Abstract: At least one exemplary embodiment is directed to a solid state image sensor including at least one antireflective layer and/or non rectangular shaped wiring layer cross section to reduce dark currents and 1/f noise.

Abstract: An object is to provide a solid state image pickup device and a camera which do not worsen a sensor performance in terms of an optical property, a saturated charge amount and the like. A solid state image sensor including a pixel region having a plurality of pixels includes at least a photodiode and an amplifying portion amplifying photocharges outputted from the photodiode in the pixel region, and further includes a well electrode for taking well potential of a well region in which the amplifying portion is arranged. Between the well electrode and the photodiode, no element isolation regions by an insulation film are arranged. Moreover, on the surface of a first semiconductor region in which the photodiode stores the charges, a second semiconductor layer of a conductivity type reverse to that of the first semiconductor region is arranged.

Abstract: The invention is to suppress a leak current in a photodiode and an unevenness in the leak currents. In a photoelectric converting device including a channel stop area of a higher concentration than in an element isolating insulation film formed between a photodiode, having an n-type semiconductor area formed in a p-type semiconductor, and an adjacent element, and in a p-type semiconductor layer formed under the element isolating insulation film, and a wiring layer formed in a part on the element isolating insulation film, the wiring layers on the element isolating insulation film adjacent to the photodiodes are unified in an effective area and a potential, and a p-type dark current reducing area of a higher concentration than in the channel stop area is provided in at least a part of an area opposed to the wiring layer across the element isolating insulation film.

Abstract: The present invention is mainly aimed at obtaining excellent sensor output free from periodic fixed pattern noise even if the pieces of holding capacity are converted into blocks, and the specific solution unit is described below. The signal readout unit includes: a line memory; first switches each connected to a holding capacity; a first common signal line comprising eight switches connected together; and second switches for connecting the first common signal line to the second common signal line. The control unit controls opening/closing of both switches. Between the electrode of the second switch and the second common signal line, there is provided outgoing wiring. From the control unit, control wiring a1. . . , b1. . . is connected to the first switch. To each wiring a1. . . , b1. . . , a pair of a positive signal and an anti-signal in which the logical level has been reversed with respect to each other is supplied respectively. Each wiring a1. . . , b1. . .

Abstract: There is provided an image pickup apparatus comprising a plurality of pixels each including a photoelectric conversion unit which converts incident light into an electrical signal and accumulates the electrical signal, an amplifier transistor which amplifies and outputs the signal from the photoelectric conversion unit, a transfer transistor which transfers the electrical signal accumulated in the photoelectric conversion unit to the amplifier transistor, and a processing transistor which performs predetermined processing, and a control circuit which sets the signal level supplied to the control electrode of the transfer transistor in order to turn off the transfer transistor to be lower than the signal level supplied to the control electrode of the processing transistor in order to turn off the processing transistor.

Abstract: A photoelectric conversion device formed on a single semiconductor substrate, including: a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements; a read-out circuit including a switch for reading out analog signals from the photoelectric conversion elements; a buffer circuit for driving the switch; and a logic circuit for processing digital signals. A first semiconductor area to which a ground level for the buffer circuit is supplied and a second semiconductor area to which a ground level for the logic circuit is supplied are electrically separated from each other.

Abstract: The present invention uses an image pickup device comprising a plurality of pixels respectively including a photoelectric conversion unit for converting incoming light into a signal charge, an amplifying unit for amplifying the signal charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit and a transfer unit for transferring the signal charge from the photoelectric conversion unit to the amplifying unit, in which the photoelectric conversion unit is formed of a first-conductivity-type first semiconductor region and a second-conductivity-type second semiconductor region and a second-conductivity-type third semiconductor region is formed on at least a part of the gap between a photoelectric conversion unit of a first pixel and a photoelectric conversion unit of a second pixel adjacent to the first pixel, a first-conductivity-type fourth semiconductor region having an impurity concentration higher than that of the first semiconductor region is formed between the photoelectric conversion unit and the third semicon

Abstract: There is provided an image pickup apparatus including a plurality of pixels each including a photoelectric conversion unit which converts incident light into an electrical signal and accumulates the electrical signal, an amplifier transistor which amplifies and outputs the signal from the photoelectric conversion unit, a transfer transistor which transfers the electrical signal accumulated in the photoelectric conversion unit to the amplifier transistor, and a processing transistor which performs predetermined processing, and a control circuit which sets the signal level supplied to the control electrode of the transfer transistor in order to turn off the transfer transistor to be lower than the signal level supplied to the control electrode of the processing transistor in order to turn off the processing transistor.

Abstract: The output voltages of dark pixels and optical black (OB) pixels are different between a row including a pixel which receives strong light and another row. An image formed upon receiving a strong light spot suffers whitish bands on the right and left of the spot. To solve this problem, this invention provides an image pickup apparatus including a pixel containing a photodiode which converts a photo-signal into a signal charge and accumulates the signal charge and an amplifier transistor which amplifies the signal charge accumulated in the photodiode, and a control element adapted to limit the output of the amplifier transistor so as to prevent the output from falling to below a determined voltage.

Abstract: In a solid-state image sensing apparatus, each pixel includes a photodiode, a MOS amplifier whose gate receives photo-charge generated by the photodiode, and a MOS switch for controlling connection between the photodiode and the gate of the MOS amplifier, and transference of the photo-charge from the photodiode to the gate of the MOS amplifier is performed under a condition that a channel is formed under the gate of the MOS amplifier.

Abstract: A photoelectric conversion device formed on a single semiconductor substrate, including: a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements; a read-out circuit including a switch for reading out analog signals from the photoelectric conversion elements; a buffer circuit for driving the switch; and a logic circuit for processing digital signals. A first semiconductor area to which a ground level for the buffer circuit is supplied and a second semiconductor area to which a ground level for the logic circuit is supplied are electrically separated from each other.

Abstract: In a photoelectric conversion element which is formed by alternately stacking a region of a first conductivity type and a region of a second conductivity type as a conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type to form a multi-layered structure, in which junction surfaces between the neighboring regions of the first and second conductivity types are formed to have depths suited to photoelectrically convert light in a plurality of different wavelength ranges, and which outputs signals for respective wavelength ranges, a region of a conductivity type opposite to the conductivity type of a surface-side region of the junction surface closest to a surface is formed in the surface of the surface-side region. Thus, highly color-separable signals which suffer less color mixture upon reading out signals from a plurality of photodiode layers is read out.

Abstract: In a photoelectric conversion device having a plurality of pixel cells each of which includes a photoelectric conversion element, a field effect transistor having the gate area for storing signal charge generated by the photoelectric conversion element and the source-drain path for outputting a signal corresponding to the signal charge stored in the gate, a first power supply line for supplying electric power to the field effect transistor, and a first switch connected between the field effect transistor and the first power supply line, when a reset voltage for resetting the gate of the field effect transistor is Vsig0, a threshold voltage of the field effect transistor is Vth, current flowing through the field effect transistor is Ia, a voltage applied via the first power supply line is Vc1, and a series resistance of the first switch is Ron, each pixel cell is configured to satisfy a condition determined by Vc1?Ron×Ia>Vsig0?Vth.

Abstract: In order to reduce the noise in the readout signal, the invention provides an image pickup apparatus comprising a pixel including a photoelectric conversion unit for converting the incident light and accumulating a resulting electrical signal, and a transfer switch reading the electrical signal accumulated in the photoelectric conversion unit or a signal based on such electrical signal, and potential control means for maintaining the potential of the signal line higher than that of the photoelectric conversion unit while the photoelectric conversion unit accumulates the electrical signal.

Abstract: The output voltages of dark pixels and optical black (OB) pixels are different between a row including a pixel which receives strong light and another row. An image formed upon receiving a strong light spot suffers whitish bands on the right and left of the spot. To solve this problem, this invention provides an image pickup apparatus including a pixel containing a photodiode which converts a photo-signal into a signal charge and accumulates the signal charge and an amplifier transistor which amplifies the signal charge accumulated in the photodiode, and a control element adapted to limit the output of the amplifier transistor so as to prevent the output from falling to below a predetermined voltage.

Abstract: To control the potential distribution generated in a well at the time of amplification and reduce a shading in a solid-state imaging device of amplification type, the amplification type solid-state imaging device of the present invention comprises a plurality of picture elements each including photoelectric conversion elements formed in a second conductivity type common well inside a first conductivity type substrate, wherein a plurality of well contacts are disposed inside a picture element array area.

Abstract: An image signal processing method and system, which can greatly reduce the data size upon transmitting an image signal or storing the signal in a storage medium, and can obtain a high-quality image by preventing image quality after color processing from deteriorating. According to the method for processing an image signal output from an image sensing element, a compression step of compressing the image signal and an expansion step of expanding the compressed image signal are executed without executing color processing for executing at least white balance correction or correction, and the color processing is executed after completion of the compression and expansion steps, thereby preventing occurrence of block noise and high-frequency noise associated with compressing/expanding image data after the color processing of the image signal.

Abstract: This invention is to provide a solid-state image pickup apparatus including a photoelectric conversion unit (PD), transfer switch (MTX) for transferring signal charges from the photoelectric conversion unit, capacitance for holding the transferred signal charges, and amplification transistor (MSF) for outputting a signal corresponding to the signal charges held by the capacitance. The amplification transistor includes a capacitance unit (CFD) having the first capacitance value and an additive capacitance unit (Cox) for adding a capacitance to the capacitance unit to increase the first capacitance value and obtain the second capacitance value. A signal read-out from the amplification transistor has a first read-out mode in which a signal is read out while keeping the signal charges held by the capacitance unit and additive capacitance unit, and a second read-out mode in which a signal is read out while keeping the signal charges held by the capacitance unit.

Abstract: The present invention is mainly aimed to obtain excellent sensor output free from periodic fixed pattern noise even if the pieces of holding capacity are converted into blocks, and the specific solution unit is described below. The signal readout unit includes: a line memory; first switches each connected to each holding capacity CT101 to CT116; first switches connected to each holding capacity thereof CT101 to CT116; a first common signal line comprising eight switches connected together; and second switches for connecting the first common signal line to the second common signal line. The control unit controls opening/closing of both switches. Between the electrode of the second switch and the second common signal line, there is provided the outgoing wiring. From the control unit, control wiring a1 . . . , b1 . . . is connected to the first switch. To each wiring a1 . . . , b1 . . .

Abstract: This invention is to provide a solid-state image pickup apparatus including a photoelectric conversion unit (PD), transfer switch (MTX) for transferring signal charges from the photoelectric conversion unit, capacitance for holding the transferred signal charges, and amplification transistor (MSF) for outputting a signal corresponding to the signal charges held by the capacitance. The amplification transistor includes a capacitance unit (CFD) having the first capacitance value and an additive capacitance unit (Cox) for adding a capacitance to the capacitance unit to increase the first capacitance value and obtain the second capacitance value. A signal read-out from the amplification transistor has a first read-out mode in which a signal is read out while keeping the signal charges held by the capacitance unit and additive capacitance unit, and a second read-out mode in which a signal is read out while keeping the signal charges held by the capacitance unit.