Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Optoelectronics Technology Research Laboratory

Toray Monofilament Co., Ltd.

Osaka City Government

Hiroaki Kudo

Haruhisa Takiguchi

Shinji Kaneiwa

Satoshi Sugahara

Toshihiko Yoshida

Sadayoshi Matsui

Kazuhiko Inoguchi

Mototaka Taneya

Takashi Watanabe

Chitose Nakanishi

Chitose Sakane

Seiki Yano

Toshiyuki Okumura

Kazuya Kumagai

Mitsuhiro Matsumoto

Hiroyuki Hosoba

Akinori Seki

Fumihiro Konushi

Toshiki Hijikata

Hiroshi Nakatu

Ryusaku Yamada

Hironori Yamada

Kunio Yamada

Hidenaga Yoshimura

An amplification type solid state imaging device of the present invention includes a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix each of which includes: a photodiode for photoelectric conversion; a signal amplification MOS transistor which functions as an amplifier for amplifying a change in the potential of the photodiode; a pixel selection MOS transistor; and a reset MOS transistor for resetting the potential of the photodiode to a predetermined initial potential, gate terminals of the selection MOS transistors of the pixels along each row being commonly connected together with a predetermined signal read pulse being applied to the gate terminals, gate terminals of the reset MOS transistors of the pixels along each row being commonly connected together with a predetermined reset pulse being applied to the gate terminals, and terminals on one end of the selection MOS transistors of the pixels along each column being commonly connected together to form a signal line, wherein a shutter reset operation is performed by applying a shutter operation reset pulse to the gate terminals of the reset MOS transistors during a period which is different from a period during which the reset pulse is applied to the gate terminals of the reset MOS transistors in a pixel signal read operation. The shutter operation reset pulse is applied to the gate terminals of the reset MOS transistors in a state where a potential of the signal line is set to a predetermined fixed potential.

Amplification type solid state imaging device

In the active type solid-state imaging device of the present invention, the image sensor portion and the driving circuit portion which drives the image sensor portion or conducts signal processing are formed in separate semiconductor regions in the identical semiconductor substrate.

Active type solid-state imaging device

The amplification type solid-state imaging device of this invention includes amplification type photoelectric converting elements arranged in a matrix. Each of the amplification type photoelectric converting elements includes: a transistor formed at a surface of a semiconductor substrate, for accumulating signal charge generated from incident light on a portion of the transistor at the surface of the semiconductor substrate and outputting an output signal comprising a change in an electric signal corresponding to the accumulated signal charge; a gate region formed adjacent to the transistor, including a portion of the semiconductor substrate, an insulating film formed on the portion of the semiconductor substrate, and a gate electrode formed on the insulating film, the gate region allowing the accumulated signal charge to move from the surface of the semiconductor substrate to the inside of the semiconductor substrate; and an output impedance converting section connected to the photoelectric converting elements which sequentially receives the output signals from the amplification type photoelectric converting elements, the output impedance converting section including a driving transistor driven with the output signals and a load transistor.

Amplification type solid-state imaging device

An amplifying type solid-state imaging device having a transistor formed on a semiconductor base and a charge release portion which stores a signal charge which is generated by light incident on the transistor and outputs a change of an electrical signal in accordance with the stored charge. The transistor includes: a first gate region including a portion for storing the signal charge therein and a first gate electrode formed on the semiconductor base surface; and a source and a drain formed of impurity layers of a higher concentration than the semiconductor base concentration. The charge release portion includes: a second gate region including a portion in the vicinity of the semiconductor base surface, and a second gate electrode formed via an insulating film on the semiconductor base surface; and a drain for charge discharge formed of an impurity layer of a higher concentration than the semiconductor base concentration. The stored signal charge is released to the drain for charge discharge of the charge release portion.

Amplifying type solid-state imaging device and amplifying type

An amplifying type solid-state imaging apparatus includes an amplifying type photoelectric conversion device. The device including a transistor for accumulating a charge generated by incident light as a signal charge in a charge accumulation region proximate to the surface of the semiconductor substrate and for outputting a signal in accordance with the accumulated signal charge, and a resetting section provided adjacent to the transistor for performing a resetting operation. The signal charge accumulated in the transistor is discharged from the charge accumulation region based on an applied voltage. The device further includes a signal line for carrying a signal output from the transistor, a clamp circuit for clamping the voltage of the signal line at a first voltage, a sample hold circuit for sample-holding a difference signal representing a difference between the first voltage and a second voltage output from the transistor after the resetting operation, an output line connected to the sample hold circuit, and a controlling circuit for controlling the clamp circuit and the sample hold circuit and for reading out the difference signal held in the sample hold circuit to the output line.

Amplifying type solid-state imaging apparatus and method for driving the

Amplication type solid-state imaging device

An amplifying type photoelectric converting device is disclosed. The device includes: a semiconductor substrate of a first conductive type; a well portion of a second conductive type for accumulating signal charges generated by photoelectric conversion; a semiconductor region of the first conductive type provided in a region in the well portion; a first gate region including a first electrode; and a second gate region being adjacent to the first gate region and including a second electrode. An active element is formed between the semiconductor region and the semiconductor substrate, and a change in an operational characteristic of the active element which is generated by the signal charges is used as an output signal.

Amplifying type photoelectric converting device and amplifying type

A quantum wire structure includes a first layer having a thickness sufficiently smaller than a de Broglie wavelength of an electron wave in a medium, a second layer and a third layer which are disposed on and under the first layer and respectively have a forbidden band width larger than that of the first layer, wherein the first layer has a region with a relatively small curvature and a region with a relatively large curvature in its cross-section, and a width of the region with a relatively small curvature is 50 nm or less.

Quantum wire structure and a method for producing the same

A semiconductor laser of the present invention includes: a semiconductor substrate, a multi-layered structure formed on the semiconductor substrate and a current and light confining section formed on the multi-layered structure, wherein the current and light confining section includes at least two multi-layered current and light confining portions each having a laser beam transmission layer and a laser beam absorption layer formed on the laser beam transmission layer, and at least one stripe groove which spatially separates the at least two current and light confining portions; wherein an equivalent refractive index in the multi-layered current and light confining portions with respect to a laser beam in a fundamental transverse mode is made smaller than that within the stripe groove; wherein the multi-layered structure includes an active layer, and the active layer has a region positioned below the stripe groove of the current and light confining section and regions positioned below a respective one of the multi-layered current and light confining portions; and wherein a optical confinement factor .GAMMA. of the active layer outside the stripe groove with respect to a laser beam in a guide mode is larger than that outside the stripe groove with respect to a laser beam in an anti-guide mode.

Semiconductor laser

A semiconductor laser device with window regions according to the present invention is provided, in which a double hetero structure including cladding layers and an active layer sandwiched by the cladding layers is formed on a semiconductor substrate, the double hetero structure is buried in burying layers with a bandgap larger than that of the active layer, and the burying layers form window regions situated at both end facets of the double hetero structure, wherein the window regions have a waveguide structure including a plurality of semiconductor layers with different bandgaps.

Semiconductor laser device with window regions

A semiconductor device includes a multiple layer structure including a substantially flat active layer, and a first semiconductor layer and a second semiconductor layer adjacent to each other, the semiconductor layers having a corrugation at an interface therebetween; and a generating device which is connected to the multiple layer structure. An electromagnetic field intensity distribution is generated by use of the generating device in a waveguide region including the active layer, and the active layer includes a gain distribution having a distribution pattern corresponding to the corrugation. The multiple layer structure is produced by forming the corrugation on an upper surface of the first semiconductor layer, and forming the rest of the multiple layer structure including the second semiconductor layer and the active layer by using a vapor phase growth method once so as to make the active layer substantially flat. Then, the generating device is formed to be in contact with the multiple layer structure.

Semiconductor device and a method for producing the same

A distributed feedback semiconductor laser device comprising a current blocking structure having a stripe groove, and a diffraction grating formed in the bottom of the stripe groove. The current blocking structure is formed over an active layer for laser oscillation, and it includes an etch stop layer against a groove etching in a lower potion of the current blocking structure. The refractive index distribution in transverse directions inside the stripe groove is controlled by the thickness of the optical guiding layer, enabling oscillation of the fundamental transverse mode.

Distributed feedback semiconductor laser device and a method of

In a first crystal growth step, a first cladding layer, an active layer, and an optical wave-guide layer are sequentially grown on a semiconductor substrate. A diffraction grating is formed at a surface of the optical waveguide layer. In a second crystal growth step, a current block layer is grown on the optical waveguide layer having the diffraction grating. The current block layer is selectively etched to expose the diffraction grating and thus to form a stripe groove. In a third crystal growth step, a second cladding layer is grown on the diffraction grating inside the stripe groove and on the current block layer.

Method for producing a distributed feedback semiconductor laser device

A quantum wire laser comprises a first multi-layer structure which is formed on a substrate and includes at least one first quantum well layer sandwiched by barrier layers, a second multi-layer structure which is formed on a laminated cross-section of the first multi-layer structure and is obtained by successively laminating a first barrier layer having a band gap larger than that of the first quantum well layer, a second quantum well layer having a band gap nearly equal to that of the first quantum well layer, and a second barrier layer having a band gap larger than those of the first and second quantum well layers, wherein a region for confining electrons is disposed in at least one of regions in the vicinity of the first quantum well layer and the second quantum well layer.

Quantum wire laser

A semiconductor laser device having a mesa stripe whose side faces are facets of {111} planes is disclosed. In the laser device, a current blocking layer is formed on a semiconductor substrate whose main surface is a (100) plane, and a channel which is oriented along the &lt;011&gt; direction is formed in the current blocking layer. The mesa stripe is formed on the substrate within the channel by a selective growth technique. The mesa stripe has a multilayer structure including an active layer and is covered by a burying layer.

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Nara, Japan

Hiroaki Kudo