Street Insider quotes Needham analyst Rajvindra Gill saying "OVTI has lost the image sensor socket on Apple’s next-generation iPad 3 HD to Samsung. We believe the iPad 3 will include a 5MP sensor for the back-camera and will support HD resolution. Our industry checks point to Samsung winning the socket based on price competitiveness rather than better quality/technology. Five megapixel sensors are a relatively mature technology, having existed in the marketplace for over two years, and therefore other competitors, such as Samsung, Aptina and Toshiba, have developed cost competitive sensors. On the iPhone 4S front, we still contend Sony is 100% sourced at Apple. However, OVTI is trying to ramp its BSI-2 yields to 70-80% in order to be qualified as the second source (sometime in C2Q). At this juncture, it’s still uncertain".
The full Needham report can be downloaded here. Needham adds regarding the BSI-2 yield: "Our checks indicate that OVTI’s yields on its BSI-2 8MP sensor are running at 40-50%. We believe OVTI is still trying to become the second source to Sony for the 4S in C2Q. However, we believe OVTI has to increase its yields to 70-80% in order to be considered a viable second source".
Thanks to CA for sending me the news!
Aptina Shows How to Isolate Deep PDs
Aptina's patent application US20120009723 titled "Range modulated implants for image sensors" talks about deep photodiode process and shows quite impressive PD isolation shape of a 1.1um-pitched PD extending all the way through the 4um-thick epi 66 to a heavy doped substrate 64:
The company describes the challenges in deep photodiode manufacturing: "When conventional methods are used for implanting isolation regions, it can be challenging to form very narrow and deep isolation regions. Isolation regions are typically formed by implanting ions through the openings of patterned photoresist. If very narrow openings are formed in photoresist, the walls of the openings may be unstable. Narrower openings could be formed in thinner photoresist, but thinner photoresist would limit the permissible energies used during ion implantation and resulting implants would be too shallow. Shallow isolation regions are undesirable because they would limit photodiode depth, reducing the quantum efficiency and sensitivity of the pixels."
So, the photodiode isolation implants are implemented by a set of repeating steps with complementary photoresist patterns where the boron implant penetrates through the photoresist:
The resulting deep PD isolation is composed of multiple regions 92 and 94:
The company describes the challenges in deep photodiode manufacturing: "When conventional methods are used for implanting isolation regions, it can be challenging to form very narrow and deep isolation regions. Isolation regions are typically formed by implanting ions through the openings of patterned photoresist. If very narrow openings are formed in photoresist, the walls of the openings may be unstable. Narrower openings could be formed in thinner photoresist, but thinner photoresist would limit the permissible energies used during ion implantation and resulting implants would be too shallow. Shallow isolation regions are undesirable because they would limit photodiode depth, reducing the quantum efficiency and sensitivity of the pixels."
So, the photodiode isolation implants are implemented by a set of repeating steps with complementary photoresist patterns where the boron implant penetrates through the photoresist:
The resulting deep PD isolation is composed of multiple regions 92 and 94:
SiOnyx Founder Won SPIE Green Photonics Award
Harvard University: SiOnyx Founder Eric Mazur with four his students won SPIE Green Photonics Award for Laser-assisted Manufacturing and Micro/Nano Fabrication. The winning paper was written by Eric Mazur, the Balanski Professor of Physics and Applied Physics, with graduate students Benjamin Franta (lead author), Meng-Ju Sher, and Katherine C. Phillips in the Harvard Department of Physics, and Yu-Ting Lin at Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
The group used femtosecond laser pulses to modify and control both the chemical composition and the surface structure of silicon. These modifications affect the optical and electronic properties of the material that they called "black silicon" with a potential for use in novel photosensitive devices.
The award will be presented on January 25, 2012 at SPIE Photonics West in San Francisco.
The group used femtosecond laser pulses to modify and control both the chemical composition and the surface structure of silicon. These modifications affect the optical and electronic properties of the material that they called "black silicon" with a potential for use in novel photosensitive devices.
The award will be presented on January 25, 2012 at SPIE Photonics West in San Francisco.
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