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US 11,776,974 B2Granted
Photoelectric conversion apparatus, photoelectric conversion system, and moving body
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorHiroshi Sekine
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A photoelectric conversion apparatus includes a photoelectric conversion portion, an amplification transistor having an input node, a first transfer transistor, a second transfer transistor arranged between the first transfer transistor and the input node, and a reset transistor connected to the input node. When electric charges are transferred from the photoelectric conversion portion to the input node, the photoelectric conversion apparatus switches a capacity value of the input node by controlling the second transfer transistor to be on or off.
Claims15
A photoelectric conversion apparatus comprising:
- a photoelectric conversion portion;
- an amplification transistor having an input node to which electric charges generated by the photoelectric conversion portion are input;
- a first transfer transistor configured to control transfer of the electric charges received from the photoelectric conversion portion;
- a second transfer transistor arranged between the first transfer transistor and the input node;
- a reset transistor connected to the input node;
- a first semiconductor region formed between the first transfer transistor and the second transfer transistor;
- a second semiconductor region formed between the second transfer transistor and the reset transistor;
- and
- an output line configured to output a signal from the amplification transistor,
- wherein, when electric charges are transferred from the photoelectric conversion portion to the input node, the photoelectric conversion apparatus switches a capacity value of the input node by controlling the second transfer transistor to be on or off and controlling connection between the first semiconductor region and the second semiconductor region,
- wherein the photoelectric conversion apparatus performs at least one of a first reading out in which the amplification transistor outputs a signal to the output line in a state where the second transfer transistor is off or a second reading out in which the amplification transistor outputs a signal to the output line in a state where the second transfer transistor is on,
- wherein, in a case where an amount of light incident on the photoelectric conversion portion is a first light amount, the first transfer transistor is turned on in a state where the second transfer transistor is off, and
- wherein, in a case where the amount of light incident on the photoelectric conversion portion is a second light amount greater than the first light amount, the first transfer transistor is turned on in a state where the second transfer transistor is on.
10 more elements
A photoelectric conversion apparatus comprising:
- a photoelectric conversion portion;
- an amplification transistor having an input node to which electric charges generated by the photoelectric conversion portion are input;
- a first transfer transistor configured to control transfer of the electric charges received from the photoelectric conversion portion;
- a second transfer transistor arranged between the first transfer transistor and the input node;
- a reset transistor connected to the input node;
- a first semiconductor region formed between the first transfer transistor and the second transfer transistor;
- and
- a second semiconductor region formed between the second transfer transistor and the reset transistor,
- wherein, when electric charges are transferred from the photoelectric conversion portion to the input node, the photoelectric conversion apparatus switches a capacity value of the input node by controlling the second transfer transistor to be on or off and controlling connection between the first semiconductor region and the second semiconductor region,
- wherein the photoelectric conversion portion is arranged inside a semiconductor substrate,
- wherein a gate of the first transfer transistor is arranged on a first side of the semiconductor substrate,
- wherein a micro lens is arranged on the first side, and
- wherein, in a unit cell including the photoelectric conversion portion overlapping with the micro lens, the first transfer transistor, the second transfer transistor, the amplification transistor, and the reset transistor, a floating diffusion including the input node is arranged at a position farthest from an optical center of the micro lens in a planar view.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.