Abstract: An image sensor includes a first semiconductor chip having a first surface and a second surface, the first semiconductor chip a including an array of unit pixels configured to capture light corresponding to an image and to generate image signals based on the captured light; and a second semiconductor chip having a first surface and a second surface, the second semiconductor chip including first peripheral circuits configured to control the array of pixels and receive the generated image signals, the first peripheral circuits including a vertical scanning circuit, a horizontal scanning circuit, and a signal read-out circuit, the first semiconductor chip being stacked on the second semiconductor chip, the first semiconductor chip not being smaller than the second semiconductor chip.

Abstract: A MOS type solid-state image pickup apparatus comprises: a semiconductor substrate having a light receiving surface; a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements arranged in an array manner on the light receiving surface; a plurality of layers of wirings that goes across the light receiving surface and are stacked above the semiconductor substrate, the wirings being connected to signal reading circuits each of which is provided in association with each of the photoelectric conversion elements; and an insulation layer interposed with the layers of wirings, wherein a first wiring, which connects to a gate of a MOS transistor forming a part of each of the signal reading circuits, is provided in a lower one of the layers of wirings, and a second wiring, which connects to a source or drain of the MOS transistor, is provided in an upper one of the layers of wirings.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus has a plurality of pixel sections. Each of the pixel sections contains a photoelectric conversion section, a floating diffusion layer FD for storing a charge and a transistor MT containing a gate electrode CG and a floating gate FG. The imaging apparatus includes a transistor LT being on-off controlled as a load transistor of the transistor MT and a control section for switching according to an image capturing mode, drive for injecting a charge responsive to a voltage supplied to the CG into the FG with the transistor LT turned off and reading a change in a threshold voltage of the transistor MT caused by the injected charge as an image capturing signal and drive for reading the voltage output from the transistor MT as an image capturing signal in response to the voltage supplied to the CG with the transistor LT turned on.

Abstract: A solid state imaging device includes: a photoelectric converting portion that is formed in a semiconductor substrate and serves to generate an electric charge depending on an incident light; a floating gate that stores the electric charge generated in the photoelectric converting portion; and a transistor that have a control gate and provided with the floating gate between the control gate and the semiconductor substrate. A specific resistance of the floating gate and that of the photoelectric converting portion are almost equal to each other.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging device includes: a plurality of pixel portions each comprising a photoelectric conversion portion disposed in a semiconductor substrate; and a light shield layer disposed over the semiconductor substrate and having openings which are located over parts of the photoelectric conversion portions, respectively, each of the pixel portions further includes: a transistor comprising a gate electrode, a channel region, and a charge storage portion which is located between the semiconductor substrate and the gate electrode and stores charge generated in the photoelectric conversion portion, the channel region and the charge storage portion are covered with the light shield layer, and the photoelectric conversion portion extends to under the channel region of the transistor.

Abstract: An endoscope device includes: a light source including an LED for emitting an R light, an LED for emitting a G light and an LED for emitting a B light, and a solid-state image pick-up element having a plurality of pixel parts including a photoelectric conversion part that may receive the R light, the G light and the B light to generate electric charges corresponding to the received lights and floating gates that may selectively store the electric charges generated in the photoelectric conversion part and a reading circuit that independently reads signals corresponding to the electric charges respectively stored in the floating gates.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging device includes a plurality of pixel portions, each of the pixel portions includes: a semiconductor photoelectric conversion portion for generating holes according to an amount of incident light and storing the generated holes; a semiconductor floating diffusion layer for converting the holes generated in the photoelectric conversion portion into a voltage corresponding to an amount of the generated holes; and a transistor having a gate electrode which is connected to an output of the floating diffusion layer and an electron storage portion which is disposed under the gate electrode and an amount of electrons stored in which varies depending on a voltage applied to the gate electrode, and the solid-state imaging device further includes: a reading circuit as defined herein.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging device includes plural pixel portions and a signal reading section. Each of the plural pixel portions includes a photoelectric conversion portion, and plural charge storage portions a selected one of which can store charge generated in the photoelectric conversion portion. The signal reading section independently reads out signals corresponding to amounts of charges stored in the plural respective charge storage portions.

Abstract: A color solid-state image pickup device includes a plurality of photoelectric conversion areas provided in an array pattern on a surface of a semiconductor substrate. The inside of each of photoelectric conversion areas 10 is two-dimensionally partitioned into a plurality of segments R, G1, G2, and B which output a plurality of photoelectric conversion signals of different spectral sensitivities. As a result, occurrence of a false signal and a false color is suppressed, and high-sensitivity, high-resolution image data having superior color reproducibility can be obtained.

Abstract: A CCD color solid-state image pickup device has a plurality of light-receiving sections arranged in an array on the surface of a semiconductor substrate, and a vertical transfer path by way of which signal electric charges stored in electric charge storage sections of the respective light-receiving sections are read and transferred to a horizontal transfer path. In the image pickup device, the electric charge-storage section of each of the light-receiving sections has a plurality of electric charge storage layers which are provided in a depthwise direction of the semiconductor substrate with potential barriers interposed therebetween. Signal electric charges stored in the respective electric charge storage layers are read independently to the vertical transfer path.

Abstract: A solid state imaging device comprises a color decomposer that decomposes incident light into at least a color of a first wavelength and a color of a second wavelength that is shorter than the first wavelength, a light shielding film that is formed under the color decomposer and comprises first openings through which light decomposed to the color of the first wavelength is transmitted and second openings through which light decomposed to the color of the second wavelength is transmitted, the second openings being formed to be larger than the first openings, and a plurality of photo electric conversion elements that are arranged in lines and columns, each of the photo electric conversion elements generating signal electric charges corresponding to an amount of the incident light by receiving the incident light decomposed by the color decomposer and passed through the openings of the light shielding film.

Abstract: A solid state image pickup device comprises: a semiconductor substrate defining a two-dimensional surface; a number of photoelectric conversion elements disposed in a light receiving area of the semiconductor substrate in a matrix shape and in a plurality of rows and columns; signal processors, each formed for each column of the photoelectric conversion elements, the signal processor at least converting analog image data from the photoelectric conversion elements into digital image data; and a non-volatile memory formed in correspondence with respective photoelectric conversion elements at a succeeding stage of the signal processor, the non-volatile memory recording the digital image data.

Abstract: A color solid-state image pickup device comprises a plurality of light-receiving sections being arranged on the surface of a semiconductor substrate; complementary color filters which are stacked on all or portions of the plurality of light-receiving sections, each complementary color filter blocking incident light of one color of the three primary colors, to thereby permit transmission of incident light of remaining two colors; at least first and second color signal detecting layers which have the complementary color filters stacked thereon and are formed so as to be separated in a depthwise direction of the light-receiving section, the first and second signal detecting layers detecting a respective color signal of the light of two colors having passed through the complementary color filters; and a signal reading unit for reading the respective color signals in a distinguished manner, the signal reading unit being connected to the respective color signal detecting layers.

Abstract: The present invention provides a camera system, which can simplify an ordering procedure. An IC memory comprising a contactless interface is mounted on a camera, or an image recording medium, such as memory card or film. In a case where a customer has carried the camera to a photo lab, image data is read out of the memory card or is acquired by reading the developed film, by an image data acquisition component. Moreover, individual information, order information, account information, and the like, are read out of the IC memory over wireless communication by a reader and writer and are affixed to the image data, whereupon the resulting image data is stored in a database.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging device comprises a semi-conductor substrate demarcating a two-dimensional surface, a multiplicity of photoelectric conversion units formed at grid points of a first grid of a first tetragonal matrix and a second tetragonal matrix having grid points between grid points of the first tetragonal matrix, a vertical transfer channel arranged in a vertical direction by weaving a space between the horizontally adjacent photoelectric conversion units, a plurality of single-layered electrodes formed above the vertical transfer channel and arranged in a horizontal direction by weaving a space between the vertically adjacent photoelectric conversion units, and a signal processor having a gate electrode and formed, in correspondence to the vertical transfer channel, at one end of the vertical transfer channel on the semiconductor substrate. A low power consuming solid-state imaging device can be provided.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging device including a photoelectric conversion portion and a charge transfer portion equipped with charge transfer electrodes to transfer the charge generated in the photoelectric conversion portion, wherein the charge transfer portion is provided with a charge transfer electrodes having a first electrode including a first layer electric conductive film, and a second electrode having a second layer electric conductive film provided contiguously to the first electrode with an electrode insulating film therebetween, and the first electrode is coated with a silicon oxide film that is the electrode insulating film formed by side wall oxidation in the state that the upside is coated with an antioxidizing film so as to coat the side wall.

Abstract: A MOS type solid-state image pickup apparatus comprises: a semiconductor substrate having a light receiving surface; a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements arranged in an array manner on the light receiving surface; a plurality of layers of wirings that goes across the light receiving surface and are stacked above the semiconductor substrate, the wirings being connected to signal reading circuits each of which is provided in association with each of the photoelectric conversion elements; and an insulation layer interposed with the layers of wirings, wherein a first wiring, which connects to a gate of a MOS transistor forming a part of each of the signal reading circuits, is provided in a lower one of the layers of wirings, and a second wiring, which connects to a source or drain of the MOS transistor, is provided in an upper one of the layers of wirings.

Abstract: A solid state image pickup device has: an n-type semiconductor substrate; a p-type layer formed in the n-type substrate; a first n-type region formed in the p-type layer and constituting a photodiode therewith; a first gate structure including a charge storage region and a control gate, formed on the semiconductor substrate adjacent to the first region; a second n-type region formed adjacent to the first gate structure on opposite side to the first region, constituting a non-volatile memory element with the first region and the first gate structure; and a control circuit for applying write and read voltages to the control gate, for tunneling and writing charges, and for reading stored information. A solid state image pickup device is provided which can execute a novel pixel signal read operation.

Abstract: Provided is a CCD image sensor wherein driving power and power consumption are reduced without increasing unusable regions. Photodiodes are arranged in a honeycomb form. Each vertical charge-transfer channel is made in such a manner that invasion portions, which invade spaces between the respective photoelectric transducers in photoelectric transducer columns positioned at both sides thereof, and non-invasion portions are alternately and continuously arranged, and the channel extends in the vertical direction to meander between the photodiodes arranged in the honeycomb form. Transfer electrodes extending in the horizontal direction to pass between the photodiodes are formed on the semiconductor substrate as monolayer electrodes. By making the transfer electrodes as the monolayer electrodes in this way, multi-layered poly-silicon electrode structure becomes unnecessary.

Abstract: A linear image sensor is constituted to include a red diode line 11, a green diode line 12 and a blue diode line 13, and the green diode line 12 positioned between the red diode line 11 and the blue diode line 13 is provided with a shift of an approximately ½ pitch in the vertical direction of a photodiode as shown. Electric charge transfer channels 21, 22 and 23 for transferring signal charges detected by the photodiodes are formed close to the red diode line 11, the green diode line 12 and the blue diode line 13 respectively, and take a winding shape extended in a main scanning direction. Signal charges read onto the electric charge transfer channels 21, 22 and 23 are transferred in the main scanning direction and are output from output ends OUT31, OUT32 and OUT33.