Sony Corporation

Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation

Canon Denshi Kabushiki Kaisha

Sony Group Corporation

Nec Corporation

Takashi Machida

Kazuyoshi Yamashita

Yusuke Oike

Shinobu Kato

Ryoji Suzuki

Takahiro Kawamura

Jun Tanaka

Taketo Ochiai

Yasunori Sogoh

Keiji Tsutaoka

Keiji Mabuchi

Minoru Ishida

Yorito Sakano

Hideo Kido

Hiroki Kitagawa

Hiroshi Tayanaka

Shinya Yamakawa

Ryoto Yoshita

Masahiro Shirai

Ikuhiro Yamamura

Hiroshi Komuro

Naoki Saka

Hirotaka Watanabe

Yusuke Matsumura

Shigeru Ikezaki

Ryo Fukui

Yu Shiihara

Takashi Shigeno

Tomohiro Yamazaki

Ikuo Yoshihara

Atsushi Masagaki

Kentaro Akiyama

Shinichiro Izawa

Yoshifumi Okamoto

Yoshimichi Kumagai

Hiroyuki Ohri

Tetsurou Ishikawa

Tatsuya Nishi

Kyohei Yoshimura

Manabu Ikarashi

Hiromi Ishizuka

Tetsuyuki Anzai

Satoshi Fujiwara

Mikio Shinohara

Minoru Nishizawa

Kanehiro Yoshida

The present technology relates to a solid-state image sensor, an imaging device, and an electronic device capable of switching FD conversion efficiency in all pixels of a solid-state image sensor. A photodiode performs photoelectric conversion on incident light. A floating diffusion (FD) stores charge obtained by the photodiode. FD, which is a second FD to which the capacity of an additional capacitor MIM is added, adds the capacity to the FD. The additional capacitor MIM is constituted by a first electrode formed by a wiring and a second electrode formed by a metallic light blocking film provided on a surface of a substrate on which the photodiode is formed. Switching between the FD and FD+FDallows switching of the FD conversion efficiency. The present technology is applicable to a CMOS image sensor.

Solid-state image sensor, imaging device, and electronic device

There is provided an imaging device including a first semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type that includes a first surface and a second surface on an opposite side from the first surface, a photoelectric conversion unit of a second conductivity type, embedded into the first surface of the first semiconductor substrate, that generates a charge corresponding to an amount of received light by photoelectric conversion, a first charge storage unit and a second charge storage unit of the second conductivity type, embedded in parallel into the second surface of the first semiconductor substrate, that store the charge generated in the photoelectric conversion unit, a first charge transfer unit that transfers the charge from the photoelectric conversion unit to the first charge storage unit, and a second charge transfer unit that transfers the charge from the photoelectric conversion unit to the second charge storage unit.

Imaging device

A solid-state imaging device includes a light-receiving surface, a plurality of pixels each including a photoelectric conversion section that photoelectrically converts light incident through the light-receiving surface, and a separation section that electrically and optically separates each photoelectric conversion section. Each of the pixels includes a charge-holding section that holds charges transferred from the photoelectric conversion section, a transfer transistor that includes a vertical gate electrode reaching the photoelectric conversion section, and transfers charges from the photoelectric conversion section to the charge-holding section, and a light-blocking section disposed in a layer between the photoelectric conversion section and the charge-holding section. A plurality of the vertical gate electrodes are electrically coupled together in a plurality of first pixels adjacent to each other among the plurality of pixels.

Solid-state imaging device and electronic apparatus

To provide an imaging device that allows miniaturization to be achieved in an in-plane direction without impairing operation performance. This imaging device includes a plurality of pixels each having a stacked structure of a photoelectric conversion unit formation region and an electric charge holding unit formation region. The photoelectric conversion unit formation region includes a photoelectric conversion unit and has a first planar shape in a plane extending in a first direction and a second direction. The photoelectric conversion unit is configured to generate electric charge through photoelectric conversion. The electric charge corresponds to an amount of received light. The first direction and the second direction are orthogonal to each other. The first planar shape has a first aspect ratio. The electric charge holding unit formation region includes an electric charge holding unit and has a second planar shape in the plane. The electric charge holding unit is configured to hold the electric charge. The second planar shape has a second aspect ratio different from the first aspect ratio.

Imaging device and electronic apparatus

An imaging device that smoothly transfers electric charges from a photoelectric converter to a transfer destination is provided. This imaging device includes: a semiconductor layer; a photoelectric converter that generates electric charges corresponding to a received light amount; and a transfer section that includes a first trench gate and a second trench gate and transfers the electric charges from the photoelectric converter to a single transfer destination via the first trench gate and the second trench gate, the first trench gate and the second trench gate each extending from the front surface to the back surface of the semiconductor layer into the photoelectric converter. The first trench gate has a first length from the front surface to the photoelectric converter, and the second trench gate has a second length from the front surface to the photoelectric converter, the second length being shorter than the first length.

To provide an imaging device that allows miniaturization to be achieved in an in-plane direction without impairing operation performance. This imaging device includes a first pixel and a second pixel. The first pixel includes m (m represents an integer greater than or equal to 2) first wiring lines and m first gate electrodes that are coupled to the m respective first wiring lines. The second pixel includes n (n represents a natural number smaller than m) second wiring lines and n second gate electrodes that are coupled to the n respective second wiring lines.

Imaging device that allows miniaturization and electronic apparatus

A solid-state imaging device of an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a semiconductor substrate having one surface and another surface opposed to the one surface, a photoelectric conversion section formed to be embedded in the semiconductor substrate, a charge holding section provided in the one surface of the semiconductor substrate while being stacked on the photoelectric conversion section, an n-type semiconductor region provided in the one surface of the semiconductor substrate, and a charge-voltage conversion section provided in the one surface of the semiconductor substrate. A charge generated in the photoelectric conversion section is transferred via the n-type semiconductor region to the charge holding section.

Solid-state imaging device and electronic apparatus with improved sensitivity

An imaging device that makes it possible to smoothly transfer electric charges from a photoelectric converter to a transfer destination is provided. This imaging device includes: a semiconductor layer having a front surface and a back surface, the back surface being on an opposite side of the front surface; photoelectric converter that is embedded in the semiconductor layer and generates electric charges corresponding to a received light amount; and a transfer section that includes a first trench gate and a second trench gate and transfers the electric charges from the photoelectric converter to a single transfer destination via the first trench gate and the second trench gate, the first trench gate and the second trench gate each extending from the front surface to the back surface of the semiconductor layer into the photoelectric converter. The first trench gate has a first length from the front surface to the photoelectric converter, and the second trench gate has a second length from the front surface to the photoelectric converter, the second length being shorter than the first length.

An imaging unit having a superior phase-difference detection characteristic is provided. The imaging unit includes two or more image-plane phase-difference detection pixels each including a semiconductor layer, a photoelectric converter, a charge holding section, a first light-blocking film, and a second light-blocking film. The semiconductor layer includes a front surface and a back surface on an opposite side to the front surface. The photoelectric converter is provided in the semiconductor layer, and is configured to generate electric charge corresponding to a light reception amount by photoelectric conversion. The charge holding section is provided between the front surface and the photoelectric converter in the semiconductor layer, and is configured to hold the electric charge. The first light-blocking film is positioned between the photoelectric converter and the charge holding section, and has an opening through which the electric charge is allowed to pass. The second light-blocking film is positioned on an opposite side to the first light-blocking film as viewed from the photoelectric converter. Here, all of the second light-blocking films of the two or more respective image-plane phase-difference detection pixels are provided in respective first regions, or are provided in respective second regions. The first regions each include an overlapping region that is a region overlapping the opening in a pixel region occupied by the photoelectric converter. The second regions are each a region other than the first region in the pixel region.

Imaging unit and electronic apparatus with first and second light blocking films

Provided is an imaging apparatus that includes a pixel array portion, a plurality of unit pixels being arranged in the pixel array portion and a driving unit controls an operation of the unit pixel, in which the unit pixel includes a photoelectric converter, a charge retention unit configured to retain a charge, a charge-voltage converter converts the charge into a voltage, a first transmitting unit transmits the charge from the photoelectric converter to the charge retention unit, a second transmitting unit transmits the charge from the photoelectric converter to the charge-voltage converter, and a third transmitting unit transmits the charge from the charge retention unit to the charge-voltage converter.

Imaging apparatus, driving method, and electronic device

The present technology relates to a solid-state image sensor, an imaging device, and an electronic device capable of switching FD conversion efficiency in all pixels of a solid-state image sensor. A photodiode performs photoelectric conversion on incident light. A floating diffusion (FD) stores charge obtained by the photodiode. FD2, which is a second FD to which the capacity of an additional capacitor MIM is added, adds the capacity to the FD. The additional capacitor MIM is constituted by a first electrode formed by a wiring layer and a second electrode formed by a metallic light blocking film provided on a surface of a substrate on which the photodiode is formed. Switching between the FD and FD+FD2 allows switching of the FD conversion efficiency. The present technology is applicable to a CMOS image sensor.

Provided is an imaging apparatus that includes a pixel array portion, a plurality of unit pixels in the pixel array portion, and a driving unit that controls an operation of the unit pixel. The unit pixel includes a photoelectric converter, a charge retention unit that retains a charge, a charge-voltage converter that converts the charge into a voltage, a first transmitting unit that transmits the charge from the photoelectric converter to the charge retention unit, a second transmitting unit that transmits the charge from the photoelectric converter to the charge-voltage converter, and a third transmitting unit that transmits the charge from the charge retention unit to the charge-voltage converter.

A document feeding device includes a feeding unit feeding documents from a batch of documents on a placing tray, a separation member in pressure contact with the feeding unit and separating documents one by one, a separation swinging member supporting the separation member and displaceable in a thickness direction of the batch of documents, and a movable member supported as to be displaceable with respect to the separation swing member in the thickness direction of the batch of documents, and entering a space formed between the separation member and a document.

Document feeding device

The imaging element includes, within a pixel, a semiconductor substrate, a photoelectric conversion unit formed in the semiconductor substrate, a first charge storage unit that stores a charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit, and a first transfer gate unit formed on an opposite surface of the semiconductor substrate on an opposite side of a light incident surface and used for transfer of a charge from the photoelectric conversion unit to the first charge storage unit. The first transfer gate unit includes a first electrode embedded in a first trench formed in the semiconductor substrate from the opposite surface of the semiconductor substrate. The photoelectric conversion unit includes the first electrode, and a second electrode surrounding at least a portion of a periphery of the first electrode.

Imaging element having transfer gate structure comprising a trench

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Tokyo, Japan

Takashi Machida