Abstract: Certain embodiments provide a solid-state imaging device including: a plurality of pixels provided on a semiconductor substrate, each of the pixels having a semiconductor region that converts incident light from a side of a first face of the semiconductor substrate into signal charges and stores the signal charges; a readout circuit provided on a side of a second face that is the opposite side from the first face, and reading out the signal charges stored in the pixels; and a pixel separation structure provided between adjacent ones of the pixels in the semiconductor substrate, the pixel separation structure including a stack film buried in a trench extending from the first face, the stack film including a first insulating film provided along side faces and a bottom face of the trench, and a fixed charge film provided in the trench to cover the first insulating film and retaining fixed charges that are non-signal charges.

Abstract: According to one embodiments, a pixel array unit in which pixels PC are arranged in a matrix manner, a sample-and-hold signal conversion circuit that detects a signal component of each of the pixels PC in a CDS, and a timing control circuit that controls to sample a reference level of an analog CDS after a reference level of a digital CDS is converted into a digital value are included.

Abstract: In a pixel unit, cells are arranged in rows and columns two-dimensionally. Each of the cells accumulates signal charge obtained by photoelectrically converting light incident on photoelectric conversion section and outputs a voltage corresponding to the accumulated signal charge. On the cells, W, R, G, and B color filters are provided. Analog signals output from the W pixel, R pixel, G pixel, and B pixel are converted into digital signals by an analog/digital converter circuit, which outputs a W signal, an R signal, a G signal, and a B signal separately. A W signal saturated signal quantity is controlled by a saturated signal quantity control circuit. Then, a signal generator circuit corrects the R signal, the G signal, and the B signal using the W signal, the R signal, the G signal, and B signal output from the analog/digital converter circuit and outputs the corrected R, G, and B signals.

Abstract: A two-dimensional digital data acquisition element includes: a pixel area having a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix form, each of the pixels having a photoelectric conversion element to convert the reproduced light from the optical information recording medium to an electric signal; selection circuits which select the pixel; a readout circuit which reads out an electric signal of a pixel selected by the selection circuits; and a 1-bit AD converter which converts an output of the readout circuit to 1-bit digital data. A pitch ratio N between a pitch P1 of the unit data areas in the two-dimensional digital image information and a pitch P2 of the pixels in the pixel area defined as N=P1/P2 satisfies a relation A·n2/(An+1)<N<A·n2/(An?1) where A is the number of digital data in one-dimensional direction of one byte of the two-dimensional digital data and n is a natural number of at least 2.

Abstract: The present invention enables to provide a simple and inexpensive electromagnetic wave sensor that selectively detects sub-millimeter waves and millimeter waves in a specific frequency band, an imaging element and an imaging device. The distance of the gap between a plurality of antenna elements is smaller than the wavelength of infrared light. A capacitor electrically formed by the gap between the plurality of antenna elements, and an electrical resistor portion form parallel circuits electrically coupled to the antenna portion. The plurality of antenna elements are formed so that the impedance of the antenna portion is matched with the impedance of the parallel circuits against electromagnetic waves having a predetermined frequency, and is not matched against the higher harmonics of electromagnetic waves having the predetermined frequency.

Abstract: An infrared-detecting element includes: a substrate; a laminated body; an anchor coupling a part of the laminated body with the substrate and supporting the laminated body with a gap above the substrate; and an amplifier provided on the substrate and connected to at least one of the lower electrode and the upper electrode. The laminated body has a lower electrode, an upper electrode, and a piezoelectric film made of aluminum nitride which is provided between the lower electrode and the upper electrode and in which a c-axis is oriented almost perpendicularly to a film plane. The amplifier has a circuit performing conversion into voltage according to a charge generated in the laminated body.

Abstract: A solid-state image sensor has a plurality of pixels, a read-out circuit and a signal processing section. The plurality of pixels includes a plurality of first pixels, a plurality of second pixels, a plurality of third pixels and a plurality of fourth pixels.

Abstract: A bolometer type uncooled infrared ray sensor includes: an image pickup region having detection pixels arranged in a matrix form on a semiconductor substrate to detect incident infrared rays; a plurality of row selection lines provided in the image pickup region; current sources capable of letting constant currents flow through the respective row selection lines; a plurality of signal lines provided in the image pickup region; voltage readout circuits provided so as to respectively correspond to the signal lines to read out signal voltages generated on the respectively corresponding signal lines; coupling capacitances respectively provided between the respective signal lines and the corresponding voltage readout circuits; and a calculator which calculates a difference between two signal voltages read out by the voltage readout circuits, corresponding to outputs of the same detection pixel for two different current values supplied from the current sources.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging device includes a semiconductor substrate, a first pixel with a green color filter, a second pixel with a blue color filter and a third pixel with a red color filter. The first pixel includes a first area for generating an electric signal by photoelectric conversion, disposed in a first trench that is formed on a surface of the semiconductor substrate, and a first transistor area that outputs the electric signal obtained from the first area. The second pixel includes a second area formed in a flat shape on the surface of the semiconductor substrate, and a second transistor area that outputs the electric signal obtained from the second area. The third pixel includes a third area formed in a flat shape on the surface of the semiconductor substrate, and a third transistor area that outputs the electric signal obtained from the third area.

Abstract: The present invention provides a solid-state image sensing device that converts long-wavelength light represented by the terahertz band into electric signals without being affected by the fluctuation of radiated heat, and outputs the signals mainly as picture signals; a method for manufacturing the same, and an imaging system. The cell unit has an antenna to generate electrical signals by receiving incident electric waves, an electrical resistor electrically connected to the antenna, and to vary the temperature of the cell unit by generating Joule heat corresponding to the electrical signals, and a thermoelectric conversion element electrically connected to the support structure portion, electrically insulated from the antenna and the electrical resistor, and thermally connected to the electrical resistor, to generate electrical signals by detecting the temperature variation of the cell unit; and the side of the incident electric waves in the cell unit is formed of a material to reflect infrared lights.

Abstract: An infrared-detecting element includes: a substrate; a laminated body; an anchor coupling a part of the laminated body with the substrate and supporting the laminated body with a gap above the substrate; and an amplifier provided on the substrate and connected to at least one of the lower electrode and the upper electrode. The laminated body has a lower electrode, an upper electrode, and a piezoelectric film made of aluminum nitride which is provided between the lower electrode and the upper electrode and in which a c-axis is oriented almost perpendicularly to a film plane. The amplifier has a circuit performing conversion into voltage according to a charge generated in the laminated body.

Abstract: An infrared sensor includes an imaging area including a thermal non-sensitivity pixel row, an optical non-sensitivity pixel row and a valid pixel row, and the infrared sensor including a column amplifier including a first amplifying transistor, a first clamp circuit, an integration capacitor, and a resetting part connected to the drain of the first amplifying transistor and a storage node of the integration capacitor, the column amplifier being connected to the signal lines, and amplifying a signal voltage generated in the signal line; a column buffer including a driving transistor, a drain of the driving transistor being connected to a source of the first amplifying transistor; a readout circuit connected to the storage node of the integration capacitor; and a signal generating circuit including a circuit configuration equivalent to that of the column amplifier and including a second amplifying transistor equivalent to the first amplifying transistor, a gate of the second amplifying transistor connected to a

Abstract: A solid-state image pickup element includes: a semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type; a pixel area having pixels formed in a matrix form, each of the pixels including a photoelectric conversion element having a pn junction formed of the semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type and a first semiconductor region of a second conductivity type, a second semiconductor region of the first conductivity type formed on a first surface side of the semiconductor layer, and potential control wiring connected electrically to the second semiconductor region; and a pixel signal readout circuit including at least one MOS transistor formed on the first surface side of the semiconductor layer in the pixel area to have a source and a drain formed of an impurity region of the second conductivity type. Incidence of light to the photoelectric conversion element is made from a second surface side opposite to the first surface side.

Abstract: A semiconductor apparatus includes: a first chip including a MEMS device which has a structure supported in midair therein, and having first pads and a first joining region electrically connected to the MEMS device on a top face thereof; a second chip including a circuit having a semiconductor device electrically connected to the MEMS device therein, and having second pads and a second joining region electrically connected to the semiconductor device on a top face thereof, the second chip being disposed in opposition to the first chip so as to oppose the second pads and the second joining region respectively to the first pads and the first joining region; electrical connection parts which electrically connect the first pads to the second pads, respectively; and joining parts provided between the first joining region and the second joining region opposed to the first joining region to join the first chip and the second chip to each other.

Abstract: This disclosure concerns a solid-state imaging device including a pixel thermally separated from a substrate; a heat conduction switch having one end connected to the substrate and other end capable of contacting to the substrate or the pixel, the heat conduction switch changing over a state of the pixel to one of a first state and a second state, the first state being a state in which the pixel is thermally isolated from the substrate by causing the other end of the heat conduction switch to contact with the substrate, the second state being a state in which the pixel is thermally shorted to the substrate by causing the other end of the heat conduction switch to contact with the pixel; and a signal detector detecting a difference between the signal voltage of the pixel in the first state and the signal voltage of the pixel in the second state.

Abstract: A bolometer type uncooled infrared ray sensor includes: an image pickup region having detection pixels arranged in a matrix form on a semiconductor substrate to detect incident infrared rays; a plurality of row selection lines provided in the image pickup region; current sources capable of letting constant currents flow through the respective row selection lines; a plurality of signal lines provided in the image pickup region; voltage readout circuits provided so as to respectively correspond to the signal lines to read out signal voltages generated on the respectively corresponding signal lines; coupling capacitances respectively provided between the respective signal lines and the corresponding voltage readout circuits; and a calculator which calculates a difference between two signal voltages read out by the voltage readout circuits, corresponding to outputs of the same detection pixel for two different current values supplied from the current sources.

Abstract: The present invention enables to provide a simple and inexpensive electromagnetic wave sensor that selectively detects sub-millimeter waves and millimeter waves in a specific frequency band, an imaging element and an imaging device. The distance of the gap between a plurality of antenna elements is smaller than the wavelength of infrared light. A capacitor electrically formed by the gap between the plurality of antenna elements, and an electrical resistor portion form parallel circuits electrically coupled to the antenna portion. The plurality of antenna elements are formed so that the impedance of the antenna portion is matched with the impedance of the parallel circuits against electromagnetic waves having a predetermined frequency, and is not matched against the higher harmonics of electromagnetic waves having the predetermined frequency.

Abstract: A two-dimensional digital data acquisition element includes: a pixel area having a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix form, each of the pixels having a photoelectric conversion element to convert the reproduced light from the optical information recording medium to an electric signal; selection circuits which select the pixel; a readout circuit which reads out an electric signal of a pixel selected by the selection circuits; and a 1-bit AD converter which converts an output of the readout circuit to 1-bit digital data. A pitch ratio N between a pitch P1 of the unit data areas in the two-dimensional digital image information and a pitch P2 of the pixels in the pixel area defined as N=P1/P2 satisfies a relation A·n2/(An+1)<N<A·n2/(An?1) where A is the number of digital data in one-dimensional direction of one byte of the two-dimensional digital data and n is a natural number of at least 2.

Abstract: This disclosure concerns a solid-state imaging device including a pixel thermally separated from a substrate; a heat conduction switch having one end connected to the substrate and other end capable of contacting to the substrate or the pixel, the heat conduction switch changing over a state of the pixel to one of a first state and a second state, the first state being a state in which the pixel is thermally isolated from the substrate by causing the other end of the heat conduction switch to contact with the substrate, the second state being a state in which the pixel is thermally shorted to the substrate by causing the other end of the heat conduction switch to contact with the pixel; and a signal detector detecting a difference between the signal voltage of the pixel in the first state and the signal voltage of the pixel in the second state.

Abstract: An image sensor includes an imaging area including a plurality of cells arrayed in a matrix on a semiconductor substrate, each of the cells including an avalanche photodiode, the avalanche photodiode including: an anode region buried in an upper portion of the semiconductor substrate; a cathode region buried in the upper portion of the semiconductor substrate separated from the anode region in a direction parallel to the surface of the semiconductor substrate; and an avalanche multiplication region defined between the anode and cathode regions, the avalanche multiplication region having an impurity concentration less than the anode and cathode regions; wherein depths of the anode and cathode regions from the surface of the semiconductor substrate are different from each other.