CCD image sensing device

Abstract: A CCD image sensing device has vertical shift registers (22), a horizontal shift register (3A), a horizontal transfer gate (4), a horizontal shift register (3B), a smear gate (6), a smear drain region (7) and a channel stop region (8) arranged in that order on an n-type substrate (N-Sub). A p-well region underlying the vertical shift registers (22), the horizontal shift register (3A), the horizontal transfer gate (4), the horizontal shift register (3B) the smear gate (6), the smear drain region (7) and the channel stop region (8) is doped in a high impurity concentration to stabilize the potential of the p-well region at a potential substantially equal to that of the channel stop region (8), i.e., ground potential (GND). Consequently, no hole storage region is formed in the p-well and hence the deterioration of the signal transfer performance can be prevented. Since no hole-depletion region is created, no dark current due to avalanche is produced.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a CCD image sensing device. Description of the Prior Art Fig. 1 shows the construction of a CCD image sensing device of a frame intertransfer system (FIT system) having an image sensing region 1 and a storage region 2 arranged along a vertical direction. The image sensing region 1 has sensor elements (light receiving elements) SE consisting of photodiodes, and vertical shift registers 12 combined respectively with vertical rows of the sensor elements SE. Signal charge stored in the sensor elements SE is read simultaneously by the corresponding vertical shift registers 12 in a vertical blanking interval and transferred at a high speed to vertical shift registers 22 in the storage region 2. Then, the signal charge of the sensor elements SE on each vertical row is transferred to a horizontal shift register 3A or 3B in each horizontal blanking interval. The signal charge of the (2n+1)-th (n is 0 and positive integers) sensor elements SE on each horizontal line is transferred to the horizontal shift register 3A as indicated by the arrows of continuous lines, and the signal charge of the 2n-th sensor element SE on each horizontal line is transferred through a transfer gate 4 to the horizontal shift register 3B as indicated by the arrows of broken lines. The signal charge of the (2n+1)-th sensor elements SE transferred to the horizontal shift register 3A and the signal charge of the 2n-th sensor elements SE transferred to the horizontal shift register 3B in each horizontal blanking interval are transferred sequentially to signal detectors 5A and 5B in synchronism with horizontal scanning speed in the subsequent horizontal scanning interval. Image signals corresponding to the signal charge of the (2n+1)-th sensor elements SE and image signals corresponding to the signal charge of the 2n-th sensor elements SE are sent out in parallel from the signal detectors 5A and 5B, respectively. Charge (smear charge) stored in the vertical shift registers 12 of the image sensing region 1 and charge stored in the vertical shift registers 22 of the storage region 2 are transferred at a high speed in the vertical direction immediately before the signal change of the sensor elements SE is transferred to the vertical shift registers 22 of the storage region 2, and the charge is swept off through the horizontal shift register 3A, the horizontal transfer gate 4, the horizontal shift register 3B and a smear gate 6 into a smear drain region 7 to suppress smearing. Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line I-I in Fig. 1, showing an electrode construction. The vertical shift register 22, the horizontal shift register 3A, the horizontal transfer gate 4, the horizontal shift register 3B, the smear gate 6, the smear drain region 7 and a channel stop region 8 are arranged in that order on an n-substrate N-Sub. A vertical transfer pulse VH is applied to the gate electrode (transfer electrode) 101 of the horizontal shift register 22. A two-phase drive horizontal pulse H, for instance, is applied to the respective gate electrodes (transfer electrodes) 102 and 104 of the horizontal shift registers 3A and 3B. A horizontal transfer gate pulse HHG is applied to the gate electrode 103 of the horizontal transfer gate 4. A smear gate pulse ϕSMG is applied to a smear gate electrode 105. A voltage SMD is applied to the smear drain region 7, the channel stop region 8 is grounded and a voltage V sub is applied to an n-substrate N-Sub. Fig. 3 shows the distribution of potential with along line A-A in Fig. 2. A p-well region P-Well corresponding to the horizontal shift registers 3A and 3B is designed so as to be depleted by operating bias voltages for the horizontal shift registers 3A and 3B. Therefore, a hole storage region is created depending on biasing condition and impurity concentration because the smear gate 6, the smear drain region 7 and the horizontal transfer gate 4 isolate the potential of the p-well region P-Well corresponding to the horizontal shift registers 3A and 3B from the ground potential GND. Holes diffused from the gate electrode 103 and those produced by thermal excitation are collected by potential barriers of the p-well region underlying the gate electrodes 103 and 105 and the holes are collected locally and stored in the p-well region corresponding to the gate electrode 104 as shown in Fig. 4B. The potential of a region storing holes is unstable and affects signal transfer adversely. At the same time, a hole-depletion region is formed. In the hole-depletion region, holes under the gate electrode 103 are emitted when a positive bias voltage is applied to the gate electrode 103 as indicated by a broken line in Fig. 4A and the potential of the p-well region becomes negative potential when the gate electrode 103 is biased again in negative as indicated by a continuous line in Fig. 4A. Consequently, the potential difference between the gate electrodes 102 and 104 increases to produce dark current due to avalanche. Such a CCD image sensing device is disclosed in 1990 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference, 14 February 1990, San Francisco, USA, Pages 214, 215, 299. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention as defined in claim 1 stabilizes the potential of the p-well region to prevent the deterioration of signal transfer and prevents dark current by preventing avalanche. A CCD image sensing device in accordance with the present invention comprises a portion of the p-well region underlying the first horizontal shift register, the horizontal transfer gate, the second horizontal shift register, the smear gate, the smear drain region and the channel stop region which has a higher impurity concentration than the remaining portion of the p-well region, the impurity concentration of the high-impurity portion of the p-well region being determined so that the potential of the p-well region is stabilised with respect to an operating bias voltage for the first and second horizontal shift registers, and the potential of the high-impurity portion of the p-well region is maintained at the potential of the channel stop region. Since the potential of the p-well region is maintained substantially equal to the potential GND of the channel stop region, neither hole storage regions nor hole-depletion regions are formed and no dark current attributable to avalanche is produced. Since the potential of the p-well region is stabilized, signal transfer performance is not deteriorated. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view showing the construction of a CCD image sensing device of a FIT system; Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line I-I in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the distribution of potential-along line A-A in Fig. 2; Figs. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing the distribution of potential along line B-B in Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a CCD image sensing device in a preferred embodiment according to the present invention; Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the distribution of potential along line A-A in Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the distribution of potential along line B-B in Fig. 5. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A CCD image sensing device in a preferred embodiment according to the present invention will be described hereinafter with reference to Figs. 5 to 7, in which parts corresponding respectively to those shown in Fig. 2 are denoted by the same reference characters and the description thereof will be omitted. The CCD image sensing device of the present invention is substantially the same in construction as the CCD image sensing device shown in Fig. 2, except that a portion of a p-well region, i.e., hatched portion, underlying horizontal shift registers 3A and 3B, a horizontal transfer gate 4, a smear gate 6, a smear drain region 7 and a channel stop region 8 of the CCD image sensing device of the present invention is a high-impurity p-well region H-P-Well having a high impurity concentration. As shown in Fig. 6, the high-impurity p-well region H-P-Well has a high impurity concentration and is maintained at a ground potential GND. As shown in Fig. 7, the high= impurity p-well region H-P-Well underlying the horizontal shift registers 3A and 3B, the horizontal transfer gate 4, the smear gate 6 and the smear drain region 7 has a high impurity concentration and the potential of the high-impurity p-well H-P-Well is equal to the ground potential GND corresponding to the potential of the channel stop region 8. Since the potential of the p-well region is stabilized, no potential barrier is formed in portions of the p-well region corresponding to the gate electrodes 103 and 105, and no hole storage region is formed in a portion of the p-well region corresponding to the gate electrode of the horizontal shift register 3B. Thus, the deterioration of signal transfer performance is obviated. Since the potential of the p-well region is equal to the ground potential GND, no hole-depletion region is formed. Consequently, the potential of a portion of the p-well region corresponding to the gate electrode 103 does not become negative, and no dark current caused by avalanche due to the large potential difference between the gate electrodes 102 and 104 is produced. Since the potential of the p-well region of the CCD image sensing device of the present invention is maintained at the potential of the channel stop region, neither hole storage regions nor hole-depletion regions are formed, dark current due to avalanche can be prevented, and the stable potential of the p-well region prevents the deterioration of the signal transfer performance of the CCD image sensing device.

Claims: A CCD image sensing device comprising a semiconductor substrate (N-Sub) of a first conductivity type including: an image sensing region (1) provided with a matrix of light-receiving elements (SE), and a plurality of vertical shift registers (12) for vertically transferring signal charge of the light-receiving elements; a first horizontal shift register (3A) for horizontally transferring the signal charge vertically transferred by the (2n+1)-th (n is zero and positive integers) vertical shift registers; a second horizontal shift register (3B) for horizontally transferring the signal charge vertically transferred by the 2n-th vertical shift registers; a transfer gate (4) disposed between the first and second horizontal shift registers; a smear gate (6), a smear drain region (7) and a channel stop region (8) of the second conductivity type disposed on one side of the second horizontal shift register opposite to the other side on which the image sensing region is formed; and a buried well region (P-Well) of the second conductivity type formed in the semiconductor substrate; characterized in that a portion (H-P-Well) of said buried well region (P-Well) underlying the horizontal shift registers (3A, 3B), the horizontal transfer gate (4), the smear gate (6), the smear drain region (7) and the channel stop region (8) has a higher impurity concentration than the remaining portion of said buried well region, the impurity concentration of the high-impurity portion (H-P-Well) of said buried well region (P-Well) being determined so that the potential of the well region is stabilised with respect to an operating bias voltage for the first and second horizontal shift registers (3A, 3B), and the high-impurity portion of said buried well region is maintained at the potential of the channel stop region (8). A CCD image sensing device according to claim 1, comprising means to apply a two-phase driving voltage pulse to the first and second horizontal shift registers (3A, 3B), the buried well region being stabilised when the two-phase driving voltage pulse is applied to the first and second horizontal shift registers in operation. A CCD image sensing device according to claim 2, comprising means to apply a predetermined bias voltage to the smear gate (6). A CCD image sensing device according to claim 3, comprising a storage region (2) including a plurality of screened vertical shift registers (22) to receive the signal charge from the vertical shift registers (12) of the image sensing region (1) and to transfer it vertically to the first and second horizontal shift registers (3A, 3B).

Inventors: YONEMOTO KAZUYA, YONEMOTO, KAZUYA
Applicants: SONY CORP, SONY CORPORATION
Application year: 1992
Main classification: H01L27
IPC codes: H01L27, H04N5