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US 2017/0302875 A1Published application
Semiconductor device
AssigneeRenesas Electronics Corporation
InventorsShunsuke OKURA, Fukashi MORISHITA
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Abstract
The present invention makes it possible to read a pixel signal at high speed. A pixel array includes a plurality of pixels that store an electrical charge. The amount of stored electrical charge is based on the amount of received light. A first pixel current source and a second pixel current source are coupled in parallel between a ground voltage and a pixel output node on a pixel signal read line. A switch is disposed in a wiring path that couples the pixel output node, the second pixel current source, and the ground voltage.
Claims4
(canceled)
A semiconductor device comprising:
- a pixel array having a plurality of pixels that store an electrical charge based on the amount of received light, the pixels each including:
- a photoelectric conversion element that stores the electrical charge based on the amount of received light;
- a diffusion section that generates a voltage corresponding to the electrical charge stored in the photoelectric conversion element;
- a transfer transistor that transfers the electrical charge stored in the photoelectric conversion element to the diffusion section;
- and
- an amplifying transistor that has a gate coupled to the diffusion section, a drain coupled to a power supply voltage line, and a source;
- a pixel signal read line that is coupled to the pixels;
- a pixel current source that is disposed between a ground voltage and a pixel output node on the pixel signal read line;
- and
- a detection block that is disposed between a power supply voltage and a detection node coupled to the drain of the amplifying transistor through the power supply voltage line;
- wherein the detection circuit outputs an output signal according to the voltage of the detection node and the output signal from the detection block is input to a control electrode of the pixel current source.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.