Abstract: A semiconductor device comprises an array of photosensitive elements and a grid. The grid is arranged on the array of photosensitive elements, defines an opening for receiving light respectively for each photosensitive element, and optically isolates each photosensitive element from its adjacent photosensitive elements. The grid may comprise an optical isolation portion and a dielectric portion above the optical isolation portion, wherein the dielectric portion defines a sidewall tilted at an angle toward an outer side of the opening. Methods of manufacturing semiconductor devices are also disclosed.

Abstract: An image sensor comprises: a plurality of pixel units, wherein the pixel unit comprises: a photodiode; an optical portion for optically processing light incident to the pixel unit, wherein the optical portion is located above the photodiode and overlaps with the photodiode in a plan view parallel to a main surface of the image sensor; and a gap for preventing light incident to the pixel unit from entering other pixel units, wherein the gap is located around the optical portion in the plan view.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing an image sensor comprises: forming a trench around a photodiode, wherein the photodiode comprises a first doped region with a first conductivity type dopant formed in a semiconductor substrate with a second conductivity type dopant; forming a covering portion in the trench, the covering portion with the second conductivity type dopant covering at least a portion of a sidewall or a bottom wall of the trench, wherein a doping concentration of the covering portion is higher than a doping concentration of the semiconductor substrate; and diffusing the second conductivity type dopant in the covering portion into the semiconductor substrate so as to form a second doped region with the second conductivity type dopant surrounding the at least a portion of the sidewall or the bottom wall of the trench.

Abstract: A semiconductor device comprises a substrate, the substrate including a trench structure component and active regions separated by the trench structure component, wherein, the trench structure component has a trench and a first region and a second region located in the trench, the second region at least encloses a bottom surface and a side surface of the first region, the first region is made of a conductive material, and the second region is made of an insulating material.

Abstract: In one or more exemplary embodiments, an image sensor comprises: a logic region, comprising a plurality of transistors; and a pixel region, comprising a plurality of pixel transistors; wherein a gate dielectric layer of a first pixel transistor in the plurality of pixel transistors is thinner than a gate dielectric layer of a first transistor in the plurality of transistors.

Abstract: A backside-illumination complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor, comprises a semiconductor substrate including a first side for receiving incident light and a second side opposite to the first side; and a reflector disposed at the second side of the semiconductor substrate, wherein the reflector is configured to reflect incident light that transmits through the semiconductor substrate back into the semiconductor substrate.

Abstract: An image sensor comprises an image sensing array on a semiconductor substrate for image sensing. The image sensor comprises a plurality of first light sensing units arranged in an array. A light sensor, disposed on the semiconductor substrates for sensing ambient light and converting the ambient light into a first electrical signal comprises a plurality of second light sensing units arranged in an array. A processing module may be connected to one or more light sensing units and may be configured to determine the intensity of the ambient light based on the first electrical signal and control the operation of the image sensor based on the determined intensity.