# US 2018/0324374 A1 · Image sensor and electronic camera > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0324374 A1 - Document ID: US20180324374A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/765,152 - Filed: 2016-09-27 - Published: 2018-11-08 - Earliest claimed: 2015-09-30 - Assignees: Nikon Corporation - Applicants: Nikon Corporation - Inventors: Atsushi KAMASHITA; Atsushi KOMAI; Toru TAKAGI; Tomohisa ISHIDA - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180324374A1 ## CPC - H04N 25/79: Arrangements of circuitry being divided between different or multiple substrates, chips or circuit boards, e.g. stacked image sensors - H04N 25/70: SSIS architectures; Circuits associated therewith - H04N 25/709: Circuitry for control of the power supply - H04N 25/76: Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors - H10D 86/201: {the substrates comprising an insulating layer on a semiconductor body, e.g. SOI (H10D86/40 take precedence)} - H10F 39/018: {of hybrid image sensors} - H10F 39/18: Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor [CMOS] image sensors; Photodiode array image sensors - H10F 39/8037: {the integrated elements comprising a transistor} - H10F 39/809: {of hybrid image sensors} - H10F 39/199: {Back-illuminated image sensors} - H10F 39/8053: {Colour filters} - H10F 39/8063: {Microlenses} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES - H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION ## Abstract An image sensor includes a first semiconductor layer provided with a pixel, including a photoelectric conversion unit that photoelectrically converts incident light to generate an electric charge, an accumulation unit that accumulates the electric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit, and a transfer unit that transfers the electric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit to the accumulation unit, a second semiconductor layer provided with a supply unit that supplies the transfer unit with a transfer signal for transferring the electric charge from the photoelectric conversion unit to the accumulation unit, and a third semiconductor layer into which a signal is inputted, the signal being based on the electric charge that has been transferred to the accumulation unit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image sensor comprising: a first semiconductor layer provided with a pixel, including a photoelectric conversion unit that photoelectrically converts incident light to generate an electric charge, an accumulation unit that accumulates the electric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit, and a transfer unit that transfers the electric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit to the accumulation unit; a second semiconductor layer provided with a supply unit that supplies the transfer unit with a transfer signal for transferring the electric charge from the photoelectric conversion unit to the accumulation unit; and a third semiconductor layer into which a signal is inputted, the signal being based on the electric charge that has been transferred to the accumulation unit. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image sensor according to claim 1, wherein: the second semiconductor layer has a thin-film transistor. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The image sensor according to claim 2, wherein: the first semiconductor layer and the third semiconductor layer are configured by semiconductor substrates. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The image sensor according to claim 2, wherein: the second semiconductor layer is arranged in an insulating unit provided between a semiconductor substrate constituting the first semiconductor layer and a semiconductor substrate constituting the third semiconductor layer. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The image sensor according to claim 1, wherein: the first semiconductor layer is one of a silicon substrate and a silicon layer of a SOI substrate having the silicon substrate, an embedded oxide layer, and the silicon layer, and the second semiconductor layer is the other of the silicon substrate and the silicon layer. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The image sensor according to claim 5, wherein: the third semiconductor layer is configured by a semiconductor substrate. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The image sensor according to claim 1, wherein: the supply unit supplies the transfer signal for transferring the electric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit during a first period to the accumulation unit or the transfer signal for transferring the electric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit during a second period to the accumulation unit, the second period having a length different from that of the first period. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The image sensor according to claim 1, wherein: the supply unit comprises a first diffusion unit to which a voltage higher than a voltage of the first substrate layer is applied by a first power supply unit and a second diffusion unit to which a voltage lower than the voltage of the first substrate layer is applied by a second power supply unit, and the supply unit supplies the transfer unit with a first voltage based on the voltage applied by the first power supply unit and supplies the transfer unit with a second voltage based on the voltage applied by the second power supply unit. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The image sensor according to claim 8, wherein: the photoelectric conversion unit is a pinned photodiode; and the transfer unit transfers the electric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit to the accumulation unit if the transfer signal represents the first voltage, and does not transfer the electric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit to the accumulation unit if the transfer signal represents the second voltage. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The image sensor according to claim 9, wherein: the supply unit has a level shift circuit that converts a drive signal having a third voltage which is not less than a ground voltage and a fourth voltage which is not less than the ground voltage and higher than the third voltage, into the transfer signal having the first voltage and the second voltage. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The image sensor according to claim 10, further comprising: an inverter circuit that outputs the drive signal to the level shift circuit, wherein: the level shift circuit includes at least six transistors, and the level shift circuit outputs the transfer signal representing the first voltage if the drive signal is the third voltage and outputs the transfer signal representing the second voltage if the drive signal is the fourth voltage. ### Claim 12 The image sensor according to c;aim 1, wherein: the photoelectric conversion unit is provided on a surface of the first semiconductor layer onto which incident light is incident, and the transfer unit and the accumulation unit are provided on a surface of the first semiconductor layer on the second semiconductor layer side. ### Claim 13 An image sensor comprising: a first semiconductor layer provided with a pixel including a photoelectric conversion unit that photoelectrically converts incident light to generate an electric charge, an accumulation unit that accumulates the electric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit, and a transfer unit that transfers the electric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit to the accumulation unit; and a semiconductor layer that is arranged to be stacked on the first semiconductor substrate, in which a supply unit is provided, the supply unit supplying the transfer unit with a transfer signal for transferring the electric charge from the photoelectric conversion unit to the accumulation unit. ### Claim 14 An image sensor comprising: a first semiconductor substrate having an insulating unit formed therein and having a preset predetermined substrate voltage; an photoelectric conversion unit that is provided in the first semiconductor substrate and photoelectrically converts incident light to generate an electric charge; a transfer unit that is provided in the first semiconductor substrate and transfers the electric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit to an accumulation unit based on a transfer signal; and a supply unit that is electrically insulated from the first semiconductor substrate by the insulating unit, the supply unit supplying the transfer unit with the transfer signal including a first positive signal voltage and a second negative signal voltage. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) An electronic camera having the image sensor according to claim 1.