TowerJazz

CMOS Image Sensors

Technology

June 2010

Jonathan Gendler
Director of Marketing, CMOS Image Sensors
Best in Class Technology
 More than 15 years of experience in CMOS image sensors
 Partnership track record with leading imaging companies
 Wide range of application expertise:
– Cell phone, Web camera, DSLR, Cinematography, Industrial, Space, Defence, Dental X-Ray,
Medical X-Ray, Medical endoscopy and many more.
 Advanced state-of-the-art pixels
– 3T, 4T and 5T pixels
– Extremely low dark current
– In house colour filters and micro lens
 Large sensor patented stitching technology
– Stitching on full 0.18um technology node in production
– Up to one die per 8” wafer (5” x 6”)
 Network of the best custom design houses
– Forza Silicon, Cypress (FillFactory), e2v, Anafocus, CMOSIS and more

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Specialty CIS Applications

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CMOS Image Sensors – TowerJazz philosophy

Best in class
technology

High volume
Pixel IP
with high
offering
yields

Pixel

Full
Superb R&D
engineering
team for
vehicle
custom pixel
for fast
design
development

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Consumer
Small pixel offering

Pixel Size (um) Pixel Type Full Well (e-) Dark Signal (mV/sec @30C) Responsivity (V/Lux*sec)
3.6 11,000 9 2
3T BPD
3.2 10,000 10X 15 1.3
3.6 4T APD 14,000 1 1.5
3.2 14,000 0.5 1.2
4T-2S APD
2.8 14,000 10X 0.5 1
2.2 4T-4S APD 14,000 0.1 0.5

BPD – Buried Photo Diode

APD – Advanced Photo Diode

5.6um 4.8um 3.6um 3.2um 2.8um 2.2um

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Very Low Dark Current Pixels
 Measured on TowerJazz 2.2um state-of-the-art pixel at 30 degrees
Celsius
 Median Dark Signal is less than 0.5mV/sec
 DSNU value is less than 1mV/sec
 Less than 0.1% of the pixels has dark current higher than 2mV/sec –
very low bright pixel count !

Competition

DSNU ToweJazz

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TowerJazz Engineering Vehicle – “Scout”
 Designed by TowerJazz design team and used for pixel development
 Run on Tower’s 0.18um technology
 Low noise board designed by TowerJazz with less than 150uV noise
level
 Offered to customers as a pixel development vehicle service

Scout

Scout board Scout GDS

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Photography
 Cinematography – full 5K Camera (12Mp)
 High end 3K video with 180 fps
 5.4um 4T pixel, 50Ke well capacity and low noise
 6.0um 5T pixel, 30Ke well capacity and global shutter
 Patented stitching for large sensors

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Color filters and micro Lens
 One stop shop: in-house post-processing for professional quality color imagers
 Optimized process: State of the art Fuji color filters and near-gapless micro-lenses

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 Backside illumination Customer 3MPix product
 Quantum efficiency and SNR improvement
 Excellent corner response and low cross-talk
 Pixel design flexibility (metal density)

100%

80% Back side Conventional front side illumination

Quantum Efficiency

60%

Visible
40%

20%
Front side

0%
300 400 500 600 700 800 900

Wavelength
Back side illumination

* 2.7µm pixel, no µlens

Front-side via wave guides (VWG)
 Increased sensitivity & Reduced cross talk
 Maintaining large aspect ratio
 Excellent extension coefficient for global shutter uLens
 Floating diffusion shielded from light
Color filters VWG with organic
filling
Metal lines

SiN
Endoscopy and Gastrointestinal
 The smallest camera in the world 700um x 700um for disposable
applications
 Cooperation with market leaders

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Medical X-Ray CMOS Sensors
 Large flat panel detectors
 Replacing older technologies of a:Si and Image Intensifiers
 0.18um process technology on 8” wafers
 Mass production with excellent yields

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Dental X-Ray CMOS Sensors
 Market Leader for Intra Oral dental x-ray CMOS sensors
 Supplying all Tier-1 vendors
 Around 75% of dental CMOS market share
 Global Customer base: US, Europe and Asia

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TowerJazz Stitching Performance – 0.18um
Stitch Line
Seamless stitch boundary

0.28 micron

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TowerJazz Leadership in CIS X-Ray
 Stitching technology in production in Fab 2:
 8 inch wafers
 State of the art 0.18um process technology
 4x better stitching accuracy compared to 0.5um technology
 Large scanner field size (32x25mm)
 Intra-Oral Smaller (infant size) sensor does not require stitching at all
 Intra-Oral Large (adult) sensor with only one dimension stitching
boundary
 Inherent low defect density due to the fully SMIF (class
<1) and advanced 0.18um equipment
 Easy to integrate analog and digital SOC functionality
 High performance pixel technology with very low dark
current
 Rich library and IP offering and design tool support

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X-Ray Pixel Offering
Pixel Size (um) Pixel Type Full Well (e-) Dark Signal (mV/sec @30C) Responsivity (V/Lux*sec)

20 N+ 600,000 3 1.5

20 N-well 650,000 3.4 1.7

20 BPD 600,000 0.4 1.5

 Pixel customization of size and well

capacity are available as a service
 BPD: Buried Photo Diode

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Fluoroscopy and Radiography
C&T Medical Solutions – TowerJazz & CMT Medical Technologies
(from Thales Group) JV for designing, manufacturing and sell of CMOS based
X-Ray flat panels for medical applications

Hand Radiography X-Ray Chest and Stent in Fluoro

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Reliability (radiation hardness)
CMOS X-ray degradation tested up to 5KRad at 50KeV, w/o
scintillator.
 Minimal degradation effects where observed.
– Factor 4 mean dark current increase, factor 2 on DSNU
 Assuming 10% penetrating the scintillator, this brings up to
5x better than spec requirement of lifetime = 100Gy

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Space applications
 Several Space sensors made through 3rd party custom design
companies
 Large stitched sensor capability
– Up to 0.5 Giga pixel with 5.4um pixel
– Up to 1.3 Giga pixel with 3.3um pixel
 Super low dark current ~10 e/s per pixel at room temp
– 2X lower for each 5oC reduction
 Super low noise ~3 electrons
 Experience with rad-hard applications
 IR sensitivity targets:
– 50% QE @ 850nm
– 30% QE @ 900nm
 Soft X-Ray (10~50nm):
– Large sensor backside illumination in 2011
– Novel backside passivation technology

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 Summary of application range

Medical (X-ray)

Industrial, 8” wafer size

Machine Vision,
Bar-Code
Studio & High End Photography
Large Industrial, Scientific, Space

Consumer Professional
Photography 6” Wafer Size

Wafer Size

Prosumer
Photography
48x36

645

1/10” 1/3”
1/2”
1/4”
Small Medical 1” 4/3” 35 mm
2/3” APS (3:2)
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