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 solid-state imaging device comprising: a semiconductor substrate having a first surface; and a plurality of light-receiving sections arranged in an array pattern on the first surface of the semiconductor substrate, the solid-state imaging device reading a stored electric charge in each of the light-receiving sections, wherein each of the light-receiving sections comprises: a first signal electric charge storage section that stores a first signal electric charge corresponding to an incident light energy; and a second signal electric charge storage section that stores at least part of an excessive electric charge, the at least part of the excessive electric charge being captured from the first signal electric charge storage section, when the electric charge stored in the first signal electric charge storage section exceeds a saturated electric charge amount of the first signal electric charge section to form the excessive electric charge.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging device comprising: a semiconductor substrate having a first surface; and a plurality of light-receiving sections arranged in an array pattern on the first surface of the semiconductor substrate, the solid-state imaging device reading a stored electric charge in each of the light-receiving sections, wherein each of the light-receiving sections comprises: a first signal electric charge storage section that stores a first signal electric charge corresponding to an incident light energy; and a second signal electric charge storage section that stores at least part of an excessive electric charge, the at least part of the excessive electric charge being captured from the first signal electric charge storage section, when the electric charge stored in the first signal electric charge storage section exceeds a saturated electric charge amount of the first signal electric charge section to form the excessive electric charge.

Abstract: A dual-type solid state color image pickup apparatus has: a color separation prism which separates incident light from an object into first and second colors, and a third color of the three primary colors; a first solid state imaging device which receives incident light of the first and second colors separated by the color separation prism; and a second solid state imaging device which receives incident light of the third color separated by the color separation prism. Each of light receiving portions in the first solid state imaging device is configured by: a first-color detecting high-concentration impurity layer which detects an image signal corresponding to the amount of incident light of the first color; and a second-color detecting high-concentration impurity layer which is formed at a depth different from that of the impurity layer, and which detects an image signal corresponding to the amount of incident light of the second color.

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 thorough which light decomposed to the color of the first wavelength and second openings through which light decomposed to the color of the second wavelength, 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 element generating signal electric charge 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 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: 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 image pickup device is provided which performs a new form of image signal reading operation. The image pickup deice comprises a semiconductor substrate and a plurality of pixels that are formed on the semiconductor substrate, with each pixel having a photodetection element, which generates signal charges upon receiving incident light, a first MOS transistor structure, which has a first floating gate that is disposed above the semiconductor substrate and a first control gate that is capacitively coupled to the first floating gate, and a second MOS transistor structure, which has a second floating gate that is disposed above the semiconductor substrate and is electrically connected to the first floating gate and a second control gate that is capacitively coupled to the second floating gate.

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 solid-state imaging device, comprises: a semi-conductor substrate demarcating a two-dimensional surface; a multiplicity of photoelectric conversion units formed being arranged in a plurality of rows and columns on the semiconductor substrate; a planarizing insulating film formed above the semiconductor substrate; and a plurality of gap-less microlenses having spectral characters, each gap-less microlens being formed above each of the photoelectric conversion units with the planarizing insulating film placed in-between.

Abstract: A honeycomb CCD, whose light receiving portion and a certain light receiving portion 105 adjoining thereto are arranged at a position to be shifted by half a pixel pitch in line and row directions, has charge transfer electrodes 111-114 formed of double-layered polysilicon electrode, a metal wiring 125, having smaller resistivity thereto, which is arranged in the longitudinal direction along each VCCD to intersect and cross over the charge transfer electrodes 111-114 being connected by a contact hole 126, by which electrical resistance of the polysilicon layer of the charge transfer electrodes can be lowered without increasing thickness thereof.

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: 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 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.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging device, comprises: a semi-conductor substrate demarcating a two-dimensional surface; a multiplicity of photoelectric conversion units formed being arranged in a plurality of rows and columns on the semiconductor substrate; a planarizing insulating film formed above the semiconductor substrate; and a plurality of gap-less microlenses having spectral characters, each gap-less microlens being formed above each of the photoelectric conversion units with the planarizing insulating film placed in-between.

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 honeycomb CCD, whose light receiving portion and a certain light receiving portion 105 adjoining thereto are arranged at a position to be shifted by half a pixel pitch in line and row directions, has charge transfer electrodes 111-114 formed of double-layered polysilicon electrode, a metal wiring 125, having smaller resistivity thereto, which is arranged in the longitudinal direction along each VCCD to intersect and cross over the charge transfer electrodes 111-114 being connected by a contact hole 126, by which electrical resistance of the polysilicon layer of the charge transfer electrodes can be lowered without increasing thickness thereof.

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 image pickup device is provided which performs a new form of image signal reading operation. The image pickup deice comprises a semiconductor substrate and a plurality of pixels that are formed on the semiconductor substrate, with each pixel having a photodetection element, which generates signal charges upon receiving incident light, a first MOS transistor structure, which has a first floating gate that is disposed above the semiconductor substrate and a first control gate that is capacitively coupled to the first floating gate, and a second MOS transistor structure, which has a second floating gate that is disposed above the semiconductor substrate and is electrically connected to the first floating gate and a second control gate that is capacitively coupled to the second floating gate.

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.