Sony Corporation

Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation

Kazuya Yonemoto

Takahisa Ueno

Ryoji Suzuki

Koichi Shiono

Tetsuya Iizuka

Kazushi Wada

Koichi Harada

Hideshi Abe

Hirofumi Sumi

Satoshi Nakamura

Yasushi Maruyama

Tomoyuki Suzuki

Kazuhiro Hoshino

Masaharu Hamasaki

Junji Yamane

Yoshiaki Kagawa

Kikue Ishikawa

Shinichi Yoshimura

Naoki Nishi

Michio Negishi

Michio Yamamura

Yoji Takamura

Kazunori Tsukigi

Manabu Ishibashi

Provided is a high-sensitivity-side transfer transistor that transfers a charge from a high-sensitivity photodiode having a sensitivity higher than a predetermined sensitivity to a first charge storage unit. A low-sensitivity-side transfer transistor that transfers a charge from a low-sensitivity photodiode having a sensitivity lower than the predetermined sensitivity to a second charge storage unit. An amplification transistor that amplifies a voltage of the first charge storage unit. A first conversion efficiency control transistor that controls conversion efficiency of converting the charge to the voltage by opening and closing a pathway between the first and second charge storage units. A second conversion efficiency control transistor that controls the conversion efficiency by opening and closing a pathway between the second charge storage unit and a third charge storage unit.

Solid-state imaging element and imaging device

The present technology relates to a solid-state imaging device, a method of driving the same, and an electronic apparatus. The solid-state imaging device includes a pixel having a photodiode that performs photoelectric conversion on incident light, and a driving control unit configured to control driving of the pixel. The pixel stores a first charge generated by the photoelectric conversion in the photodiode and stores a second charge generated by the photoelectric conversion in a first capacitor provided in a pixel separation portion. The driving control unit causes a pixel signal due to the second charge stored in the first capacitor to be output and then a pixel signal due to the first charge stored in the photodiode to be output. The present technology may be applied, for example, to a solid-state imaging device or the like that detects both electrons and holes to perform high dynamic range imaging.

Solid-state imaging device, method of driving the same, and electronic apparatus

An AD conversion circuit with reduced comparator noise is disclosed. In one example, a solid-state image capturing device includes at least three stacked substrates, in which for each pixel block, a first substrate includes a photoelectric conversion unit that generates electric charges according to incident light, a transfer transistor, and a floating diffusion, a second substrate includes one comparator that compares a signal according to a voltage of the floating diffusion with a reference signal, a third substrate includes a code generation circuit that generates a code of a counter, a storage unit that stores the code, and a timing control circuit that controls a timing of storing the code in the storage unit, and the solid-state image capturing device further includes a pixel array in which a plurality of the pixel blocks is arranged.

Solid-state image capturing device, method of driving solid-state image capturing device, and electronic apparatus

Since the great number of elements constituting a unit pixel having an amplification function would hinder reduction of pixel size, unit pixel n,m arranged in a matrix form is comprised of a photodiode, a transfer switch for transferring charges stored in the photodiode, a floating diffusion for storing charges transferred by the transfer switch, a reset switch for resetting the floating diffusion, and an amplifying transistor for outputting a signal in accordance with the potential of the floating diffusion to a vertical signal line, and by affording vertical selection pulse &#x3c6;Vn to the drain of the reset switch to control a reset potential thereof, pixels are selected in units of rows.

Solid-state imaging element having image signal overflow path

Solid-state imaging element, method for driving the same, and camera system

Solid state imaging element having horizontal scanning circuit for providing reset signals

Solid-state image-pickup device including unit pixels having a 3-transistor design and wherein a vertical selection pulse provides a reset potential

A solid-state image sensor comprises unit pixels each having a photoelectric conversion element for converting incident light into electric signal charge and then storing the signal charge obtained through such photoelectric conversion, an amplifying element for converting into an electric signal the signal charge stored in the photoelectric conversion element, and a select switch for selectively outputting the pixel signal from the amplifying element to a signal line. The image sensor further comprises a reset circuit in each of the unit pixels for resetting the photoelectric conversion element every time a pixel signal is outputted from the relevant unit pixel. The photoelectric conversion element is reset every time a pixel signal is outputted, so that a pre-reset signal and a post-reset signal are delivered from each unit pixel and then are transferred via a common path, and the difference between such signals is taken to suppress not only the fixed pattern noise derived from characteristic deviation in each unit pixel but also vertically correlated fixed pattern noises of vertical streaks.

Solid state image sensor with fixed pattern noise reduction

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Kazuya Yonemoto