Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Shota Yamada

Yutaka Hirose

Yoshiaki Satou

Motonori Ishii

Akio Nakajun

Masashi Murakami

Yoshihiro Sato

Junji Hirase

Shigetaka Kasuga

Yoshinori Takami

Masato Takemoto

Tsuyoshi Tanaka

Hideto Motomura

Yoshihisa Kato

Shinzo Koyama

Yoshihide Sawada

Toru Okino

Akito Inoue

Manabu Kamoshida

An imaging device includes: one or more pixels, each of the one or more pixels including a photoelectric converter including a first electrode, a second electrode, a photoelectric conversion layer that converts incident light into a signal charge, and a blocking layer; and a charge accumulation region that is coupled to the second electrode, and that accumulates the signal charge. An energy barrier of the blocking layer against migration of a charge having an opposite polarity to a polarity of the signal charge from the second electrode to the photoelectric conversion layer is larger than or equal to 1.8 eV, and an energy barrier of the blocking layer against migration of the charge from the photoelectric conversion layer to the second electrode is smaller than or equal to 1.6 eV.

Imaging device

A voltage control system has a light receiving array part receiving incident light and a light shielding array part shielding light receiving elements from incident light by a light shielding mechanism. The voltage control system also includes: a voltage application unit applying a bias voltage to an anode terminal; a multiplication state determination unit determining the multiplication state of the light shielding array part based on output signals from cathodes of the light receiving elements in the light shielding array part; and a voltage setting unit performing voltage setting for the bias voltage to be output from the voltage application unit based on the determination results from the multiplication state determination unit.

Voltage control system

An imaging device includes: a solid-state imaging element having a plurality of pixel cells arranged in a matrix; and a signal processing part configured to process a detection signal outputted from each of the pixel cells. The pixel cells each include an avalanche photodiode and output a voltage corresponding to a count number of photons received by the avalanche photodiode as the detection signal. The signal processing part includes a variation calculation part configured to calculate a variation between the pixel cells in the detection signal outputted from each of the pixel cells, and a correction calculation part configured to correct the detection signal outputted from each of the pixel cells, on the basis of the variation calculated by the variation calculation part.

An imaging device includes: a solid-state imaging element having a plurality of pixel cells arranged in a matrix; and a control part configured to control the solid-state imaging element. The pixel cells each include an avalanche photodiode, a floating diffusion part configured to accumulate electric charges, a transfer transistor connecting a cathode of the avalanche photodiode and the floating diffusion part, and a reset transistor for resetting electric charges accumulated in the floating diffusion part. The control part controls the reset transistor to discharge electric charges exceeding a predetermined electric charge amount, of electric charges accumulated in the floating diffusion part from the cathode of the avalanche photodiode via the transfer transistor.

Imaging device for reducing variations of amounts of electric charges accumulated in floating diffusion regions

An imaging device including: a semiconductor substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface; a microlens located closer to the first surface than to the second surface; and a first photoelectric converter located between the first surface and the microlens. The first photoelectric converter includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and a photoelectric conversion layer that is located between the first electrode and the second electrode and that converts light into electric charges. The first photoelectric converter is the closest of any photoelectric converter existing between the first surface and the microlens to the first surface. The imaging device includes no photodiode as a photoelectric converter, and a focal point of the microlens is located below a lowermost surface of the photoelectric conversion layer.

An imaging device including a semiconductor substrate that includes a first impurity region; a photoelectric converter that is coupled to the first impurity region and that converts light into charges; a capacitor that includes a first terminal and a second terminal, the first terminal coupled to the first impurity region; voltage supply circuitry coupled to the second terminal; a first transistor including the first impurity region as a source or a drain; and control circuitry. The control circuitry is programmed to cause the voltage supply circuitry to supply a first voltage in a first period, and to cause the voltage supply circuitry to supply a second voltage different from the first voltage in a second period continuous to the first period, the first transistor being in on-state in the first period, the first transistor being in off-state in the second period.

An imaging device including: a semiconductor substrate having a first and second surface opposite to the first surface; a microlens located closer to the first surface than the second surface; a first photoelectric converter located between the first surface and the microlens, where the first photoelectric converter includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and a photoelectric conversion layer that is located between the first electrode and the second electrode and that converts light into electric charges; and a signal detecting section located in the semiconductor substrate, the signal detecting section being configured to output a signal corresponding to the electric charges. The first photoelectric converter is the closest of any photoelectric converter existing between the first surface and the microlens to the first surface, and a focal point of the microlens is located below a lowermost surface of the photoelectric conversion layer and above the signal detecting section.

An imaging device includes a semiconductor substrate that includes a first impurity region having n-type conductivity; a photoelectric converter that is electrically connected to the first impurity region and that converts light into charges; a capacitor that includes a first terminal and a second terminal, the first terminal being electrically connected to the first impurity region; and a voltage supply circuit electrically connected to the second terminal. The voltage supply circuit is configured to generate a first voltage and a second voltage different from the first voltage. The first impurity region accumulates positive charges generated by the photoelectric converter.

An imaging device including a semiconductor substrate having a first surface, the semiconductor substrate including: a first layer containing an impurity of a first conductivity type; a second layer containing an impurity of a second conductivity type different from the first conductivity type, the second layer being closer to the first surface than the first layer is; and a pixel. The pixel includes a photoelectric converter configured to convert light into charge; and a first diffusion region containing an impurity of the first conductivity type, the first diffusion region facing the first layer via the second layer, configured to store at least a part of the charge. The first layer having a second surface adjacent to the second layer, the second surface including a convex portion toward the first surface, and the convex portion facing the first diffusion region.

An imaging device includes a semiconductor substrate having a first surface; a microlens located above the first surface of the semiconductor substrate; and one or more photoelectric converters located between the first surface of the semiconductor substrate and the microlens, each of the one or more photoelectric converters including a first electrode, a second electrode located closer to the microlens than the first electrode is, and a photoelectric conversion layer that is located between the first electrode and the second electrode and that converts light into electric charges, wherein a focal point of the microlens is located below a lowermost surface of the photoelectric conversion layer of a first photoelectric converter, the first photoelectric converter being located closest to the first surface of the semiconductor substrate among the one or more photoelectric converters.

Imaging device with microlens having particular focal point

An electronic prepared slide includes: an image sensor that has a light receiving surface and receives, on the light receiving surface, light that has passed through a specimen disposed above the light receiving surface; and a removable nonvolatile transparent film that is disposed on the light receiving surface and seals the light receiving surface.

Electronic prepared slide, solid state imaging element, and electronic prepared slide assembly method

An imaging device includes a semiconductor substrate having a surface, the semiconductor substrate including: a first layer of a first conductivity type; a second layer of a second conductivity type, the second layer being closer to the surface; and a pixel including: a photoelectric converter configured to convert light into charge; a first diffusion region of the first conductivity type, the first diffusion region facing the first layer via the second layer, configured to store at least a part of the charge; and a second diffusion region being a diffusion region closest to the first diffusion region among diffusion regions of the first conductivity type, the diffusion regions facing the first layer via the second layer. A distance between the second diffusion region and the first layer is equal to or less than 1.5 times a distance between the second diffusion region and the first diffusion region.

An imaging device includes: a solid-state image sensor including: a plurality of pixels that are arranged in a two-dimensional array; and a signal processing device that processes an output signal from the solid-state image sensor. The imaging device generates a corrected image by: generating a correction signal based on a difference between a first temporary correction signal and a second temporary correction signal, the first temporary correction signal being obtained by directly applying a first voltage amplitude to a signal storage provided in each of the plurality of pixels, and the second temporary correction signal being obtained by applying, to the signal storage, a second voltage amplitude that is different from the first voltage amplitude; acquiring an image signal upon a photographing drive operation being performed by the solid-state image sensor; and applying the correction signal to the image signal.

Growing community of inventors

Shiga, Japan

Shota Yamada