IMAGE PICKUP DEVICE THAT IS PROVIDED WITH PERIPHERAL CIRCUITS TO PREVENT CHIP AREA FROM BEING INCREASED, AND IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS

• US 20130033632A1
• Filed: 07/26/2012
• Published: 02/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kishi, Takafumi
• Granted Patent: US 9,666,626 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/308
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14634 Assemblies, i.e. Hybrid structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14636 Interconnect structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14638 Structures specially adapted for transferring the charges across the imager perpendicular to the imaging plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1464 Back illuminated imager structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14643 Photodiode arrays; MOS imagers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/75 Circuitry for providing, modifying or processing image signals from the pixel array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/767 Horizontal readout lines, multiplexers or registers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/79 Arrangements of circuitry being divided between different or multiple substrates, chips or circuit boards, e.g. stacked image sensors

Abstract

An image pickup device which suppresses an increase in chip area of peripheral circuits without degrading the performance of a pixel section and makes it possible to prevent costs from being increased. The image pickup device includes a first semiconductor substrate and a second semiconductor substrate. A pixel section includes photo diodes each for generate electric charges by photoelectric conversion, floating diffusions each for temporarily storing the electric charges generated by the photo diode, and amplifiers each connected to the floating diffusion, for outputting a signal dependent on a potential of the associated floating diffusion. Column circuits are connected to vertical signal lines, respectively, for performing predetermined processing on signals output from the pixel section to vertical signal lines.

Claims

1. An image pickup device comprising:

a first semiconductor substrate and a second semiconductor substrate;

a pixel section including photoelectric conversion elements each configured to generate electric charges by photoelectric conversion, floating diffusions each configured to temporarily store the electric charges generated in one of said photoelectric conversion elements, and amplifiers each configured to output signals dependent on potentials of the one of said floating diffusions;

a plurality of column signal lines configured to have the signals output thereto from said pixel section, on a column basis; and

a plurality of column circuits connected to said plurality of column signal lines, respectively, and configured to perform predetermined processing on the signals output to said column signal lines,

wherein said pixel section is formed on an area of said first semiconductor substrate and said plurality of column circuits are formed on an area of said second semiconductor substrate such that said plurality of column circuits are located under said pixel section in an overlapping manner when the image pickup device is viewed from a side where light enters.

2. The image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein the area of said first semiconductor substrate and the area of said second semiconductor substrate are electrically connected by connection points provided on a column basis, and the connection points provided on a column basis are on said plurality of column signal lines, respectively.

3. The image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein the connection points provided on a column basis are concentrically arranged in the vicinity of a central in a direction along each column.

4. The image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein the connection points provided on a column basis are arranged at respective different locations in a direction along each column.

5. The image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein said column circuits are arranged at respective different locations in a direction along each column.

6. The image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein said column circuits are arranged uniformly in a direction along each column.

7. The image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein digital circuits are disposed between rows or columns of said column circuits.

8. The image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein the connection points are concentrically arranged in the vicinity of periphery in a direction along each column.

9. The image pickup device according to claim 1, further comprising a drive circuit configured to drive said pixel section, and an output circuit configured to output signals on which predetermined processing has been performed by said plurality of column circuits, and

wherein at least part of said drive circuit or said output circuit is separately formed on the area of said first semiconductor substrate and the area of said second semiconductor substrate.

10. The image pickup device according to claim 9, wherein at least part of said drive circuit or said output circuits is formed on the area of said first semiconductor substrate.

11. The image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein said pixel section further includes transfer units each configured to transfer the electric charges from one of said photoelectric conversion elements to one of said floating diffusions, and reset units each connected to one of said floating diffusions and configured to reset the one of said floating diffusions.

12. An image pickup apparatus comprising the image pickup device according to claim 1.

13. An image pickup device comprising:

a semiconductor substrate including a first side and a second side;

a pixel section including photoelectric conversion elements each configured to generate electric charges by photoelectric conversion, floating diffusions each configured to temporarily store the electric charges generated in one of said photoelectric conversion elements, and amplifiers each configured to output signals dependent on potentials of one of said floating diffusions;

a plurality of column signal lines configured to have the signals output thereto from said pixel section, on a column basis; and

a plurality of column circuits connected to said plurality of column signal lines, respectively, and configured to perform predetermined processing on the signals output to said column signal lines,

wherein said pixel section is formed on the first side of said semiconductor substrate and said plurality of column circuits are formed on the second side of said semiconductor substrate such that said plurality of column circuits are located under said pixel section in an overlapping manner when the image pickup device is viewed from a side where light enters.

14. The image pickup device according to claim 13, further comprising a drive circuit configured to drive said pixel section, and an output circuit configured to output signals on which predetermined processing has been performed by said plurality of column circuits, and

wherein at least part of said drive circuit or said output circuit is separately formed on the first side of said semiconductor substrate and the second side of said second semiconductor substrate.

15. The image pickup device according to claim 13, wherein at least part of said drive circuit or said output circuits is formed on the first side.

16. The image pickup device according to claim 13, wherein said pixel section further includes transfer units each configured to transfer the electric charges from one of said photoelectric conversion elements to one of said floating diffusions, and reset units each connected to one of said floating diffusions and configured to reset the one of said floating diffusions.

17. An image pickup apparatus comprising the image pickup device according to claim 13.