Registered
IMAGE SENSOR WITH SHARED PHOTODIODE
- Inventors
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Bongki Mheen, Eun Soo Nam, Albert J. P. T, Jae-Sik Sim, Kwon Yong-Hwan, Miran Park
- Application No.
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12626343 (2009.11.25)
- Publication No.
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20100133590 (2010.06.03)
- Registration No.
- 8338868 (2012.12.25)
- Country
- UNITED STATES
- Abstract
- An image sensor with a shared photodiode is provided. The image sensor includes at least two unit pixels, each of which includes a photodiode, a diffusion region which gathers electrons from the photodiode, a transfer transistor which connects the photodiode with the diffusion region, and a readout circuit which reads out a signal from the diffusion region. Photodiodes of neighboring unit pixels are disposed symmetrically to be adjacent to one another to form a shared photodiode. The image sensor does not have a STI region which causes a dark current restricting its performance and does not require a basic minimum design factor (a distance or an area) related to a STI region. A region corresponding to a STI region may be used as a region of a photodiode or for additional pixel scaling. Therefore, a limitation in scaling of a photodiode is overcome, and pixel performance is improved in spite of pixel scaling.
- Family
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