Patents by Inventor Takashi Machida

Takashi Machida has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20220159208
    Abstract: To provide an imaging device that allows miniaturization to be achieved in an in-plane direction without impairing operation performance. This imaging device includes a plurality of pixels each having a stacked structure of a photoelectric conversion unit formation region and an electric charge holding unit formation region. The photoelectric conversion unit formation region includes a photoelectric conversion unit and has a first planar shape in a plane extending in a first direction and a second direction. The photoelectric conversion unit is configured to generate electric charge through photoelectric conversion. The electric charge corresponds to an amount of received light. The first direction and the second direction are orthogonal to each other. The first planar shape has a first aspect ratio. The electric charge holding unit formation region includes an electric charge holding unit and has a second planar shape in the plane. The electric charge holding unit is configured to hold the electric charge.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2020
    Publication date: May 19, 2022
    Inventor: TAKASHI MACHIDA
  • Publication number: 20220150428
    Abstract: An imaging unit having a superior phase-difference detection characteristic is provided. The imaging unit includes two or more image-plane phase-difference detection pixels each including a semiconductor layer, a photoelectric converter, a charge holding section, a first light-blocking film, and a second light-blocking film. The semiconductor layer includes a front surface and a back surface on an opposite side to the front surface. The photoelectric converter is provided in the semiconductor layer, and is configured to generate electric charge corresponding to a light reception amount by photoelectric conversion. The charge holding section is provided between the front surface and the photoelectric converter in the semiconductor layer, and is configured to hold the electric charge. The first light-blocking film is positioned between the photoelectric converter and the charge holding section, and has an opening through which the electric charge is allowed to pass.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2020
    Publication date: May 12, 2022
    Inventors: HIDEO KIDO, TAKASHI MACHIDA
  • Publication number: 20220060645
    Abstract: Provided is an imaging apparatus that includes a pixel array portion, a plurality of unit pixels being arranged in the pixel array portion and a driving unit controls an operation of the unit pixel, in which the unit pixel includes a photoelectric converter, a charge retention unit configured to retain a charge, a charge-voltage converter converts the charge into a voltage, a first transmitting unit transmits the charge from the photoelectric converter to the charge retention unit, a second transmitting unit transmits the charge from the photoelectric converter to the charge-voltage converter, and a third transmitting unit transmits the charge from the charge retention unit to the charge-voltage converter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2021
    Publication date: February 24, 2022
    Inventors: TAKASHI MACHIDA, RYOJI SUZUKI, HIROSHI TAYANAKA
  • Publication number: 20210320135
    Abstract: An imaging device that smoothly transfers electric charges from a photoelectric converter to a transfer destination is provided. This imaging device includes: a semiconductor layer; a photoelectric converter that generates electric charges corresponding to a received light amount; and a transfer section that includes a first trench gate and a second trench gate and transfers the electric charges from the photoelectric converter to a single transfer destination via the first trench gate and the second trench gate, the first trench gate and the second trench gate each extending from the front surface to the back surface of the semiconductor layer into the photoelectric converter. The first trench gate has a first length from the front surface to the photoelectric converter, and the second trench gate has a second length from the front surface to the photoelectric converter, the second length being shorter than the first length.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2019
    Publication date: October 14, 2021
    Applicant: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takashi MACHIDA
  • Publication number: 20210296378
    Abstract: A solid-state imaging device of an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a semiconductor substrate having one surface and another surface opposed to the one surface, a photoelectric conversion section formed to be embedded in the semiconductor substrate, a charge holding section provided in the one surface of the semiconductor substrate while being stacked on the photoelectric conversion section, an n-type semiconductor region provided in the one surface of the semiconductor substrate, and a charge-voltage conversion section provided in the one surface of the semiconductor substrate. A charge generated in the photoelectric conversion section is transferred via the n-type semiconductor region to the charge holding section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2019
    Publication date: September 23, 2021
    Applicant: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryo FUKUI, Takashi MACHIDA
  • Patent number: 11128823
    Abstract: Provided is an imaging apparatus that includes a pixel array portion, a plurality of unit pixels in the pixel array portion, and a driving unit that controls an operation of the unit pixel. The unit pixel includes a photoelectric converter, a charge retention unit that retains a charge, a charge-voltage converter that converts the charge into a voltage, a first transmitting unit that transmits the charge from the photoelectric converter to the charge retention unit, a second transmitting unit that transmits the charge from the photoelectric converter to the charge-voltage converter, and a third transmitting unit that transmits the charge from the charge retention unit to the charge-voltage converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi Machida, Ryoji Suzuki, Hiroshi Tayanaka
  • Patent number: 11104532
    Abstract: A document feeding device includes a feeding unit feeding documents from a batch of documents on a placing tray, a separation member in pressure contact with the feeding unit and separating documents one by one, a separation swinging member supporting the separation member and displaceable in a thickness direction of the batch of documents, and a movable member supported as to be displaceable with respect to the separation swing member in the thickness direction of the batch of documents, and entering a space formed between the separation member and a document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Canon Denshi Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takashi Machida
  • Patent number: 11069727
    Abstract: The imaging element includes, within a pixel, a semiconductor substrate, a photoelectric conversion unit formed in the semiconductor substrate, a first charge storage unit that stores a charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit, and a first transfer gate unit formed on an opposite surface of the semiconductor substrate on an opposite side of a light incident surface and used for transfer of a charge from the photoelectric conversion unit to the first charge storage unit. The first transfer gate unit includes a first electrode embedded in a first trench formed in the semiconductor substrate from the opposite surface of the semiconductor substrate. The photoelectric conversion unit includes the first electrode, and a second electrode surrounding at least a portion of a periphery of the first electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi Machida, Ryoto Yoshita
  • Publication number: 20210218918
    Abstract: The present technology relates to a solid-state image sensor, an imaging device, and an electronic device capable of switching FD conversion efficiency in all pixels of a solid-state image sensor. A photodiode performs photoelectric conversion on incident light. A floating diffusion (FD) stores charge obtained by the photodiode. FD2, which is a second FD to which the capacity of an additional capacitor MIM is added, adds the capacity to the FD. The additional capacitor MIM is constituted by a first electrode formed by a wiring layer and a second electrode formed by a metallic light blocking film provided on a surface of a substrate on which the photodiode is formed. Switching between the FD and FD+FD2 allows switching of the FD conversion efficiency. The present technology is applicable to a CMOS image sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Publication date: July 15, 2021
    Inventors: Takashi MACHIDA, Kazuyoshi YAMASHITA
  • Patent number: 11004884
    Abstract: An imaging device includes one or more insulating layers on a substrate; an effective region including: a polarization layer in the one or more insulating layers and including one or more polarizers that polarize light; and at least one first photoelectric conversion region in the substrate and that converts incident light polarized by the one or more polarizers into electric charge; and a peripheral region outside the effective region and including: one or more wiring layers that include a pad portion in a same layer of the one or more insulating layers as the polarization layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Machida, Kentaro Akiyama, Tomohiro Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 10999545
    Abstract: The present technology relates to a solid-state image sensor, an imaging device, and an electronic device capable of switching FD conversion efficiency in all pixels of a solid-state image sensor. A photodiode performs photoelectric conversion on incident light. A floating diffusion (FD) stores charge obtained by the photodiode. FD2, which is a second FD to which the capacity of an additional capacitor MIM is added, adds the capacity to the FD. The additional capacitor MIM is constituted by a first electrode formed by a wiring layer and a second electrode formed by a metallic light blocking film provided on a surface of a substrate on which the photodiode is formed. Switching between the FD and FD+FD2 allows switching of the FD conversion efficiency. The present technology is applicable to a CMOS image sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Machida, Kazuyoshi Yamashita
  • Publication number: 20210112214
    Abstract: The present technology relates to an imaging apparatus, a driving method, and an electronic device, which are capable of expanding a dynamic range of the imaging apparatus without impairing an image quality. An imaging apparatus includes: a pixel array portion, a plurality of unit pixels being arranged in the pixel array portion; and a driving unit configured to control an operation of the unit pixel, in which the unit pixel includes a photoelectric converter, a charge retention unit configured to retain a charge, a charge-voltage converter configured to convert the charge into a voltage, a first transmitting unit configured to transmit the charge from the photoelectric converter to the charge retention unit, a second transmitting unit configured to transmit the charge from the photoelectric converter to the charge-voltage converter, and a third transmitting unit configured to transmit the charge from the charge retention unit to the charge-voltage converter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2017
    Publication date: April 15, 2021
    Inventors: TAKASHI MACHIDA, RYOJI SUZUKI, HIROSHI TAYANAKA
  • Patent number: 10879280
    Abstract: A solid-state imaging device includes: a semiconductor substrate having a light incident surface; a photoelectric converter for each of the pixels; a charge accumulation section for each of the pixels; a first transfer transistor; a wiring layer on side opposite to the light incident surface; a first vertical electrode and a second vertical electrode extending from the surface opposite to the light incident surface to the photoelectric converter; a first light-blocking film in a thickness direction of the semiconductor substrate on at least a portion of a periphery of the photoelectric converter; and a second light-blocking film in a surface direction of the semiconductor substrate between the photoelectric converter and the charge accumulation section. The first vertical electrode and the second vertical electrode are disposed adjacently with a distance therebetween, and the distance is a half or less of a length of one side of the pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventors: Ryoto Yoshita, Takashi Machida, Yoshimichi Kumagai
  • Publication number: 20200338749
    Abstract: A gripping device includes: a gripping portion configured to be displaced between a closed position in which a workpiece is grasped and an open position in which the workpiece is released; a holding portion configured to hold the gripping portion; a shaft portion that extends from the holding portion; a support portion configured to support the shaft portion such that the gripping portion faces the workpiece; a driving unit configured to displace the gripping portion between the closed position and the open position; and a moving mechanism configured to move the support portion in an axial direction of the shaft portion, in which the support portion is configured to support the shaft portion such that when a load acts on the shaft portion in the axial direction, the shaft portion is slidable relative to the support portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2020
    Publication date: October 29, 2020
    Applicant: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takashi MACHIDA
  • Publication number: 20200296311
    Abstract: The present technology relates to a solid-state image sensor, an imaging device, and an electronic device capable of switching FD conversion efficiency in all pixels of a solid-state image sensor. A photodiode performs photoelectric conversion on incident light. A floating diffusion (FD) stores charge obtained by the photodiode. FD2, which is a second FD to which the capacity of an additional capacitor MIM is added, adds the capacity to the FD. The additional capacitor MIM is constituted by a first electrode formed by a wiring layer and a second electrode formed by a metallic light blocking film provided on a surface of a substrate on which the photodiode is formed. Switching between the FD and FD+FD2 allows switching of the FD conversion efficiency. The present technology is applicable to a CMOS image sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2020
    Publication date: September 17, 2020
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi MACHIDA, Kazuyoshi YAMASHITA
  • Publication number: 20200235146
    Abstract: A solid-state imaging device includes: a semiconductor substrate having a light incident surface; a photoelectric converter for each of the pixels; a charge accumulation section for each of the pixels; a first transfer transistor; a wiring layer on side opposite to the light incident surface; a first vertical electrode and a second vertical electrode extending from the surface opposite to the light incident surface to the photoelectric converter; a first light-blocking film in a thickness direction of the semiconductor substrate on at least a portion of a periphery of the photoelectric converter; and a second light-blocking film in a surface direction of the semiconductor substrate between the photoelectric converter and the charge accumulation section. The first vertical electrode and the second vertical electrode are disposed adjacently with a distance therebetween, and the distance is a half or less of a length of one side of the pixel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2018
    Publication date: July 23, 2020
    Applicant: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryoto YOSHITA, Takashi MACHIDA, Yoshimichi KUMAGAI
  • Patent number: 10688783
    Abstract: A discharging apparatus includes: a discharging unit that includes a liquid chamber which stores a liquid intermittently supplied from a liquid supply source and a nozzle which discharges the liquid stored in the liquid chamber; a pressure detection unit that detects a pressure of the liquid supplied to the liquid chamber; and a control unit that controls the discharging unit based on a detection result from the pressure detection unit, in which the control unit limits liquid discharging by the discharging unit in a case where the pressure of the liquid supplied to the liquid chamber does not fall within an allowable pressure range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takashi Machida, Tsuyoshi Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20200119073
    Abstract: An imaging device includes one or more insulating layers on a substrate; an effective region including: a polarization layer in the one or more insulating layers and including one or more polarizers that polarize light; and at least one first photoelectric conversion region in the substrate and that converts incident light polarized by the one or more polarizers into electric charge; and a peripheral region outside the effective region and including: one or more wiring layers that include a pad portion in a same layer of the one or more insulating layers as the polarization layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2018
    Publication date: April 16, 2020
    Applicant: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi MACHIDA, Kentaro AKIYAMA, Tomohiro YAMAZAKI
  • Patent number: 10594969
    Abstract: The present technology relates to a solid-state image sensor, an imaging device, and an electronic device capable of switching FD conversion efficiency in all pixels of a solid-state image sensor. A photodiode performs photoelectric conversion on incident light. A floating diffusion (FD) stores charge obtained by the photodiode. FD2, which is a second FD to which the capacity of an additional capacitor MIM is added, adds the capacity to the FD. The additional capacitor MIM is constituted by a first electrode formed by a wiring layer and a second electrode formed by a metallic light blocking film provided on a surface of a substrate on which the photodiode is formed. Switching between the FD and FD+FD2 allows switching of the FD conversion efficiency. The present technology is applicable to a CMOS image sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Machida, Kazuyoshi Yamashita
  • Publication number: 20200035724
    Abstract: The present technology relates to an imaging element capable of reducing PLS while suppressing degradation of sensitivity. The imaging element includes, within a pixel: a semiconductor substrate; a photoelectric conversion unit formed in the semiconductor substrate; a first charge storage unit that stores a charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit; and a first transfer gate unit formed on an opposite surface of the semiconductor substrate on an opposite side of a light incident surface and used for transfer of a charge from the photoelectric conversion unit to the first charge storage unit. The first transfer gate unit includes a first electrode embedded in a first trench formed in the semiconductor substrate from the opposite surface of the semiconductor substrate. The photoelectric conversion unit includes: the first electrode; and a second electrode surrounding at least a portion of a periphery of the first electrode. The present technology can be applied to a CMOS image sensor, for example.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2018
    Publication date: January 30, 2020
    Inventors: TAKASHI MACHIDA, RYOTO YOSHITA