Patent ID: 8106432

Claim:
A pixel sensor cell comprising: a semiconductor substrate; a transfer gate present on a portion of an upper surface of the semiconductor substrate; a pinning layer of a first conductivity in the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate on a first side of the transfer gate and a floating diffusion region in the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate on a second side of the transfer gate; a first photosensitive element including a trench present through the pinning layer into the semiconductor substrate on the first side of the transfer gate, wherein first photosensitive element includes a fill of the first conductivity within the trench and a charge collector region of a second conductivity being present entirely around the trench, wherein the charge collector region is isolated from a physical boundary including said upper surface by said pinning layer; and a second photosensitive element in the semiconductor substrate on the first side of the transfer gate that abuts said first photosensitive element, wherein the second photosensitive element is present between the first photosensitive element and the transfer gate, and includes a laterally disposed collector region of the second conductivity underlying the pinning layer.