Abstract: Provided are a switching regulator and a voltage-current conversion circuit configured to shorten a start-up period. The voltage-current conversion circuit includes: a first MOS transistor of a first conductivity type including a gate and a drain connected in common, and a source connected to a first power supply terminal; a first resistor connected between the drain of the first MOS transistor and a second power supply terminal; and a correction current generation unit including a second resistor, and configured to generate, as a correction current, through use of the second resistor, a current corresponding to a current generated when a voltage corresponding to an absolute value of a gate-source voltage of the first MOS transistor is applied to the first resistor. The voltage-current conversion circuit is configured to add the correction current to a current flowing through the first resistor, to thereby generate the conversion current.

Abstract: A reinforcement is configured to have a corner portion corresponding to a corner portion of a side sill inner. Herein, the corner portion of the reinforcement forms a reinforcement ridgeline extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction. The reinforcement is provided such that the reinforcement ridgeline and a side-sill-inner upper ridgeline formed at a corner portion of the side sill inner overlap with each other over a range from a specified area where a wheel outward displaced in a vehicle collision is capable of contacting a side sill to a connection portion where a cross member connects to the side sill inner.

Abstract: To provide a soft start circuit capable of obtaining a high-accuracy soft start time. The soft start circuit is equipped with a constant current source, an output terminal which outputs a soft start voltage, a ground terminal, a first transistor which is connected between the constant current source and the ground terminal and has a gate and a drain both short-circuited, a second transistor which is connected between the constant current source and the output terminal and receives a clock signal at a gate thereof, and a capacitor connected between the second transistor and the ground terminal.

Abstract: There is provided an image capturing apparatus including a pixel circuit that generates a pixel signal based on an electric charge generated by photoelectric conversion and a logic circuit that outputs a signal based on the pixel signal. The image capturing apparatus includes a first contact plug connected to a source or a drain of a first transistor constituting the pixel circuit and a second contact plug connected to a source or a drain of a second transistor constituting the logic circuit. A diameter of the first contact plug is smaller than a diameter of the second contact plug.

Abstract: A photoelectric conversion device has an insulator film disposed on a silicon layer having a photoelectric conversion region, the insulator film having a portion overlapped with the photoelectric conversion region, a silicon oxide film disposed on the insulator film, the silicon oxide film having a portion overlapped with the photoelectric conversion region, an electroconductive member disposed between the insulator film and the silicon oxide film, and a silicon oxide layer disposed between the electroconductive member and the silicon oxide film, in which the portion overlapped with the photoelectric conversion region of the silicon oxide film is in contact with the portion overlapped with the photoelectric conversion region of the insulator film and the hydrogen concentration of the silicon oxide film is greater than the hydrogen concentration of the silicon oxide layer.

Abstract: A deflector comprises a protrusion portion which protrudes downward, including a slant face portion slating obliquely rearward and downward, and a vertical wall portion which is provided in back of the protrusion portion to extend in a vehicle width direction. A lower end portion of the vertical wall portion is positioned at a lower level than a rear end portion of the slant face portion. The lower end portion of part of the vertical wall portion located inward from the other part of the vertical wall portion located so as to overlap the front wheel in a front view is positioned at a higher level than the lower end portion of the other part of the vertical wall portion located so as to overlap the front wheel in the front view.

Abstract: A reinforcement is configured to have a corner portion corresponding to a corner portion of a side sill inner. Herein, the corner portion of the reinforcement forms a reinforcement ridgeline extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction. The reinforcement is provided such that the reinforcement ridgeline and a side-sill-inner upper ridgeline formed at a corner portion of the side sill inner overlap with each other over a range from a specified area where a wheel outward displaced in a vehicle collision is capable of contacting a side sill to a connection portion where a cross member connects to the side sill inner.

Abstract: A substrate includes a first region having photoelectric conversion portions and a second region having an element included in a signal processing circuit. An insulator including first and second parts respectively arranged on the first and second regions is formed on the substrate. Openings are formed in the insulator and respectively superposed on the photoelectric conversion portions. A first member is formed in the openings and on the second part of the insulator after forming the openings. At least a portion of the first member arranged on the second region is removed. The first member is planarized after removing at least the portion of the first member. A second insulator is formed on the first and second regions after planarizing the first member. A through-hole is formed in a part of the second insulator. No planarization with grinding is performed after forming the second insulator and before forming the through-hole.

Abstract: There is provided a switching regulator including an overcurrent protection circuit which is able to automatically return from an overcurrent state. The switching regulator includes an error amplification circuit which amplifies a difference between a feedback voltage and a reference voltage based on an output voltage and outputs the amplified difference; a PWM comparator which compares an output of the error amplification circuit with an output of a triangular wave oscillation circuit, and controls an output transistor; an overcurrent detection circuit which monitors a load current flowing through a load connected to an output terminal, detects that the load current is an overcurrent, and outputs an overcurrent detection signal causing a switching operation to stop; and a negative feedback control circuit which receives the overcurrent detection signal, and controls the load current to a predetermined current value.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device is provided. The method includes forming a wiring pattern made of copper, annealing the wiring pattern in an atmosphere of inert gas, and performing plasma processing on the wiring pattern using a reducing gas after the annealing. A temperature in the plasma processing is equal to or below a temperature in the annealing.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device is provided. The method includes forming a wiring pattern made of copper, annealing the wiring pattern in an atmosphere of inert gas, and performing plasma processing on the wiring pattern using a reducing gas after the annealing. A temperature in the plasma processing is equal to or below a temperature in the annealing.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing an image pickup device includes a step of forming a filling member such that the filling member covers a light guiding part and a peripheral part provided in a film. The light guiding part is positioned on an image pickup region of the image pickup device and has openings that correspond to respective photoelectric conversion portions. The peripheral part is positioned on a peripheral region of the image pickup device. The filling member fills in the openings. The method includes a step of processing the filling member. The method includes a step of forming light guiding members, which is performed after the step of processing filling member has been performed, by a polishing process performed on the filling member so that the light guiding part is exposed. The light guiding members are part of the filling member and disposed in the openings.

Abstract: There is provided a switching regulator including an overcurrent protection circuit which is able to automatically return from an overcurrent state. The switching regulator includes an error amplification circuit which amplifies a difference between a feedback voltage and a reference voltage based on an output voltage and outputs the amplified difference; a PWM comparator which compares an output of the error amplification circuit with an output of a triangular wave oscillation circuit, and controls an output transistor; an overcurrent detection circuit which monitors a load current flowing through a load connected to an output terminal, detects that the load current is an overcurrent, and outputs an overcurrent detection signal causing a switching operation to stop; and a negative feedback control circuit which receives the overcurrent detection signal, and controls the load current to a predetermined current value.

Abstract: An image sensor includes a charge accumulation region of a first conductivity type, an isolating semiconductor region formed from an impurity semiconductor region of a second conductivity type, a channel stop region formed from an impurity semiconductor region of the second conductivity type which is located on the isolating semiconductor region, and an insulator arranged on the channel stop region. The insulator includes a first insulating portion arranged above the isolating semiconductor region via the channel stop region, a second insulating portion arranged adjacent to an outside of the first insulating portion, wherein thickness of the second insulating potion decreases with an increase in distance from the first insulating portion, and a third insulating portion formed on the first insulating portion, wherein the third insulating portion has upper and side faces connecting the upper face to an upper face of the second insulating portion.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing an image pickup device includes a step of forming a filling member such that the filling member covers a light guiding part and a peripheral part provided in a film. The light guiding part is positioned on an image pickup region of the image pickup device and has openings that correspond to respective photoelectric conversion portions. The peripheral part is positioned on a peripheral region of the image pickup device. The filling member fills in the openings. The method includes a step of processing the filling member. The method includes a step of forming light guiding members, which is performed after the step of processing filling member has been performed, by a polishing process performed on the filling member so that the light guiding part is exposed. The light guiding members are part of the filling member and disposed in the openings.

Abstract: A substrate includes a first region having photoelectric conversion portions and a second region having an element included in a signal processing circuit. An insulator including first and second parts respectively arranged on the first and second regions is formed on the substrate. Openings are formed in the insulator and respectively superposed on the photoelectric conversion portions. A first member is formed in the openings and on the second part of the insulator after forming the openings. At least a portion of the first member arranged on the second region is removed. The first member is planarized after removing at least the portion of the first member. A second insulator is formed on the first and second regions after planarizing the first member. A through-hole is formed in a part of the second insulator. No planarization with grinding is performed after forming the second insulator and before forming the through-hole.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a photoelectric conversion device having a semiconductor substrate, comprises a first step of forming an insulating film on the semiconductor substrate, a second step of forming first holes in the insulating film, a third step of forming, in the insulating film, second holes shallower than the first holes, a fourth step of forming electrically conductive portions by embedding an electrically conductive material in the first holes, and forming planarization assisting portions by embedding the electrically conductive material in the second holes, and a fifth step of polishing the electrically conductive portions, the insulating film, and the planarization assisting portions until the planarization assisting portions are removed, thereby planarizing upper surfaces of the electrically conductive portions and the insulating film.

Abstract: An image sensor includes a charge accumulation region of a first conductivity type, an isolating semiconductor region formed from an impurity semiconductor region of a second conductivity type, a channel stop region formed from an impurity semiconductor region of the second conductivity type which is located on the isolating semiconductor region, and an insulator arranged on the channel stop region. The insulator includes a first insulating portion arranged above the isolating semiconductor region via the channel stop region, a second insulating portion arranged adjacent to an outside of the first insulating portion, wherein thickness of the second insulating potion decreases with an increase in distance from the first insulating portion, and a third insulating portion formed on the first insulating portion, wherein the third insulating portion has upper and side faces connecting the upper face to an upper face of the second insulating portion.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a photoelectric conversion device having a semiconductor substrate, comprises a first step of forming an insulating film on the semiconductor substrate, a second step of forming first holes in the insulating film, a third step of forming, in the insulating film, second holes shallower than the first holes, a fourth step of forming electrically conductive portions by embedding an electrically conductive material in the first holes, and forming planarization assisting portions by embedding the electrically conductive material in the second holes, and a fifth step of polishing the electrically conductive portions, the insulating film, and the planarization assisting portions until the planarization assisting portions are removed, thereby planarizing upper surfaces of the electrically conductive portions and the insulating film.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a photoelectric conversion device having a semiconductor substrate, comprises a first step of forming an insulating film on the semiconductor substrate, a second step of forming first holes in the insulating film, a third step of forming, in the insulating film, second holes shallower than the first holes, a fourth step of forming electrically conductive portions by embedding an electrically conductive material in the first holes, and forming planarization assisting portions by embedding the electrically conductive material in the second holes, and a fifth step of polishing the electrically conductive portions, the insulating film, and the planarization assisting portions until the planarization assisting portions are removed, thereby planarizing upper surfaces of the electrically conductive portions and the insulating film.