US 7,321,110 B2Granted

Solid state image pickup device and camera

AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsAkira Okita, Toru Koizumi, Masanori Ogura, Shin Kikuchi, Tetsuya Itano

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Abstract

An solid state image pickup device including a plurality of photoelectric conversion regions (PD1, PD2) for generating carriers by photoelectric conversions to accumulate the generated carriers, an amplifying unit for amplifying the carriers, being commonly provided to at least two photoelectric conversion regions, a first and a second transfer units (Tx-MOS1, Tx-MOS2) for transferring the carriers accumulated in the first and the second photoelectric conversion regions, respectively, a first and a second carrier accumulating units (Cs1, Cs2) for accumulating the carriers flowing out from the first and the second photoelectric conversion regions through a first and a second fixed potential barriers, respectively, and a third and a fourth transfer units (Cs-MOS1, Cs-MOS2) for transferring the carriers accumulated in the first and the second carrier accumulating units to the amplifying unit, respectively.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A solid state image pickup device, comprising a plurality of pixel units, each one of the plurality of pixel units including:

a plurality of photoelectric conversion regions including a first and a second photoelectric conversion regions for generating carriers by photoelectric conversion and accumulating the generated carriers;
a single amplifying unit for amplifying the carriers, the amplifying unit being commonly provided to at least the first and the second photoelectric conversion regions;
a first transfer unit for transferring the carriers accumulated in the first photoelectric conversion region to the amplifying unit;
a first carrier accumulating unit for accumulating carriers flowing out from the first photoelectric conversion region;
a second transfer unit for transferring the carriers accumulated in the first carrier accumulating unit to the amplifying unit;
a third transfer unit for transferring the carriers accumulated in the second photoelectric conversion region to the amplifying unit;
a second carrier accumulating unit for accumulating carriers flowing out from the second photoelectric conversion region;
and
a fourth transfer unit for transferring the carriers accumulated in the second carrier accumulating unit to the amplifying unit.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/373,195Filed 13 Mar 2006
Priority: JP 2005-08034718 Mar 2005
Published: US 2006/0208161 A121 Sep 2006
Granted: 22 Jan 2008
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 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 25/67
Noise processing, e.g. detecting, correcting, reducing or removing noise: applied to fixed-pattern noise, e.g. non-uniformity of response
H04N 25/78
Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors: readout circuits for addressed sensors, e.g. output amplifiers or A/D converters
H10F 39/802
Constructional details of image sensors: geometry or disposition of elements in pixels, e.g. address-lines or gate electrodes