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US 8,553,120 B2Granted
Solid state image pickup apparatus
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsKatsuhito Sakurai, Toru Koizumi, Hiroki Hiyama
Life of this patent
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Abstract
There is provided an image pickup apparatus including a pixel including a photoelectric conversion element and an amplification element for amplifying and outputting a signal generated at the photoelectric conversion element, a load transistor for controlling an electric current flowing at the amplification element, and a potential control element for suppressing potential fluctuation in a first main electrode region of the load transistor which is an output side of the amplification element.
Claims9
A solid state image pickup apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of pixels arranged to form a plurality of columns, each pixel including (a) a photoelectric conversion element that converts a light signal into signal charges, and (b) an amplification element that amplifies the signal corresponding to the signal charges converted by the photoelectric conversion element;
- a plurality of signal lines through which signals amplified by the amplification elements of the columns are transmitted;
- a load MOS transistor arranged at each signal line, each load MOS transistor supplying an electric current to the amplification elements of pixels in one of the columns;
- a first MOS transistor arranged at each signal line, each first MOS transistor being associated with an associated signal line and an associated load MOS transistor and maintaining a constant potential of one main electrode of its associated load MOS transistor;
- a potential changing unit for changing a gate potential of the first MOS transistor;
- and
- an electrical power line electrically connected to another main electrode of each load MOS transistor.
4 more elements
A solid state image pickup apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of pixels arranged to form a plurality of columns, each pixel including (a) a photoelectric conversion element that converts a light signal into signal charges, (b) an amplification element that amplifies the signal corresponding to the signal charges converted by the photoelectric conversion element, and (c) a transferring element for reading out and transferring the signal charges accumulated in the photoelectric conversion element;
- a plurality of signal lines through which signals amplified by the amplification elements of the columns are transmitted;
- a load MOS transistor arranged at each signal line, each load MOS transistor supplying an electric current to the amplification elements of pixels in one of the columns;
- a first MOS transistor arranged at each signal line, each first MOS transistor being associated with an associated signal line and an associated load MOS transistor and maintaining a constant potential of one main electrode of its associated load MOS transistor;
- a potential changing unit for changing a gate potential of the first MOS transistor;
- an electrical power line electrically connected to another main electrode of each load MOS transistor;
- a switch arranged between the first MOS transistor and the signal line;
- and
- a clip transistor for clipping a potential of the signal line.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.