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AssigneeSeiko Instruments Inc.
InventorsYukito Kawahara, Satoshi Machida, Hiroshi Mukainakano, Masahiro Yokomichi, Masato Higashi
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An improved image sensor comprises a plurality of photo-sensing elements each comprising an impurity diffusion layer formed in a surface of a semiconductor substrate and arrayed linearly. The photo-sensing elements are of an opposite conductivity type than that of the semiconductor substrate. A transparent insulating film is formed on the photo-sensing elements and the surface of the semiconductor substrate. A non-light transmitting shading film is formed over the transparent insulating film and has photo-sensing windows which overlay a part of each of the photo-sensing elements. The shape and area of each of the photo-sensing elements is equal. The area of each of the photo-sensing windows is equal, but the shape of the first and last photosensing windows is different from that of the remaining photosensing windows. By this arrangement, the amount of photoexcited carriers generated is uniform at all photo-sensing regions, since the area of all photo-sensing windows is equal. Also, since the area and shape of all photo-sensing elements is the same, the amount of photo-excited carriers stored by all the photo-sensing elements is equal, and thus an output current read out from the elements is uniform.
An image sensor head comprising a plurality of image sensors linearly mounted on a base plate along a main scanning direction of the image sensor, the image sensors each comprising:
An image sensor head comprising a plurality of image sensors mounted on a base plate along a main scanning direction of the image sensor head, each image sensor comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.