Image Sensors on IEDM 2005

IEEE IEDM is taking place these days in Washington, DC.
Quite a few interesting image sensors papers are presented on Session 33:

"33.1 A High-Performance and Low-Noise CMOS Image Sensor with an Expanding Photodiode Under the Isolation Oxide, K. Itonaga, H. Abe, I. Yoshihara, T. Hirayama, Sony Corporation, Kanagawa, Japan

We realized 2.5-um pitch pixel with high Qs and sensitivity without shard-transistor pixel for the first time. We propose a novel isolation structure for CIS, which realizes the low dark current as well as triple Qs value of the conventional STI, by expanding the buried photodiode under the isolation oxide."

Probably Qs should be QE - Quantum Efficiency.

"33.2 The Features and Characteristics of 1/3 5M CMOS Image Sensor with 1.9x1.9_m2 Pixels, C.-R. Moon, J. Jung, D. Kwon, S.-H. Lee, J.-S. Roh, K.-H. Paik, D.-C. Park, H. Kim, H. Jeong, J.-H. Sim, H. Noh, K. Lee, D. Lee, K. Kim, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Gyeonggi-Do, Korea

CMOS image sensor (CIS) with 1.9um-pitch pixels using a tailed 130nm logic process has been implemented, and its design and some key process features are introduced. It is shown that several sophisticated processes improve the sensitivity and noise-related characteristics such as random temporal noise and dark current. With this technology, full 5-mega density CIS chips were successfully fabricated."

First 1.7um pixel announcement from Micron in May, now 1.9um pixels from Samsung - the race to zero size pixel is at full speed. What about the image quality then?

"33.3 The Hole Role (Invited), A. Theuwissen, J. Bosiers, E. Roks, DALSA, Eindhoven, Netherlands

The presence of holes in today's imaging products can not be overestimated ! The success of CCDs and CMOS imagers was really boosted once the positive effect of holes was discovered. The most important example of a device that uses holes to improve the quality of the images obtained, is pinned-photo diode. The paper will review various imaging structures that rely on the presence of holes."

This one looks like yet another great lecture from ex-Philips team.