Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Panasonic Semiconductor Solutions Co., Ltd.

Yasuyuki Endoh

Hiroyuki Amikawa

Yoshihiro Sato

Junji Hirase

Yuuko Tomekawa

Junichi Matsuo

Takahiro Koyanagi

Makoto Ikuma

Shinichi Ogita

Takayasu Kito

Takahiro Muroshima

Katsumi Tokuyama

Tetsuya Abe

Masashi Murakami

Nobukazu Teranishi

Hiroshi Toya

Hikaru Hasegawa

An imaging device having a semiconductor substrate including: a semiconductor region including an impurity of a first conductivity type, a first diffusion region that is in contact with the semiconductor region, that includes an impurity of a second conductivity type different from the first conductivity type, and that converts incident light into charges, and a second diffusion region that includes an impurity of the second conductivity type and that directly accumulates at least a part of the charges generated in the first diffusion region. The imaging device further includes a contact plug in contact with the second diffusion region, and a capacitive element electrically connected to the second diffusion region through the contact plug.

Imaging device with multiple diffusion regions and capacitor element

An imaging device includes: a semiconductor substrate; a first photoelectric converter which is disposed in the semiconductor substrate; a second photoelectric converter different from the first photoelectric converter, which is disposed in the semiconductor substrate; a wiring layer disposed on or above the semiconductor substrate; and a capacitor which is disposed in the wiring layer and surrounds the first photoelectric converter in plan view. The capacitor includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and a dielectric layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The first electrode is connected to one of the first photoelectric converter and the second photoelectric converter.

Imaging device having capacitor surrounding first photoelectric converter in plan view

An imaging device includes a semiconductor substrate including a semiconductor region including an impurity of a first conductivity type, a first diffusion region that is in contact with the semiconductor region, that includes an impurity of a second conductivity type, and that converts incident light into charges, and a second diffusion region that includes an impurity of the second conductivity type and that accumulates at least a part of the charges flowing from the first diffusion region, a first transistor that includes a first gate electrode and that includes the second diffusion region as one of a source and a drain, a contact plug electrically connected to the second diffusion region, a capacitive element one end of which is electrically connected to the contact plug, and a second transistor that includes a second gate electrode, the second gate electrode being electrically connected to the one end of the capacitive element.

Imaging device

A solid-state imaging apparatus includes a plurality of high-sensitivity pixels that are arranged in a matrix, and perform a photoelectric conversion at a predetermined sensitivity; a plurality of low-sensitivity pixels that are arranged in a matrix in gaps between the plurality of high-sensitivity pixels, and perform a photoelectric conversion at a lower sensitivity than the predetermined sensitivity; and a signal processor that generates a pixel signal by (i) detecting a difference signal between a signal from the plurality of high-sensitivity pixels and a signal from the plurality of low-sensitivity pixels, and (ii) correcting the signal from the plurality of high-sensitivity pixels using the difference signal.

Solid-state imaging apparatus and imaging apparatus

A solid-state imaging apparatus includes a pixel array, a column processor, and a test signal generating circuit that generates a first digital signal for testing purposes. The test signal generating circuit generates the first digital signal within one horizontal scanning period. The column processor converts a first analog signal, that is converted from the first digital signal, to a second digital signal within the one horizontal scanning period.

A row scanning unit is configured to change a potential of a transfer signal from a second potential Vto a third potential Vprior to driving of a transfer operation for causing a transfer of signal charges from a photodiode to a floating diffusion, by supplying a transfer pulse having a first potential V. The first potential Vis a positive potential for turning a transfer transistor into ON state, the second potential Vis a potential for causing pinning of holes under a gate of the transfer transistor and turning the transfer transistor into OFF state, and the third potential Vis a potential for not causing the pinning of the holes under the gate of the transfer transistor and turning the transfer transistor into OFF state, the third potential being lower than the first potential and higher than the second potential.

Solid-state imaging device and method of driving the same where three levels of potentials including a negative potential are applied in the transfer gate

A solid-state image sensor includes: a plurality of pixels, each having a photodiode, a floating diffusion, a transfer transistor, a reset transistor, and an amplifying transistor; vertical signal linesfor receiving signals from the plurality of pixels; sampling capacitors; circuitsfor comparing a voltage on a corresponding one of the vertical signal lineswith a reference voltage to determine whether the voltage on the corresponding vertical signal lineis higher or lower than the reference voltage; and clip circuitsfor outputting a clip voltage Vclip to a corresponding one of the sampling capacitorsbased on the output of a corresponding one of the circuits. A voltage on each vertical signal line in the state where the signal accumulated in a corresponding photodiode has been transferred to a corresponding floating diffusion, can be used as a comparison voltage of each column.

Solid-state image sensor and driving method thereof, and image sensor

It is an object of the present invention to provide a solid-state imaging device capable of prevent image defects from appearing in an outputted image while suppressing increase in a layout area with a simple circuit structure and is an MOS solid-state imaging device. The MOS solid-state imaging device includes pixels which outputs signals corresponding to intensity of incident light, vertical signal lines which are respectively provided to columns of the pixels and each of which transmits the signals from said pixels in a column direction, and column amplifier circuits that amplify the signals from the pixels and are respectively connected to the vertical signal lines, and each of the column amplifier circuits includes a voltage clipping circuit includes a voltage clipping circuit which limits a maximum output voltage of said column amplifier circuit.

Solid-state imaging device having a voltage clipping circuit to prevent image defects and driving method thereof

A solid-state imaging device comprises a pixel array including a plurality of pixels arranged in rows and columns, and a readout unit operable to read out pixel signals of the pixels included in the pixel array row by row. The readout unit (i) reads out pixel signals of a row of pixels in column order of the pixel array during a horizontal readout period, except during a readout-standby period that is within the horizontal readout period, and (ii) suspends reading out the pixel signals of the row of pixels in the column order during the readout-standby period.

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Hyogo, Japan

Yasuyuki Endoh