Photoelectric conversion device providing advantageous readout of two-dimensional array of transistors
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsMAMORU MIYAWAKI, MAHITO SHINOHARA, ISAMU UENO
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Abstract
The present invention is intended to provide a photoelectric conversion device provided with a plurality of groups comprising a plurality of adjacent photoelectric conversion elements, wherein the plurality of groups are respectively provided with a detection circuit for detecting a peak signal of each group.
Claims15
A photoelectric conversion device provided with a 2-dimensional array of transistors, each having a control electrode area which comprises first conductive type semiconductors and on which carriers generated when optical energy is received, first and second main electrode areas which respectively comprise second conductive type semiconductors different from said first conductive type semiconductors and from which signals based on accumulated carriers are outputted, and a third main electrode area which comprises said second conductive type semiconductors, comprising:
- a plurality of first common output lines to which said first electrode area is electrically connected in an array direction of said transistors;
- a plurality of second common output lines to which said second electrode area is electrically connected in the other array direction of said transistors;
- a plurality of common drive lines to which said control electrode area is capacitively connected in one or other array direction of said transistors;
- and
- means for outputting peak signals based on carriers accumulated in a group of transistors to be connected to said first common output lines from respective first common output lines or/and outputting peak signals based on carriers accumulated in a group of transistors to be connected to said second common output lines from respective second common output lines by applying a potential for biasing in a forward direction at least one of said first and second main electrode areas and said control electrode area to the control electrode areas of all transistors connected to said plurality of common drive lines.
A photoelectric conversion device provided with a 2-dimensional array of transistors, each having a control electrode area which comprises first conductive type semiconductor and on which carriers generated when an optical energy is received, first and second main electrode areas which respectively comprise second conductive type semiconductors different from said first conductive type semiconductors and from which signals based on accumulated carriers are outputted, and a third main electrode area which comprises said second conductive type semiconductors, comprising:
- a plurality of first common output lines to which said first electrode area is electrically connected in an array direction of said transistors;
- a plurality of second common output lines to which said second electrode areas of partial or all transistors arrayed are electrically connected in common;
- a plurality of common drive lines to which said control electrode area is capacitively connected in one or other array direction of said transistors;
- means for outputting peak signals based on carriers accumulated in said partial or all transistors from said second common output lines by applying a potential for biasing in a forward direction said second main electrode area and said control electrode area to the control electrode areas of said partial or all transistors connected to said plurality of common drive lines;
- and
- means for outputting those signals based on accumulated carriers from said first common output lines by applying in sequence a potential for biasing said first main electrode area and said control electrode area in a forward direction to the common drive lines of said plurality of common drive lines.
A photoelectric conversion device provided with a plurality of groups each comprising a plurality of adjacent photoelectric conversion elements, wherein said plurality groups respectively have means for detecting a peak signal of each group.
A photoelectric conversion device provided with a 2-dimensional array of transistors, each having a control electrode area which comprises first conductive type semiconductors and on which carriers generated when an optical energy is received, first main electrode area which comprises second conductive type semiconductors different from said first conductive type semiconductors and from which signals based on accumulated carriers are outputted, and a second main electrode area which comprises said second conductive type semiconductors, comprising:
- a plurality of common output lines to which said first electrode area is capacitively connected in an array direction of said transistors;
- a plurality of buffer means input sides of which are electrically connected to said plurality of common output lines, respectively, and output sides of which are electrically connected in common;
- a plurality of common drive lines to which said control electrode area is capacitively connected in one or other array direction of said transistors;
- means for outputting peak signals based on carriers accumulated in a group of transistors to be connected to said plurality of common output lines from said common output lines by applying a potential for biasing in a forward direction said first main electrode area and said control electrode area to the control electrode areas of said all transistors connected to said plurality of common drive lines;
- and
- means for outputting those signals based on accumulated carriers of a group of transistors in said other array direction from the output sides of said plurality of buffer means by applying in sequence a potential for biasing said first main electrode area and said control electrode area in a forward direction to the common drive lines of said plurality of common drive lines.
A photoelectric conversion device provided with a 2-dimensional array of transistors, each having a control electrode area which comprises first conductive type semiconductors and on which carriers generated when an optical energy is received, first main electrode area which comprises second conductive type semiconductors different from said first conductive type semiconductors and from which signals based on accumulated carriers are outputted, and a second main electrode area which comprises said second conductive type semiconductors, comprising:
- a plurality of common output lines to which said first electrode area is electrically connected in an array direction of said transistors;
- a plurality of buffer means input sides of which are electrically connected to said plurality of common output lines, respectively, and output sides of which are electrically connected in common;
- a plurality of second buffer means input sides of which are electrically connected to said plurality of common output lines, respectively, and output sides of which are electrically connected to accumulation means, respectively;
- a plurality of common drive lines to which said control electrode area is capacitively connected in one or other array direction of said transistors;
- means for outputting those signals based on accumulated carriers of a group of transistors in said other array direction from the output sides of said plurality of buffer means by applying in sequence a potential for biasing said first main electrode area and said control electrode area in a forward direction to the common drive lines of said plurality of common drive lines;
- and
- means for outputting peak signals based on accumulate carriers of a group of transistors in said one array direction from said accumulation means after a period for applying in sequence a biased potential to the common drive lines of said plurality of drive lines.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.