# US 9,438,835 B2 · Semiconductor device

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- Number: US 9,438,835 B2
- Document ID: US9438835B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/602,924
- Filed: 2015-01-22
- Published: 2015-07-30
- Granted: 2016-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 2006-02-27
- Assignees: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
- Applicants: Sony Corporation
- Inventors: Yusuke Oike
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9438835B2

## CPC

- H04N 25/71: Charge-coupled device [CCD] sensors; Charge-transfer registers specially adapted for CCD sensors
- G11C 7/12: Bit line control circuits, e.g. drivers, boosters, pull-up circuits, pull-down circuits, precharging circuits, equalising circuits, for bit lines
- G11C 8/08: Word line control circuits, e.g. drivers, boosters, pull-up circuits, pull-down circuits, precharging circuits, for word lines
- G11C 11/4085: {Word line control circuits, e.g. word line drivers, - boosters, - pull-up, - pull-down, - precharge}
- H03K 3/356165: {using additional transistors in the feedback circuit}
- H03K 17/04: Modifications for accelerating switching
- H03K 19/01: Modifications for accelerating switching
- H04N 25/76: Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- G11C: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B)
- H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M)

## Abstract

A semiconductor device is provided which has a driving circuit operable to drive a circuit that has a delay, the semiconductor device including: an auxiliary driving circuit operable to accelerate drive of the driving circuit, which receives a drive signal of the driving circuit as an input signal.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An imaging device comprising:
a plurality of pixels;
a control signal line connected to the plurality of pixels;
a driving circuit configured to output a drive signal to the control signal line; and
an auxiliary driving circuit configured to receive the drive signal propagated through the control signal line,
wherein,
the auxiliary driving circuit comprises a loop circuit having an input node and an output node,
the input node and the output node of the loop circuit are connected to the control signal line,
the loop circuit is configured to be switched between activating the auxiliary drive circuit via a first state of an activation signal and deactivating the auxiliary drive circuit via a second state of the activation signal, and
while the activation signal is in the first state, the auxiliary driving circuit is configured to accelerate the drive signal when the drive signal transitions from a high state to a low state.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The imaging device according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of auxiliary driving circuits.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The imaging device according to claim 2, the plurality of auxiliary driving circuits is connected to single activation signal line supplying the activation signal.

### Claim 4

An imaging device comprising:
a plurality of pixels;
a control signal line connected to the plurality of pixels;
a driving circuit configured to output a drive signal to the control signal line; and
an auxiliary driving circuit configured to receive the drive signal propagated through the control signal line,
wherein,
the auxiliary driving circuit comprises a loop circuit having an input node and an output node,
the input node and the output node of the loop circuit are connected to the control signal line, and
the loop circuit is configured to be switched between activating the auxiliary drive circuit and deactivating the auxiliary drive circuit independently of the drive signal.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The imaging device according to claim 4, comprising a plurality of auxiliary driving circuits.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The imaging device according to claim 5, the plurality of auxiliary driving circuits is connected to single activation signal line supplying the activation signal.

### Claim 7

An imaging device comprising:
a plurality of pixels;
a control signal line connected to the plurality of pixels;
a driving circuit configured to output a drive signal to the control signal line; and
an auxiliary driving circuit configured to receive the drive signal propagated through the control signal line,
wherein,
the auxiliary driving circuit comprises a loop circuit having an input node and an output node,
the input node and the output node of the loop circuit are connected to the control signal line,
the driving circuit is configured to receive an activation signal, and output the drive signal to the control signal line according to the activation signal, and
the loop circuit is configured to be switched between activating the auxiliary drive circuit and deactivating the auxiliary drive circuit according to the activation signal.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The imaging device according to claim 7, comprising a plurality of auxiliary driving circuits.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The imaging device according to claim 8, the plurality of auxiliary driving circuits is connected to single activation signal line supplying the activation signal.

### Claim 10

An imaging device comprising:
a plurality of pixels are arranged in rows and columns;
a plurality of control signal lines, each of the plurality of control signal lines is connected to the pixels arranged in the same row;
a plurality of driving circuits; and
a plurality of auxiliary driving circuits,
wherein,
each of the plurality of driving circuits is connected to a first end of one of the plurality of control signal lines,
each of the auxiliary driving circuits comprises a loop circuit having a first input node, a second input node, and an output node,
the first input node and the output node are connected to a second end of one of the control signal line, and
each of the second input nodes is commonly connected to an activation signal line.