Abstract: The invention relates to a photographing device whose bulk is intended to be reduced. According to the invention, a permanent division of the object field observed by the device is associated with a catadioptric configuration.

Abstract: The invention relates to matrix image sensors intended in particular for digital photography. The invention provides a driver in each pixel that allows exposure control common to the entire matrix. The driver comprises five transistors, a photodiode and, apart from a supply conductor and a ground, four control conductors, these being an exposure control conductor common to all the pixels of the matrix; a row selection conductor common to all the pixels of any one row; a reset conductor common to all the pixels of any one row; and a column conductor for collecting the signal read on the pixels during row-by-row reading of the charges photogenerated in the pixels of the matrix.

Abstract: The invention relates to very small-sized color image sensors. The sensor according to the invention is made by the following method: the formation, on the front face of the semiconductive wafer (10), of a series of active zones (ZA) comprising image detection circuits and each corresponding to a respective image sensor, each active zone comprising photosensitive zones (12) covered with conductive and insulating layers (14, 16) enabling the collection of electrical charges generated in the photosensitive zones, the transfer of the wafer (10) by its front face against the front face of a supporting substrate (20), the elimination of the major part of the thickness of the semiconductive wafer, leaving a very fine semiconductive layer (30) on the substrate, this fine semiconductive layer comprising the photosensitive zones, the deposition and etching of color filters (18) on the semiconductive layer thus thinned.

Abstract: The invention relates to matrix image sensors intended in particular for digital photography. The invention provides a driver in each pixel that allows exposure control common to the entire matrix. The driver comprises five transistors, a photodiode and, apart from a supply conductor and a ground, four control conductors, these being an exposure control conductor common to all the pixels of the matrix; a row selection conductor common to all the pixels of any one row; a reset conductor common to all the pixels of any one row; and a column conductor for collecting the signal read on the pixels during row-by-row reading of the charges photogenerated in the pixels of the matrix.

Abstract: The invention relates to a photographing device whose bulk is intended to be reduced.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the fabrication of image sensors and especially to color image sensors. The image sensor includes a region in which there is a photosensitive matrix onto which the image to be converted into electronic signals is projected and an outer region comprising peripheral electronic circuits for driving the matrix or for processing the image signals. After formation on a substrate of a stack of conducting layers and insulating layers serving for the production of the matrix of the peripheral circuits, a substantial thickness of insulation is removed only in the region of the matrix before a mosaic of color filters is deposited so as to reduce the height of the filters relative to the photosensitive regions.

Abstract: The invention concerns a color image sensor that can be used to make a miniature camera, and a corresponding method for making this sensor. The image sensor comprises a transparent substrate (40) on the upper part of which are superimposed, successively, a mosaic of color filters (18), a very thin silicon layer (30) comprising photosensitive zones, and a stack of conductive layers (14) and insulating layers (16) defining image detection circuits enabling the collection of the electrical charges generated by the illumination of the photosensitive zones through the transparent substrate. The manufacturing method consists in producing the photosensitive circuits on a silicon wafer, transferring said wafer on to a temporary substrate, thinning the wafer down to a thickness of about three to 30 micrometers, depositing color filters on the surface of the remaining silicon layer and transferring the structure to a permanent transparent substrate and eliminating the temporary substrate.

Abstract: The invention relates to very small-sized color image sensors.

Abstract: The invention relates to the fabrication of image sensors, and especially to color image sensors.

Abstract: The invention concerns a color image sensor that can be used to make a miniature camera, and a corresponding method for making this sensor.

Abstract: In a CCD type photosensitive device, the charges produced in two consecutive columns of pixels are transferred into different reading registers: the charges from the first column are loaded into the first register and the charges from the second column travel through the first register to be loaded into the second register. The two reading registers are controlled by independent potentials during the step for the loading of these registers. The device makes it possible to increase the efficiency of the transfer between the two reading registers, especially when the registers are of the type working in a two-phase mode.

Abstract: An improved line-transfer photosensitive device and particularly a device which operates with a double drive charge comprises on at least one semiconductor substrate a photosensitive region made up of M lines of N photosensitive points. The photosensitive points of the different lines are connected in parallel by means of conductive columns to a line memory which carries out at least the transfer of the signal charges integrated on any one line of the phtosensitive region to a read register consisting of a charge-coupled shift register of the volume transfer type. The line memory is formed on a semiconductor substrate region having an impurity implantation of opposite type with respect to the substrate in order to produce a volume charge transfer. The region in which the line memory is formed has a dopant concentration which is lower than or equal to that of the region in which the shift register is formed.

Abstract: An analog image memory device using charge transfer and comprising:a memory zone of N lines of M memory points, each memory point being formed by the integration on the same semiconductor substrate of an MIS capacity separated from a diode by a screen grid,means for selecting each memory point,means for writing in each memory point a charge amount corresponding to the analog signal to be stored andmeans for reading the memory zone line by line after writing.

Abstract: An analog accumulator used in association with a solid state image analyzer for averaging and storing the fixed pattern noise (FPN) includes an N-stage transfer shift register with an input receiving a signal corresponding to the fixed pattern noise and with N outputs, N floating storage diodes each connected to an output of the transfer shift register, N reading parts each connected to a floating storage diode and each comprising a floating input diode connected to the floating storage diode through an injection gate, an injection device and a charge removal drain, and an N-stage transfer shift register with N inputs each connected to a reading part and with an output. The accumulator provides M integrations of N samples of an analog signal and delivers, at the end of the M integrations, the N accumulated samples several times.

Abstract: The present invention provides a device for reading a matrix of photosensitive detectors by line transfer with feedback, wherein means provide feedback of a part of the video signal from a line of the matrix which is read to a stage for series injection of a drive charge at the input of a register providing reading successively of each line of detectors of the matrix. Thus the value of the drive charge is modulated which is intended to be added to the video signal of the line of the matrix which will then be read, such modulation being directly proportional to the video signal of the line which is read and dependent on the transfer inefficiency of the device.

Abstract: The present invention concerns an analysis process of a line transfer photosensitive device.The charge-signal and the charge noise transfers from the columns towards the memory have the same duration and are made by using a same training charge, stored in memory, that must be at least sufficient to allow to pass in high inversion at the beginning of the transfer from the columns towards the memory. The transfers of the charge-signal and the charge-noise from the memory towards the read-out register or the drain have the same duration and are made by using training charges at least sufficient to allow to pass in high inversion at the beginning of the transfer. These training charges are read with the charge-signal or collected with the charge-noise.

Abstract: Use is made of a row memory and a read register, in which charge transfer takes place in volume. The threshold voltage of the negative feedback amplifiers is adjusted so that the operating point of the assembly constituted by each amplifier, the diode and the gate of the memory to which it is connected is located in the high gain zone of the transfer characteristic of the amplifier. It is possible to adjust the threshold voltage by an enhancement in its own type of impurities of the zone of the substrate located beneath the gate of one of the MOS transistors constituting the amplifier.

Abstract: The storage capacity of the photosensitive points is increased during the time interval starting after the evacuation of the parasitic charges from the conductive columns to the memory and finishing by the transfer of signal charges from a row of the columns to the memory. Thus, even the overilluminated photosensitive points do not overflow onto the columns.

Abstract: The present invention concerns an analysis process of a line transfer photosensitive device.The charge-signal and the charge noise transfers from the columns towards the memory have the same duration and are made by using a same training charge, stored in memory, that must be at least sufficient to allow to pass in high inversion at the beginning of the transfer from the columns towards the memory. The transfers of the charge-signal and the charge-noise from the memory towards the read-out register or the drain have the same duration and are made by using training charges at least sufficient to allow to pass in high inversion at the beginning of the transfer. These training charges are read with the charge-signal or collected with the charge-noise.

Abstract: In order to modulate the sensitivity of a photosensitive device by modulating the integration time, a first reading of each line of a photosensitive zone of the device is followed by a second reading at an adjustable time interval. The charges resulting from the first reading operation are removed to the drain while the parasitic charges and the signal charges resulting from the second reading operation are transferred to the read register at the same time. Modulation of the time interval which elapses between two readings of one line is carried out by varying the time which elapses between the injection of one drive pulse into the two registers which control respectively the first reading and the second reading of the lines.