IMAGING APPARATUS AND DRIVE METHOD OF SOLID-STATE IMAGING DEVICE
First Claim
1. An imaging apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of pixel sections that is arranged in a row direction and a column direction orthogonal to the row direction, each of the pixel sections including;
a photoelectric conversion section;
a first charge storage section which stores a charge occurring in the photoelectric conversion section; and
a first transistor which has a gate electrode connected to the first charge storage section and a second charge storage section provided between the gate electrode and a semiconductor substrate,a second transistor that is on-off controlled as a load transistor of the first transistor;
a first signal read unit that injects a charge responsive to a voltage supplied to the gate electrode into the second charge storage section with the second transistor turned off and that reads a change in a threshold voltage of the first transistor caused by the injected charge as an image capturing signal; and
a second signal read unit that reads a voltage output from the first transistor as an image capturing signal in response to a voltage supplied to the gate electrode with the second transistor turned on.
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Accused Products
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.
16 Citations
17 Claims
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1. An imaging apparatus comprising:
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a plurality of pixel sections that is arranged in a row direction and a column direction orthogonal to the row direction, each of the pixel sections including; a photoelectric conversion section; a first charge storage section which stores a charge occurring in the photoelectric conversion section; and a first transistor which has a gate electrode connected to the first charge storage section and a second charge storage section provided between the gate electrode and a semiconductor substrate, a second transistor that is on-off controlled as a load transistor of the first transistor; a first signal read unit that injects a charge responsive to a voltage supplied to the gate electrode into the second charge storage section with the second transistor turned off and that reads a change in a threshold voltage of the first transistor caused by the injected charge as an image capturing signal; and a second signal read unit that reads a voltage output from the first transistor as an image capturing signal in response to a voltage supplied to the gate electrode with the second transistor turned on. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A drive method of a solid-state imaging device including:
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a plurality of pixel sections that is arranged in a row direction and a column direction orthogonal to the row direction, each of the pixel sections including; a photoelectric conversion section; a first charge storage section which stores a charge occurring in the photoelectric conversion section; and a first transistor which has a gate electrode connected to the first charge storage section and a second charge storage section provided between the gate electrode and a semiconductor substrate, the drive method comprising; on-off controlling a second transistor as a load transistor of the first transistor; injecting by a first signal read unit, a charge responsive to a voltage supplied to the gate electrode into the second charge storage section with the second transistor turned off; reading by the first signal read unit, a change in a threshold voltage of the first transistor caused by the injected charge as an image capturing signal with the second transistor turned off; and reading by a second signal read unit, a voltage output from the first transistor as an image capturing signal in response to a voltage supplied to the gate electrode with the second transistor turned on. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification