# US 12,604,117 B2 · Image element readout circuitry, image element, and image element readout method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,604,117 B2 - Document ID: US12604117B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/283,554 - Filed: 2022-03-21 - Published: 2024-05-23 - Granted: 2026-04-14 - Earliest claimed: 2021-03-31 - Assignees: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation - Applicants: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation - Inventors: Johannes Solhusvik; Yorito Sakano - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12604117B2 ## CPC - H04N 25/77: Pixel circuitry, e.g. memories, A/D converters, pixel amplifiers, shared circuits or shared components - H04N 25/78: Readout circuits for addressed sensors, e.g. output amplifiers or A/D converters - H04N 25/40: Extracting pixel data from image sensors by controlling scanning circuits, e.g. by modifying the number of pixels sampled or to be sampled - H04N 25/533: by using differing integration times for different sensor regions - H04N 25/57: Control of the dynamic range - H04N 25/706: Pixels for exposure or ambient light measuring - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract The present disclosure generally pertains to image element readout circuitry configured to: sense an amount of electric carriers in a photosensitive element, wherein the photosensitive element is configured to generate the electric carriers in response to light being incident on the photosensitive element; and read the electric carriers from the photosensitive element when the amount of electric carriers has reached a predetermined value. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image element readout circuitry configured to: sense an amount of electric carriers in a photosensitive element, wherein the photosensitive element is configured to generate the electric carriers in response to light being incident on the photosensitive element; and read the electric carriers from the photosensitive element when the amount of electric carriers has reached a predetermined value, wherein the amount of electric carriers is capacitively sensed based on a capacitive coupling between the photosensitive element and an internal pixel element including at least one of a shallow trench isolation (STI) structure or a vertical transfer gate (VTG) structure, or the amount of electric carriers is sensed based on threshold voltage modulation sensing using a sensing circuit including the at least one of the STI structure or the VTG structure. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image element readout circuitry of claim 1, further configured to: capacitively sense a voltage change in the photosensitive element which is indicative of the amount of electric carriers in the photosensitive element. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The image element readout circuitry of claim 1, wherein; the amount of electric carriers is further sensed by capacitively sensing a voltage with respect to a reference voltage. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The image element readout circuitry of claim 1, wherein; the amount of electric carriers is further sensed based on the capacitive coupling between the internal pixel element including a transfer gate and the photosensitive element. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The image element readout circuitry of claim 1, wherein; the amount of electric carriers is further sensed based on the capacitive coupling between the internal pixel element including a pinning layer and the photosensitive element. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The image element readout circuitry of claim 1, wherein: the electric carriers are read from the photosensitive element based on correlated double sampling. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The image element readout circuitry of claim 1, wherein: the internal pixel element corresponds to at least one of a reference voltage node, ground, a pinning layer, or a transfer gate. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The image element readout circuitry of claim 7, wherein: the internal pixel element corresponds to the pinning layer. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The image element readout circuitry of claim 1, wherein: the internal pixel element includes the STI structure and the VTG structure. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The image element readout circuitry of claim 1, further comprising: the sensing circuit; a transfer gate coupled between the photosensitive element and a floating diffusion node; a reset terminal coupled to the floating diffusion node; an amplifier transistor having a gate coupled to the floating diffusion node; and a selection transistor, wherein the sensing circuit is configured to use an adaptive sensing voltage for sensing the electric carriers, such that applied voltage of the sensing circuit changes with respect to the electric carriers being present in the photosensitive element, thereby resulting in the threshold voltage modulation sensing which is translated into a corresponding photodiode charge. ### Claim 11 An image element comprising: a photosensitive element; and image element readout circuitry configured to: sense an amount of electric carriers in the photosensitive element, wherein the photosensitive element is configured to generate the electric carriers in response to light being incident on the photosensitive element; and read the electric carriers from the photosensitive element when the amount of electric carriers reached a predetermined value, wherein the amount of electric carriers is capacitively sensed based on a capacitive coupling between the photosensitive element and an internal pixel element including at least one of a shallow trench isolation (STI) structure or a vertical transfer gate (VTG) structure, or the amount of electric carriers is sensed based on threshold voltage modulation sensing using a sensing circuit including the at least one of the STI structure or the VTG structure. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The image element of claim 11, wherein the image element readout circuitry is further configured to: capacitively sense a voltage change in the photosensitive element which is indicative of the amount of electric carriers in the photosensitive element. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The image element of claim 11, wherein: the amount of electric carriers is further sensed by capacitively sensing a voltage with respect to a reference voltage. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The image element of claim 11, wherein; the amount of electric carriers is further sensed based on the capacitive coupling between the internal pixel element including a transfer gate and the photosensitive element. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The image element of claim 11, wherein: the amount of electric carriers is further sensed based on the capacitive coupling between the internal pixel element including a pinning layer and the photosensitive element. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The image element of claim 11, wherein: the electric carriers are read from the photosensitive element based on correlated double sampling. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The image element of claim 11, wherein: the internal pixel element corresponds to a pinning layer. ### Claim 18 An image element readout method comprising: sensing an amount of electric carriers in a photosensitive element, wherein the photosensitive element is configured to generate the electric carriers in response to light being incident on the photosensitive element; and reading the electric carriers from the photosensitive element when the amount of electric carriers has reached a predetermined value, wherein the amount of electric carriers is capacitively sensed based on a capacitive coupling between the photosensitive element and an internal pixel element including at least one of a shallow trench isolation (STI) structure or a vertical transfer gate (VTG) structure, or the amount of electric carriers is sensed based on threshold voltage modulation sensing using a sensing circuit including the at least one of the STI structure or the VTG structure. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The image element readout method of claim 18, further comprising: capacitively sensing a voltage change in the photosensitive element which is indicative of the amount of electric carriers in the photosensitive element. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The image element readout method of claim 18, wherein: the electric carriers are read from the photosensitive element based on correlated double sampling.