National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology

Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Kuraray Co., Ltd.

Cytopathfinder, Inc.

Toshitaka Ota

Yasushi Nagamune

Yutaka Hayashi

Hirofumi Watanabe

Takaaki Negoro

Kazuhiro Yoneda

Katsuhiko Aisu

Kazunari Kimino

Yoshiji Fujita

Manzo Shiono

Hitoshi Aoki

Toshio Yoshida

Toshihisa Gotoh

Masahisa Tanomura

Yoshimitsu Nakashima

Yoshinobu Kanazawa

Takashi Tokizaki

Masakatsu Hato

Kohji Kobayashi

Toshio Fukai

A light detecting device includes: an optical filter () that transmits a first wavelength light having a wavelength in a first wavelength range, a second wavelength light having a wavelength in a second wavelength range, . . . , and an n-th wavelength light having a wavelength in an n-th wavelength range (n is an integer); an optical sensor () that detects at least one of a first wavelength light intensity of the first wavelength light, a second wavelength light intensity of the second wavelength light, . . . , and an n-th wavelength light intensity of the n-th wavelength light; and an analysis unit () that estimates a light intensity of light having a wavelength in a wavelength range other than at least one of the first wavelength range, the second wavelength range, . . . , and the n-th wavelength range based on at least one of the first wavelength light intensity, the second wavelength light intensity, . . . , and the n-th wavelength light intensity. A correlative relationship exists between a light intensity of light having a wavelength in the at least one wavelength range and the light intensity of the light having the wavelength in the wavelength range other than the at least one wavelength range.

Light detecting device, solid-state image capturing apparatus, and method for manufacturing the same

Expansion of the dynamic range was difficult in conventional amplifying photoelectric conversion devices designed to have a large gain because, when used for high input light intensity, the electric current exceeds the electric current capacity of a near-minimum sized transistor obtained with the design rules. Also, in conventional photoelectric conversion devices, techniques for varying the electric signal outputs in real-time at the device level are necessary for real-time import of observation targets or images having a high contrast ratio and for visualization of local areas in real-time. In order to solve this problem, the present invention provides a gain varying method, a variable gain photoelectric conversion device, a photoelectric conversion cell, a photoelectric conversion array, a read-out method thereof, and a circuit therefor in which amplifying photoelectric conversion devices and field-effect transistors are combined.

Method of varying gain, variable gain photoelectric conversion device, variable gain photoelectric conversion cell, variable gain photoelectric conversion array, method of reading out thereof, and circuit thereof

A sense circuit includes a differential amplifier circuit including an inverting input section, a non-inverting input section and an output section, an electrical capacitor connected between the inverting input section and the output section, and a field effect transistor including a source, a drain, and a gate. One of the source and the drain is connected to the inverting input section, and the other of the source and the drain is connected to the output section. A reference potential is supplied to the non-inverting input section, and an output section of a photoelectric conversion cell having an added switching function is connected to the inverting input section.

Sense circuit and method of operation thereof and photoelectric conversion array connected to inverting input of sense circuit

The invention relates to a semiconductor device having a vertical transistor bipolar structure of emitter, base, and collector formed in this order from a semiconductor substrate surface in a depth direction. The semiconductor device includes an electrode embedded from the semiconductor substrate surface into the inside and insulated by an oxide film. In the surface of the substrate, a first-conductivity-type first semiconductor region, a second-conductivity-type second semiconductor region, and a first-conductivity-type third semiconductor region are arranged, from the surface side, inside a semiconductor device region surrounded by the electrode and along the electrode with the oxide film interposed therebetween, the second semiconductor region located below the first semiconductor region, the third semiconductor region located below the second semiconductor region. The electrode is insulated from the first to third semiconductor regions, and current gain is variable through application of voltage to the electrode.

Semiconductor device and imaging apparatus

A photoelectric converter includes a first pn junction comprised of at least two semiconductor regions of different conductivity types, and a first field-effect transistor including a first source connected with one of the semiconductor regions, a first drain, a first insulated gate and a same conductivity type channel as that of the one of the semiconductor regions. The first drain is supplied with a second potential at which the first pn junction becomes zero-biased or reverse-biased relative to a potential of the other of the semiconductor regions. When the first source turns to a first potential and the one of the semiconductor regions becomes zero-biased or reverse-biased relative to the other semiconductor regions, the first pn junction is controlled not to be biased by a deep forward voltage by supplying a first gate potential to the first insulated gate, even when either of the semiconductor regions is exposed to light.

Photoelectric converter, photoelectric converter array and imaging device

A reset method of an photoelectric conversion device at least including a phototransistor having a first collector, a first base, and a first emitter, and a first field-effect transistor having a first source, a first drain, and a first gate, includes: connecting the first base, and one of the first source and the first drain of the first field-effect transistor by having a common region, or a continuous region, without a base electrode; supplying a base reset potential to the other of the first source and the first drain; and overlapping a time in which a first emitter potential is supplied to the first emitter and a time in which a first ON-potential that turns on the first field-effect transistor is supplied to the first gate.

Method for resetting photoelectric conversion device, and photoelectric conversion device

In order to achieve a photoelectric conversion cell and an array of high sensitivity and high dynamic range, there is a need for a photoelectric conversion cell and an array in which combination of an amplified photoelectric conversion element and a selection element are resistant to external noise, and the combination is resistant to effects from address selection pulse noise at array readout time. In the present invention, in order to solve the problem, a photoelectric conversion cell has been configured with a combination of an amplified photoelectric conversion element () and a selection element (and the like) which are resistant to external noise, and various means of solution of the combination are provided which are resistant to the effects of address selection pulse noise at array readout time. As a result, a dynamic range of 6 to 7 orders of magnitude for light detection has become possible.

Photoelectric conversion cell and array, reset circuit and electrical signal sense control circuit therefor

Provided is a method of varying the gain of an amplifying photoelectric conversion device and a variable gain photoelectric conversion device which are capable of achieving both signal processing under low illuminance and high-current processing under high light intensity, and thereby capable of securing a wide dynamic range. An amplifying photoelectric conversion part includes a photoelectric conversion element and amplification transistors forming a Darlington circuit. The sources and the drains of field-effect transistors are connected to the bases and the emitters of the amplification transistors, respectively. The gates of the field-effect transistors each function as a gain control part.

Method of varying gain of amplifying photoelectric conversion device and variable gain photoelectric conversion device

An object of the present invention is to amplify the current which varies by a factor of several orders of magnitude with a constant gain without using a complicated circuit. In order to solve the problem, with a semiconductor device includes a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity, a second semiconductor region which is an opposite conductivity opposite to the first conductivity and is in contact with the first semiconductor region and a third semiconductor region which is the first conductivity and is in contact with the second semiconductor region at the second surface, a fourth semiconductor region in contact with the second semiconductor region is provided so as to be separated from the third semiconductor region and enclose the third semiconductor region and an impurity concentration of the fourth semiconductor region is larger than that of the second semiconductor region.

Method of making less electric current dependence of electric current gain of semiconductor device

A cubic liquid crystal composition comprising at least one amphiphilic compound having the following general formula (1) and having an IV/OV value of 0.65 to 0.95, and water or an aqueous medium: 

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Tsukuba, Japan

Toshitaka Ota