Fuji Photo Film Company, Limited

Innotech Corporation

Kazuhiro Kawajiri

Hiroshi Sunagawa

Masatoshi Tabei

Nobuharu Nozaki

Hiroshi Tamura

Takashi Nakamura

Yuichi Hosoi

Takashi Miida

Keishiro Kido

Akio Higashi

Haruji Shinada

Mitsuo Saitou

Yoshihiro Ono

Hideki Mutoh

Toshio Iijima

Isao Taniguchi

Mitsuru Ikeda

Jun Hasegawa

Kazuya Oda

Shinji Uya

Yosuke Nakajima

Tetsuo Toma

Masataka Hirose

Hiroshi Tanigawa

Mitsuo Saito

Kiyoshi Inoue

Takefumi Konishi

A method for producing a solid-state imaging device comprising a plurality of unit pixel sections, including a first unit pixel section, is provided. The method includes the steps of forming a first conductivity type well region of the first unit pixel section on a second conductivity type semiconductor layer provided on a first conductivity type semiconductor layer, the first conductivity type well region including a light receiving region for generating charges corresponding to an amount of light incident thereon and a charge transfer region capable of transferring the charges; and generating a charge accumulation region, for accumulating the charges generated in the light receiving region, in the charge transfer region. The step of forming the first conductivity type well region includes the step of implanting impurities such that the light receiving region and the charge transfer region in the first conductivity type well region have a substantially uniform impurity concentration.

Solid state imaging device, method for producing the same, and portable electronic device

A solid state image pickup device including: a plurality of pixel groups disposed on a two-dimensional plane defined by horizontal and vertical directions, the plurality of pixel groups being juxtaposed in the horizontal direction, each of the pixel groups including a first pixel column and a second pixel column, the first pixel column including a plurality of pixels regularly disposed at a first pixel pitch in the vertical direction, the second pixel column including a plurality of pixels regularly disposed at a half pitch of the first pixel pitch in the vertical direction relative to the first pixel column, the second pixel columns being disposed in the horizontal direction at a half pitch of a second pixel pitch of pixels of adjacent first pixel columns of the pixel groups; a first separation region formed between pairs of the pixel groups adjacent in the horizontal direction; a single vertical charge transfer path extending in the vertical direction and weaving between the first and second pixel columns of each of the pixel groups; and a horizontal charge transfer path formed at one ends of a plurality of the vertical charge transfer paths for receiving electric charges transferred from the vertical charge transfer paths and transferring the electric charges in the horizontal direction. A patterning precision of horizontal charge transfer electrodes can be mitigated.

Solid state image pickup device and its read method

The present invention relates to a solid-state imaging device. More specifically, the invention relates to the solid-state imaging device, which uses a MOS image sensor of a threshold voltage modulation system used for a video camera, an electronic camera, an image input camera, a scanner, a facsimile or the like. The solid-state imaging device is constructed in a manner that pixels are arrayed in a matrix form. Each pixel includes: a photo-diode for generating photo-generated charges by light irradiation; and an insulated gate field effect transistor for light signal detection, provided adjacently to the photo-diode, for storing the photo-generated charges beneath a channel region under a gate electrode, and modulating a threshold voltage by the stored photo-generated charges to detect a light signal. The gate electrodes are disposed at at least four directions around a periphery of the photo-diode, and the photo-diodes are disposed at at least four directions around a periphery of the gate electrode.

Solid-state imaging device

A solid-state image pickup device of the charge-coupled type is improved in that the width W1 (as viewed in the charge transfer direction) of each of the transfer gate electrodes for generating transfer elements in the field shift mode, the width W2 (as viewed in the charge transfer direction) of each of the transfer gate electrode for generating potential barriers also in the field shift mode are selected so as to satisfy the following formula, and a buried channel junction depth X.sub.JBC of each of the vertical charge transfer paths are selected so as to satisfy W1&gt;W2 and/or W2&gt;2.multidot.X.sub.JBC. In the inventive image pickup device, the charge quantity transferred is increased without impairing the vertical resolution of the device.

Solid-state image pickup device

An automatic light measuring device for an image pickup device includes a pair of line sensors suitable for an automatic focusing adjustment and disposed on a semiconductor chip at positions spaced apart by a predetermined distances, an integration time controller for generating an integration control signal for controlling the charge accumulation by incident light by detecting the amount of charges accumulated in the line sensors, a first exposure amount detector for calculating the intensity of incident light from the integration control signal, a second exposure amount detector inclusive of photoelectric conversion elements formed on the semiconductor chip, for detecting the amount of incident light, a pair of lenses mounted above the pair of line sensors for focusing the image of substantially the same subject within the central area of the field of view, and an optical system for applying light within the area broader than the central area of the field of view to the surface of the semiconductor chip inclusive of the photoelectric conversion elements. The photoelectric conversion elements are disposed between the pair of line sensors. The optical system may be made of an acrylic rod, light focusing fibers, retrofocus lens, or the like.

Automatic light measuring device for image pickup device

A range finding device having a lens holder with two tunnels, and two lens plates mounted in front of the tunnels. Two pins are formed on the front surface of the lens holder, the two pins being positioned on vertical positioning lines externally of the vertical center lines of the two tunnels. Each lens plate has an elongated hole extending in the direction of the vertical positioning line, a pin being inserted in the elongated hole. In a preferred embodiment, each lens plate has four holes formed therein. Two of the four holes are used for coupling with two pins. Of these two holes used for positioning, one is a round hole and the other is an elongated hole.

Range finding device unaffected by environmental conditions

A solid image pickup device driving method is provided in which a charge storage type solid image pickup device of a frame transfer interline system is used to detect still picture signals. Either the odd-numbered or even-numbered field elements are transferred to charge transfer paths in a light receiving section and next transferred to a storage section. The remaining field elements are then transferred to charge transfer paths in the light receiving section. The field elemeents residing in the storage section are then transferred to a horizontal CCD for output. Finally, the remaining field elements, having been stored in the charge transfer paths in the light receiving section, are transferred to the storage section, and then transferred to the horizontal CCD for output. The driving method provides for increased vertical resolution and facilitates miniaturization of the device. In addition, the shutter periods and/or the signal amplification factors of the odd-numbered and even-numbered fields are adjusted so that, with respect to the picture elements of the odd-numbered and even-numbered fields, with light applied under the same conditions, the output signals of the odd-numbered and even-numbered fields obtained through scanning are equal to each other. Therefore, the odd-numbered field scanning operation and the even-numbered field scanning operation each possess an equal ratio of the video signal to smear, and field flickering is therefore suppressed.

Solid state image pickup device driving method utilizing an electronic

An image processing method for use in an electronic video endoscopy system in which R, G and B surface sequential color signals are obtained from a CCD disposed in the leading end portion of an endoscope. The surface sequential color signals are converted simultaneously wherein memories corresponding to the respective colors are used to thereby obtain synchronous color signals. In the image processing method, the odd and even fields of the CCD are interline transferred sequentially within one field period to thereby obtain the above-mentioned surface sequential color signals, and data for each of horizontal scanning lines are read out alternately from odd and even field data once stored in the above-mentioned respective memories to thereby complete frame data so as to obtain the above-mentioned synchronous color signals.

Image processing method in an electronic video endoscopy system

A radiation image read-out apparatus comprises a linear stimulating ray source for emitting stimulating rays to a linear portion of a stimulable phosphor sheet carrying a radiation image stored therein, and a line sensor constituted by many solid state photoelectric conversion devices. The line sensor extends at least over the length of the linear portion of the stimulable phosphor sheet exposed to stimulating rays. Light emitted by the linear portion of the stimulable phosphor sheet upon stimulation thereof is received and photoelectrically converted by the solid state photoelectric conversion devices. The portion exposed linearly to stimulating rays and the line sensor are moved with respect to the stimulable phosphor sheet, and outputs of the line sensor are sequentially read out in accordance with the movement of the portion exposed linearly to stimulating rays and the line sensor with respect to the stimulable phosphor sheet.

Radiation image read-out apparatus

A solid-state image pickup unit in which two neighboring horizontal lines are paired for scanning. In the vertical transfer, the photocharge signals on the two lines are transferred to different horizontal CCDs, which concurrently shift out their contents. One of the two horizontal lines is used exclusively for a luminance signal and the other for two color signals. The horizontal line used for color signals has alternating color filters. A switch is used to separate the two color signals resulting from these alternating color filters.

Solid-state color image pickup unit with mosaic color filter and two

A radiation image read-out apparatus comprises a stimulating ray source constituted by many point light sources for sequentially emitting stimulating rays onto a portion of a stimulable phosphor sheet carrying a radiation image stored therein, and a line sensor constituted by many solid state photoelectric conversion devices. The line sensor extends over the length of the portion of the stimulable phosphor sheet linearly exposed to stimulating rays. Light emitted by the exposed portion of the stimulable phosphor sheet is received and photoelectrically converted by the solid state photoelectric conversion devices. The stimulating ray source and the line sensor are moved with respect to the stimulable phosphor sheet in a main scanning direction normal to the array of the solid state photoelectric conversion devices, and then moved with respect thereto in the array direction each time one main scanning step is finished.

A color picture solid-state pickup element comprising a solid-state image sensor and a colored matrix microfilter. The image sensor has photo elements arranged in a matrix. The horizontal lines are paired into scanning lines. The scanning lines alternate between two fields, one field being read after the other. The microfilter has rows of uniform colors, with a row covering one horizontal line. Every other row is of a first primary or complementary color. The remaining rows alternate between two other primary or complementary colors.

Color picture solid image-pickup element

A solid image pickup element for use in interlaced scanning in which at least two lines of photo-elements are simultaneously read in one interlaced scanning line. The lines are algebraically combined to reproduce the color signals and different groups of lines are read for different interlace fields.

Micro filter arrangement in an interlaced solid-state image pickup

A method for reading out signal charges in a solid-state image pickup unit providing either an improved resolution for a constant vertical integration density or a reduced vertical integration density while maintaining the same resolution. The photoelectric conversion elements of the unit are arranged in a matrix of rows and columns with m rows of photoelectric conversion elements being assigned to each scanning line. Signal charges generated in the photoelectric conversion elements during exposure are transferred to a vertical transfer section in the order of the m-th row to the first row in each scanning line, and then the charges are transferred to a horizontal charge transfer section using a four-phase driving method.

Method for reading out charges in solid-state image pickup unit

A solid-state imaging device in which the possibility of defect formation in a photoconductive layer is substantially eliminated by the use of a multi-layered structure. A photoconductive film unit and a transparent electrode are formed in that order on a semiconductor substrate in which is formed a scanning circuit composed of a plurality of picture elements defined by respective electrodes on the semiconductor substrate and the transparent electrode. The photoconductive film unit is composed of a polycrystalline silicon film and an amorphous silicon film that are disposed in that order on the semiconductor substrate.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Kazuhiro Kawajiri