The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.

The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.

Date of Patent:
Feb. 22, 2022

Filed:

May. 28, 2020
Applicant:

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited, Hsinchu, TW;

Inventors:

Feng-Chien Hsieh, Pingtung, TW;

Wei-Li Hu, Tainan, TW;

Kuo-Cheng Lee, Tainan, TW;

Hsin-Chi Chen, Tainan, TW;

Yun-Wei Cheng, Taipei, TW;

Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
H04N 5/3745 (2011.01); H04N 5/369 (2011.01); H01L 27/146 (2006.01); H01L 31/18 (2006.01);
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
H04N 5/3745 (2013.01); H04N 5/379 (2018.08); H01L 27/1463 (2013.01); H01L 27/14621 (2013.01); H01L 27/14627 (2013.01); H01L 27/14629 (2013.01); H01L 27/14645 (2013.01); H01L 27/14685 (2013.01); H01L 27/14689 (2013.01); H01L 31/1892 (2013.01);
Abstract

A photodetector circuit includes a photodetector and a sensing circuit located over a substrate semiconductor layer having a doping of a first conductivity type. The photodetector includes a second-conductivity-type pinned photodiode layer that forms a p-n junction with the substrate semiconductor layer, at least one floating diffusion region that is laterally spaced from a periphery of the second-conductivity-type pinned photodiode layer, and at least one transfer gate electrode. At least two different operations may be performed by applying at least two different pulse patterns to the at least one transfer gate electrode. The at least two different pulse patterns differ from one another or from each other by at least one of pulse duration, pulse magnitude, and delay time between a control signal applied to the sensing circuit and pulse initiation at a respective one of the at least one transfer gate electrode.


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