Brillnics Singapore Pte. Ltd.

Micron Technology Incorporated

Aptina Imaging Corporation

The Ritsumeikan Trust

Brillnics, Inc.

Brillnics Japan Inc.

Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC

Tohoku Techno Arch Co., Ltd.

Brillinics Inc.

Isao Takayanagi

Junichi Nakamura

Kazuya Mori

Shunsuke Okura

Ken Miyauchi

Toshinori Otaka

Shinichiro Matsuo

Shunsuke Tanaka

Hideki Owada

Sangman Han

Shusuke Iwata

Naoto Yasuda

Katsuhiko Ariyoshi

Shigetoshi Sugawa

Toshiaki Sato

Per Olaf Pahr

Chiajen Lee

Haruhisa Ando

Taehee Cho

Ashirwad Bahukhandi

Dongsoo Kim

Takeshi Fujino

Masayoshi Shirahata

Mitsuru Shiozaki

Takaya Kubota

Hidenari Honda

Katsuyuki Kawamura

Kazuki Tatsuta

Ryotaro Hotta

Shinji Osawa

Norio Yoshimura

Mikael Kerttu

Takeshi Kumaki

Ai Otani

In a pixel signal processing part, a first input switch and an output switch are turned on and off in phase. When the first input switch and the output switch are ON and the second input switch is OFF, a first auto-zero switch and a second auto-zero switch are kept in the ON state to connect the second node to the reference potential (GND), so that a sampling capacitor, a feedback capacitor, and an auto-zero capacitor are operated in respective operation ranges of the capacitors, and the feedback capacitor is kept constant according to a difference of the input pixel signals, thereby making the output of the amplifier in linear response to the input signal.

Solid-state imaging device, method for driving solid-state imaging device, and electronic apparatus

Provided are a solid-state imaging device, a method for driving a solid-state imaging device, and an electronic apparatus that are capable of selecting a pixel operating mode between a RS mode and a GS mode and switching a conversion gain read-out mode, where signals produced with different conversion gains are read, among several options depending on a scene. As a result, the solid-state imaging device, the method for driving the solid-state imaging device and the electronic apparatus can minimize a drop in SNR at the conjunction point between a HCG signal and a LCG signal and also achieve high full well capacity and little dark noise. In a solid-state imaging device, a pixel part includes pixels arranged in a matrix pattern, and each pixel includes a photoelectric conversion reading part. The solid-state imaging device is capable of performing rolling shutter (RS) and global shutter (GS).

A pixel circuitincludes a readable pixel, a comparator, and a selector counter circuit. The readable pixelperforms photoelectric conversion at a photodiode PDand produces a readable signal corresponding to an illuminance condition of incident light. The readable pixelincludes an overflow path extending to a floating diffusion FD. The comparatorcompares a voltage signal (SFout) read out from the readable pixelagainst a reference signal Vref and outputs a comparison result signal Vout indicating the result of the comparison. The selector counter circuitincludes a selector circuit for selecting an external clock or the output Vout from the comparator and a counter circuit for counting the output from the selector circuit.

A solid-state imaging device includes: an output buffer part adapted to convert charge at an output node into a voltage signal corresponding to the amount of the charge, and output an active comparison result signal when the voltage signal and a first reference signal are the same level; an output buffer part adapted to convert the charge at the output node into a voltage signal corresponding to the amount of the charge, compare the voltage signal with the first reference signal, and output the active comparison result signal when the voltage signal and the first reference signal are the same level; the holding signal readout part disposed between the input node of the signal holding part and the feeding line of the second reference signal, conduction or non-conduction of the holding signal readout part being controlled depending on the comparison result signal outputted by the output buffer part.

Provided are a solid-state imaging device, a method for driving a solid-state imaging device and an electronic apparatus that are capable of achieving reduced noise at a voltage sample-and-hold node without requiring an increase in capacitance of a signal holding capacitor for sampling and holding voltage. A solid-state imaging device includes: a photoelectric conversion reading part; an amplifier circuit; a signal holding part including a sample-and-hold signal holding capacitor for holding the read-out voltage signal amplified by the amplifier circuit and outputting the held voltage signal; a first in-pixel signal line to which a low-gain read-out voltage signal is output; and a second in-pixel signal line connected to the output side of the amplifier circuit and to which a high-gain read-out voltage signal is output. A second differential transistor of a differential transistor pair of the amplifier circuit also serves as a source follower transistor.

A solid-state imaging device, a method for driving a solid-state imaging device and an electronic apparatus are capable of reducing kTC noise of a LCG signal, preventing a drop in SNR at the conjunction point between a HCG signal and the LCG signal, and eventually achieving improved image quality. At a start of a reset period, first and second reset transistors are switched into a conduction state. During a predetermined first period after the reset period starts, the first reset line is kept connected to a reset potential. After the first period elapses, the second reset transistor is switched into a non-conduction state to switch the first reset line into a floating state, so that the first reset line has high impedance. After a second period elapses and when the reset period ends, the first reset transistor is switched into the non-conduction state.

One object of the present invention is to provide a solid-state imaging device, a method for fabricating a solid-state imaging device, and an electronic apparatus that implement both a wide dynamic range and a high sensitivity. A storage capacitor serving as a storage capacitance element includes a first electrode and a second electrode on a second substrate surface side. The first electrode is formed of a p+ region (the second conductivity type semiconductor region) formed in the surface of a second substrate surface of a substrate, and the second electrode is formed above the second substrate surface so as to be opposed at a distance to the first electrode in the direction perpendicular to the substrate surface. The first electrode and the second electrode are arranged so as to spatially overlap with a photoelectric conversion part in the direction perpendicular to the substrate surface.

Solid-state imaging device, method for fabricating solid-state imaging device, and electronic apparatus

Provided are a solid-state imaging device, a method for driving a solid-state imaging device, and an electronic apparatus capable of reading signals produced with different conversion gains and having different signal directions. A pixel signal processing partincludes a first reading partand a second reading part. Of a pixel signal PIXOUT input into an input node ND, the first reading partinverts the signal direction of a first-conversion-gain signal (HCGRST, HCGSIG) and outputs an inverted first-conversion-gain signal (HCGRST, HCGSIG), which has been subjected to inversion and amplification, to an AD converting partvia a connection node ND. Of the pixel signal PIXOUT input into the input node ND, the second reading partkeeps the signal direction of a second-conversion-gain signal (LCGSIG, LCGRST) unchanged, and outputs a non-inverted second-conversion-gain signal (LCGSIG, LCGRST) to the AD converting partvia the connection node ND

In a pixel, a floating diffusion FDand a first capacitor CSare selectively connected to each other via a first connection element LG-Tr, to change the capacitance of the floating diffusion FDbetween a first capacitance and a second capacitance, thereby changing the conversion gain between a first conversion gain (HCG) corresponding to the first capacitance and a second conversion gain (MCG) corresponding to the second capacitance. The floating diffusion FDand a second capacitor CSare connected together through a second connection element SG-Tr to change the capacitance of the floating diffusion FDto a third capacitance, thereby changing the conversion gain of the source following transistor SF-Tr to a third conversion gain (LCG) corresponding to the third capacitance.

A pixel PXL includes a first photodiode PDSL and a second photodiode PSLS having different well capacities and responsivities, transfer transistors TGSL-Tr, TGLS-Tr for transferring the charges stored in the photodiodes to a floating diffusion FD, and a capacitance changing partfor changing the capacitance of the floating diffusion depending on a capacitance changing signal. The first well capacity of the first photodiode PDSL is smaller than the second well capacity of the second photodiode PDLS, and the first responsivity of the first photodiode PDSL is larger than the second responsivity of the second photodiode PDLS. With these configurations, it becomes possible to realize a widened dynamic range, prevent the read-out noise from affecting the performance, and eventually achieve improved image quality.

Provided is a solid-state imaging device. A comparator is configured to perform a first comparing operation of outputting a digital first comparison result signal obtained by processing the overflow charges overflowing from PDto FDin the storing period, a second comparing operation of outputting a digital second comparison result signal obtained by processing the charges stored in PDthat are transferred to FDin the transfer period, and a third comparing operation of outputting a digital third comparison result signal obtained by processing the charges stored in PDthat are transferred to FDin the transfer period and the charges stored in the charge storing part, and a memory control part controls whether or not to allow writing of the data corresponding to the third comparison result signal into a memory part, depending on the states of the first and second comparison result signals.

In a solid-state imaging device, the first binning switchis formed such that a MOS capacitance and a wire capacitance of a wire connected to the binning switch, each having a value in accordance with an ON or OFF state, are added to a capacitance of a floating diffusion FD of a pixel PXL to be read, so as to optimize the capacitance of the floating diffusion FD and optimally adjust a conversion gain in accordance with a mode. This operation increases an image quality.

A solid-state imaging device, in which a signal holding part can hold a signal with respect to a voltage signal corresponding to an accumulated charge in a photoelectric conversion element of a photodiode PDwhich is transferred to an output node of a floating diffusion FDin a transfer period after an integration period and a signal with respect to a voltage signal corresponding to an overflow charge overflowing to the output node of the floating diffusion FDfrom at least the photodiode PDin any period among the photoelectric conversion element of the photodiode PDand the storage capacity element of the storage capacitor. Due to this, substantially, it becomes possible to realize a broader dynamic range and higher frame rate.

An AD conversion part has a comparator for performing comparison processing comparing a voltage signal read out by a photoelectric converting and reading part and a reference voltage and outputting a digitalized comparison result signal, the comparator, under the control by a reading part, performs first comparison processing for outputting a digitalized first comparison result signal with respect to a voltage signal corresponding to an overflow charge overflowing from a photodiode PDto a floating diffusion FDin an integration period and second comparison processing for outputting a digitalized second comparison result signal with respect to a voltage signal corresponding to an accumulated charge of the photodiode PDtransferred to the floating diffusion FDin a transfer period after the integration period. Due to this, it becomes possible to substantially realize a broader dynamic range and higher frame rate.

A solid-state imaging deviceincludes a pixel portionin which a plurality of pixels including photodiodes are arranged in rows and columns, a reading partfor reading pixel signals from the pixel portion, and a key generation partwhich generates a unique key by using at least one of pixel fluctuation information or reading part fluctuation information. According to this configuration, the tamper resistance of the unique key can be secured and consequently alteration and falsification of images can be prevented.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Isao Takayanagi