PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 16241582
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2019-01
Publication Date: 2019-05
Patent Classification: ["257", "432000"]

Abstract:
An image sensor is disclosed. The image sensor includes an epitaxial layer, a plurality of plug structures and an interconnect structure. Wherein the plurality of plug structures are formed in the epitaxial layer, and each plug structure has doped sidewalls, the epitaxial layer and the doped sidewalls form a plurality of photodiodes, the plurality of plug structures are used to separate adjacent photodiodes, and the epitaxial layer and the doped sidewalls are coupled to the interconnect structure via the plug structures. An associated method of fabricating the image sensor is also disclosed. The method includes: providing a substrate having a first-type doped epitaxial substrate layer on a second-type doped epitaxial substrate layer; forming a plurality of isolation trenches in the first-type doped epitaxial substrate layer; forming a second-type doped region along sidewalls and bottoms of the plurality of isolation trenches; and filling the plurality of isolation trenches by depositing metal.

Claim (Index 15):
A method of fabricating an image sensor, comprising:\n providing a substrate having a first-type doped epitaxial substrate layer, wherein the substrate has a front side and a back side; forming a plurality of isolation trenches in the first-type doped epitaxial substrate layer; forming a second-type doped region along sidewalls and bottoms of the plurality of isolation trenches; filling the plurality of isolation trenches by depositing a dielectric material in and over the isolation trenches; removing at least a portion of the dielectric material in the isolation trenches; filling the plurality of isolation trenches by depositing metal to form a plurality of plug structures, the plug structures extending to a higher level than the front side of the substrate; forming an interconnect structure over the front side of the substrate and in physical contact with one end of the plug structures; and forming a color filter layer over the back side of the substrate and in physical contact with the other end of the plug structures.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 50.0
- Percentile: 99.0
- Lexical Diversity: 2.77966
- Patent Class: 257.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['14724055', '16113066', '15919784', '12844642', '14923635']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.8959124109289169
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.5189856010201694
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.8582197299380423
- Mean Citation Score: 218.371302
- Max Citation Score: 299.9188200000001
- Similarity Product: 224.3836546915055

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 1
- Claim Label 103: 1
- Claim Label 112: 1
- Combined Label: 1
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test