Solid state image pickup device with wide dynamic range
AssigneeFuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
InventorTetsuo Yamada
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A solid state image pickup device, having: a semiconductor substrate; a plurality of pixels formed on the semiconductor substrate, each pixel having a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements inclusive of a first photoelectric conversion element and a second photoelectric conversion element electrically separated; and a light shielding film formed over the semiconductor substrate, the light shielding film having an opening above each pixel, wherein the first and second photoelectric conversion elements have different saturated exposure amounts. A solid state image pickup device is provided which has a high sensitivity and a broad optical dynamic range.
Claims15
A solid state image pickup device, comprising:
- a semiconductor substrate;
- a plurality of pixels formed on said semiconductor substrate, each pixel having a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements inclusive of a first photoelectric conversion element and a second photoelectric conversion element electrically separated;
- and
- a light shielding film formed over said semiconductor substrate, said light shielding film having an opening above each pixel,
- wherein at least said first photoelectric conversion element and said second photoelectric conversion element have different saturated exposure amounts.
A driving method for a solid state image pickup device, comprising:
- a semiconductor substrate;
- a plurality of pixels formed on said semiconductor substrate, each pixel having a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements inclusive of a first photoelectric conversion element and a second photoelectric conversion element electrically separated;
- and a light shielding film formed over said semiconductor substrate, said light shielding film having an opening above each pixel, wherein at least said first photoelectric conversion element and said second photoelectric conversion element have different saturated exposure amounts, the driving method comprising the steps of:
- reading a first signal charge from said first photoelectric conversion element during a first signal read period;
- and
- reading a second signal charge from said second photoelectric conversion element during a second signal read period following the first signal read period.
A driving method for a solid state image pickup device, comprising:
- a semiconductor substrate;
- a plurality of pixels formed on said semiconductor substrate, each pixel having a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements inclusive of a first photoelectric conversion element and a second photoelectric conversion element electrically separated;
- and a light shielding film formed over said semiconductor substrate, said light shielding film having an opening above each pixel, wherein at least said first photoelectric conversion element and said second photoelectric conversion element have different saturated exposure amounts, the driving method comprising the steps of:
- reading first and second signal charges from said first and second photoelectric conversion elements;
- and
- synthesizing said first and second signal charges in signal reading device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.