Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Takeyoshi Tokuhara

Sanshiro Shishido

Shinichi Machida

Masaaki Yanagida

Masumi Izuchi

Manabu Nakata

Yasuo Miyake

Tokuhiko Tamaki

Katsuya Nozawa

Yoshiaki Satou

Hidenari Kanehara

Yusuke Okada

Masashi Murakami

Shunsuke Isono

Seiji Nishiwaki

Tsuguhiro Korenaga

Nozomu Matsukawa

Satoshi Shibata

Yuuko Tomekawa

Takahiro Koyanagi

Yoshio Shimbo

Takeo Azuma

Satoshi Sato

Kunio Nobori

An imaging device includes a photoelectric conversion layer that includes a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface and that generates signal charge, at least one pixel electrode located on the first surface of the photoelectric conversion layer, a control electrode located on the first surface of the photoelectric conversion layer, a counter electrode located on the second surface of the photoelectric conversion layer and opposite the at least one pixel electrode and the control electrode, and a charge accumulator that is connected to the at least one pixel electrode and that accumulates the signal charge. There is a line segment connecting two points on the at least one pixel electrode to each other and overlapping the control electrode in plan view.

Imaging device

An imaging deviceincludes a pixel array PA. A first period, a third period, and a second period appear in this order in a first frame. During the first period, pixel signal readout is performed on a first row in the pixel array PA. During the second period, pixel signal readout is performed on a second row in the pixel array PA. Each of the first period and the second period is a high-sensitivity exposure period. The third period is a low-sensitivity exposure period.

Imaging device and imaging method for obtaining a high-sensitivity image

A light sensor includes a photoelectric conversion layer and a long-pass filter that is disposed above the photoelectric conversion layer. The photoelectric conversion layer has a spectral sensitivity characteristic having a first peak at a first wavelength that is longer than a cut-on wavelength of the long-pass filter, and a spectral sensitivity of the photoelectric conversion layer at the cut-on wavelength is greater than or equal to 0% and less than or equal to 50% of a spectral sensitivity of the photoelectric conversion layer at the first wavelength.

Light sensor including long-pass filter and light detection system

A capacitor includes a first electrode, a second electrode facing the first electrode, and a dielectric layer disposed between the first and second electrodes and being in contact with each of the first and second electrodes. The dielectric layer has a thickness of 10 nm or more. The first electrode contains carbon. At the interface between the dielectric layer and the first electrode, an elemental percentage of carbon is 30 atomic % or less.

Capacitor including first electrode, dielectric layer, and second electrode, image sensor, and method for producing capacitor

An imaging device includes: a semiconductor substrate; pixel electrodes located above the semiconductor substrate and each electrically connected to the semiconductor substrate; a counter electrode located above the pixel electrodes; a first photoelectric conversion layer located between the counter electrode and the pixel electrodes; and at least one first light-shielding body located in or above the first photoelectric conversion layer. The first photoelectric conversion layer contains a semiconducting carbon nanotube that absorbs light in a first wavelength range and an organic molecule that covers the semiconducting carbon nanotube, absorbs light in a second wavelength range, and emits fluorescence in a third wavelength range. The at least one first light-shielding body absorbs or reflects light with a wavelength in at least part of the second wavelength range.

An imaging device includes a pixel electrode, a counter electrode that faces the pixel electrode, a first photoelectric conversion layer that is located between the pixel electrode and the counter electrode and that generates first signal charge, a second photoelectric conversion layer that is located between the first photoelectric conversion layer and the pixel electrode and that generates second signal charge, a first barrier layer that is located between the first photoelectric conversion layer and the second photoelectric conversion layer and that forms a first heterojunction barrier against the first signal charge in the first photoelectric conversion layer, and a charge accumulator that is electrically connected to the pixel electrode and that accumulates the first signal charge and the second signal charge.

Imaging device and method for driving imaging device

An optical sensor includes: a photosensitive layer that absorbs incident light to generate a first carrier with a first polarity and a second carrier with a second polarity different from the first polarity; a channel layer that is electrically connected to the photosensitive layer and that conducts the first carrier that has moved from the photosensitive layer; a counter electrode facing the channel layer through the photosensitive layer; an insulating layer positioned between the photosensitive layer and the counter electrode; and a source electrode and a drain electrode each electrically connected to the channel layer.

Optical sensor

An imaging device including a semiconductor substrate including a first surface that receives light from outside, and a second surface opposite to the first surface; a first transistor located on the second surface; and a photoelectric converter that faces the second surface and that receives light transmitted through the semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor substrate is a silicon substrate or a silicon compound substrate, and the photoelectric converter includes a first electrode electrically connected to the first transistor, a second electrode, and a photoelectric conversion layer that is located between the first electrode and the second electrode and that contains a material which absorbs light having a first wavelength longer than or equal to 1.1 &#x3bc;m, and the material has a quantum nanostructure.

Imaging device and imaging system

An imaging apparatus includes a unit pixel including a pixel electrode, a charge accumulation region electrically connected to the pixel electrode, and a signal detection circuit electrically connected to the charge accumulation region; a counter electrode facing the pixel electrode; a photoelectric conversion layer disposed between the electrodes; and a voltage supply circuit configured to selectively apply any one of first, second, and third voltages between the electrodes. The photoelectric conversion layer exhibits first and second wavelength sensitivity characteristics in a wavelength range when the voltage supply circuit applies the first and second voltages between the electrodes, respectively, and becomes insensitive to light in the wavelength range when the voltage supply circuit applies the third voltage between the electrodes.

Imaging apparatus including unit pixel, counter electrode, photoelectric conversion layer, and voltage supply circuit

An imaging device including: a semiconductor substrate including a pixel region and a peripheral region; an insulating layer that covers the pixel and peripheral regions; first electrodes located on the insulating layer above the pixel region; a photoelectric conversion layer that covers the first electrodes; a second electrode that covers the photoelectric conversion layer; detection circuitry configured to be electrically connected to the first electrodes; peripheral circuitry configured to be electrically connected to the detection circuitry, and including analog circuitry; and a third electrode electrically connected to the second electrode. The third electrode overlaps the analog circuitry in a plan view, and in all cross-sections perpendicular to a surface of the semiconductor substrate, parallel to the column direction or the row direction, intersecting at least one of the first electrodes, and intersecting the third electrode, no transistor of the digital circuitry is located directly below the third electrode.

An imaging device includes a semiconductor substrate including a first surface receiving light from outside, and a second surface opposite to the first surface, a first transistor on the second surface, and a photoelectric converter facing the second surface and receiving light through the semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor substrate is a silicon or silicon compound substrate. The photoelectric converter includes a first electrode electrically connected to the first transistor, a second electrode, and a photoelectric conversion layer located between the first and second electrodes and containing a material absorbing light having a wavelength 1.1 &#x3bc;m or longer. The first electrode is located between the second surface and the photoelectric conversion layer. A spectral sensitivity of the material in a region of 1.0 &#x3bc;m or longer and shorter than 1.1 &#x3bc;m is 0% to 5% of the maximum value of a spectral sensitivity of the material in 1.1 &#x3bc;m or longer.

An imaging deviceincludes a pixel array PA. A first period, a third period, and a second period appear in this order in one frame. During the first period, pixel signal readout is performed on at least one first row in the pixel array PA. During the second period, pixel signal readout is performed on at least one second row in the pixel array PA. At least one of the at least one first row or the at least one second row includes two rows in the pixel array PA. During the third period, no pixel signal readout is performed on the rows in the pixel array PA. Each of the first period and the second period is one of the high-sensitivity exposure period and the low-sensitivity exposure period. The third period is the other of the high-sensitivity exposure period and the low-sensitivity exposure period.

Imaging device and imaging method

An imaging device includes: a photoelectric converter including a first electrode, a second electrode, and a photoelectric conversion layer that generates a signal charge; a charge accumulator connected to the first electrode to accumulate the signal charge; a first voltage supply circuit connected to the second electrode and that selectively supplies at least two different voltages including a first voltage and a third voltage greater than the first voltage; and a second voltage supply circuit that is connected to the charge accumulator via capacitance and that selectively supplies at least two different voltages including a second voltage and a fourth voltage less than the second voltage, where in a first period in which the first voltage supply circuit supplies the first voltage, the first period being included in an accumulation period for accumulating the signal charge in the charge accumulator, the second voltage supply circuit supplies the second voltage.

Imaging device and drive method therefor

An imaging device includes a pixel including a permittivity modulation element that includes opposite and pixel electrodes and a permittivity modulation structure whose permittivity changes according to the radiation of light, a capacitive element that includes first and second electrodes, and a detection circuit that outputs a signal corresponding to the potential of the pixel electrode. Also provided are a voltage supply circuit that applies first and second voltages in different first and second periods to one of the opposite electrode and the first electrode, and a signal processing circuit that generates a third signal being a difference between a first signal output from the detection circuit in the first period and a second signal output from the detection circuit in the second period. The potential difference between the opposite electrode and the first electrode when the second voltage is applied is less than when the first voltage is applied.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Takeyoshi Tokuhara