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US 2006/0219868 A1Published application
Solid-state image-sensing device
AssigneeKonica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
InventorsTakashi Morimoto, Tomokazu Kakumoto
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Abstract
In a solid-state image-sensing device, by global shuttering, whereby image sensing is performed simultaneously in all the pixels, a potential commensurate with the amount of light incident on a buried diode PD is held in an N-type floating diffusion region FD. Then a noise signal is outputted, and then the potential held in the N-type floating diffusion region FD is transferred to an N-type floating diffusion region FD1 so that an image signal is outputted.
Claims7
A solid-state image-sensing device comprising a plurality of pixels,
- the pixels each comprising:
- a buried photodiode that produces a photoelectric charge commensurate with an amount of incident light and that accumulates the photoelectric charge within itself;
- a first transfer gate that transfers an electric charge accumulated in the buried photodiode;
- a first floating diffusion region that accumulates an electric charge transferred via the first transfer gate from the buried photodiode;
- a second transfer gate that transfers the electric charge accumulated in the first floating diffusion region;
- and
- a second floating diffusion region that accumulates an electric charge transferred via the second transfer gate from the first floating diffusion region,
- wherein, in each pixel, the buried photodiode, the first and second transfer gates, and the first floating diffusion region together constitute a photoelectric conversion portion, and
- wherein, as a result of all the pixels performing image sensing simultaneously in the respective photoelectric conversion portions,
- simultaneously in all the pixels, the electric charge commensurate with the amount of light incident on the buried photodiode is held in the first floating diffusion region,
- then, in each pixel, a noise signal commensurate with an initial state of the second floating region is outputted, and
- then the electric charge held in the first floating diffusion region is transferred to the second floating diffusion region, and an image signal commensurate with an amount of the thus transferred electric charge is outputted.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.