Imaging device and electronic apparatus

Abstract

The present technology relates to an imaging device and an electronic apparatus that make it possible to evaluate chips at a desired timing. The present technology comprises a first semiconductor element and a second semiconductor element that is laminated on the first semiconductor element, wherein, in a plan view, the second semiconductor element includes two regions which are a first region and a second region, an oxide film is provided between the first region and the second region, a side surface of the first region is flush with a first side surface of the first semiconductor element, and a side surface of the second region is flush with a second side surface of the first semiconductor element which is opposite from the first side surface. The present technology is applicable to, for example, an imaging device in which a plurality of semiconductor chips are laminated.

Description

Imaging devices, electronic devices

[0001] The present technology relates to an imaging device and an electronic device, and more particularly to an imaging device and an electronic device suitable for application to an imaging device including a plurality of chips, for example.

[0002] Conventionally, electronic devices with an imaging function, such as digital still cameras and digital video cameras, have used solid-state imaging elements such as CCD (Charge Coupled Device) and CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensors. In recent years, solid-state imaging elements have become smaller and more sophisticated, and stacked CMOS image sensors have become widely used.

[0003] For example, as a technology for miniaturizing the configuration of an imaging device, a technology has been proposed in which a solid-state imaging element is stacked on circuits such as a signal processing circuit and a memory circuit using WoW (Wafer on Wafer), in which the solid-state imaging element is bonded to circuits such as a signal processing circuit and a memory circuit in the wafer state (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] JP 2014-099582 A

[0005] However, in the case of WoW, it is fine if the chips on the stacked wafers are the same size, but if the chip sizes on the wafers are different, the size must be adjusted to the size of the largest chip, which can lead to poor efficiency for each circuit and increased costs.

[0006] Therefore, a method called CoW (Chip on Wafer) has been proposed, in which good chips are picked up from a wafer and transferred onto another wafer. In CoW, good chips are selected before they are connected to the wafer, and a test pattern for selecting good chips is placed on each chip. This test pattern is placed in the area to be diced, and is diced when the wafer is separated into individual chips.

[0007] There is a demand to be able to evaluate the test patterns on the chips even after they have been bonded onto the wafer using CoW, but this demand cannot be met because the test patterns are diced before being stacked on the wafer.

[0008] The present technology has been developed in view of such circumstances, and makes it possible to perform evaluation using test patterns even after a chip is bonded to a wafer.

[0009] An imaging device according to one aspect of the present technology includes a first semiconductor element and a second semiconductor element stacked on the first semiconductor element, and in a planar view, the second semiconductor element includes two regions, a first region and a second region, an oxide film is provided between the first region and the second region, a side surface of the first region is on the same plane as a first side surface of the first semiconductor element, and a side surface of the second region is on the same plane as a second side surface opposite the first side surface of the first semiconductor element.

[0010] An electronic device according to one aspect of the present technology includes a first semiconductor element and a second semiconductor element stacked on the first semiconductor element, wherein, in a planar view, the second semiconductor element includes two regions, a first region and a second region, an oxide film is provided between the first region and the second region, a side surface of the first region is on the same plane as a first side surface of the first semiconductor element, and a side surface of the second region is on the same plane as a second side surface opposite the first side surface of the first semiconductor element, and the electronic device includes: an imaging device; and a processing unit that processes signals from the imaging device.

[0011] An imaging device according to one aspect of the present technology includes a first semiconductor element and a second semiconductor element stacked on the first semiconductor element, and in a planar view, the second semiconductor element includes two regions, a first region and a second region, an oxide film is provided between the first region and the second region, a side surface of the first region is on the same plane as a first side surface of the first semiconductor element, and a side surface of the second region is on the same plane as a second side surface opposite to the first side surface of the first semiconductor element.

[0012] An electronic device according to one aspect of the present technology includes the imaging device.

[0013] The imaging device and the electronic device may be independent devices or may be internal blocks constituting a single device.

[0014] 1 is a diagram for explaining CoW. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining dicing positions. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining dicing positions. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining dicing positions. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining dicing positions. FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of an imaging element in a state where semiconductor elements are stacked. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining dicing positions. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining dicing positions. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining dicing positions. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining dicing positions. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining dicing positions. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining dicing positions. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining dicing positions. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining dicing positions.

[0015] Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the present technology (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described.

[0016] <Configuration and Manufacture of Imaging Device to which the Present Technology is Applied> The CoW technology to which the present technology is applied will now be described with reference to Figure 1. A plurality of imaging elements 220 are formed on a wafer 101 by a semiconductor process. A plurality of semiconductor elements 221 that have been formed on a wafer 102 by the semiconductor process, singulated, and then electrically tested to be good chips, and a plurality of semiconductor elements 222 that have been formed on a wafer 103 by the semiconductor process, singulated, and then electrically tested to be good chips, are selected and re-arranged on the imaging elements 220 formed on the wafer 101.

[0017] That is, the semiconductor elements 221 and 222 that have been confirmed to be non-defective chips are re-arranged on the imaging element 220. Thereafter, the wafer 101 is diced to produce individual imaging devices.

[0018] The semiconductor element 221 and the semiconductor element 222 are, for example, a logic circuit or a memory circuit. The present technology described below can be applied to devices that include a process of stacking semiconductor elements, and devices manufactured by such a process.

[0019] Figure 1 shows an example of dicing semiconductor elements from each of wafers 102 and 103 and rearranging them, but as shown in Figure 2, we will explain the case where different semiconductor elements are formed on a single wafer, and multiple semiconductor elements are diced from that single wafer and rearranged on the wafer.

[0020] 2, semiconductor elements 221-1, 221-2, 221-3, and 221-4 are formed on the wafer 102. The semiconductor elements 221-1 to 221-4 are arranged on one imaging element 220.

[0021] Semiconductor element 221-1 includes evaluation circuit 231-1, semiconductor element 221-2 includes evaluation circuit 231-2, and semiconductor elements 221-3 and 221-4 are elements that do not include evaluation circuit 231. Here, the explanation will be continued assuming that semiconductor elements 221-1 and 221-2 include evaluation circuit 231, but it is also possible to configure the semiconductor elements to include only one of them. Evaluation circuit 231 is a circuit formed for pellet checking.

[0022] 2 illustrates one set of four semiconductor elements 221, semiconductor elements 221-1 to 221-4. When the four semiconductor elements 221-1 to 221-4 are considered as one set, multiple sets of semiconductor elements 221 are formed on one wafer 102. Because the semiconductor elements 221-1 to 221-4 are formed on the same wafer 102, the number of layers formed, the thickness of each layer, the material of each layer, the layer thickness (film thickness), the cross-sectional area, and the like are the same.

[0023] 2, semiconductor elements 221-1 to 221-4 are singulated from wafer 102. After singulation, semiconductor elements 221-1 to 221-4 have the same size, and at least the same length in the vertical direction in the drawing (length of the long sides). The lengths in the horizontal direction in the drawing (length of the short sides) can also be the same or different lengths.

[0024] The individual semiconductor elements 221-1 to 221-4 are each arranged on one imaging element 220 formed on the wafer 101. As shown in the right diagram of Fig. 2, the semiconductor element 221-1 is arranged on the left side of the imaging element 220, the semiconductor element 221-2 is arranged on the right side, the semiconductor element 221-3 is arranged on the bottom side, and the semiconductor element 221-4 is arranged on the top side.

[0025] The semiconductor elements 221-1 and 221-2 arranged on the right and left sides include evaluation circuits 231-1 and 231-2, respectively. A portion of the semiconductor element 221-1 is arranged in a position that extends above the top side of the image sensor 220. This extension is at least the area that includes the evaluation circuit 231-1.

[0026] Looking at the semiconductor element 221-1 in detail, a margin area 232-1 is provided above the evaluation circuit 231-1, and a main circuit region 233-1 is provided below it. In other words, from top to bottom in the figure, the semiconductor element 221-1 is composed of the margin area 232-1, the evaluation circuit 231-1, and the main circuit region 233-1. The margin area 232-1 is an area where no circuits or the like are arranged. The main circuit region 233-1 is an area where circuits for realizing the functions of the semiconductor element 221-1 are formed.

[0027] The area including the margin area 232-1 and the evaluation circuit 231-1 is disposed in an area extending beyond the upper side of the image sensor 220, in other words, above another image sensor 220 disposed above the image sensor 220.

[0028] Similarly, the semiconductor element 221-2 is composed of a margin area 232-2, an evaluation circuit 231-2, and a main circuit area 233-2, from top to bottom in the figure, and the area including the margin area 232-2 and the evaluation circuit 231-2 is located in an area extending beyond the top edge of the image sensor 220, in other words, on another image sensor 220 located above the image sensor 220.

[0029] The semiconductor elements 221-3 and 221-4 are arranged so that they are entirely contained within the area of ​​the imaging element 220.

[0030] Incidentally, for example, when wafer 102 ( FIG. 1 ) is formed, a measurement called a pellet check is performed on wafer 102 to confirm whether it is a good chip. The pellet check is a method of evaluating the characteristics of individual elements, such as transistors, included in semiconductor elements 221 formed on wafer 102. Generally, elements, such as transistors, to be evaluated are formed in appropriate locations, and the characteristics are measured by placing probe needles on measurement electrode pads formed to enable measurement of the elements, such as transistors.

[0031] The circuit formed for the pellet check is referred to as an evaluation circuit 231. This evaluation circuit 231 is formed at a predetermined position on the semiconductor element 221-1 and the semiconductor element 221-2, as shown in FIG.

[0032] The evaluation circuit 231 is provided with, for example, electrode pads for measurement to evaluate the element alone, dummy transistors, etc. In the configuration shown in Fig. 2, the evaluation circuit 231 is formed at a position within the semiconductor element 221 so that the evaluation circuit 231 is located outside the region of the imaging element 220 in which the semiconductor element 221 including the evaluation circuit 231 is located. The region in which this evaluation circuit 231 is located is the region that is diced when the imaging element 220 is singulated, as will be described with reference to Fig. 3.

[0033] Fig. 3A shows image pickup elements 220a and 220b formed on wafer 101. Image pickup elements 220a and 220b are image pickup elements 220 arranged one above the other in wafer 102, and Fig. 3A shows the state before being singulated. Fig. 3 shows semiconductor element 221-1 arranged on image pickup element 220, and does not show other semiconductor elements 221-2 to 221-4.

[0034] A semiconductor element 221-1a is disposed in the imaging element 220a, and a semiconductor element 221-1b is disposed in the imaging element 220b. Although not shown, a semiconductor element 221-1c is disposed in the imaging element 220c disposed below the imaging element 220b.

[0035] Focus is now placed on the semiconductor element 221-1b arranged on the image sensor 220b. The semiconductor element 221-1b is divided into three areas: a margin area 232-1b, an evaluation circuit 231-1b, and a main circuit area 233-1b. The main circuit area 233-1b is arranged on the image sensor 220b, while the margin area 232-1b is located on the adjacent image sensor 220a. The evaluation circuit 231-1b is located on a dicing line.

[0036] A cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' in Figure 3A is shown in Figure 3B. Referring to Figure 3B, a main circuit region 233-1b of semiconductor element 221-1b is arranged on image sensor 220b of wafer 101, and a margin area 232-1b of semiconductor element 221-1b is arranged on image sensor 220a. Evaluation circuit 231-1b of semiconductor element 221-1b is arranged on a dicing line between image sensor 220a and image sensor 220b.

[0037] The semiconductor device is cut at the dicing line positions with a dicing blade, resulting in individual pieces of the imaging element 220a and the imaging element 220b. Because the evaluation circuit 231-1b is located on the dicing line, dicing is performed on the evaluation circuit 231-1b, and after dicing (singling), no evaluation circuit 231-1b remains in the imaging element 220b, or only a portion of the evaluation circuit 231-1b remains.

[0038] Because the margin area 232-1b of the semiconductor element 221-1b is located on the imaging element 220a, after singulation, the margin area 232-1b of the semiconductor element 221-1b is arranged on the imaging element 220a. Referring to FIG. 3A, the margin area 232-1c of the semiconductor element 221-1c that was arranged on the imaging element 220c remains on the lower left side of the imaging element 220b. The semiconductor element 221-1c is the semiconductor element 221 arranged on the imaging element 220c, but a portion of it (the margin area 232-1c) is arranged on the imaging element 220b. Therefore, after singulation, a portion of the semiconductor element 221-1c (the margin area 232-1c) remains on the imaging element 220b.

[0039] When only the imaging element 220b after singulation is viewed, the imaging element 220b is arranged with a main circuit region 233-1b of the semiconductor element 221-1b and a margin area 232-1c of the semiconductor element 221-1c. The margin area 232-1c does not have the functions of the semiconductor element 221, in other words, it is an area that does not function as a circuit.

[0040] When only the imaging element 220 after singulation is viewed in a plane, the semiconductor element 221 on the imaging element 220 is composed of two regions, a main circuit region 233 and a margin area 232 (the semiconductor element 221 is configured to include two regions), and the two regions are arranged in a straight line, with a region (oxide film 251 described later) filled with a material different from the material of the semiconductor element 221 located between them.

[0041] In this way, the semiconductor element 221 formed on the wafer 102 is configured to include the evaluation circuit 231. Furthermore, the semiconductor element 221 is separated from the wafer 102 while including the evaluation circuit 231. The separated semiconductor element 221 including the evaluation circuit 231 is transferred onto the imaging element 220 of the wafer 101.

[0042] Since the semiconductor element 221 including the evaluation circuit 231 is transferred onto the wafer 101, the semiconductor element 221 can be evaluated even after the transfer.

[0043] When the semiconductor element 221 is transferred to the wafer 101, the evaluation circuit 231 included in the semiconductor element 221 is transferred to a position that overlaps with a dicing line when dicing the wafer 101. Therefore, when the wafer 101 is diced, the evaluation circuit 231 of the semiconductor element 221 is also diced, and the evaluation circuit 231 is not included in the individual imaging elements 220 (although some of it may remain). This prevents the chip size from becoming larger and prevents any obstruction to miniaturization of the imaging device.

[0044] Fig. 4 shows another example of the arrangement of semiconductor elements 221 on the imaging element 220. The example shown in Fig. 4 shows an example in which six semiconductor elements 221-1 to 221-6 are arranged on the imaging element 220a. When the six semiconductor elements 221, 221-1 to 221-6, are considered as one set, multiple sets of semiconductor elements 221 are formed on the wafer 102. The semiconductor elements 221-1 to 221-6 that make up one set are semiconductor elements 221 arranged on one imaging element 220a.

[0045] An evaluation circuit 231-1 is provided in the semiconductor element 221-1. As in the case described with reference to Fig. 2, the semiconductor element 221-1 is divided into three regions: the evaluation circuit 231-1, a margin area 232-1, and a main circuit region 233-1. The evaluation circuit 231-1 is provided on the long side of the semiconductor element 221-1.

[0046] The semiconductor elements 221-2 to 221-6 are not provided with an evaluation circuit 231 or a margin area 232. In other words, the semiconductor elements 221-2 to 221-6 are configured only with an area corresponding to the main circuit area 233. The semiconductor elements 221-1 to 221-6 each have the same length of long sides. The lengths of the short sides may be configured to be the same, or may be configured to be different sizes depending on the circuit scale.

[0047] As shown in the right diagram of Figure 4, semiconductor element 221-1 is arranged on the right side of the imaging element 220a, semiconductor element 221-2 is arranged on the upper left side, semiconductor element 221-3 is arranged on the upper right side, semiconductor element 221-4 is arranged on the left side, semiconductor element 221-2 is arranged on the lower left side, and semiconductor element 221-6 is arranged on the lower right side.

[0048] The semiconductor element 221-1 located on the left side includes an evaluation circuit 231-1. A portion of the semiconductor element 221-1 is located in a position that extends beyond the right side of the image sensor 220a to the right. The area including the margin area 232-1 and the evaluation circuit 231-1 is located in the area that extends beyond the right side of the image sensor 220a, in other words, on another image sensor 220b (not shown) located to the right of the image sensor 220a.

[0049] Each of the semiconductor elements 221-2 to 221-6 is arranged so that it is entirely contained within the area of ​​the image sensor 220a.

[0050] A main circuit region 233-1 of the semiconductor element 221-1 is disposed on the imaging element 220a of the wafer 101, and a margin area 232-1 of the semiconductor element 221-1 is disposed on the imaging element 220b formed to the right of the imaging element 220a, which is not shown in Figure 4. The evaluation circuit 231-1 of the semiconductor element 221-1 is disposed on a dicing line between the imaging elements 220a and 220b.

[0051] The semiconductor device is cut by a dicing blade at the dicing line positions to be separated into imaging elements 220a and 220b. Because the evaluation circuit 231-1 is located on the dicing line, dicing is performed on the evaluation circuit 231-1, and after dicing (separation), no evaluation circuit 231-1 remains in the imaging element 220a, or only a portion of the evaluation circuit 231-1 remains.

[0052] Because the margin area 232-1 of the semiconductor element 221-1 is located on the imaging element 220b, after singulation, the margin area 232-1 of the semiconductor element 221-1 is arranged on the imaging element 220b. An imaging element 220c (not shown) is formed on the left side of the imaging element 220a in the figure, and a margin area 232-1c of the semiconductor element 221-1c that was arranged on the imaging element 220c remains. The semiconductor element 221-1c is the semiconductor element 221 arranged on the imaging element 220c, but a portion of it (margin area 232-1c) is arranged on the imaging element 220a. Therefore, after singulation, a portion of the semiconductor element 221-1c (margin area 232-1c) remains on the imaging element 220a.

[0053] When only the imaging element 220a after singulation is viewed, the imaging element 220a is arranged with a main circuit region 233-1 of the semiconductor element 221-1 and a margin area 232-1 of the semiconductor element 221-1. The margin area 232-1 is an area that does not function as the semiconductor element 221-1.

[0054] When only the imaging element 220 after singulation is viewed in a plan view, the semiconductor element 221 on the imaging element 220 is composed of two regions, a main circuit region 233 and a margin area 232 (the semiconductor element 221 is configured to include two regions), and at least a portion of the area between the two regions is filled with a material different from the material of the semiconductor element 221 (oxide film 251, described later).

[0055] When only the imaging element 220a after singulation is viewed, the imaging element 220a has a margin area 232-1c of the semiconductor element 221-1c arranged adjacent to the semiconductor element 221-4 and on the side of the imaging element 220a.

[0056] When only the imaging element 220 after singulation is viewed, the semiconductor element 221 and a margin area 232 are arranged adjacent to each other in a plan view on the imaging element 220. In this case, the margin area 232 is an area made of only silicon when the material used as the substrate, for example, a silicon substrate, is used, and such an area is arranged adjacent to the semiconductor element 221 having a circuit.

[0057] In this way, the semiconductor element 221 formed on the wafer 102 is configured to include the evaluation circuit 231. Furthermore, the semiconductor element 221 is separated from the wafer 102 while including the evaluation circuit 231. The separated semiconductor element 221 including the evaluation circuit 231 is transferred onto the imaging element 220a of the wafer 101. Because the semiconductor element 221 including the evaluation circuit 231 is transferred onto the wafer 101, the semiconductor element 221 can be evaluated even after transfer.

[0058] In the example shown in Figure 2, the semiconductor element 221 is arranged so that the evaluation circuit 231 is located on the horizontal dicing line, and in the example shown in Figure 4, the semiconductor element 221 is arranged so that the evaluation circuit 231 is located on the vertical dicing line.

[0059] Referring again to Figure 2, as shown in the left diagram of Figure 2, semiconductor elements 221-1 to 221-4 are formed on wafer 102 and are formed so that they have the same vertical length (length of the long side). Therefore, as shown in the right diagram of Figure 2, after being placed on imaging element 220 and before dicing, the lengths of the long sides of semiconductor elements 221-1 to 221-4 are the same.

[0060] In the imaging element 220 after dicing, the semiconductor elements 221-1 and 221-2, whose long sides are arranged vertically, have the same long side length, and the semiconductor elements 221-3 and 221-4, whose long sides are arranged horizontally, have the same long side length, but the long side lengths of the semiconductor elements 221-1 and 221-2 and the semiconductor elements 221-3 and 221-4 are different.

[0061] The length of the long sides of the semiconductor elements 221-1 and 221-2 is shorter than the length of the long sides of the semiconductor elements 221-3 and 221-4. When the semiconductor element 221-1 is diced, the evaluation circuit 231-1 is removed and the margin area 232-1 remains on the other semiconductor elements 221. Therefore, when comparing the length before and after dicing, the length of the long sides of the semiconductor element 221-1 after dicing is shorter than the length of the long sides of the semiconductor element 221-1 before dicing by the sum of the length of the evaluation circuit 231-1 and the margin area 232-1. The same is true for the semiconductor element 221-2.

[0062] 3, a main circuit area 233-1b of a semiconductor element 221-1b and a margin area 232-1c of a semiconductor element 221-1c are arranged on the image sensor 220b. At least a portion of the semiconductor element 221 is arranged on each of the upper and lower sides of the image sensor 220b.

[0063] 3, a main circuit area 233-2b of the semiconductor element 221-2b and a margin area 232-2c of the semiconductor element 221-2c are arranged on the right side of the image sensor 220b. Therefore, on the right side of the image sensor 220b, at least a portion of the semiconductor element 221 is arranged on each of the upper and lower sides in the figure.

[0064] The parts of the semiconductor element 221 arranged on the upper and lower sides of the image pickup element 220 in the drawing are configured with the same number of layers, the same material, the same film thickness, and the same cross-sectional area.

[0065] Referring again to FIG. 4, as shown in the left diagram of FIG. 4, semiconductor elements 221-1 to 221-6 are formed on wafer 102 and are formed so that they have the same horizontal length (length of the long side). In the example shown in FIG. 4, semiconductor elements 221-1 to 221-6 are also formed on wafer 102 and are formed so that they also have the same vertical length (length of the short side). Therefore, as shown in the right diagram of FIG. 4, after being placed on imaging element 220a and before dicing, semiconductor elements 221-1 to 221-4 have the same long side length and the same short side length.

[0066] In the imaging element 220 after dicing, the semiconductor element 221-1, whose long side is oriented vertically, has the same long side length as the semiconductor element 221-1, whose long side is also oriented vertically, but its short side is shorter. Also, in the imaging element 220 after dicing, the semiconductor element 221-1 has the same long side length as the semiconductor elements 221-2 and 221-6 (excluding the semiconductor element 221-4), whose long sides are oriented horizontally, but its short side is shorter.

[0067] The length of the short side of semiconductor element 221-1 is shorter than the lengths of the short sides of semiconductor elements 221-2 to 221-6. When semiconductor element 221-1 is diced, evaluation circuit 231-1 arranged on the right side in the figure is removed, and margin area 232-1 remains on the other semiconductor elements 221. Therefore, when comparing before and after dicing, the length of the short side of semiconductor element 221-1 after dicing is shorter than the length of the short side of semiconductor element 221-1 before dicing by the sum of the length of evaluation circuit 231-1 and margin area 232-1.

[0068] A main circuit region 233-1 of a semiconductor element 221-1 and a margin area 232-1c of a semiconductor element 221-1c are arranged on the image sensor 220a. At least a portion of the semiconductor element 221 is arranged on each of the left and right sides of the image sensor 220a in the drawing. The portions of the semiconductor element 221 on each of the left and right sides of the image sensor 220a in the drawing are configured with the same number of layers, the same materials, the same film thickness, and the same cross-sectional area.

[0069] 5 to 8, the steps for manufacturing an imaging device using CoW technology will be further described. Here, the description will be given taking as an example a case where the semiconductor element 221 is transferred onto the wafer 101.

[0070] As shown in the upper diagram of Fig. 5, an electrical inspection is performed on the imaging elements 220 on the wafer 101 to determine whether they are non-defective. When the inspection is performed on the imaging elements 220 on the wafer 101, inspection pads 238 are opened on the bonding surface side. The example shown in the upper diagram of Fig. 5 shows a state in which pad 238-1 is opened for inspection of imaging element 220-1, and pad 238-2 is opened for inspection of imaging element 220-2.

[0071] 5, semiconductor elements 221-1a and 221-1b that have been confirmed to be non-defective are transferred onto the imaging element 220 of the wafer 101 that has been determined to be non-defective. Inspection pads 238 provided on the wafer 101 are embedded during bonding, and bonding terminals and the like are also formed.

[0072] The semiconductor element 221-1a includes an evaluation circuit 231-1a, and the semiconductor element 221-1b includes an evaluation circuit 231-1b, both of which are transferred onto the wafer 101. In FIG.

[0073] 2, when semiconductor elements 221-1 to 221-4 are formed on wafer 102, semiconductor elements 221-2 to 221-4 are also transferred to wafer 101 in the same manner as semiconductor element 221-1. Similarly, when semiconductor elements 221-1 to 221-6 are formed on wafer 102, semiconductor elements 221-2 to 221-6 are also transferred to wafer 101 in the same manner as semiconductor element 221-1.

[0074] When the semiconductor elements 221 are separated from the wafer 102, the silicon (Si) constituting the wafer 102 is processed by processes such as dry etching and dicing. During this processing, silicon debris or damage may cause scratches on the silicon, and these scratches may propagate. To prevent this, a guard ring may be provided within the semiconductor element 221 or the image sensor 220. When a guard ring is provided, the guard ring is a ring-shaped structure contained within the semiconductor element 221 (image sensor 220) and configured to protect elements positioned within the ring. The guard ring may be formed, for example, of a metal film such as aluminum (Al) or an insulating film such as silicon oxide (SiO2).

[0075] When the semiconductor elements 221 are transferred onto the wafer 101, the state becomes as shown in the upper diagram of Fig. 6. In the upper diagram of Fig. 6, the semiconductor element 221-1a is transferred onto the image pickup element 220-1 which will become the image pickup device 261-1, and the semiconductor element 221-2b is transferred onto the image pickup element 220-2 which will become the image pickup device 261-2.

[0076] 6 shows a state in which the terminals 241 of the semiconductor element 221 and the terminals 242 of the imaging element 220 on the wafer 101 are aligned so as to be in an appropriate opposing position and connected by Cu-Cu bonding. Here, the appropriate opposing position is a position where the evaluation circuit 231 included in the semiconductor element 221 and the dicing line of the wafer 101 overlap.

[0077] As described with reference to Figure 2 or Figure 4, the transfer is performed such that semiconductor element 221-1a is transferred and placed in a shifted state onto imaging element 220-1, which will become imaging device 261-1, and semiconductor element 221-2b is transferred and placed in a shifted state onto imaging element 220-2, which will become imaging device 261-2, so that the evaluation circuit 231 included in semiconductor element 221 overlaps the dicing line of wafer 101.

[0078] 6, an oxide film 251 that functions as a buried film (insulating film) is formed, and the rearranged semiconductor element 221 is buried in the oxide film 251. A support substrate 252 is bonded onto the formed oxide film 251.

[0079] In the next step, as shown in FIG. 7 , openings are made in the portions of the wafer 101 that will become the pads of the imaging elements 220. The pads opened in this step are used for input and / or output of signals, power, and the like to the semiconductor elements 221. Although not shown, after this, a PN junction photodiode is formed on the imaging elements 220 side, and a color filter and an on-chip lens are laminated, thereby producing an imaging device 261 before singulation. The state shown in FIG. 7 is the state before dicing, in which the evaluation circuit 231 is present and the evaluation circuit 231 has electrode pads for measurement, so that a pellet check can be performed. Even after the semiconductor elements 221 are arranged on the wafer 101, in other words, evaluation and measurement can be performed up until just before dicing.

[0080] As shown in FIG. 8, the substrate is turned upside down so that the support substrate 252 is on the bottom side, and dicing is performed at position D1 to separate the substrate into imaging devices 261-1 and 261-2.

[0081] Because evaluation circuit 231 is stacked on wafer 101 at dicing position D1, when wafer 101 is diced, evaluation circuit 231 of stacked semiconductor element 221 is also diced. When the dicing blade moves from top to bottom in the figure at dicing position D1, the left and right sides of the dicing blade (horizontal direction in the figure) have different hardnesses, and there is no region where the force applied to one side is greater than the force applied to the other side. In other words, when dicing, the dicing blade can perform dicing in a state where force is applied evenly in the left and right directions.

[0082] If, when a dicing blade is dicing, there is an area in the left-right direction where the force applied to one side is greater than the force applied to the other side, in other words, if there are areas on the left and right sides of the dicing blade where different materials and hardnesses are present, the dicing blade may be damaged.

[0083] 8, evaluation circuit 231 is located at position D1, which is the position where evaluation circuit 231 is cut. At position D1, when the dicing blade moves from top to bottom in the figure, there are no regions on the left and right sides of the dicing blade that are made of different materials, have no regions that are different in hardness, and have no regions where the force applied to one side is greater than the force applied to the other side, which prevents the dicing blade from being damaged.

[0084] By singulating at position D1 shown in Fig. 8, the imaging device 261-2 as shown in Fig. 9 is manufactured. Here, the imaging device 261-2 (the imaging device 261-2 located to the left of position D1 in Fig. 8) will be described as an example.

[0085] The imaging device 261-2 is configured by stacking an imaging element 220-1 and a semiconductor element 221-1b, and of the four sides of the semiconductor element 221-1b in the figure, two sides are enclosed by an oxide film 251, and one side is not covered by the oxide film 251 (is exposed).

[0086] On the left side (left cross section) of the image pickup device 261-2 in the drawing, a margin area 232-1c of the semiconductor element 221-1c is present in an exposed state, and on the right side (right cross section) of the image pickup device 261-2 in the drawing, a main circuit region 233-1b of the semiconductor element 221-1b is present in an exposed state. When the semiconductor element 221 is formed using a silicon substrate, the exposed side surface (cross section) is silicon.

[0087] 9 has a structure in which a semiconductor element 221-1b is stacked on an imaging element 220-2. The end faces of the imaging element 220-2 and one surface of the semiconductor element 221-1b are aligned by dicing, so that, for example, the silicon substrate is exposed. Note that instead of leaving the silicon substrate exposed, the exposed portion may be processed as appropriate after dicing, for example, by forming an oxide film on the exposed portion.

[0088] The imaging device 261-2 is configured such that the end faces of the imaging element 220-2, semiconductor element 221-1b, and semiconductor element 221-1c (the right and left faces in FIG. 8) are located on two of its side faces.

[0089] In other words, one of the side surfaces of the imaging element 220-2 and one of the side surfaces of the semiconductor element 221-1 are on the same plane, and one of the side surfaces of the imaging element 220-2 opposite to that surface is on the same plane as one of the side surfaces of the semiconductor element 221-1. The semiconductor elements 221-1 on the two sides of the imaging device 261-2 are elements cut out from the same wafer 102, and therefore have the same number of layers, material for each layer, thickness of each layer, cross-sectional area of ​​the exposed portion, etc.

[0090] Depending on the thickness of the dicing blade, the wiring and circuitry (conductors constituting these) of the evaluation circuit 231 formed on the semiconductor element 221 may remain. Figure 10 shows the same state of the imaging device 261 before dicing as shown in Figure 8, except that the width of the dicing line is narrower. If the width of the dicing blade at position D1 shown in Figure 8 is width D1 and the width of the dicing blade at position D2 shown in Figure 10 is width D2, the relationship width D1 > width D2 is satisfied.

[0091] When the width of the dicing blade becomes width D2 narrower than width D1, the width of the dicing line also becomes narrower, so that the central portion of the evaluation circuit 231-1 located at the position of the dicing line may be cut off, with both ends remaining on the semiconductor element 221. The imaging device 261-2 shown in Figure 11 shows a state in which part of the wiring (conductor) formed on the evaluation circuit 231 remains.

[0092] Referring to Figure 10, after the substrate is inverted so that the support substrate 252 is on the bottom side, dicing is performed at position D2 using a dicing blade with width D2, thereby separating the substrate into individual imaging devices 261-1 and 261-2.

[0093] Because evaluation circuit 231 is stacked on wafer 101 at dicing position D2, evaluation circuit 231 of stacked semiconductor element 221 is also diced when wafer 101 is diced. In the case shown in Figure 10 , when the dicing blade moves from top to bottom in the figure at dicing position D2, the left and right sides of the dicing blade (horizontal direction in the figure) have different hardnesses, and there is no region where the force applied to one side is greater than the force applied to the other side, so damage to the dicing blade can be prevented.

[0094] When a dicing blade becomes thinner, there is a risk of breakage, but this technology can eliminate the causes of breakage, making it possible to prevent breakage even when dicing using a thin dicing blade.

[0095] If the width D2 is narrower than the width of the region in which the evaluation circuit 231 is formed, there is a possibility that part of the evaluation circuit 231 will remain in the imaging device 261-2 after singulation. Figure 11 shows a cross section of the singulated imaging device 261-2. The imaging device 261-2 is configured by stacking an imaging element 220-2 and a semiconductor element 221-1b, and of the four sides of the semiconductor element 221-1b in the figure, two sides are enclosed by the oxide film 251 and one side is not covered by the oxide film 251 (is exposed).

[0096] On the left side of the image capturing device 261-2 in the figure (cross section on the left side), a portion of the evaluation circuit 231-1c of the semiconductor element 221-1c is exposed, and on the right side of the image capturing device 261-2 in the figure (cross section on the right side), a portion of the evaluation circuit 231-1b of the semiconductor element 221-1b is exposed.

[0097] 11 has a structure in which a semiconductor element 221-1b is stacked on an imaging element 220-2. Two of the side surfaces of the imaging device 261-2 are configured to accommodate end faces (the right and left faces in FIG. 8) of the evaluation circuit 231-1b or evaluation circuit 231-1c included in the imaging element 220-2 and the semiconductor element 221-1b or semiconductor element 221-1c.

[0098] In other words, one of the side surfaces of the image sensor 220-2 and the cut surface of the evaluation circuit 231 included in the semiconductor element 221-1 are on the same plane, and one surface of the image sensor 220-2 on the opposite side to that surface and the cut surface of the evaluation circuit 231 of the semiconductor element 221-1 are on the same plane. Because the evaluation circuit 231 is cut, it does not function as the evaluation circuit 231.

[0099] 11, parts of the evaluation circuit 231 are present on two opposing surfaces, and are configured to expose, for example, conductors that are materials that make up the evaluation circuit 231. The semiconductor elements 221-1 (evaluation circuits 231) on the two surfaces of the imaging device 261-2 are elements cut out from the same wafer 102, and therefore have the same number of layers, material for each layer, layer thickness, cross-sectional area of ​​the exposed portion, and the like.

[0100] When the size of the semiconductor element 221 itself can be made large or when the margin area 232 can be made large, the dicing line can be positioned in the margin area 232, and dicing can be performed in the margin area 232. When the margin area 232 is made large, the evaluation circuit 231 formed in the semiconductor element 221a remains as it is.

[0101] 12 is the same as the state of the imaging device 261 before dicing shown in FIG. 8, except that the dicing line is located on the margin area 232. When the dicing line position D3 is located in the margin area 232, the evaluation circuit 231-1 is located inside the dicing line position, and the evaluation circuit 231 remains in the imaging device 261 after dicing.

[0102] 12, after the substrate is turned upside down so that the support substrate 252 is on the bottom side, a dicing blade is used to perform dicing at position D3, resulting in individual pieces being separated into imaging devices 261-1 and 261-2. The width of the dicing blade during dicing (the width of the dicing line) may be width D1 or width D2.

[0103] At dicing position D3, margin area 232 is stacked on wafer 101, and therefore, when wafer 101 is diced, margin area 232 of stacked semiconductor elements 221 is diced. In the case shown in Figure 12 , when the dicing blade moves from top to bottom in the figure at dicing position D3, the left and right sides of the dicing blade (horizontal direction in the figure) have different hardnesses, and there is no region where the force applied to one side is greater than the force applied to the other side, preventing the dicing blade from being damaged.

[0104] 13 shows a cross section of an individualized imaging device 261-2. The imaging device 261-2 is configured by stacking an imaging element 220-2 and a semiconductor element 221-1a, and two of the four sides of the semiconductor element 221-1a in the figure are enclosed by an oxide film 251, and one side is configured without the oxide film 251 (exposed).

[0105] On the left side (left cross section) of the image capturing device 261-2 in the figure, a portion of a margin area 232-1c of the semiconductor element 221-1c is exposed, and on the right side (right cross section) of the image capturing device 261-2 in the figure, a portion of a margin area 232-1b of the semiconductor element 221-1b is exposed. If the semiconductor element 221 is formed using a silicon substrate, for example, the margin area 232 is an area made of silicon, and therefore, silicon is exposed on two opposing sides of the side of the image capturing device 261-2.

[0106] 13 has a structure in which a semiconductor element 221-1b is stacked on an imaging element 220-2. Two of the side surfaces of the imaging device 261-2 are configured such that the end faces (the right and left faces in FIG. 8) of the margin area 232-1b or margin area 232-1c included in the imaging element 220-2 and the semiconductor element 221-1b or semiconductor element 221-1c are located on the two surfaces.

[0107] In other words, one of the side surfaces of the imaging element 220-2 and the cross section of the margin area 232-1 included in the semiconductor element 221-1 are on the same plane, and one surface of the imaging element 220-2 opposite that surface and the cross section of the margin area 232-1 of the semiconductor element 221-1 are on the same plane.

[0108] 12, a part of the margin area 232, for example, silicon, is exposed on two opposing surfaces of the imaging device 261-2. The semiconductor elements 221-1 (margin areas 232) on the two surfaces of the imaging device 261-2 are elements cut out from the same wafer 102, and therefore have the same number of layers, material for each layer, layer thickness, cross-sectional area, etc.

[0109] According to this technique, it is possible to prevent the dicing blade from being damaged during dicing. According to this technique, when the semiconductor element 221 is transferred onto the wafer 101, the semiconductor element 221 is transferred with the evaluation circuit 231 present, so that the semiconductor element 221 can be evaluated after transfer.

[0110] The multiple semiconductor elements 221 placed on the wafer 101 can be individualized from the same wafer 102, and in this way, only one of the multiple semiconductor elements 221 can include the evaluation circuit 231, and the semiconductor element 221 can be evaluated after being transferred to the wafer 101.

[0111] <Application Examples to Electronic Devices> The present technology is applicable to general electronic devices that use an imaging element in an image capture unit (photoelectric conversion unit), such as imaging devices such as digital still cameras and video cameras, portable terminal devices with imaging functions, copiers that use an imaging element in an image reading unit, etc. The imaging element may be formed as a single chip, or may be in the form of a module having an imaging function in which the imaging unit and a signal processing unit or an optical system are packaged together.

[0112] Fig. 14 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of an imaging device as an electronic device to which the present technology is applied. The imaging device 1000 in Fig. 14 includes an optical unit 1001 including a lens group and the like, an imaging element (imaging device) 1002, and a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) circuit 1003 which is a camera signal processing circuit. The imaging device 1000 also includes a frame memory 1004, a display unit 1005, a recording unit 1006, an operation unit 1007, and a power supply unit 1008. The DSP circuit 1003, the frame memory 1004, the display unit 1005, the recording unit 1006, the operation unit 1007, and the power supply unit 1008 are connected to each other via a bus line 1009.

[0113] The optical unit 1001 takes in incident light (image light) from a subject and forms an image on the imaging surface of the image sensor 1002. The image sensor 1002 converts the amount of incident light formed on the imaging surface by the optical unit 1001 into an electrical signal on a pixel-by-pixel basis and outputs the signal as a pixel signal.

[0114] The display unit 1005 is configured with a thin display such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, and displays moving images or still images captured by the imaging element 1002. The recording unit 1006 records the moving images or still images captured by the imaging element 1002 on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

[0115] An operation unit 1007, under user operation, issues operation commands for various functions of the imaging device 1000. A power supply unit 1008 appropriately supplies various types of power to the DSP circuit 1003, frame memory 1004, display unit 1005, recording unit 1006, and operation unit 1007 as operating power sources.

[0116] An imaging element including the imaging device 261 described above can be applied to a part of the imaging device shown in FIG.

[0117] <Application Example to Endoscopic Surgery System> The technology according to the present disclosure (the present technology) can be applied to various products. For example, the technology according to the present disclosure may be applied to an endoscopic surgery system.

[0118] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of an endoscopic surgery system to which the technology according to the present disclosure (the present technology) can be applied.

[0119] 15 shows an operator (doctor) 11131 performing surgery on a patient 11132 on a patient bed 11133 using an endoscopic surgery system 11000. As shown in the figure, the endoscopic surgery system 11000 is composed of an endoscope 11100, other surgical tools 11110 such as an insufflation tube 11111 and an energy treatment tool 11112, a support arm device 11120 that supports the endoscope 11100, and a cart 11200 on which various devices for endoscopic surgery are mounted.

[0120] The endoscope 11100 is composed of a lens barrel 11101, a region of a predetermined length from the tip of which is inserted into a body cavity of a patient 11132, and a camera head 11102 connected to the base end of the lens barrel 11101. In the example shown, the endoscope 11100 is configured as a so-called rigid scope having a rigid lens barrel 11101, but the endoscope 11100 may also be configured as a so-called flexible scope having a flexible lens barrel.

[0121] An opening into which an objective lens is fitted is provided at the tip of the lens barrel 11101. A light source device 11203 is connected to the endoscope 11100, and light generated by the light source device 11203 is guided to the tip of the lens barrel by a light guide extending inside the lens barrel 11101, and is irradiated via the objective lens toward an object to be observed inside the body cavity of the patient 11132. The endoscope 11100 may be a direct-viewing endoscope, an oblique-viewing endoscope, or a side-viewing endoscope.

[0122] An optical system and an image sensor are provided inside the camera head 11102, and light reflected from the object of observation (observation light) is collected onto the image sensor by the optical system. The observation light is photoelectrically converted by the image sensor to generate an electrical signal corresponding to the observation light, i.e., an image signal corresponding to the observed image. The image signal is sent to a camera control unit (CCU) 11201 as RAW data.

[0123] The CCU 11201 is configured with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc., and comprehensively controls the operations of the endoscope 11100 and the display device 11202. Furthermore, the CCU 11201 receives an image signal from the camera head 11102 and performs various types of image processing on the image signal, such as development processing (demosaic processing), to display an image based on the image signal.

[0124] Under the control of the CCU 11201, the display device 11202 displays an image based on an image signal that has been subjected to image processing by the CCU 11201.

[0125] The light source device 11203 is composed of a light source such as an LED (light emitting diode), and supplies irradiation light to the endoscope 11100 when photographing the surgical site, etc.

[0126] The input device 11204 is an input interface for the endoscopic surgery system 11000. A user can input various information and instructions to the endoscopic surgery system 11000 via the input device 11204. For example, the user inputs an instruction to change the imaging conditions (type of irradiation light, magnification, focal length, etc.) of the endoscope 11100.

[0127] The treatment tool control device 11205 controls the driving of the energy treatment tool 11112 for cauterizing tissue, incising, sealing blood vessels, etc. The insufflation device 11206 inflates the body cavity of the patient 11132 through the insufflation tube 11111 in order to ensure a clear field of view for the endoscope 11100 and a working space for the surgeon. The recorder 11207 is a device capable of recording various types of information related to the surgery. The printer 11208 is a device capable of printing various types of information related to the surgery in various formats such as text, images, or graphs.

[0128] The light source device 11203, which supplies illumination light to the endoscope 11100 when photographing the surgical site, can be configured from a white light source, such as an LED, a laser light source, or a combination of these. When the white light source is configured from a combination of RGB laser light sources, the output intensity and output timing of each color (each wavelength) can be controlled with high precision, allowing the light source device 11203 to adjust the white balance of the captured image. In this case, it is also possible to time-share images corresponding to each RGB by irradiating the object of observation with laser light from each RGB laser light source and controlling the drive of the image sensor of the camera head 11102 in synchronization with the irradiation timing. According to this method, color images can be obtained without providing a color filter to the image sensor.

[0129] Furthermore, the light source device 11203 may be controlled to change the intensity of light it outputs at predetermined time intervals. By controlling the driving of the image sensor of the camera head 11102 in synchronization with the timing of the change in light intensity to acquire images in a time-division manner and combining the images, it is possible to generate an image with a high dynamic range that is free from so-called blocked-up shadows and blown-out highlights.

[0130] The light source device 11203 may also be configured to supply light in a predetermined wavelength band corresponding to special light observation. Special light observation, for example, utilizes the wavelength dependence of light absorption in body tissues to irradiate light with a narrower band than the light irradiated during normal observation (i.e., white light), thereby capturing high-contrast images of specific tissues, such as blood vessels on the surface of mucous membranes, known as narrow-band imaging. Alternatively, special light observation may involve fluorescence observation, in which images are obtained using fluorescence generated by irradiating excitation light. Fluorescence observation may involve irradiating excitation light onto body tissues and observing the fluorescence from the tissue (autofluorescence observation), or by locally injecting a reagent such as indocyanine green (ICG) into the body tissue and irradiating the tissue with excitation light corresponding to the fluorescent wavelength of the reagent to obtain a fluorescent image. The light source device 11203 may be configured to supply narrow-band light and / or excitation light corresponding to such special light observation.

[0131] FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the camera head 11102 and the CCU 11201 shown in FIG.

[0132] The camera head 11102 has a lens unit 11401, an imaging unit 11402, a drive unit 11403, a communication unit 11404, and a camera head control unit 11405. The CCU 11201 has a communication unit 11411, an image processing unit 11412, and a control unit 11413. The camera head 11102 and the CCU 11201 are connected to each other via a transmission cable 11400 so that they can communicate with each other.

[0133] The lens unit 11401 is an optical system provided at the connection portion with the lens barrel 11101. Observation light taken in from the tip of the lens barrel 11101 is guided to the camera head 11102 and enters the lens unit 11401. The lens unit 11401 is composed of a combination of multiple lenses including a zoom lens and a focus lens.

[0134] The imaging unit 11402 may include one imaging element (a so-called single-chip type) or multiple imaging elements (a so-called multi-chip type). When the imaging unit 11402 is configured as a multi-chip type, for example, each imaging element may generate an image signal corresponding to each of RGB, and a color image may be obtained by combining these signals. Alternatively, the imaging unit 11402 may be configured to have a pair of imaging elements for acquiring image signals for the right eye and the left eye corresponding to a 3D (dimensional) display. The 3D display allows the surgeon 11131 to more accurately grasp the depth of the biological tissue at the surgical site. Note that when the imaging unit 11402 is configured as a multi-chip type, multiple lens units 11401 may be provided corresponding to each imaging element.

[0135] Furthermore, the imaging unit 11402 does not necessarily have to be provided in the camera head 11102. For example, the imaging unit 11402 may be provided inside the lens barrel 11101, immediately after the objective lens.

[0136] The driving unit 11403 is configured by an actuator, and moves the zoom lens and focus lens of the lens unit 11401 by a predetermined distance along the optical axis under the control of the camera head control unit 11405. This allows the magnification and focus of the image captured by the imaging unit 11402 to be adjusted appropriately.

[0137] The communication unit 11404 is configured by a communication device for transmitting and receiving various types of information to and from the CCU 11201. The communication unit 11404 transmits the image signal obtained from the imaging unit 11402 to the CCU 11201 via the transmission cable 11400 as RAW data.

[0138] Furthermore, the communication unit 11404 receives a control signal for controlling the driving of the camera head 11102 from the CCU 11201 and supplies the control signal to the camera head control unit 11405. The control signal includes information on the imaging conditions, such as information specifying the frame rate of the captured image, information specifying the exposure value at the time of imaging, and / or information specifying the magnification and focus of the captured image.

[0139] The image capturing conditions such as the frame rate, exposure value, magnification, and focus may be appropriately specified by the user, or may be automatically set by the control unit 11413 of the CCU 11201 based on the acquired image signal. In the latter case, the endoscope 11100 is equipped with a so-called AE (Auto Exposure) function, AF (Auto Focus) function, and AWB (Auto White Balance) function.

[0140] The camera head control unit 11405 controls the driving of the camera head 11102 based on a control signal received from the CCU 11201 via the communication unit 11404 .

[0141] The communication unit 11411 is configured by a communication device for transmitting and receiving various information to and from the camera head 11102. The communication unit 11411 receives an image signal transmitted from the camera head 11102 via the transmission cable 11400.

[0142] Furthermore, the communication unit 11411 transmits to the camera head 11102 a control signal for controlling the driving of the camera head 11102. The image signal and the control signal can be transmitted by electrical communication, optical communication, or the like.

[0143] The image processing unit 11412 performs various image processing operations on the image signal, which is RAW data transmitted from the camera head 11102 .

[0144] The control unit 11413 performs various controls related to the imaging of the surgical site, etc. by the endoscope 11100 and the display of the captured image obtained by imaging the surgical site, etc. For example, the control unit 11413 generates a control signal for controlling the driving of the camera head 11102.

[0145] Furthermore, the control unit 11413 displays the captured image showing the surgical site, etc., on the display device 11202 based on the image signal subjected to image processing by the image processing unit 11412. At this time, the control unit 11413 may recognize various objects in the captured image using various image recognition technologies. For example, the control unit 11413 can recognize surgical tools such as forceps, specific biological parts, bleeding, mist generated when using the energy treatment tool 11112, etc., by detecting the shape and color of the edges of objects included in the captured image. When displaying the captured image on the display device 11202, the control unit 11413 may use the recognition results to superimpose various surgical support information on the image of the surgical site. By superimposing the surgical support information and presenting it to the surgeon 11131, the burden on the surgeon 11131 can be reduced and the surgeon 11131 can proceed with the surgery reliably.

[0146] The transmission cable 11400 connecting the camera head 11102 and the CCU 11201 is an electrical signal cable for electrical signal communication, an optical fiber for optical communication, or a composite cable of these.

[0147] In the illustrated example, communication is performed wired using a transmission cable 11400, but communication between the camera head 11102 and the CCU 11201 may also be performed wirelessly.

[0148] <Application to a Mobile Body> The technology according to the present disclosure (the present technology) can be applied to various products. For example, the technology according to the present disclosure may be realized as a device mounted on any type of mobile body, such as an automobile, an electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, a motorcycle, a bicycle, personal mobility, an airplane, a drone, a ship, or a robot.

[0149] FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a vehicle control system, which is an example of a mobile object control system to which the technology according to the present disclosure can be applied.

[0150] The vehicle control system 12000 includes a plurality of electronic control units connected via a communication network 12001. In the example shown in Fig. 17, the vehicle control system 12000 includes a drive system control unit 12010, a body system control unit 12020, an outside-vehicle information detection unit 12030, an inside-vehicle information detection unit 12040, and an integrated control unit 12050. Also shown as functional components of the integrated control unit 12050 are a microcomputer 12051, an audio / video output unit 12052, and an in-vehicle network I / F (Interface) 12053.

[0151] The drivetrain control unit 12010 controls the operation of devices related to the drivetrain of the vehicle in accordance with various programs. For example, the drivetrain control unit 12010 functions as a control device for a drive force generating device for generating a drive force of the vehicle, such as an internal combustion engine or a drive motor, a drive force transmission mechanism for transmitting the drive force to the wheels, a steering mechanism for adjusting the steering angle of the vehicle, and a braking device for generating a braking force of the vehicle.

[0152] The body system control unit 12020 controls the operation of various devices equipped in the vehicle body according to various programs. For example, the body system control unit 12020 functions as a control device for a keyless entry system, a smart key system, a power window device, or various lamps such as headlamps, backup lamps, brake lamps, turn signals, and fog lamps. In this case, radio waves transmitted from a portable device that serves as a key or signals from various switches can be input to the body system control unit 12020. The body system control unit 12020 receives these radio waves or signals and controls the vehicle's door lock device, power window device, lamps, etc.

[0153] The outside-vehicle information detection unit 12030 detects information outside the vehicle equipped with the vehicle control system 12000. For example, an imaging unit 12031 is connected to the outside-vehicle information detection unit 12030. The outside-vehicle information detection unit 12030 causes the imaging unit 12031 to capture images outside the vehicle and receives the captured images. The outside-vehicle information detection unit 12030 may perform object detection processing or distance detection processing for people, cars, obstacles, signs, characters on the road surface, etc. based on the received images.

[0154] The imaging unit 12031 is an optical sensor that receives light and outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the amount of light received. The imaging unit 12031 can output the electrical signal as an image or as distance measurement information. The light received by the imaging unit 12031 may be visible light or invisible light such as infrared light.

[0155] The in-vehicle information detection unit 12040 detects information inside the vehicle. For example, a driver state detection unit 12041 that detects the state of the driver is connected to the in-vehicle information detection unit 12040. The driver state detection unit 12041 includes, for example, a camera that captures an image of the driver, and the in-vehicle information detection unit 12040 may calculate the degree of fatigue or concentration of the driver based on the detection information input from the driver state detection unit 12041, or may determine whether the driver is dozing off.

[0156] The microcomputer 12051 can calculate control target values ​​for the driving force generating device, steering mechanism, or braking device based on the information inside and outside the vehicle acquired by the outside-vehicle information detection unit 12030 or the inside-vehicle information detection unit 12040, and output control commands to the drive system control unit 12010. For example, the microcomputer 12051 can perform cooperative control aimed at realizing the functions of an ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System), including vehicle collision avoidance or impact mitigation, following driving based on the distance between vehicles, maintaining vehicle speed, vehicle collision warning, vehicle lane departure warning, etc.

[0157] In addition, the microcomputer 12051 can perform cooperative control for the purpose of autonomous driving, which allows the vehicle to travel autonomously without relying on driver operation, by controlling the driving force generating device, steering mechanism, braking device, etc. based on information about the surroundings of the vehicle obtained by the outside vehicle information detection unit 12030 or the inside vehicle information detection unit 12040.

[0158] Furthermore, the microcomputer 12051 can output a control command to the body system control unit 12020 based on the information outside the vehicle acquired by the outside information detection unit 12030. For example, the microcomputer 12051 can control the headlamps according to the position of a preceding vehicle or an oncoming vehicle detected by the outside information detection unit 12030, and perform cooperative control aimed at preventing glare, such as switching from high beams to low beams.

[0159] The audio / video output unit 12052 transmits at least one of audio and video output signals to an output device capable of visually or audibly notifying the passengers of the vehicle or the outside of the vehicle of information. In the example of Fig. 17, the output devices are exemplified by an audio speaker 12061, a display unit 12062, and an instrument panel 12063. The display unit 12062 may include, for example, at least one of an on-board display and a head-up display.

[0160] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the installation position of the imaging unit 12031.

[0161] In FIG. 18, the imaging unit 12031 includes imaging units 12101, 12102, 12103, 12104, and 12105.

[0162] The imaging units 12101, 12102, 12103, 12104, and 12105 are provided, for example, at positions such as the front nose, side mirrors, rear bumper, back door, and the top of the windshield inside the vehicle cabin of the vehicle 12100. The imaging unit 12101 provided on the front nose and the imaging unit 12105 provided on the top of the windshield inside the vehicle cabin mainly acquire images of the front of the vehicle 12100. The imaging units 12102 and 12103 provided on the side mirrors mainly acquire images of the sides of the vehicle 12100. The imaging unit 12104 provided on the rear bumper or back door mainly acquires images of the rear of the vehicle 12100. The imaging unit 12105 provided on the top of the windshield inside the vehicle cabin is mainly used to detect preceding vehicles, pedestrians, obstacles, traffic lights, traffic signs, lanes, etc.

[0163] 18 shows an example of the imaging ranges of the imaging units 12101 to 12104. Imaging range 12111 indicates the imaging range of the imaging unit 12101 provided on the front nose, imaging ranges 12112 and 12113 indicate the imaging ranges of the imaging units 12102 and 12103 provided on the side mirrors, respectively, and imaging range 12114 indicates the imaging range of the imaging unit 12104 provided on the rear bumper or back door. For example, by overlaying the image data captured by the imaging units 12101 to 12104, an overhead image of the vehicle 12100 viewed from above can be obtained.

[0164] At least one of the image capturing units 12101 to 12104 may have a function of acquiring distance information. For example, at least one of the image capturing units 12101 to 12104 may be a stereo camera made up of multiple image capturing elements, or may be an image capturing element having pixels for phase difference detection.

[0165] For example, based on the distance information obtained from the imaging units 12101 to 12104, the microcomputer 12051 can calculate the distance to each three-dimensional object within the imaging ranges 12111 to 12114 and the change in this distance over time (relative speed with respect to the vehicle 12100), thereby extracting as a preceding vehicle, in particular, the three-dimensional object that is the closest three-dimensional object on the path of the vehicle 12100 and traveling in approximately the same direction as the vehicle 12100 at a predetermined speed (e.g., 0 km / h or higher). Furthermore, the microcomputer 12051 can set a vehicle-to-vehicle distance to be maintained in advance in front of the preceding vehicle, and perform automatic braking control (including follow-up stop control), automatic acceleration control (including follow-up start control), etc. In this way, cooperative control can be performed for the purpose of autonomous driving, which allows the vehicle to travel autonomously without relying on driver operation.

[0166] For example, the microcomputer 12051 classifies and extracts three-dimensional object data regarding three-dimensional objects into two-wheeled vehicles, ordinary vehicles, large vehicles, pedestrians, utility poles, and other three-dimensional objects based on distance information obtained from the imaging units 12101 to 12104, and can use the data for automatic obstacle avoidance. For example, the microcomputer 12051 distinguishes obstacles around the vehicle 12100 into obstacles that are visible to the driver of the vehicle 12100 and obstacles that are difficult to see. The microcomputer 12051 then determines a collision risk that indicates the risk of collision with each obstacle, and when the collision risk is equal to or greater than a set value and a collision is possible, the microcomputer 12051 can provide driving assistance for collision avoidance by outputting an alarm to the driver via the audio speaker 12061 or the display unit 12062, or by performing forced deceleration or avoidance steering via the drive system control unit 12010.

[0167] At least one of the image capturing units 12101 to 12104 may be an infrared camera that detects infrared rays. For example, the microcomputer 12051 can recognize a pedestrian by determining whether a pedestrian is present in the images captured by the image capturing units 12101 to 12104. Such pedestrian recognition is performed, for example, by extracting feature points from the images captured by the image capturing units 12101 to 12104 as infrared cameras and performing pattern matching on a series of feature points that indicate the outline of an object to determine whether the object is a pedestrian. When the microcomputer 12051 determines that a pedestrian is present in the images captured by the image capturing units 12101 to 12104 and recognizes the pedestrian, the audio / image output unit 12052 controls the display unit 12062 to superimpose a rectangular outline on the recognized pedestrian for emphasis. The audio / image output unit 12052 may also control the display unit 12062 to display an icon or the like indicating the pedestrian at a desired position.

[0168] In this specification, a system refers to an entire device made up of multiple devices.

[0169] The effects described in this specification are merely examples and are not limiting, and other effects may also be present.

[0170] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present technology are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the present technology.

[0171] The present technology can also be configured as follows. (1) An imaging device including a first semiconductor element and a second semiconductor element stacked on the first semiconductor element, wherein, in a plan view, the second semiconductor element includes two regions, a first region and a second region, an oxide film is provided between the first region and the second region, a side surface of the first region is flush with a first side surface of the first semiconductor element, and a side surface of the second region is flush with a second side surface of the first semiconductor element that faces the first side surface. (2) The imaging device according to (1), wherein the first region and the second region are formed of the same number of layers and the same material, and have the same area of ​​the side surfaces. (3) The imaging device according to (1) or (2), wherein the side surface of the first region and the side surface of the second region are silicon surfaces. (4) The imaging device according to (1) or (2), wherein the side surface of the first region and the side surface of the second region each include a conductor. (5) The imaging device according to (4), wherein the conductor is part of an evaluation circuit. (6) The imaging device according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the second semiconductor element and a plurality of other semiconductor elements are stacked on the first semiconductor element in a plan view, and a long side of each of the plurality of semiconductor elements is longer than a long side of the second semiconductor element. (7) The imaging device according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the second semiconductor element and a plurality of other semiconductor elements are stacked on the first semiconductor element in a plan view, and a short side of each of the plurality of semiconductor elements is longer than a short side of the second semiconductor element. (8) The imaging device according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein the second semiconductor element and a plurality of other semiconductor elements are stacked on the first semiconductor element in a plan view, and the number of layers and materials of each of the plurality of semiconductor elements are the same as the number of layers and materials of the second semiconductor element. (9) The imaging device according to any one of (1) to (8), wherein the second semiconductor element and a plurality of other semiconductor elements are stacked on the first semiconductor element in a plan view, and the cross-sectional area of ​​each of the plurality of semiconductor elements is the same as the cross-sectional area of ​​the second semiconductor element.(10) The imaging device according to any one of (1) to (9), wherein the first semiconductor element and the second semiconductor element are stacked by CuCu bonding. (11) The imaging device according to any one of (1) to (10), wherein the first semiconductor element is an imaging element, and the second semiconductor element is a logic circuit. (12) The imaging device according to any one of (1) to (11), wherein the first region and the second region are arranged on a straight line. (13) The imaging device according to any one of (1) to (12), wherein the second region is adjacent to a semiconductor element different from the second semiconductor element. (14) An electronic device comprising: a first semiconductor element; and a second semiconductor element stacked on the first semiconductor element, wherein, in a plan view, the second semiconductor element includes two regions, a first region and a second region, an oxide film is provided between the first region and the second region, a side surface of the first region is on the same plane as a first side surface of the first semiconductor element, and a side surface of the second region is on the same plane as a second side surface opposite the first side surface of the first semiconductor element; and a processing unit that processes signals from the imaging device.

[0172] 101, 102, 103 wafer, 220 imaging element, 221, 222 semiconductor element, 231 evaluation circuit, 232 margin area, 241, 242 terminal, 251 oxide film, 252 support substrate, 261 imaging device

Claims

1. An imaging device comprising: a first semiconductor element; and a second semiconductor element stacked on the first semiconductor element; in a plan view, the second semiconductor element includes two regions, a first region and a second region; an oxide film is provided between the first region and the second region; a side surface of the first region is on the same plane as a first side surface of the first semiconductor element; and a side surface of the second region is on the same plane as a second side surface opposite the first side surface of the first semiconductor element.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the first region and the second region are formed of the same number of layers, made of the same material, and have the same side surface area.

3. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the side surface of the first region and the side surface of the second region are silicon surfaces.

4. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the side surface of the first region and the side surface of the second region each include a conductor.

5. The imaging device according to claim 4, wherein the conductor is part of an evaluation circuit.

6. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the first semiconductor element is stacked with the second semiconductor element and a plurality of other semiconductor elements in a plan view, and the long sides of each of the plurality of semiconductor elements are longer than the long sides of the second semiconductor element.

7. An imaging device as described in claim 1, wherein the first semiconductor element is stacked with the second semiconductor element and a plurality of other semiconductor elements in a plan view, and the short sides of each of the plurality of semiconductor elements are longer than the short sides of the second semiconductor element.

8. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the first semiconductor element is stacked with the second semiconductor element and a plurality of other semiconductor elements in a plan view, and the number of layers and materials of each of the plurality of semiconductor elements are the same as the number of layers and materials of the second semiconductor element.

9. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the first semiconductor element has the second semiconductor element and a plurality of other semiconductor elements stacked on it in a plan view, and the cross-sectional area of ​​each of the plurality of semiconductor elements is the same as the cross-sectional area of ​​the second semiconductor element.

10. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the first semiconductor element and the second semiconductor element are stacked by CuCu bonding.

11. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the first semiconductor element is an imaging element, and the second semiconductor element is a logic circuit.

12. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the first area and the second area are arranged on a straight line.

13. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the second region is adjacent to a semiconductor element different from the second semiconductor element.

14. An electronic device comprising: a first semiconductor element; and a second semiconductor element stacked on the first semiconductor element, wherein, in a plan view, the second semiconductor element includes two regions, a first region and a second region, an oxide film is provided between the first region and the second region, a side surface of the first region is on the same plane as a first side surface of the first semiconductor element, and a side surface of the second region is on the same plane as a second side surface opposite the first side surface of the first semiconductor element; and an imaging device that processes signals from the imaging device.

Images