Abstract: A solid state imaging element including light receiving elements and microlenses is placed in a recess of a ceramic package. A black resin fills space between the ceramic package and the solid state imaging element.

Abstract: Providing an imaging apparatus capable of suppressing deterioration of image qualities and output properties when a wafer thickness of the imaging apparatus is made thin. The imaging apparatus having one or more output circuits in series and a buffer circuit 6, and processing luminance signals from photodetectors to output image information, the buffer circuit performing impedance conversion on signals outputted from a final output circuit of the one or more output circuits, the final output circuit being a source follower circuit that has an active element and a current source circuit 5 which is inserted between a source terminal of the active element and a reference voltage terminal, wherein the current source circuit and the buffer circuit 6 are external to a solid-state image sensor 1 having the photodetectors, and a main part of the current source circuit 5 and a main part of the buffer circuit 6 are in a single package.

Abstract: The present invention provides a solid-state image sensor, a solid-state image sensing apparatus, and a camera realizing a high-speed operation, all operable to output signal charges so as to maintain the light sensitivity and generate high-quality video signals free from moiréand aliased signals even if the number of pixels making up one frame of an image is reduced. The solid-state image sensor comprises a plurality of photoelectric converters, vertical transfer groups, and a horizontal transfer unit disposed at one side of the vertical transfer groups. Each vertical transfer group includes 2n+1 vertical transfer units, where n is an integer of 1 or more. Each vertical transfer unit includes a plurality of transfer electrodes arranged in columns and charge storage units receiving and storing charges from the photoelectric converters. In n out of the 2n+1 vertical transfer units, predetermined transfer electrodes disposed near the horizontal transfer unit are independent transfer electrodes.

Abstract: An image defect correction apparatus that processes luminance signals output from two-dimensionally arranged light-sensitive elements via a plurality of vertical charge coupled devices and a horizontal charge coupled device in a predetermined order, outputs image information, and includes: a recording unit that records therein an X address for identifying a correction-target vertical line of pixels corresponding to a vertical charge coupled device in which a point defect exists; a correction value calculating unit that calculates a correction value from values of (i) a luminance signal corresponding to at least one pixel at a predetermined position on the correction-target vertical line identified by the X address and (ii) a luminance signal corresponding to at least one pixel at a predetermined position on another vertical line; and a correcting unit that corrects values of luminance signals corresponding to the correction-target vertical line, based on the calculated correction value.

Abstract: The driver unit of the solid state image sensing apparatus of the present invention changes the substrate bias voltage from the first bias voltage to the second voltage which is lower than the first bias voltage and is for making a height of the overflow barrier higher than the height of the barrier in the readout gate and lowers the height of the overflow barrier by superimposing the saturation signal control pulse on the second bias voltage after the end of the exposure period and before sweeping out all the signal charge of the vertical CCDs.

Abstract: The present invention provides a solid-state image sensing device that can reduce at least the number of pixels arranged in the horizontal direction and can output high quality picture signals at high speed without generating moire or alias.

Abstract: An improved solid-state image sensor is provided by having an image sensing element composed of photoelectric conversion parts, a microlens formed on the surface of the image sensing element corresponding to each photoelectric conversion part, and optical fiber bundle formed of optical fibers arranged in a two-dimensional shape and mounted on the microlens. The optical fiber bundle is also composed of a core and a clad portion. The refractive index of a filler which mounts the optical fiber bundle on the microlens is less than that of the microlens and greater than that of the clad portion of each of the optical fibers.

Abstract: Signal charges are photoelectrically generated by a plurality of photodiodes, transferred through a transfer register to a charge detection capacitance and sensed through a floating junction, as a potential change of the charge detection capacitance to be amplified and output at an output amplifier composed of a plurality of stages of driver transistors, in which a field insulation film of a first stage driver transistor is formed, under a gate electrode, with a trapezoidal region left so that the gate electrode has a width thereof varied to be wider at a source end than at a drain end, permitting an increased reduction of the charge detection capacitance.

Abstract: An image pick up and displaying system comprises an image pick up device being provided with a signal superimposing unit for superimposing a recognition signal at a predetermined portion on any of synchronous pulse signals, except for any image signals, the recognition signal indicating any kind of the image pick up device; and a display device being connected to the image pick up device and further being provided with a signal detecting and sweeping control section for detecting any recognition signal to control a sweeping speed and a sweeping time of sweeping on a screen of the display device at least in any one of vertical and horizontal directions thereby the image is displayed on an entire of the screen without any distortion thereof.

Abstract: A controlling method for a charge-coupled device according to the present invention decreases the amount of ineffectual electric charges by applying a photo shield film over photo sensing elements or a semiconductor substrate with a certain voltage level, then accumulating effectual electric charges in the presence of an optical radiation into the photo sensing elements in applying a different voltage level to the photo shield film for promoting the production of the effectual electric charges while the reduced ineffectual electric charges are swept into the overflow drain, then transferring the effectual electric charges to the multiple-stage horizontal shift register.

Abstract: An image sensor is fabricated on an n type silicon substrate haivng a p type well overlain by a photo shield plate, and photo diodes are formed in the p type well and exposed through an opening in the photo shield plate to an optical image, in which the silicon substrate and the photo shield plate are biased so that punch through phenomena take place between the silicon substrate and the photo diodes for sweeping ineffectual electric charges into the substrate, thereby achieving an electronic shutter mode of operating without any complicate impurity profiles.

Abstract: An image sensor is fabricated on a semiconductor substrate and comprises a well formed in the substrate, photo sensing elements formed in the well, vertical shift registors coupled to the columns of the photo sensing elements, a horizontal shift registor coupled to the vertical shift registors and a photo shield plate exposing the photo sensing elements to optical images, in which the photo shield plate remains in a first voltage level for restriction of production of ineffectual electric charges but is biased to a second voltage level for promoting the production of effectual electric charges after the semiconductor substrate is biased so as to allow a punch-through phenomenon to take place for discharging the ineffectual electric charges from the photo-sensing elements to the substrate, so that a variable electronic shutter is achieved under biasing the photo shield plate and the substrate without an extremely high voltage level.

Abstract: White, yellow, and cyan color filters are superposed in rows and columns on picture elements of a solid-state color imaging apparatus. In each recurring cycle of four-row and two-column filters, the green component of light is transmitted through all filters.

Abstract: A solid-state color imaging apparatus having a plurality of picture elements for converting incident light to signal charges with the picture elements being arrayed regularly in both a horizontal direction and a vertical direction to form horizontal rows and vertical columns. First color filters are on the picture elements in odd numbered rows for providing modulation characteristics of color components and causing the picture elements in the odd numbered rows to generate a first color difference signal. Second color filters are on the picture elements in even numbered rows for providing modulation characteristics of color components and causing the picture elements in the even numbered rows to generate a second color difference signal. The first and second color difference signals are substantially zero when achromatic light is incident upon the picture elements or is picked up at a reference color temperature.

Abstract: A solid-state color imaging apparatus includes an array of color filters. The first and third rows of the array are constructed entirely of same-color filters. The second row of the array comprises a first set of color filters for generating a first color difference signal component modulated with a predetermined number of picture elements forming one cycle in the horizontal direction, and the fourth row comprises a second set of color filters which generates a second color difference signal component modulated with a predetermined number of picture elements forming one cycle in the horizontal direction. In one embodiment, the same-color filters of the first and third rows are transparent to red, green and blue light.

Abstract: The driving system of an image sensor produces a phase controlled transfer pulses and comprises a horizontal scanning signal generator, a reference pulse producer producing a reference pulse from a horizontal scanning signal, the reference pulse being transferred through the horizontal charge transfer section of the image sensor, a comparator comparing the transferred reference pulse with the horizontal scanning signal, and a voltage controlled oscillator producing transfer pulses in accordance with the result of the comparison. The application of the transfer pulses to the horizontal charge transfer section is controlled by using a keying controlled oscillator as the volage controlled oscillator or using a gate connected after the voltage controlled oscillator.

Abstract: A solid-state image sensor includes a color filter covering a solid-state imaging device and having at least three kinds of filter elements arranged in rows and columns. Each of the filter elements transmits red, green, and blue light over its entire surface area with a transmittance of at least 20 to 80 percent for each color light.