Abstract: A manufacturing method for manufacturing a stacked substrate by bonding two substrates includes: acquiring information about crystal structures of a plurality of substrates; and determining a combination of two substrates to be bonded to each other, based on the information about the crystal structures. In the manufacturing method described above, the information about the crystal structures may include at least one of plane orientations of bonding surfaces and crystal orientations in a direction in parallel with the bonding surfaces. In the manufacturing methods described above, the determining may include determining a combination of the two substrates with a misalignment amount after bonding being equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: A substrate holder includes a central support portion configured to support a central portion of a substrate, and an circumferential support portion arranged on an outside of the central support portion and configured to support a circumferential portion on an outside of the central portion, and the circumferential support portion is configured to support the circumferential portion so that at least a partial region of the circumferential portion is curved toward the substrate holder with a curvature greater than that of the central portion.

Abstract: A bonding method including firstly bonding a first substrate to a second substrate by releasing a holding of the first substrate to form a first stack; and secondly bonding one substrate, which has been thinned, among the first substrate and the second substrate that have been bonded, to a third substrate, to form a second stack, wherein when the first substrate is thinned, the holding of the third substrate is released at the second bonding, and when the second substrate is thinned, the holding of the first stack is released at the second bonding.

Abstract: A manufacturing method for manufacturing a stacked substrate by bonding two substrates includes: acquiring information about crystal structures of a plurality of substrates; and determining a combination of two substrates to be bonded to each other, based on the information about the crystal structures. In the manufacturing method described above, the information about the crystal structures may include at least one of plane orientations of bonding surfaces and crystal orientations in a direction in parallel with the bonding surfaces. In the manufacturing methods described above, the determining may include determining a combination of the two substrates with a misalignment amount after bonding being equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: An image sensor includes a first semiconductor layer provided with a pixel, including a photoelectric conversion unit that photoelectrically converts incident light to generate an electric charge, an accumulation unit that accumulates the electric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit, and a transfer unit that transfers the electric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit to the accumulation unit, a second semiconductor layer provided with a supply unit that supplies the transfer unit with a transfer signal for transferring the electric charge from the photoelectric conversion unit to the accumulation unit, and a third semiconductor layer into which a signal is inputted, the signal being based on the electric charge that has been transferred to the accumulation unit.

Abstract: An image sensor includes a first semiconductor layer provided with a pixel, including a photoelectric conversion unit that photoelectrically converts incident light to generate an electric charge, an accumulation unit that accumulates the electric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit, and a transfer unit that transfers the electric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit to the accumulation unit, a second semiconductor layer provided with a supply unit that supplies the transfer unit with a transfer signal for transferring the electric charge from the photoelectric conversion unit to the accumulation unit, and a third semiconductor layer into which a signal is inputted, the signal being based on the electric charge that has been transferred to the accumulation unit.

Abstract: An image sensor includes a first semiconductor layer provided with a pixel, including a photoelectric conversion unit that photoelectrically converts incident light to generate an electric charge, an accumulation unit that accumulates the electric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit, and a transfer unit that transfers the electric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit to the accumulation unit, a second semiconductor layer provided with a supply unit that supplies the transfer unit with a transfer signal for transferring the electric charge from the photoelectric conversion unit to the accumulation unit, and a third semiconductor layer into which a signal is inputted, the signal being based on the electric charge that has been transferred to the accumulation unit.

Abstract: A solid-state image sensor of the present invention has a plurality of pixel cells that generate signal charges in accordance with incident light. It is characterized by having a gettering region within the area of a pixel cell. The gettering region, which is disposed closely to the photoelectrical conversion layer, makes direct and efficient use of gettering capability in the pixel region in the solid-state image sensor. As a result, it is possible to effectively eliminate metal contaminant contained in the pixel region, thereby remarkably reducing dark outputs occurring from the metal contaminant.

Abstract: A solid picture element that transfers charges completely from a photodiode portion to an amplifying transistor portion to substantially eliminate residual images and methods of its manufacture are disclosed. The solid picture element includes a buried photodiode and a transistor in communication with a transfer gate that is a selective transfer path for charges from the photodiode to the transistor. The charge accumulation region is located so that it is not in contact with the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate and so that a margin of the charge accumulation region is located 0.0 to 0.2 ?m closer to the transistor than any portion of the depletion prevention region. Methods of manufacture of the picture element of the present invention include using the transfer gate as a mask and implanting ions into a semiconductor substrate at a first angle to form the charge accumulation region and at a second, steeper, angle to form the depletion prevention region.

Abstract: A solid-state image sensor of the present invention has a plurality of pixel cells that generate signal charges in accordance with incident light. It is characterized by having a gettering region within the area of a pixel cell. The gettering region, which is disposed closely to the photoelectrical conversion layer, makes direct and efficient use of gettering capability in the pixel region in the solid-state image sensor. As a result, it is possible to effectively eliminate metal contaminant contained in the pixel region, thereby remarkably reducing dark outputs occurring from the metal contaminant.

Abstract: A solid picture element that transfers charges completely from a photodiode portion to an amplifying transistor portion to substantially eliminate residual images and methods of its manufacture are disclosed. The solid picture element includes a buried photodiode and a transistor in communication with a transfer gate that is a selective transfer path for charges from the photodiode to the transistor. The charge accumulation region is located so that it is not in contact with the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate and so that a margin of the charge accumulation region is located 0.0 to 0.2 &mgr;m closer to the transistor than any portion of the depletion prevention region. Methods of manufacture of the picture element of the present invention include using the transfer gate as a mask and implanting ions into a semiconductor substrate at a first angle to form the charge accumulation region and at a second, steeper, angle to form the depletion prevention region.

Abstract: A solid picture element that transfers charges completely from a photodiode portion to an amplifying transistor portion to substantially eliminate residual images and methods of its manufacture are disclosed. The solid picture element includes a buried photodiode and a transistor in communication with a transfer gate that is a selective transfer path for charges from the photodiode to the transistor. The charge accumulation region is located so that it is not in contact with the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate and so that a margin of the charge accumulation region is located 0.0 to 0.2 &mgr;m closer to the transistor than any portion of the depletion prevention region. Methods of manufacture of the picture element of the present invention include using the transfer gate as a mask and implanting ions into a semiconductor substrate at a first angle to form the charge accumulation region and at a second, steeper, angle to form the depletion prevention region.

Abstract: A solid-state photographic element that can perform electronic shutter action simultaneously for all pixels is disclosed. Each pixel includes a photoelectric converter (such as a photodiode), a first transfer gate, a charge storage element, a second transfer gate, an amplifier, and a reset element. All photodiodes are first reset, then the first transfer gates selected OFF at the same time and charges accumulate in all photodiodes simultaneously. After a predetermined shutter time has elapsed, the first transfer gates are selected ON at the same time and charges that accumulated in the photodiodes are transferred to the corresponding charge storage elements. Thereafter, first transfer gates are selected OFF. A vertical scanning circuit may then select second transfer gates ON sequentially for each row, so that charges accumulated in the charge storage elements are transferred to control regions of corresponding amplifiers.

Abstract: Junction-type field-effect transistors are disclosed exhibiting improved resistance to impact ionization. A p-type gate region is formed above an n-type channel region between an n-type drain region and an n-type source region each having a high impurity concentration. The impurity concentration in the vicinity of a point on a boundary between the channel region and the drain region is higher than the impurity concentration in the vicinity of a point on a boundary between the channel region and the source region. The impurity concentration in the channel region can increase essentially linearly or stepwise from the source region to the drain region. The pinch-off point is shifted toward the source side, and the electric field intensity in the boundary region between the channel region and the drain region is relatively low to inhibit impact ionization.

Abstract: A photoelectric conversion element includes a photoelectric conversion portion for generating and storing a charge according to incident light, an amplifying portion having a control region for generating a signal output according to the charge received in the control region from the photoelectric conversion portion, a transfer control portion for transferring the charge generated and stored in the photoelectric conversion portion to the control region of the amplifying portion, a reset-purpose charge draining region for draining the charge transferred to the control region of the amplifying portion, and a reset-purpose control region for controlling the reset-purpose charge draining region. A reset operation can be performed without operating the amplifying portion. Also, a photoelectric conversion apparatus having high sensitivity and low dissipation power can be obtained.