# US 10,313,623 B2 · Imaging device with analog to digital coverters

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- Number: US 10,313,623 B2
- Document ID: US10313623B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/847,122
- Filed: 2017-12-19
- Published: 2018-04-19
- Granted: 2019-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2012-07-20
- Assignees: Sony Corporation
- Applicants: Sony Corporation
- Inventors: Yosuke Ueno; Natsuko Seino; Kenichi Takamiya
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10313623B2

## CPC

- H10D 84/038: {using silicon technology, e.g. SiGe}
- H04N 25/78: Readout circuits for addressed sensors, e.g. output amplifiers or A/D converters
- H10F 39/014: {of CMOS image sensors}
- H10F 39/018: {of hybrid image sensors}
- H10F 39/18: Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor [CMOS] image sensors; Photodiode array image sensors
- H10F 39/182: {Colour image sensors}
- H10F 39/8037: {the integrated elements comprising a transistor}
- H10F 39/809: {of hybrid image sensors}
- H10F 39/811: {Interconnections}
- H04N 25/616: involving a correlated sampling function, e.g. correlated double sampling [CDS] or triple sampling
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION

## Abstract

There is provided a solid-state imaging device including an imaging unit including a plurality of image sensors, and an analog to digital (AD) conversion unit including a plurality of AD converters arranged in a row direction, each AD converter performing AD conversion of an electrical signal output by the image sensor. Each of the AD converters includes a comparator having a differential pair at an input stage, the differential pair including a first transistor and a second transistor, the first and second transistors are each divided into an equal number of a plurality of division transistors, and an arrangement pattern of the plurality of division transistors constituting the comparator in a predetermined column and an arrangement pattern of the plurality of division transistors constituting the comparator in an adjacent column adjacent to the predetermined column are different from each other.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An imaging device comprising:
a first pixel that converts incident light into a first pixel signal; and
a first analog to digital (AD) converter including;
a first comparator including;
a first differential transistor that receives the first pixel signal; and
a second differential transistor that receives a reference signal; and
a first counter coupled to the first comparator, wherein the first differential transistor comprises a first transistor and a second transistor, and the second differential transistor comprises a third transistor and a fourth transistor, and wherein the first, second, third, and fourth transistors are arranged in this order and along a first direction.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the first direction is a column direction.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The imaging device according to claim 2, further comprising a second pixel that converts the incident light into a second pixel signal.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The imaging device according to claim 3, further comprising a second analog to digital (AD) converter including a second comparator, and a second counter coupled to the second comparator.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The imaging device according to claim 4, wherein the first and the second pixels are disposed along a second direction.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The imaging device according to claim 5, wherein the first and the second AD converters are disposed along the second direction.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The imaging device according to claim 6, wherein the second direction is a row direction.

### Claim 8 (depends on 4)

The imaging device according to claim 4, wherein the first comparator is disposed in an Nth column.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The imaging device according to claim 8, wherein the second comparator is disposed in an N+2 th column.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The imaging device according to claim 9, wherein the second comparator comprises a third differential transistor that receives the second pixel signal, and a fourth differential transistor that receives the reference signal.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The imaging device according to claim 10, wherein the third differential transistor comprises a fifth transistor and a sixth transistor, and wherein the fourth differential transistor comprises a seventh transistor and an eighth transistor.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The imaging device according to claim 11, wherein the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eight transistors are arranged in this order and along the first direction.