Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Yukiko Takiba

Hiroshi Suzunaga

Hideyuki Mori

Shigeyuki Sakura

Osamu Takata

Masahito Nishigoori

Hiroshi Shimomura

Miki Hidaka

Miki Furuya

A light receiving element includes: a semiconductor layer; an insulating layer; an interconnect layer; and a film. The semiconductor layer includes a light receiving unit configured to convert a signal light incident on the light receiving unit into an electrical signal. The insulating layer is provided on the semiconductor layer. The interconnect layer is provided on the insulating layer. The film is provided on the insulating layer to cover the light receiving unit and be connected to the interconnect layer, the film being made of a metal or a metal nitride.

Light receiving element and optically coupled insulating device

Provided is an optical receiving circuit that reduces a distortion of an output pulse width with respect to an input signal by adjusting the division ratio for a voltage applied to resistors in a resistor network. The optical receiving circuit includes: a differential amplifierthat converts a current signal converted from an optical input L and outputs a non-inverting voltage V+ and an inverting voltage V&#x2212; whose amplitudes are regulated; a peak detectorthat detects a peak voltage Vp of the non-inverting voltage V+ and outputs the peak voltage Vp; a resistor networkperforming a summation operation based on the peak voltage Vp, the non-inverting voltage V+, and the inverting voltage V&#x2212; to thereby generate a non-inverting input voltage V+ and an inverting input voltage V&#x2212; whose oscillations cross each other at the middle points of the amplitudes thereof; a discriminatorthat discriminates a potential at which the oscillations of the non-inverting input voltage V+ and the inverting input voltage V&#x2212; cross each other, and generates a rectangular signal in accordance with the cross potential; and an adjustment circuitthat, when the non-inverting voltage V+ or the inverting voltage V&#x2212; is outputted with the amplitude thereof regulated in the differential circuit, adjusts a relative ratio between the voltages connected respectively to resistors of the resistor network, in such a way that the rectangular signal is outputted in the same waveform as the optical input L.

Optical receiving circuit

A transimpedance amplifier includes a first MOS transistor, a current mirror circuit, a second MOS transistor, a load and a first feed back resistor. The first MOS transistor has a gate terminal to which a photodiode is connected. An output current of the first MOS transistor is input to the current mirror. The second MOS transistor has a gate terminal to which a voltage of an output terminal of the current mirror circuit is input. A source of the second MOS transistor is grounded. A polarity of the second MOS transistor is same as a polarity of the first MOS transistor. A first feedback resistor is connected between the gate terminal of the first MOS transistor and a drain terminal of the second MOS transistor. The second MOS transistor outputs a voltage corresponding to the voltage of the output terminal from the drain terminal.

Transimpedance amplifier and light receiving circuit

A semiconductor photosensor device includes a plurality of photodiode sections, a switch, and an output section is provided. The plurality of photodiode sections have different illuminance-output characteristics. The switch selects any one of the plurality of photodiode sections on the basis of an illuminance of incident light irradiated on the photodiode sections. The output section outputs an output signal from the selected photodiode section through the switch.

Semiconductor photosensor device with sensitivity region for wide dynamic range and information apparatus

According to the invention, there is provided a receiving apparatus including: a first threshold voltage generation unit which generates a first threshold voltage lower than substantially half of a peak voltage of the voltage signal; a second threshold voltage generation unit generating a second threshold voltage lower by the first threshold voltage than the peak voltage of the voltage signal; and a selection unit which, when the voltage signal changes from a first potential to a second potential higher than the first potential, selects and outputs the second threshold voltage after exceeding the first threshold voltage, and when the voltage signal changes from the second potential to the first potential, selects and outputs the first threshold voltage after falling below the second threshold voltage.

Receiving apparatus and method thereof

A semiconductor photosensor device includes a plurality of photodiode sections, a switch, and an output section is provided. The plurality of photodiode sections have different illuminance-output characteristics. The switch selects any one of the plurality of photodiodes sections on the basis of an illuminance of incident light irradiated on the photodiode sections. The output section outputs an signal from the selected photodiode section through the switch.

Semiconductor photosensor device and information apparatus with sensitivity region for wide dynamic range

A semiconductor photosensor comprises: a semiconductor substrate; a first photodiode formed on the semiconductor substrate; a second photodiode formed on the semiconductor substrate; a first amplifier circuit configured to amplify photocurrent from the first photodiode, the first amplifier circuit being formed on the semiconductor substrate; a second amplifier circuit configured to amplify photocurrent from the second photodiode, the second amplifier circuit being formed on the semiconductor substrate and having an amplifying characteristic substantially identical to that of the first photodiode; an infrared transmissive filter configured to attenuate visible light components relative to infrared light components in incident light, the infrared transmissive filter being provided on the second photodiode; and a subtraction circuit configured to output a difference between an output of the first amplifier circuit and an output of the second amplifier circuit, the subtraction circuit being formed on the semiconductor substrate.

Growing community of inventors

Kawasaki, Japan

Yukiko Takiba