# US 10,122,954 B2 · Photoelectric conversion apparatus, imaging system, and method for driving photoelectric conversion apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,122,954 B2 - Document ID: US10122954B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/081,496 - Filed: 2016-03-25 - Published: 2016-09-29 - Granted: 2018-11-06 - Earliest claimed: 2015-03-26 - Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Kazuki Ohshitanai; Yasuji Ikeda - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10122954B2 ## CPC - H04N 25/78: Readout circuits for addressed sensors, e.g. output amplifiers or A/D converters - H04N 25/77: Pixel circuitry, e.g. memories, A/D converters, pixel amplifiers, shared circuits or shared components - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract In a photoelectric conversion apparatus, the number of differential transistors in which ON states thereof overlap with one another is increased when the number of the amplification transistors in which ON states thereof overlap with one another is increased. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A photoelectric conversion apparatus comprising: a plurality of pixels each including a photoelectric conversion unit configured to generate a charge based on an incident light and an amplification transistor having a control node configured to receive the charge and to serve as a first input node of a differential pair; and a plurality of transistors having respective control nodes configured to receive a common potential, wherein an operation of setting the control nodes of the plurality of transistors as a second input node of the differential pair while the plurality of transistors are in ON states and an operation of setting the control node of a part of the plurality of transistors as a second input node while the part of the plurality of transistors is in an ON state, are switched from one to another. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The photoelectric conversion apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a switch configured to perform switching between the operation of setting the control nodes of the plurality of transistors as a second input node of the differential pair while the plurality of transistors are in ON states and the operation of setting the control node of the part of the plurality of transistors as a second input node while the part of the plurality of transistors is in an ON state. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The photoelectric conversion apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a current source, wherein each of the plurality of pixels further includes a selection transistor, the switch is a switch transistor, the current source and the amplification transistor are electrically connected to each other through the selection transistor, the current source and one of the plurality of transistors are electrically connected to each other through the switch transistor, and a gate width of the selection transistor and a gate width of the switch transistor are the same as each other. ### Claim 4 A photoelectric conversion apparatus comprising: a plurality of pixels each including a photoelectric conversion unit configured to generate a charge based on incident light, an amplification transistor having a node connected to the photoelectric conversion unit, and a selection transistor; a plurality of transistors having respective control nodes configured to receive a common potential; a switch; and a current source, wherein the amplification transistor, the selection transistor, the plurality of transistors, the switch, a power source voltage node, and the current source form a differential pair, and the differential pair has a first electric path and a second electric path between the power source voltage node and the current source, in the first electric path, the selection transistor is disposed between the current source and the amplification transistor, and in the second electric path, the switch is disposed between the current source and one of the plurality of transistors. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The photoelectric conversion apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a current mirror circuit; and a second switch, wherein the current mirror circuit is electrically connected to first main nodes of the plurality of transistors and the amplification transistor, the switch is electrically connected to a second main node of one of the plurality of transistors, and the second switch is electrically connected to a second main node of the other of the plurality of transistors. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The photoelectric conversion apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: a current mirror circuit; and a second switch, wherein the current mirror circuit is electrically connected to first main nodes of the plurality of transistors and the amplification transistor, the switch is electrically connected to a second main node of one of the plurality of transistors, and the second switch is electrically connected to a second main node of the other of the plurality of transistors. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The photoelectric conversion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein gate widths of the amplification transistors included in the plurality of pixels and gate width of the plurality of transistors are same as each other. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The photoelectric conversion apparatus according to claim 4, wherein gate widths of the amplification transistors included in the plurality of pixels and gate width of transistors are the same as each other. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The photoelectric conversion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the common potential is a potential of an output node of the differential pair. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The photoelectric conversion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the common potential is a ramp signal, the photoelectric conversion apparatus further includes a counter configured to generate and output a count signal obtained by counting a clock signal, and a memory configured to receive the count signal from the counter, the differential pair outputs a comparison result signal indicating a result of comparison between the ramp signal and the signal output from the amplification transistor, and the memory stores the count signal when a value of the comparison result signal is changed. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The photoelectric conversion apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising: a plurality of ramp pixels each including a plurality of transistors and outputs the ramp signal, wherein each of the ramp pixels further includes a photoelectric conversion unit and a current mirror circuit electrically connected to the amplification transistor and the plurality of transistors, the photoelectric conversion apparatus includes a pixel region and a peripheral circuit region in different active regions, the pixel region includes an effective pixel region including the plurality of pixels, a ramp pixel region including the plurality of ramp pixels, and a reference pixel region including reference pixels configured to output only signals which are not based on incident light, the reference pixel region is disposed between the ramp pixel region and the peripheral circuit region, and the peripheral circuit region includes the current mirror circuit. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The photoelectric conversion apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising: a current mirror circuit electrically connected to the amplification transistor and the plurality of transistors, wherein the photoelectric conversion apparatus includes the pixel region and the peripheral circuit region in different active regions, the pixel region includes the effective pixel region including the plurality of pixels and the ramp pixel region including the plurality of ramp pixels, and the peripheral circuit region includes the current mirror circuit. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The photoelectric conversion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of pixels include respective floating diffusion units configured to store the charges, and respective third switches used to electrically connect the floating diffusion units included in the plurality of pixels to one another, and in an operation of setting the control nodes of the plurality of transistors as a second input node of the differential pair while the plurality of transistors are in ON states, all the amplification transistors of the plurality of pixels are brought into ON states while the third switches are in OFF states. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) An imaging system comprising: the photoelectric conversion apparatus according to claim 1; and a signal processor configured to generate an image using a signal output from the photoelectric conversion apparatus. ### Claim 15 (depends on 4) An imaging system comprising: the photoelectric conversion apparatus according to claim 4; and a signal processor configured to generate an image using a signal output from the photoelectric conversion apparatus. ### Claim 16 A method for driving a photoelectric conversion apparatus including a plurality of pixels each including a photoelectric conversion unit configured to generate a charge and an amplification transistor having a control node configured to receive the charge and to serve as a first input node of a differential pair, and a plurality of transistors having respective control nodes which receive a potential in common, wherein in a first operation, among the amplification transistors included in the plurality of pixels, at least one amplification transistor, that is, a first number of amplification transistors, is in an ON state for a first period, and among the plurality of transistors, at least one transistor, that is, a second number of transistors, is in an ON state for the first period and is set as a second input node of the differential pair, and in a second operation, among the amplification transistors included in the plurality of pixels, a number of amplification transistors corresponding to a number larger than the first number, that is, a third number of application transistors, are in ON states for a second period, and among the plurality of transistors, a number of transistors corresponding to a number larger than the second number, that is, a fourth number of transistors, are in ON states for the second period and are set as the second input node of the differential pair. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method for driving the photoelectric conversion apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the first number is equal to the second number and the third number is equal to the fourth number. ### Claim 18 A photoelectric conversion apparatus comprising: a plurality of pixels each including a photoelectric conversion unit configured to generate a charge based on incident light and an amplification transistor having a control node configured to receive the charge and to serve as a first input node of a differential pair; a transistor having a control node serving as a second input node of the differential pair; a counter configured to generate and output a count signal obtained by counting a clock signal; and a memory configured to receive the count signal from the counter, wherein the amplification transistors of the plurality of pixels are brought into ON states, and digital signals corresponding to the charges of the plurality of pixels are generated in accordance with outputs of the differential pairs, wherein a ramp signal ramp is supplied to a control node of the transistor, the differential pair outputs, to the memory, a comparison result signal indicating a result of comparison between the ramp signal and signals output from the amplification transistors which are simultaneously in ON states and which are included in the plurality of pixels, and the memory stores the count signal when a value of the comparison result signal is changed. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) An imaging system comprising: the photoelectric conversion apparatus according to claim 18; a signal processor configured to generate an image using a signal output from the photoelectric conversion apparatus.