US 8,570,410 B2Granted

Solid state imaging device, driving method of the solid state imaging device, and electronic equipment

AssigneeSony Corporation

InventorYusuke Oike

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A solid state imaging device includes: multiple unit pixels including a photoelectric converter generating electrical charge in accordance with incident light quantity and accumulating the charge, a first transfer gate transferring the accumulated charge, a charge holding region holding the transferred charge, a second transfer gate transferring the held charge, and a floating diffusion region converting the transferred charge into voltage; an intermediate charge transfer unit transferring, to the charge holding region, a charge exceeding a predetermined charge amount as a first signal charge; and a pixel driving unit setting the first transfer gate to a non-conducting state, set the second transfer gate to a conducting state, transfer the first signal charge to the floating diffusion region, set the second transfer gate to a non-conducting state, set the first transfer gate to a conducting state, and transfer the accumulated charge to the charge holding region as a second signal charge.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A solid state imaging device comprising:

(1) a plurality of unit pixels including
(a) a photoelectric converter configured to generate electrical charge in accordance with incident light quantity and accumulate said charge therein,
(b) a first transfer gate configured to transfer the charge accumulated in said photoelectric converter,
(c) a charge holding region configured to hold the charge transferred from said photoelectric converter by said first transfer gate,
(d) a second transfer gate configured to transfer the charge held in said charge holding region, and
(e) a floating diffusion region configured to hold the charge, transferred from said charge holding region by said second transfer gate, for being read out as a signal;
(2) an intermediate charge transfer unit configured to transfer, to said charge holding region, a charge which exceeds a predetermined charge amount, generated at said photoelectric converter in an exposure period in which all of said plurality of unit pixels perform imaging operations at the same time, as a first signal charge;
and
(3) a pixel driving unit configured to, in the exposure period in which all of said plurality of unit pixels perform imaging operations at the same time,
(a) set said first transfer gate to a non-conducting state,
(b) set said second transfer gate to a conducting state,
(c) transfer said first signal charge from said charge holding region to said floating diffusion region,
(d) set said second transfer gate to a non-conducting state,
(e) set said first transfer gate to a conducting state, and
(f) transfer the charge accumulated in said photoelectric converter to said charge holding region as a second signal charge,
wherein, said pixel driving unit
(a) reads out said first signal charge as a first output signal in increments of single pixels or increments of a plurality of pixels after said exposure period has ended,
(b) then resets said floating diffusion region and reads out the reset level of said floating diffusion region as a reset signal,
(c) then sets said second transfer gate to a conducting state and transfers said second signal charge to said floating diffusion region, and
(d) subsequently reads out said second signal charge as a second output signal, and wherein,
a potential of a gate corresponding to said charge holding region is set to a voltage realizing a pinning state during a period in which at least one of said first transfer gate and said second transfer gate is set to a non-conducting state.

18 more elements

A solid state imaging device comprising:

(1) a plurality of unit pixels including
(a) a photoelectric converter configured to generate electrical charge in accordance with incident light quantity and accumulate said charge therein,
(b) a first transfer gate configured to transfer the charge accumulated in said photoelectric converter,
(c) a charge holding region configured to hold the charge transferred from said photoelectric converter by said first transfer gate,
(d) a second transfer gate configured to transfer the charge held in said charge holding region, and
(e) a floating diffusion region configured to hold the charge, transferred from said charge holding region by said second transfer gate, for being read out as a signal;
(2) an intermediate charge transfer unit configured to transfer, to said charge holding region, a charge which exceeds a predetermined charge amount, generated at said photoelectric converter in an exposure period in which all of said plurality of unit pixels perform imaging operations at the same time, as a first signal charge;
and
(3) a pixel driving unit configured to, in the exposure period in which all of said plurality of unit pixels perform imaging operations at the same time,
(a) set said first transfer gate to a non-conducting state,
(b) set said second transfer gate to a conducting state,
(c) transfer said first signal charge from said charge holding region to said floating diffusion region,
(d) set said second transfer gate to a non-conducting state,
(e) set said first transfer gate to a conducting state, and
(f) transfer the charge accumulated in said photoelectric converter to said charge holding region as a second signal charge,
wherein, said pixel driving unit
(A) sequentially for all unit pixels
(i) reads out said first signal charge as a first output signal in increments of single pixels or increments of a plurality of pixels after said exposure period has ended, and
(ii) then resets said floating diffusion region and reads out the reset level of said floating diffusion region as a first reset signal,
(B) then, in increments of single pixels or increments of a plurality of pixels,
(i) resets said floating diffusion region and reads out the reset level of said floating diffusion region as a second reset signal,
(ii) then sets said second transfer gate to a conducting state and transfers said second signal charge to said floating diffusion region, and
(iii) then reads out said second signal charge as a second output signal.

20 more elements

A solid state imaging device comprising:

(1) a plurality of unit pixels including
(a) a photoelectric converter configured to generate electrical charge in accordance with incident light quantity and accumulate said charge therein,
(b) a first transfer gate configured to transfer the charge accumulated in said photoelectric converter,
(c) a charge holding region configured to hold the charge transferred from said photoelectric converter by said first transfer gate,
(d) a second transfer gate configured to transfer the charge held in said charge holding region, and
(e) a floating diffusion region configured to hold the charge, transferred from said charge holding region by said second transfer gate, for being read out as a signal;
(2) an intermediate charge transfer unit configured to transfer, to said charge holding region, a charge which exceeds a predetermined charge amount, generated at said photoelectric converter in an exposure period in which all of said plurality of unit pixels perform imaging operations at the same time, as a first signal charge;
and
(3) a pixel driving unit configured to, in the exposure period in which all of said plurality of unit pixels perform imaging operations at the same time,
(a) set said first transfer gate to a non-conducting state,
(b) set said second transfer gate to a conducting state,
(c) transfer said first signal charge from said charge holding region to said floating diffusion region,
(d) set said second transfer gate to a non-conducting state,
(e) set said first transfer gate to a conducting state, and
(f) transfer the charge accumulated in said photoelectric converter to said charge holding region as a second signal charge,
wherein, with a voltage value where said first transfer gate is in a conducting state as a first voltage value, a voltage value where said first transfer gate is in a non-conducting state as a second voltage value, and a third voltage value between said first voltage value and said second voltage value as an intermediate voltage:
(A) said intermediate charge transfer unit first
(i) sets said second transfer gate to a non-conducting state, and
(ii) drives said first transfer gate at said intermediate voltage two or more times, in which, in a period between (a) a first driving at said intermediate voltage which is the final driving at said intermediate voltage, and (b) a second driving at said intermediate voltage which is driving at said intermediate voltage preceding said first driving at said intermediate voltage, said second transfer gate being set to a conducting state and the accumulated charge in said charge holding region is discharged;
and
(B) said intermediate charge transfer unit second drives said first transfer gate at said intermediate voltage, so as to transfer a charge exceeding said predetermined charge amount corresponding to said third voltage value from said photoelectric converter to said charge holding unit, as said first signal charge.

18 more elements

An electronic equipment comprising a solid state imaging device, the solid state imaging device including:

(1) a plurality of unit pixels including
(a) a photoelectric converter configured to generate electrical charge in accordance with incident light quantity and accumulate said charge therein,
(b) a first transfer gate configured to transfer the charge accumulated in said photoelectric converter,
(c) a charge holding region configured to hold the charge transferred from said photoelectric converter by said first transfer gate,
(d) a second transfer gate configured to transfer the charge held in said charge holding region, and
(e) a floating diffusion region configured to hold the charge, transferred from said charge holding region by said second transfer gate, for being read out as a signal;
(2) an intermediate charge transfer unit configured to transfer, to said charge holding region, a charge which exceeds a predetermined charge amount, generated at said photoelectric converter in an exposure period in which all of said plurality of unit pixels perform imaging operations at the same time, as a first signal charge;
and
(3) a pixel driving unit configured to, in the exposure period in which all of said plurality of unit pixels perform imaging operations at the same time, (a) set said first transfer gate to a non-conducting state, (b) set said second transfer gate to a conducting state, (c) transfer said first signal charge from said charge holding region to said floating diffusion region, (d) set said second transfer gate to a non-conducting state, (e) set said first transfer gate to a conducting state, and (f) transfer the charge accumulated in said photoelectric converter to said charge holding region as a second signal charge,
wherein, said pixel driving unit
(a) reads out said first signal charge as a first output signal in increments of single pixels or increments of a plurality of pixels after said exposure period has ended,
(b) then resets said floating diffusion region and reads out the reset level of said floating diffusion region as a reset signal,
(c) then sets said second transfer gate to a conducting state and transfers said second signal charge to said floating diffusion region, and
(d) subsequently reads out said second signal charge as a second output signal.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/603,633Filed 5 Sep 2012 · continuation
Priority: JP 2008-0968843 Apr 2008
Published: US 2012/0327278 A127 Dec 2012
Granted: 29 Oct 2013
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification13 codes

H10F 39/803
Constructional details of image sensors: pixels having integrated switching, control, storage or amplification elements
H04N 25/00
Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [ssis]
H04N 25/573
Involving a non-linear response: the logarithmic type
H04N 25/583
Acquired simultaneously: with different integration times

Family

Application12/411,954Parent of this continuation · filed 26 Mar 2009
US 2012/0327278 A1Pre-grant publication · published 27 Dec 2012
US 8,284,282 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2009/0251582 A1Published application
US 8,570,410 B2This patent

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