A high-efficiency CMOS image sensor with air gap in situ MicroLens (AGML) fabricated by 0.18-/spl mu/m CMOS technology

The air gap in situ microlens (AGML) above-pixel sensor with 0.18-/spl mu/m CMOS image sensor technology has been successfully developed to dramatically improve the optical crosstalk and pixel sensitivity. We demonstrated excellent crosstalk diminution with the structure on small pixels. Compared with conventional 2.8 /spl mu/m square pixel, adopting the AGML can reduce the optical crosstalk up to 64%, and provide 21% in enhancement of photosensitivity at 0/spl deg/ incident angle. Furthermore, under 20/spl deg/ incident angle the optical crosstalk reduction and sensitivity enhancement are increased to 89% and 122%, respectively. Therefore, the AGML structure makes pixel size be further scaled down to less than 2.8 /spl mu/m square and maintain good performance.     

Color mixing improvement of CMOS image sensor with air-gap-guard ring in deep-submicrometer CMOS technology

In this letter, color mixings of a CMOS image sensor with air-gap-guard-ring (AGGR) and conventional structures were investigated in 0.18-/spl mu/m CMOS image sensor technology. As the light incident angle is increased from 0/spl deg/ to 15/spl deg/, conventional pixel shows serious color mixing. For example, the maximum photo responses of blue, green1, green2, and red pixels are shifted from 490 to 520 nm, 530 to 500 nm, 530 to 600 nm, and 600 to 580 nm, respectively. However, pixels with AGGR not only keep correct spectral response without peak shift but also achieve 5%-50% crosstalk reduction, thus preventing the sensor from color mixing efficiently.     

Strain-compensated InGaAsSb multiple quantum-wells with digital AlGaAsSb barriers for midinfrared lasers

Midinfrared InGaAsSb-AlGaAsSb strain-compensated multiple quantum-wells (SCMQW) have been grown by solid-source molecular beam epitaxy. Short-period (AlGaAsSb)/sub y/--(AlGaSb)/sub 1-y/ digital barriers were employed to avoid growth interruptions at the barrier-well interfaces, thereby significantly improving the structural and optical properties of the InGaAsSb SCMQW as evidenced by X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence measurements. Based on these high-quality SCMQW, a room-temperature threshold current density as low as 163 A/cm/sup 2/ was achieved for 1000-/spl mu/m-long broad-area lasers emitting at 2.38 /spl mu/m in pulsed mode. The 880-/spl mu/m-long lasers retained a high characteristic temperature (T/sub 0/) of 165 K up to 80/spl deg/C and could operate at temperatures above 100/spl deg/C. A typical wavelength blueshift of 38 meV was observed in the SCMQW laser samples compared to the SCMQW-only samples.     

Compact polarization-insensitive InGaAsP-InP 2 /spl times/ 2 optical switch

We demonstrate a simple, compact, high-contrast ratio, and low-loss polarization-insensitive InGaAsP-InP 2 /spl times/ 2 optical switch with an operational wavelength range from 1520 to 1580 nm. The switch is 1.3 mm long by 160 /spl mu/m wide. The on-off contrast ratio is within (21/spl plusmn/2) dB over the temperature range from 16/spl deg/C to 64/spl deg/C, the polarization sensitivity is <2 dB, and the propagation loss is (3/spl plusmn/2) dB in both the ON and OFF states, making it potentially useful for optical cross-connects, delay lines, and add-drop multiplexers.     

Dramatic reduction of optical crosstalk in deep-submicrometer CMOS imager with air gap guard ring

A dielectric structure, air gap guard ring, has been successfully developed to reduce optical crosstalk thus improving pixel sensitivity of CMOS image sensor with 0.18-/spl mu/m technology. Based on refraction index (RI) differences between dielectric films (RI = 1.4 /spl sim/ 1.6) and air gap (RI = 1), total internal reflection occurred at dielectric-film/air-gap interface, thus the incident light is concentrated in selected pixel. Excellent optical performances have been demonstrated in 3.0 /spl times/ 3.0 /spl mu/m pixel. Optical spatial crosstalk achieves 80% reduction at 20/spl deg/ incidence angle and significantly alleviates the pixel sensitivity degradation with larger angle of incident light.     

A 1/4-inch 380 k pixel IT-CCD image sensor employing gate-assisted punchthrough read-out mode

A newly developed 1/4-inch 380 k pixel IT-CCD image sensor features a novel cell structure in which signal charges are read out from a photodiode (PD) to a vertical-CCD (V-CCD) in a gate-assisted punchthrough mode. The cell structure, fabricated through the use of high energy ion implantation technology, enables both deep PD formation and transfer-gate (TG)/channel-stop (CS) length reduction. Deep PD formation helps increase sensitivity per PD unit area, and TG/CS length reduction widens both PD and V-CCD areas. Although the cell size is small (4.8 /spl mu/m (H)/spl times/5.6 /spl mu/m (V)), the sensor achieves both high sensitivity (35 mV/lx) and a high saturation signal (600 mV).<>     

Light guide for pixel crosstalk improvement in deep submicron CMOS image sensor

Light guide, a novel dielectric structure consisting of PE-Oxide and FSG-Oxide, has been developed to reduce crosstalk in 0.18-/spl mu/m CMOS image sensor technology. Due to the difference in refraction index (1.46 for PE-Oxide and 1.435 for FSG-Oxide), major part of the incident light can be totally reflected at the interface of PE-Oxide/FSG-Oxide, as the incidence angle is larger than total reflection angle. With this light guide, the pixel sensing capability can be enhanced and to reduce pixel crosstalk. Small pixels with pitch 3.0-/spl mu/m and 4.0-/spl mu/m have been characterized and examined. In 3.0-/spl mu/m pixel, optical crosstalk achieves 30% reduction for incidence angle of light at 10/spl deg/.     

High-finesse laterally coupled organic-inorganic hybrid polymer microring resonators for VLSI photonics

We produced laterally coupled optical microring resonators having high finesse (F/spl sime/17 at 1.5-/spl mu/m wavelength) using a two-step patterning technique based on optical photolithography. The technique used allows us to separately control the height of both ring and port waveguides and structure submicrometer gaps. The resonance spectrum of microrings with radii of 50 /spl mu/m made of an organic-inorganic hybrid polymer have an extinction ratio of about 12 dB and a filter bandwidth /spl delta//spl lambda//spl sime/0.28 nm (full-width at half-maximum) at a wavelength /spl lambda/=1547.78 nm. We show that the resonances can be thermooptically tuned by 0.2 nm//spl deg/C, thus allowing us to modulate the transmission of the through port signal.     

High power GaInP/AlGaInP visible lasers (/spl lambda/=646 nm) with narrow circular shaped far-field pattern

GaInP/AlGaInP visible lasers based on a longitudinal photonic bandgap crystal waveguide emitting at 646 nm show narrow circular shaped far field pattern. Vertical and lateral beam divergence of about 8/spl deg/ (full width at half maximum) that is independent of injection current is demonstrated. Differential quantum efficiency is up to 85%. Pulsed total optical output power is as high as 20 W for 100 /spl mu/m-wide stripe lasers and 6 W for 20 /spl mu/m-wide stripe lasers. Such values of output optical power are 2.5 higher with respect to ones obtained for the lasers fabricated from the state-of-the-art epiwafers for commercial 650 nm range DVD lasers.     

Enhancing leakage suppression in carbon-rich silicon junctions

Carbon-incorporated devices exhibit an increase in junction leakage relative to pure Si devices. The authors demonstrate that a leakage suppression of /spl sim/ 50 times can be achieved in carbon-rich (Si:C) junctions. This is accomplished by a prolonged annealing for 1 to 10 min at 850 /spl deg/C (much lower than typical annealing temperature of >1000/spl deg/C) and is attributed to a decrease in interstitial carbon concentration. After a 10-min annealing, the Si:C junctions display a leakage of 4/spl times/10/sup -13/ A//spl mu/m, which is much lower than that of 1050 /spl deg/C spike annealed Si junctions and well within the I/sub off/ requirements of low-standby-power device at the 45-nm node. Carbon-incorporated transistors with a gate length of 0.18 /spl mu/m exhibit an I/sub off/ reduction of /spl sim/ 10 times, compared to pure Si transistors, and both transistors have a similar subthreshold slope of 81 mV/dec.     

An experimental 80-ns 1-Mbit DRAM with fast page operation

An experimental general purpose 5-V 1-Mb dynamic RAM has been designed for increased performance, high density, and enhanced reliability. The array consists of a one-device overlapped I/O cell with a metal bitline architecture. The cell measures 4.1 /spl mu/m by 8.8 /spl mu/m, which yields a chip size of 5.5 mm by 10.5 mm with an array to chip area ratio of 65.5%. The chip was designed in a double-poly single-metal NMOS technology with selected 1-/spl mu/m levels and an average feature size of 1.5 /spl mu/m. Key design features include a fast page mode cycle with minimum column precharge delay and improved protection for short error rate using a boosted word-line after sense amplifier set scheme. The CAS access time is 40 ns and the cycle is 65 ns at 4.5 V and 85/spl deg/C. The RAS access time is 80 ns and the cycle is 160 ns at 4.5 V and 85/spl deg/C with a typical active power of 625 mW. The chip is usable as a X1, X2, or X4 with the use of block select inputs and the selected package option. The package options include a 500-mil/SUP 2/ pin grid array module with 23 pins, and a 22 pin or 26 pin 300-mil surface solder plastic package.     

High sensitive and wide detecting range MOS tunneling temperature sensors for on-chip temperature detection

This paper examined the feasibility of applying a highly sensitive metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) tunneling temperature sensor, which was compatible with current CMOS technology. As the sensor was biased positively at a constant voltage, the gate current increased more than 500 times when the sensor was heated from 20/spl deg/C to 110/spl deg/C. However, when the sensor was biased at a constant-current situation, its gate voltage magnitude changed significantly with substrate temperature, with a sensitivity exceeding -2 V//spl deg/C. The improvement of temperature sensitivity in this paper is one thousand times over the sensitivity of a conventional p-n junction, i.e., namely, about -2 mV//spl deg/C. Regarding a temperature sensor array, this paper proposes a method using gate current gain, rather than absolute gate current, to eliminate the gate current discrepancy among sensors. For constant current operation, a sensitivity exceeding 10 V//spl deg/C can be obtained if the current level is suitable. Finally, this paper demonstrates a real temperature distribution for on-chip detection. With such a high temperature-sensitive sensor, accurate temperature detection can be incorporated into common CMOS circuits.     

A novel filterless fluorescence detection sensor for DNA analysis

A new method is presented of on-chip optical spectroscopy, functioning without the need for a bandpass filter or grating. The principle of optical spectroscopy is based on the difference of optical absorption coefficients with wavelength. The optical intensity is calculated from the different penetration depths in Si. The key to the new spectrometer is the use of a photogate active pixel providing the selective control of photo-generated charge using the gate voltage. To demonstrate this spectrometer, a novel filterless fluorescence detection sensor has been fabricated in our laboratory, using standard 5-/spl mu/m CMOS silicon integrated circuit technology. The SYBR-Green label fluoresces at 520 nm when exited by 470-nm radiation. In a simulation experiment using two LEDs, the fluorescent intensity detected was 1/300 of the excitation light intensity (intensity of fluorescence was 1 /spl mu/W/cm/sup 2/, while the excitation illumination was 300 /spl mu/W/cm/sup 2/). In an experiment using actual DNA solution containing SYBR-Green, it was confirmed that the fluorescence detection sensor successfully detected the fluorescent label without the need for a filter.     

Efficient improvement of hot carrier-induced degradation for 0.1-/spl mu/m indium-halo nMOSFET

The effect of post-thermal annealing after indium-halo implantation on the reliability of sub-0.1-/spl mu/m nMOSFETs was investigated. We found that the control of annealing time is more efficient than that of annealing temperature with respect to improving the hot carrier-induced device degradation. The best results of device performance were obtained with post-annealing treatment performed at medium temperatures (e.g., 900/spl deg/C) for a longer time.     

Thermal budget limits of quarter-micrometer foundry CMOS for post-processing MEMS devices

Thermal budget limits for low stand-by power ( LSP), 0.25 /spl mu/m foundry CMOS devices have been investigated, in order to assess the impact of post-processing microelectromechanical devices devices. Resistance increases for vias (metal-to-metal contacts) rather than transistor-performance shifts limits the post-processing thermal budget. An empirical relation is found to predict the via resistance increase for various annealing conditions, based on third-order reactions of vacancies supplied by surface diffusion of metal atoms. The resistance increase is strongly dependent on annealing time and temperature. With a criterion of 10% increase, 6 h at 425/spl deg/C, 1 h at 450/spl deg/C, and 0.5 h at 475/spl deg/C are the maximum allowable thermal budgets, respectively. Electromigration (EM) of via chain structures was also evaluated, and after annealing for 6h at 425/spl deg/C showed only a 33% decrease in the EM lifetime.     

MOVPE-grown GaInNAs VCSELs at 1.3 /spl mu/m with conventional mirror design approach

1.3 /spl mu/m oxide confined GaInNAs VCSELs designed using the same design philosophy used for standard 850 nm VCSELs is presented. The VCSELs have doped mirrors, with graded and highly doped interfaces, and are fabricated using production-friendly procedures. Multimode VCSELs (11 /spl mu/m oxide aperture) with an emission wavelength of 1287 nm have a threshold current of 3 mA and produce 1 mW of output power at 20/spl deg/C. The maximum operating temperature is 95/spl deg/C. Emission at 1303 nm with 1 mW of output power and a threshold current of 7 mA has been observed from VCSELs with a larger detuning between the gain peak and the cavity resonance.     

Low-threshold continuous-wave 1.5-/spl mu/m GaInNAsSb lasers grown on GaAs

We present the first continuous-wave (CW) edge-emitting lasers at 1.5 /spl mu/m grown on GaAs by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). These single quantum well (QW) devices show dramatic improvement in all areas of device performance as compared to previous reports. CW output powers as high as 140 mW (both facets) were obtained from 20 /spl mu/m /spl times/ 2450 /spl mu/m ridge-waveguide lasers possessing a threshold current density of 1.06 kA/cm/sup 2/, external quantum efficiency of 31%, and characteristic temperature T/sub 0/ of 139 K from 10/spl deg/C-60/spl deg/C. The lasing wavelength shifted 0.58 nm/K, resulting in CW laser action at 1.52 /spl mu/m at 70/spl deg/C. This is the first report of CW GaAs-based laser operation beyond 1.5 /spl mu/m. Evidence of Auger recombination and intervalence band absorption was found over the range of operation and prevented CW operation above 70/spl deg/C. Maximum CW output power was limited by insufficient thermal heatsinking; however, devices with a highly reflective (HR) coating applied to one facet produced 707 mW of pulsed output power limited by the laser driver. Similar CW output powers are expected with more sophisticated packaging and further optimization of the gain region. It is expected that such lasers will find application in next-generation optical networks as pump lasers for Raman amplifiers or doped fiber amplifiers, and could displace InP-based lasers for applications from 1.2 to 1.6 /spl mu/m.     

STL versus ISL: an experimental comparison

Schottky-transistor logic (STL) and integrated Schottky logic (ISL) have been fabricated in both 4-/spl mu/m and 2-/spl mu/m oxide isolated processes and characterized over the military temperature range (-55 to +125/spl deg/C ambient). The temperature coefficient of the average propagation delay (t/spl tilde//SUB pd/) is positive for STL over the entire operating current range. For ISL, the temperature coefficient of t/SUB pd/ is negative at low currents and positive at high currents. Both the 4-/spl mu/m and 2-/spl mu/m ring oscillator designs studied showed this behavior. At 25/spl deg/C, t/SUB pd/ data indicate no difference between STL and ISL for practical purposes. At -55/spl deg/C, the STL has a slight (~0.1 ns) speed advantage over ISL. At 150/spl deg/C (junction), the 2-/spl mu/m STL gates with a 200 /spl Omega///spl square/ base sheet resistance have the lowest minimum t/SUB pd/ of the gates studied (0.9 ns at a total current of 190 /spl mu/A) compared to the best for ISL at 1.0 ns and 150 /spl mu/A. The ISL operates at a lower logic swing than the STL at 105/spl deg/C, and has a speed advantage in the current range useful for VLSI. Additional data are presented which demonstrate the effect of the base resistance, epitaxial resistivity and substrate resistivity on delay.     

Effect of heating on the optical loss in the As-Se glass fiber

The increase in the optical loss of the IR-transmitting arsenic-selenide glass fiber in the temperature range of 150/spl deg/C /spl ges/T/spl ges/ 20/spl deg/C was investigated. Between the wavelength region of 1.3 and 8 /spl mu/m, there is a small increase in the loss in which the contribution of free-carrier absorption is small. At high temperature T=150/spl deg/C and /spl lambda//spl ges/8 /spl mu/m, both the free-carrier and multiphonon absorption contributed to the total loss. From a practical perspective, the As-Se fiber loss increases only slightly under normal operating temperatures and so can still be used for many applications.     

Design and fabrication of zinc oxide thin-film ridge waveguides on silicon substrate with ultraviolet amplified spontaneous emission

Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin-film ridge waveguides have been designed and fabricated on n-type (100) silicon substrate. A filtered cathodic vacuum arc technique is used to deposit high-crystal-quality ZnO thin films on lattice-mismatched silicon substrates at 230/spl deg/C. A ridge waveguide of width /spl sim/2 /spl mu/m and height /spl sim/0.1 /spl mu/m is defined on the ZnO thin film by plasma etching. Room-temperature amplified spontaneous emission is observed with peak wavelength at /spl sim/385 nm under 355-nm optical excitation. It is found that the net optical gain of the ZnO thin-film ridge waveguides can be as large as 120 cm/sup -1/ at a pump intensity of /spl sim/1.9 MW/cm/sup 2/.