Photosensor with charge storage unit and switch unit formed on a single-crystal semiconductor film
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsTetsuya Shimada, Satoshi Itabashi, Katsunori Hatanaka
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Abstract
An image photosensor includes a photosensor unit a charge storage unit, and a switch unit, all of which are formed on a single-crystal semiconductor film grown from a single nucleus such that crystal formation is performed on a substrate having a free surface including a non-nucleus formation surface and a nucleus formation surface adjacent thereto. The non-nucleus formation surface has a low nucleation density. The nucleus formation surface has a sufficiently small area to allow growth of only the single nucleus and has a higher nucleation density than that of the non-nucleus formation surface.
Claims18
An image photosensor including a photosensor unit, a charge storage unit, and a switch unit, all of which are formed on a single-crystal semiconductor film grown from a single nucleus such that crystal formation is performed on a substrate having a free surface including a non-nucleus formation surface and a nucleus formation surface adjacent thereto, the non-nucleus formation surface having a low nucleation density, and the nucleus formation surface having a sufficiently small area to allow growth of only the single nucleus and having a higher nucleation density than that of the non-nucleus formation surface.
An image reading apparatus including a set of a sensor unit and a transfer unit for transferring an output signal from the sensor unit, the sensor unit and the transfer unit being formed on a substrate whose at least surface portion has an insulating property, the signal transfer unit being formed so as to include a single-crystal semiconductor layer formed on a nucleus formation surface, the nucleus formation surface having a sufficiently small size and essentially consisting of a material different from that of the surface portion of the substrate, and the sensor unit being formed on the signal transfer unit.
An image reading apparatus including a set of a sensor unit and a transfer unit for transferring an output signal from the sensor unit, the sensor unit and the transfer unit being formed on a substrate whose at least surface portion has an insulating property, the signal transfer unit being formed so as to include a single-crystal semiconductor layer formed on a nucleus formation surface on the insulating surface portion, the nucleus formation surface having a sufficiently small size and essentially consisting of a material different from that of the surface portion of the substrate.
A photoelectric transducer apparatus including a photosensor unit, a transfer switch unit for time-serially outputting a signal from the photosensor unit, a drive unit for driving the transfer switch unit, and a correction memory for storing variation information of sensitivity in photosensor elements, all of which are formed on a single-crystal semiconductor film grown from a single nucleus such that crystal formation is performed on a substrate having a free surface including a non-nucleus formation surface and a nucleus formation surface adjacent thereto, the non-nucleus formation surface having a low nucleation density, and the nucleus formation surface having a sufficiently small area to allow growth of only the single nucleus and having a higher nucleation density than that of the non-nucleus formation surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.