Patent ID: 8492865

Claim:
An image sensor array, comprising: a substrate layer; a metal layer disposed above the substrate layer; an epitaxial layer disposed between the substrate layer and the metal layer; a plurality of imaging pixels disposed within the epitaxial layer each including a photosensitive element for collecting an image signal; a contact dummy pixel disposed within the epitaxial layer and including an electrical conducting path through the epitaxial layer, wherein the electrical conducting path couples to the metal layer above the epitaxial layer; first doped wells disposed within the epitaxial layer isolating adjacent imaging pixels; a second doped well disposed within the epitaxial layer isolating the contact dummy pixel from adjacent ones of the imaging pixels, wherein the second doped well is laterally wider than the first doped wells; a shallow trench isolation disposed within the second doped well; and a contact disposed within the second doped well and electrically coupled to another metal layer disposed above the epitaxial layer, wherein the contact dummy pixel is positioned within the image sensor array amongst the plurality of imaging pixels and does not include a photo-sensor coupled to collect image data, wherein the electrical conducting path is separated from the photosensitive elements of the imaging pixels.