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New mechanism of plasma induced damage on CMOS image sensor: Analysis and process optimization

Authors :
Carrère, J.P.
Oddou, J.P.
Place, S.
Richard, C.
Benoit, D.
Jenny, C.
Gatefait, M.
Aumont, C.
Tournier, A.
Roy, F.
Source :
Solid-State Electronics. Nov2011, Vol. 65-66, p51-56. 6p.
Publication Year :
2011

Abstract

Abstract: A new plasma induced damage mechanism on CMOS image sensor is analyzed. An increase of the mean pixel dark current is observed after the plasma etch of a cavity on the pixel area. The degradation increases non-linearly when the dielectric layers between the photodiode and the plasma become thinner. This can be explained by a photo generation phenomenon in the dielectric nitride layer, induced by the plasma UV, and assisted by the wafer surface charge. This mechanism leads to the creation of a positive fixed charge on the pixel surface, which can next deplete the top P layer of the pinned photodiode. The temperature dependence of the dark current again demonstrates that the degradation is mainly due to a diode surface generation effect. Process and pixel architecture optimization are finally proposed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
00381101
Volume :
65-66
Database :
Academic Search Index
Journal :
Solid-State Electronics
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
66733233
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sse.2011.06.037