Patents by Inventor Kazushige Nigawara

Kazushige Nigawara 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).

  • Photoelectric converter having a light receiving portion with an improved readout gate
    Patent number: 6515268
    Abstract: A photoelectric converter with improved charge transfer efficiency from a light receiving portion. The photoelectric converter includes a light receiving portion having an output end and a gate portion having a first side and a second side that both define a readout gate width for the light receiving portion, where the first side of the gate portion confronts the output end of the light receiving portion. The photoelectric converter also includes a charge transfer portion formed to confront the second side of the gate portion, where the readout gate width of said gate portion is wider at the first side confronting said light receiving portion than at the second side confronting said charge transfer portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Kitayama, Kazushige Nigawara, Tsuyoshi Sasaki
  • Solid-state image pickup device, with purposefully displaced color filters, method of manufacturing same and camera incorporating same
    Patent number: 5986704
    Abstract: The displacement amount of a color filter which is displaced with respect to an opening of a light-shielding film along the surface of a substrate increases as the distance from the substantial center of an image pickup region to the opening of the light-shielding film increases, and the height from the surface of the substrate to the substantial center in the direction of thickness of the color filter increases. For this reason, whole light incident on the sensor of each pixel can pass through only a corresponding color filter and also pass through the entire thickness of the color filter. Even when the thickness or height of the color filter changes in units of pixels, a high-quality image having no color irregularity can be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1999
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Asai, Kazushige Nigawara, Kouji Matsuzaki, Satoshi Kitayama
  • Photoelectric converter having a light receiving portion with an improved readout gate
    Patent number: RE40409
    Abstract: A photoelectric converter with improved charge transfer efficiency from a light receiving portion. The photoelectric converter includes a light receiving portion having an output end and a gate portion having a first side and a second side that both define a readout gate width for the light receiving portion, where the first side of the gate portion confronts the output end of the light receiving portion. The photoelectric converter also includes a charge transfer portion formed to confront the second side of the gate portion, where the readout gate width of said gate portion is wider at the first side confronting said light receiving portion than at the second side confronting said charge transfer portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2008
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Kitayama, Kazushige Nigawara, Tsuyoshi Sasaki