High fill factor image array having a continuous amorphous silicon sensor layer and a doped poly-silicon back contact and fabrication method

摘要

A method and apparatus for reducing vertical leakage current in a high fill factor sensor array is described. Reduction of vertical leakage current is achieved by eliminating Schottky junction interfaces that occur between metal back contacts (46) and intrinsic amorphous silicon layers (50). One method of eliminating the Schottky junction uses an extra wide region of N doped amorphous silicon (48) to serve as a buffer between the metal back contact (46) and the intrinsic amorphous silicon layer (50). Another method of eliminating the Schottky junction completely replaces the metal back contact (46) and the N doped amorphous silicon layer (48) with a substitute material such as N doped poly-silicon (504, Figure 5). IMAGE