US 12,386,073 B2
Pixel array including time-of-flight sensors
Feng-Chien Hsieh, Pingtung (TW); Yun-Wei Cheng, Taipei (TW); Kuo-Cheng Lee, Tainan (TW); and Cheng-Ming Wu, Tainan (TW)
Assigned to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed on Aug. 2, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/364,195.
Application 18/364,195 is a division of application No. 17/249,969, filed on Mar. 19, 2021, granted, now 12,164,034.
Prior Publication US 2023/0375712 A1, Nov. 23, 2023
Int. Cl. G01S 17/894 (2020.01); H10F 39/00 (2025.01); H10F 39/18 (2025.01)
CPC G01S 17/894 (2020.01) [H10F 39/014 (2025.01); H10F 39/18 (2025.01); H10F 39/811 (2025.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method, comprising:
forming a plurality of time-of-flight (ToF) sensors of a pixel array; and
forming an image sensor, of the pixel array, including a plurality of pixel sensors,
wherein each ToF sensor of the plurality of ToF sensors is electrically connected to a different pixel sensor of the plurality of pixel sensors, and
wherein, in a top view of the pixel array:
each of the plurality of ToF sensors is spaced away from the image sensor, and
a top surface of each of the plurality of ToF sensors is coplanar with a top surface of two pixel sensors, of the plurality of pixel sensors,
wherein the two pixel sensors are in contact with each other.