A monolithic 640x512 CMOS imager with high-NIR sensitivity

Stefan Lauxtermann; John Fisher; Michael McDougal

doi:10.1117/12.2053449

13 June 2014 A monolithic 640 × 512 CMOS imager with high-NIR sensitivity

Stefan Lauxtermann, John Fisher, Michael McDougal

Proceedings Volume 9070, Infrared Technology and Applications XL; 907002 (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2053449
Event: SPIE Defense + Security, 2014, Baltimore, MD, United States

Abstract

In this paper we present first results from a backside illuminated CMOS image sensor that we fabricated on high resistivity silicon. Compared to conventional CMOS imagers, a thicker photosensitive membrane can be depleted when using silicon with low background doping concentration while maintaining low dark current and good MTF performance. The benefits of such a fully depleted silicon sensor are high quantum efficiency over a wide spectral range and a fast photo detector response. Combining these characteristics with the circuit complexity and manufacturing maturity available from a modern, mixed signal CMOS technology leads to a new type of sensor, with an unprecedented performance spectrum in a monolithic device. Our fully depleted, backside illuminated CMOS sensor was designed to operate at integration times down to 100nsec and frame rates up to 1000Hz. Noise in Integrate While Read (IWR) snapshot shutter operation for these conditions was simulated to be below 10e^- at room temperature. 2×2 binning with a 4× increase in sensitivity and a maximum frame rate of 4000 Hz is supported. For application in hyperspectral imaging systems the full well capacity in each row can individually be programmed between 10ke^-, 60ke^- and 500ke^-. On test structures we measured a room temperature dark current of 360pA/cm² at a reverse bias of 3.3V. A peak quantum efficiency of 80% was measured with a single layer AR coating on the backside. Test images captured with the 50μm thick VGA imager between 30Hz and 90Hz frame rate show a strong response at NIR wavelengths.

Citation Download Citation

Stefan Lauxtermann, John Fisher, and Michael McDougal "A monolithic 640 × 512 CMOS imager with high-NIR sensitivity", Proc. SPIE 9070, Infrared Technology and Applications XL, 907002 (13 June 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2053449

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