1. A method of fabricating an image sensor device, the method comprising:
forming an insulating layer on a substrate including a photodiode therein;
forming a wiring structure on the insulating layer, the wiring structure comprising at least one wiring layer and at least one insulating interlayer;
forming a cavity extending into the wiring structure over the photodiode to expose a surface of the at least one insulating interlayer; and
modifying a property of the surface of the at least one insulating interlayer exposed by the cavity to provide a hydrophobic surface without altering a refractive index thereof.
2. A method of fabricating an image sensor device, the method comprising:
forming an insulating layer on a substrate including a photodiode therein;
forming a wiring structure on the insulating layer, the wiring structure comprising at least one wiring layer and at least one insulating interlayer;
forming a cavity extending completely through the wiring structure over the photodiode to expose a surface of the at least one insulating interlayer along sidewalls of the cavity and a surface of the insulating layer between the sidewalls of the cavity; and
modifying the surfaces of the at least one insulating interlayer and the insulating layer exposed by the cavity to provide a hydrophobic surface along the sidewalls of the cavity and the surface of the insulating layer therebetween.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the cavity extends at least partially into the insulating layer.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein modifying the surfaces of the at least one insulating interlayer and the insulating layer comprises:
performing plasma processing to remove molecules from the surfaces of the at least one insulating interlayer and the insulating layer to provide the hydrophobic surface.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein performing the plasma processing comprises:
performing the plasma processing using ammonia (NH3), nitrogen (N2), carbon tetrafluoride (CF4), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), andor nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) as a source gas.
6. The method of claim 4, wherein the plasma processing is performed using a plasma radio frequency (RF) generator.
7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
forming a light transmission layer in the cavity directly on the hydrophobic surface and extending completely through the wiring structure.
8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:
forming a microlens on the light transmission layer opposite the hydrophobic surface,
wherein the cavity is at least partially aligned with the microlens and the photodiode in plan view to provide an optical transmission path therebetween.
9. The method of claim 7, wherein the light transmission layer comprises a transparent resin layer or an organic polymer compound.
10. The method of claim 2, wherein the substrate comprises a pixel array region including the photodiode therein and a peripheral circuit region, and further comprising:
forming a plurality of transistors on the substrate in the pixel array region and the peripheral circuit region prior to forming the insulating layer thereon.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein forming the wiring structure comprises:
forming respective via plugs extending through the insulating layer to electrically contact respective ones the plurality of transistors;
forming a first insulating interlayer on the insulating layer;
patterning the first insulating interlayer to expose the respective via plugs; and
forming a first wiring layer on the respective via plugs.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein forming the wiring structure further comprises:
forming a first etch stop layer on the insulating layer prior to forming the respective via plugs;
forming a second etch stop layer, a second insulating interlayer, a third etch stop layer, and a third insulating interlayer on the first insulating interlayer and the first wiring layer opposite the first etch stop layer;
patterning the third insulating interlayer and the third etch stop layer to define respective trenches therein;
patterning the second insulating interlayer and the second etch stop layer to define respective contact holes therein exposing portions of the first wiring layer; and
forming a conductive layer in the respective trenches to define a second wiring layer and in the contact holes to define respective contact plugs electrically contacting the portions of the first wiring layer.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first and second wiring layers comprise copper.
14. The method of claim 11, wherein forming the wiring structure further comprises:
forming a second insulating interlayer directly on the first insulating interlayer;
forming a third insulating interlayer directly on the second insulating interlayer;
patterning the third insulating interlayer to define respective trenches therein;
patterning the second insulating interlayer to define respective contact holes therein exposing portions of the first wiring layer; and
forming a conductive layer in the respective trenches to define a second wiring layer and in the contact holes to define respective contact plugs electrically contacting the portions of the first wiring layer.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first and second wiring layers comprise aluminum.
16. A method of fabricating an image sensor device, the method comprising:
forming an insulating layer on a substrate including a photodiode therein;
forming a wiring structure on the insulating layer, the wiring structure comprising at least one wiring layer and at least one insulating interlayer;
forming a cavity extending completely through the wiring structure over the photodiode to expose a surface of the at least one insulating interlayer along sidewalls thereof and a surface of the insulating layer between the sidewalls of the cavity; and
performing plasma processing to alter the surfaces of the at least one insulating interlayer and the insulating layer to provide a hydrophobic surface along the sidewalls of the cavity and the surface of the insulating layer therebetween,
wherein performing the plasma processing comprises:
performing the plasma processing using ammonia (NH3), nitrogen (N2), carbon tetrafluoride (CF4), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), andor nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) as a source gas; and
removing one or more hydroxyl (\u2014OH) groups on the surfaces using NH3 radicals generated from the source gas.
17. A method of fabricating an image sensor device, the method comprising:
forming a plurality of transistors on a substrate in a pixel array region thereof and in a peripheral circuit region thereof;
forming a photodiode in the substrate in the pixel array region thereof;
forming an insulating layer on the substrate;
forming a wiring structure on the insulating layer, the wiring structure comprising at least one wiring layer and at least one insulating interlayer;
forming a cavity extending completely through the wiring structure and at least partially into the insulating layer over the photodiode in the pixel array region to expose a surface of the at least one insulating interlayer along sidewalls of the cavity and a surface of the insulating layer between sidewalls of the cavity;
performing plasma processing to remove molecules from the surfaces of the at least one insulating interlayer and the insulating layer to provide a hydrophobic surface extending along the sidewalls of the cavity and the surface of the insulating layer therebetween;
forming a light transmission layer in the cavity on the hydrophobic surface and extending completely through the wiring structure; and
forming a microlens on the light transmission layer opposite the hydrophobic surface,
wherein the cavity is at least partially aligned with the microlens and the photodiode in plan view to provide an optical transmission path therebetween.
18. A method of fabricating an image sensor device, the method comprising:
forming an insulating layer on a substrate including a photodiode therein;
forming a wiring structure on the insulating layer, the wiring structure comprising at least one wiring layer and at least one insulating interlayer;
forming a cavity extending into the wiring structure over the photodiode to expose a surface of the at least one insulating interlayer; and
modifying the surface of the at least one insulating interlayer exposed by the cavity to provide a hydrophobic surface, wherein modifying the surface of the at least one insulating interlayer comprises:
performing plasma processing to alter the surface of the at least one insulating interlayer by removing one or more hydroxyl (\u2014OH) groups therefrom using NH3 radicals generated from a source gas to provide the hydrophobic surface.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein performing plasma processing comprises:
removing one or more hydroxyl (\u2014OH) groups on the surfaces using NH3 radicals generated from a source gas.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of measuring frequency interference between a plurality of cell sites in a wireless telecommunications system, the method comprising:
selecting a frequency in a first cell site to be used as a beacon frequency, wherein selecting a frequency includes selecting a frequency carrying the least amount of traffic across a plurality of cell sites and protecting the frequency from carrying traffic;
activating the beacon frequency in the first cell site;
recording, at a telecommunications switch, a signal strength of the beacon frequency as measured by a first wireless device operating in the first cell site and a signal strength of the beacon frequency as measured by a second wireless device operating in a second cell site; and
determining the frequency interference between the first cell site and the second cell site based on the signal strengths.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second cell sites are adjacent cell sites.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring the frequency interference includes constructing a carrierinterference matrix.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising de-activating the beacon frequency after the signal strengths are recorded.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting a frequency includes selecting a frequency that is a frequency carrying the least amount of traffic across a plurality of cell sites along with adjacent lower and upper channels.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting a frequency includes selecting a guard frequency.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing a frequency adjacent the beacon frequency from availability for use in the system by wireless device users.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising repeating the method for all cell sites in the telecommunications system.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding the beacon frequency to a list of frequencies.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein adding the beacon frequency to a list of frequencies includes adding the beacon frequency to a mobile assisted handoff (MAHO) list in a telecommunications switch.
11. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the first cell site and the second cell site may be selected for frequency re-use based on determining the frequency interference.
12. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a trigger frequency to simulate a hand-off situation for the second wireless device.