Organic photodiodes (OPDs), based on organic semiconductors with high absorption coefficients for visible light, are emerging as potential candidates for replacing silicon photodiodes in image sensors, particularly due to the possibility of realizing a thin thickness and exclusion of color filters, both of which can contribute to a dramatically enhanced degree of integration for image sensors. Despite years of research, techniques have not yet been developed that allow the OPD itself to have color selectivity while maintaining a thin (<1 μm) OPD thickness, in combination with a sufficiently high detectivity (>1012 cm·Hz0.5/W). To solve this issue, we introduce a concept of "etalon-electrode", which can perform the function of electrode and simultaneously the function of selective wavelength transparency. A strategically designed OPD architecture consisting of an etalon-electrode, a panchromatic organic active layer, and a counter electrode displays well-defined narrowband R-/G-/B-selective detectivity spectra depending on precision-adjusted thickness composition of the etalon-electrode. While a thin thickness of OPD is preserved at less than 800 nm including electrodes, active layer, and other buffer layers for all R-/G-/B-selective OPDs, high average detectivity values over 1012 cm·Hz0.5/W are demonstrated. Furthermore, the characteristic of imparting color selectivity by the etalon-electrode enables a more facile full color patterning, such that a prototype of a 10 × 10 image sensor with a pixel pitch of 500 μm is realized, resulting in accurate picturing of a well-defined full color image.
Keywords: color filter free; etalon-electrodes; full-color imaging; high detectivity; image sensor; organic photodiodes; wavelength selectivity.