IMAGING DEVICE AND METHOD OF DRIVING SOLID STATE IMAGING ELEMENT

• US 20100002110A1
• Filed: 07/02/2009
• Published: 01/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: OTA, Motoari
• Granted Patent: US 8,223,233 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/294
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/59 by controlling the amount of charge storable in the pixel, e.g. modification of the charge conversion ratio of the floating node capacitance
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/76 Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/77 Pixel circuitry, e.g. memories, A/D converters, pixel amplifiers, shared circuits or shared components

Abstract

An imaging device includes a solid state imaging element that includes a plurality of pixels; and a driving unit; wherein each pixel includes: a photoelectric converting element includes a pair of electrodes stacked above a semiconductor substrate and a photoelectric converting layer arranged between the electrodes; a connecting portion that is arranged in the semiconductor substrate; a potential barrier portion; a first charge accumulating portion; and a signal output circuit, and wherein the driving unit drives the solid state imaging element so that the connecting portion and the potential barrier portion are set to a same potential by injecting charges into the connecting portion.

Claims

1. An imaging device, comprising:

a solid state imaging element that has a plurality of pixels including;

a semiconductor substrate;

a pair of electrodes stacked above the semiconductor substrate; and

a photoelectric converting layer arranged between the pair of electrodes; and

a driving unit that drives the solid state imaging element;

wherein each of the plurality of the pixels further includes;

a connecting portion that is arranged in the semiconductor substrate and that is connected electrically to one of the pair of electrodes;

a potential barrier portion that is arranged adjacent to the connecting portion in the semiconductor substrate and that acts as a potential barrier against a potential of the connecting portion;

a first charge accumulating portion that is arranged adjacent to the potential barrier portion in the semiconductor substrate and in which charges generated in the photoelectric converting layer are accumulated via the connecting portion and the potential barrier portion; and

a signal output circuit that outputs a signal in response to the charges accumulated in the first charge accumulating portion, and

wherein the driving unit drives the solid state imaging element so that the connecting portion and the potential barrier portion are set to have a same potential by injecting charges into the connecting portion.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the signal output circuit includes a reset transistor, and

wherein, for applying the same potential between connecting portion and the potential barrier portion, the driving unit injects charges into the connecting portion by decreasing a potential of a drain of the reset transistor lower or increasing the potential of the drain of the reset transistor higher than a potential of the potential barrier portion, to restore the potential of the drain to a potential, and to discharge unnecessary charges generated by restoring to the drain.

3. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the pixel further includes a charge injection transistor having the connecting portion as a drain for injecting the charges to the connecting portion,

wherein the signal output circuit includes a reset transistor, and

wherein, for applying the same potential between connecting portion and the potential barrier portion, the driving unit injects charges into the connecting portion from the source by decreasing a potential of a source of the charge injection transistor lower or increasing the potential of the source of the charge injection transistor higher than a potential of a gate of the charge injection transistor, to restore the potential of the source to a potential after injection of the charges, and to discharge unnecessary charges generated by the injection to the drain of the reset transistor.

4. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the pixel further includes a charge injection transistor having the connecting portion as a drain for injecting the charges to the connecting portion, and

wherein the signal output circuit includes a reset transistor, and

wherein, for applying the same potential between connecting portion and the potential barrier portion, the driving unit injects charges into the connecting portion from the source by decreasing a potential of a gate of the charge injection transistor lower or increasing the potential of the gate of the charge injection transistor higher than a potential of a source of the charge injection transistor, to restore the potential of the gate to a potential after injection of the charges, and to discharge unnecessary charges generated by the injection to the drain of the reset transistor.

5. The imaging device according to claim 2, wherein the driving unit applies starts an exposure of the solid state imaging element in a state that the connecting portion and the potential barrier portion are set to the same potential, to decrease or increase a potential of the potential barrier portion lower or higher than a potential during the exposure as soon as the exposure is ended, and to restore the potential of the potential barrier portion to the potential during the exposure until the unnecessary charges are discharged in a driving after a signal obtained by the exposure is output.

6. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the pixel further includes a second charge accumulating portion that is arranged in the semiconductor substrate and that is connected to a gate of an output transistor constituting the signal output circuit, and a charge transferring unit that transfers the charges accumulated in the first charge accumulating portion to the second charge accumulating portion.

7. The imaging device according to claim 6, wherein the first charge accumulating portion is formed of an embedded type accumulating portion.

8. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the photoelectric converting layer is formed of an organic material.

9. A method of driving a solid state imaging element that has a plurality of pixels including:

a semiconductor substrate;

a pair of electrodes stacked above the semiconductor substrate;

a photoelectric converting layer arranged between the pair of electrodes;

a connecting portion that is arranged in the semiconductor substrate and that is connected electrically to one of the pair of electrodes;

a potential barrier portion that is arranged adjacent to the connecting portion in the semiconductor substrate and that acts as a potential barrier against a potential of the connecting portion;

a first charge accumulating portion that is arranged adjacent to the potential barrier portion in the semiconductor substrate and in which charges generated in the photoelectric converting layer are accumulated via the connecting portion and the potential barrier portion; and

a signal output circuit that outputs a signal in response to the charges accumulated in the first charge accumulating portion,

the method comprising;

driving the solid state imaging element so that the connecting portion and the potential barrier portion are set to a same potential by injecting charges into the connecting portion.

10. The method of driving the solid state imaging element according to claim 9, further comprising:

for applying the same potential between connecting portion and the potential barrier portion,

injecting charges into the connecting portion by decreasing a potential of a drain of a reset transistor in the signal output circuit lower or increasing the potential of the drain of the reset transistor in the signal output circuit higher than a potential of the potential barrier portion,

restoring the potential of the drain to a potential; and

discharging unnecessary charges generated by restoring to the drain.

11. The method of driving the solid state imaging element according to claim 9, wherein the pixel further including a charge injection transistor having the connecting portion as a drain for injecting the charges to the connecting portion,

the method further comprising:

for applying the same potential between connecting portion and the potential barrier portion,

injecting charges into the connecting portion from the source by decreasing a potential of a source of the charge injection transistor lower or increasing a potential of the source of the charge injection transistor higher than a potential of a gate of the charge injection transistor,

restoring the potential of the source to a potential after injection of the charges; and

discharging unnecessary charges generated by the injection to the drain of a reset transistor in the signal output circuit.

12. The method of driving the solid state imaging element according to claim 9, wherein the pixel further including a charge injection transistor having the connecting portion as a drain for injecting the charges to the connecting portion,

the method further comprising:

for applying the same potential between connecting portion and the potential barrier portion,

injecting charges into the connecting portion from the source by decreasing a potential of a gate of the charge injection transistor lower or increasing the potential of the gate of the charge injection transistor higher than a potential of a source of the charge injection transistor,

restoring the potential of the gate to a potential after injection of the charges; and

discharging unnecessary charges generated by the injection to the drain of the reset transistor in the signal output circuit.

13. The method of driving the solid state imaging element according to claim 10, further comprising:

starting an exposure of the solid state imaging element in a state that the connecting portion and the potential barrier portion are set to the same potential;

decreasing a potential of the potential barrier portion lower or increasing the potential of the potential barrier portion lower higher than a potential during the exposure as soon as the exposure is ended; and

restoring the potential of the potential barrier portion to the potential during the exposure until the unnecessary charges are discharged in the driving after a signal obtained by the exposure is output.

14. The method of driving the solid state imaging element according to claim 9, wherein the pixel further includes a second charge accumulating portion that is arranged in the semiconductor substrate and that is connected to a gate of an output transistor constituting the signal output circuit, and a charge transferring unit that transfers the charges accumulated in the first charge accumulating portion to the second charge accumulating portion.

15. The method of driving the solid state imaging element according to claim 14, wherein the first charge accumulating portion is formed of an embedded type accumulating portion.

16. The method of driving the solid state imaging element according to claim 9, wherein the photoelectric converting layer is formed of an organic material.