Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation

Tomohiko Shibata

Kiyoshige Tsuji

Toshikazu Oda

Yuki Ozawa

[Problem] An excessive amount of light received by an image sensor is detected with high accuracy without increasing the circuit scale. [Solution] An imaging apparatus includes a pixel, unit including a photoelectric conversion element and a first transistor that outputs a signal photoelectrically converted by the photoelectric conversion element to a signal line; and an excessive light amount detection circuit that detects that the photoelectric conversion element receives an excessive amount of light. The excessive light amount detection circuit includes a second transistor and a capacitor that are connected in series between the signal line and a reference potential node; and a dummy circuit that adjusts a gate voltage of the second transistor in consideration of at least one of fluctuations in a voltage level of a power supply voltage, a parasitic resistance of the signal line, and variations in a threshold voltage of the first transistor.

Imaging apparatus and electronic device

An image sensor () includes a photoelectric conversion unit () that generates a photoelectric charge, a sense node (SN) () that is connected to the photoelectric conversion unit () and holds the photoelectric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit (), a discharge transistor () for discharging the photoelectric charge held by the sense node (SN) () to the outside, and a voltage control unit () that controls a voltage value of an off voltage to be applied to a gate of the discharge transistor () when the discharge transistor () is turned off.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Tomohiko Shibata