US 2020/0029037 A1Published application

Solid-state image sensor and imaging apparatus

AssigneeSony Corporation

InventorsYOSHIMICHI KUMAGAI, TAKASHI ABE, KAZUYOSHI YAMASHITA, RYOTO YOSHITA

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Abstract

A photoelectric converter generates a charge corresponding to the exposure amount during an exposure period. The generated-charge retention portion and the output charge retention portion retain the charge. The generated-charge transfer portion transfers the charge from the photoelectric converter to the generated-charge retention portion to perform the transfer after the elapse of the exposure period. The retained-charge transfer portion transfers the charge retained in the generated-charge retention portion to the output charge retention portion to perform the transfer. The generated-charge retention gate portion applies a control voltage that is a voltage for controlling potential of the generated-charge retention portion to the generated-charge retention portion during a period of the transfer and the retained-charge transfer, applies a bias voltage that is a voltage having a polarity different from the control voltage to the generated-charge retention portion during a period different from the period of the generated-charge transfer and the retained-charge transfer.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A solid-state image sensor comprising:

a photoelectric converter configured to generate a charge corresponding to an exposure amount during a predetermined exposure period;
a generated-charge retention portion formed in a semiconductor region and configured to retain the charge;
a generated-charge transfer portion configured to transfer the charge from the photoelectric converter to the generated-charge retention portion to perform generated-charge transfer by allowing electrical conduction between the photoelectric converter and the generated-charge retention portion after an elapse of the exposure period;
an output charge retention portion configured to retain the charge;
a retained-charge transfer portion configured to transfer the charge retained in the generated-charge retention portion to the output charge retention portion to perform retained-charge transfer by allowing electrical conduction between the generated-charge retention portion and the output charge retention portion;
a signal generation portion configured to generate a signal corresponding to the charge retained in the output charge retention portion as an image signal after the retained-charge transfer;
and
a generated-charge retention gate portion configured to apply a control voltage for controlling potential of the generated-charge retention portion to the generated-charge retention portion during a period of the generated-charge transfer and the retained-charge transfer, apply a bias voltage having a polarity different from the control voltage to the generated-charge retention portion during a period different from the period of the generated-charge transfer and the retained-charge transfer, and apply the bias voltage to the generated-charge retention portion after applying an approximately intermediate voltage between the control voltage and the bias voltage to the generated-charge retention portion at an end of the period of the retained-charge transfer.

5 more elements

An imaging apparatus comprising:

a photoelectric converter configured to generate a charge corresponding to an exposure amount during a predetermined exposure period;
a generated-charge retention portion formed in a semiconductor region and configured to retain the charge;
a generated-charge transfer portion configured to transfer the charge from the photoelectric converter to the generated-charge retention portion to perform generated-charge transfer by allowing electrical conduction between the photoelectric converter and the generated-charge retention portion after an elapse of the exposure period;
an output charge retention portion configured to retain the charge;
a retained-charge transfer portion configured to transfer the charge retained in the generated-charge retention portion to the output charge retention portion to perform retained-charge transfer by allowing electrical conduction between the generated-charge retention portion and the output charge retention portion;
a signal generation portion configured to generate a signal corresponding to the charge retained in the output charge retention portion as an image signal after the retained-charge transfer;
a generated-charge retention gate portion configured to apply a control voltage for controlling potential of the generated-charge retention portion to the generated-charge retention portion during a period of the generated-charge transfer and the retained-charge transfer, apply a bias voltage having a polarity different from the control voltage to the generated-charge retention portion during a period different from the period of the generated-charge transfer and the retained-charge transfer, and apply the bias voltage to the generated-charge retention portion after applying an approximately intermediate voltage between the control voltage and the bias voltage to the generated-charge retention portion at an end of the period of the retained-charge transfer;
and
a processing circuit configured to process the generated signal.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/587,519Filed 30 Sep 2019
Priority: JP 2016-00936521 Jan 2016
Published: 23 Jan 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification13 codes

H04N 25/778
Pixel circuitry, e.g. memories, A/D converters, pixel amplifiers, shared circuits or shared components: comprising amplifiers shared between a…
H04N 25/616
Noise processing, e.g. detecting, correcting, reducing or removing noise: involving a correlated sampling function, e.g. correlated double…
H04N 25/63
Noise processing, e.g. detecting, correcting, reducing or removing noise: applied to dark current
H04N 25/70
Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof: sSIS architectures; Circuits associated therewith

Family

Application16/067,316Continuation · filed 29 Jun 2018
Application16/587,519Continuation
US 10,469,783 B2Related patent
US 11,032,499 B2Related patent
US 2019/0014278 A1Published application
US 2020/0029037 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.