Imec demonstrates successful incorporation of a PPD structure in the readout circuit of thin-film-based image sensors; the first of its kind. A SWIR quantum-dot photodetector was monolithically hybridized with an indium-gallium-zinc oxide (IGZO)-based thin-film transistor into a PPD pixel. This array was subsequently processed on a CMOS readout circuit to form a superior thin-film SWIR image sensor. “The prototype 4T image sensor showed a remarkable low read-out noise of 6.1e-, compared to >100e- for the conventional 3T sensor, demonstrating its superior noise performance” stated Nikolas Papadopoulos, project leader ‘Thin-Film Pinned Photodiode’ at Imec. As a result, infrared images can be captured with less noise, distortion or interference, and more accuracy and detail.
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