sensor comprised of an array of photosites arranged in rows and columns is disclosed. The sensor is readable in blocks of adjacent photosite rows, thereby to enable operation of the sensor at frame rates on the order of thousands of frames per second.

Image sensor adaptable for fast frame readout

A multiple, superposed-channel, solid-state, color image sensor of the 'parallel transfer' type includes a plurality of superposed generally 'ladder shaped' channels in a semiconductor substrate. One 'side rail' of the ladder shape provides the channel structure for a multiple, superposed-channel signal handling device, such as a charge coupled shift register. The 'rungs' of the ladder shape provide a plurality of multiple, superposed-channel color image sensing sites, and the other 'side rail' of the ladder shape provides a plurality of superposed 'anti-bloom' drains, one drain per channel. Electrical contact to a buried channel is provided by a V-groove etching technique. A V-groove extending from the surface of the device into the buried channel provides physical access to the buried channel. A conductor, in ohmic contact with the channel, extends from the bottom of the V-groove to the surface of the device to provide electrical contact with the buried channel.

Multiple, superposed-channel color image sensor

A solid state image sensing device comprises an array of picture sensing elements which are MOS transistors formed on a bulk of semiconductor material. The transistors are of a V-MOS configuration and have respective sources, V-shaped gates, and drains. The source-to-bulk diode of a V-MOS picture sensing element functions as a photodiode and is disposed near the surface of the array to receive a respective portion of imagewise illumination. In a preferred embodiment, the drain of the V-MOS picture sensing element is buried in the bulk directly beneath its respective source. The source, in conjunction with its gate, acts as a multiplex switch for the photodiode.

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Rochester, NY, United States of America

Rajinder P Khosla