Sony Corporation

Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha

Other

Renesas Technology Corp.

Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation

Eiichi Funatsu

Keiji Mabuchi

Takashi Abe

Nobuo Nakamura

Hiroki Sato

Hiroaki Fujita

Tomoyuki Umeda

Kunihiko Hara

Yoshikazu Nitta

Yoshiharu Kudoh

Masanori Kasai

Hiroaki Ebihara

Takashi Toyoda

Masashi Nakata

Ken Nakajima

Kazuo Kyuma

Hiroshi Kage

Shuichi Tai

Shinjiro Kameda

Masaya Oita

Jun Ohta

Takamasa Wada

Yasunari Miyake

Hajime Suzuki

Katsuaki Hirota

Yuichi Koshiba

Eberhard Lange

Nobuyuki Satou

Takayuki Usui

Souichiro Kuramochi

Tetsuji Aoyagi

Syuichi Tai

Kasai Masanori

A solid-state imaging device is provided. The solid-state imaging device includes an imaging region having a plurality of pixels arranged in a two-dimensional array, in which the imaging region includes an effective pixel and a black reference pixel; and a shape of a floating diffusion portion in the effective pixel is different from that of a floating diffusion portion in the black reference pixel.

Solid state imaging device having variation in optical black pixel structures relative to image generating pixel structures to provide substantially equivalent dark current

A solid-state imaging device is capable of simplifying the pixel structure to reduce the pixel size and capable of suppressing the variation in the characteristics between the pixels when a plurality of output systems is provided. A unit cell includes two pixels. Upper and lower photoelectric converters and, transfer transistors and connected to the upper and lower photoelectric converters, respectively, a reset transistor, and an amplifying transistor form the two pixels. A full-face signal line is connected to the respective drains of the reset transistor and the amplifying transistor. Controlling the full-face signal line, along with transfer signal lines and a reset signal line, to read out signals realizes the simplification of the wiring in the pixel, the reduction of the pixel size, and so on.

Solid-state imaging device

Forming a back-illuminated type CMOS image sensor, includes process for formation of a registration mark on the wiring side of a silicon substrate during formation of an active region or a gate electrode. A silicide film using an active region may also be used for the registration mark. Thereafter, the registration mark is read from the back-side by use of red light or near infrared rays, and registration of the stepper is accomplished. It is also possible to form a registration mark in a silicon oxide film on the back-side (illuminated side) in registry with the registration mark on the wiring side, and to achieve the desired registration by use of the registration mark thus formed.

Solid state image pickup device and method of producing solid state image pickup device

Solid-state imaging device having voltage lines including openings corresponding to pixel units

Forming a back-illuminated type CMOS image sensor, includes process for formation of a registration mark on the wiring side of a silicon substrate during formation of an active region or a gate electrode. A silicide film using an acitve region may also be used for the registration mark. Thereafter, the registration mark is read from the back-side by use of red light or near infrared rays, and registration of the stepper is accomplished. It is also possible to form a registration mark in a silicon oxide film on the back-side (illuminated side) in registry with the registration mark on the wiring side, and to achieve the desired registration by use of the registration mark thus formed.

A CMOS sensor has unit pixels each structured by a light receiving element and three transistors, to prevent against the phenomenon of saturation shading and the reduction of dynamic range. The transition time (fall time), in switching off the voltage on a drain line shared in all pixels, is given longer than the transition time in turning of any of the reset line and the transfer line. For this reason, the transistor constituting a DRN drive buffer is made proper in its W/L ratio. Meanwhile, a control resistance or current source is inserted on a line to the GND, to make proper the operation current during driving. This reduces saturation shading amount. By making a reset transistor in a depression type, the leak current to a floating diffusion is suppressed to broaden the dynamic range.

Solid-state imaging device with a plurality of photoelectric converters

A solid-state image pickup device includes a pixel unit in which a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements having different sensitivities are arranged; and a pixel reading unit configured to read and add output signals from the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements in the pixel unit, and to obtain an output signal seemingly from one pixel. The pixel unit includes an absorbing unit configured to absorb overflowing electric charge from a photoelectric conversion element with a high sensitivity.

Solid-state image pickup device and camera system

A solid-state image pickup device including a pixel unit in which a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements having different sensitivities are arranged; and a pixel reading unit configured to read and add output signals from the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements in the pixel unit, and to obtain an output signal seemingly from one pixel. The pixel unit includes an absorbing unit configured to absorb overflowing electric charge from a photoelectric conversion element with a high sensitivity.

Solid state imaging device having bias line providing fixing potential

A solid-state imaging device is capable of simplifying the pixel structure to reduce the pixel size and capable of suppressing the variation in the characteristics between the pixels when a plurality of output systems is provided. A unit cell () includes two pixels () and (). Upper and lower photoelectric converters () and (), transfer transistors () and () connected to the upper and lower photoelectric converters, respectively, a reset transistor (), and an amplifying transistor () form the two pixels () and (). A full-face signal lineis connected to the respective drains of the reset transistor () and the amplifying transistor (). Controlling the full-face signal line (), along with transfer signal lines () and () and a reset signal line (), to read out signals realizes the simplification of the wiring in the pixel, the reduction of the pixel size, and so on.

A solid-state image sensing device includes: a pixel part in which pixels are arranged in a matrix; and a pixel signal readout part including an AD conversion part that analog-digital (AD)-converts a pixel signal read out from the pixel part. Each of the adjacent pixels or one of the pixels of the pixel part is formed as divided pixels divided into regions with different photosensitivity or amounts of accumulated charge, photosensitivity or exposure time conditions are set for the divided pixels and the photosensitivity or exposure time conditions of the divided pixels provided to be opposed in diagonal directions are set to the same conditions, the pixel signal readout part reads out divided pixel signals of the respective divided pixels of the pixel, and the AD conversion part obtains a pixel signal of one pixel by AD-converting the respective read out divided pixel signals and adding the signals.

Solid-state image sensing device and camera system with divided pixels

Solid state imaging device

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Eiichi Funatsu