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.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 14, 2000
Filed:
Feb. 08, 1999
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Hsin-Chu, TW;
Abstract
Device layouts are described which increase the photon current of a metal oxide semiconductor image sensor. The metal oxide semiconductor can be NMOS, PMOS, or CMOS. The key part of the photon current of the image sensors comes from the depletion region at the PN junction between the drain region and the substrate material. The layouts used significantly increase the area of this depletion region illuminated by a stream of photons. The layouts have a drain region which takes the shape of a number of parallel fingers perpendicular to the gate electrode, a number of parallel fingers parallel to the gate electrode, or a spiral. The drain regions of these layouts significantly increase the area of the drain depletion region illuminated by a stream of electrons.