IMAGE SENSOR AND DRIVING METHOD THEREOF
First Claim
1. An image sensor, comprising a photodiode, a first TFT, a second TFT, and a third TFT provided at each pixel, wherein:
- an anode terminal of the photodiode is connected to a gate terminal of the first TFT and a source terminal of the third TFT, and a cathode terminal of the photodiode is connected to a first control signal line;
a drain terminal of the first TFT is connected to a first power source line, and a source terminal of the first TFT is connected to a drain terminal of the second TFT;
a gate terminal of the second TFT is connected to the first control signal line, and a source terminal of the second TFT is connected to an output signal line; and
a gate terminal of the third TFT is connected to a second control signal line, and a drain terminal of the third TFT is connected to a second power source line.
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Accused Products
Abstract
With an image sensor in which the amplifier circuit is disposed at each pixel, there is such an issue that the threshold voltage of the transistor fluctuates so that the signal voltage fluctuates because a voltage is continuously applied between the source and the gate of the transistor at all times when using the amorphous thin film semiconductor as the transistor that constitutes an amplifier circuit. The gate-source potential of the TFT that constitutes the amplifier circuit is controlled so that the gate terminal voltage becomes smaller than the source terminal voltage in an integrating period where the pixels accumulate the signals, and controlled so that the gate terminal voltage becomes larger than the source terminal voltage in a readout period where the pixels output the signals.
29 Citations
7 Claims
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1. An image sensor, comprising a photodiode, a first TFT, a second TFT, and a third TFT provided at each pixel, wherein:
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an anode terminal of the photodiode is connected to a gate terminal of the first TFT and a source terminal of the third TFT, and a cathode terminal of the photodiode is connected to a first control signal line; a drain terminal of the first TFT is connected to a first power source line, and a source terminal of the first TFT is connected to a drain terminal of the second TFT; a gate terminal of the second TFT is connected to the first control signal line, and a source terminal of the second TFT is connected to an output signal line; and a gate terminal of the third TFT is connected to a second control signal line, and a drain terminal of the third TFT is connected to a second power source line. - View Dependent Claims (4)
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2. An image sensor, comprising a photodiode, a first TFT, and a second TFT provided at each pixel, wherein:
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one of terminals of the photodiode is connected to a gate terminal of the first TFT and a source terminal of the second TFT, and other terminal is connected to a first control signal line; a drain terminal of the first TFT is connected to a first power source line, and a source terminal of the first TFT is connected to an output signal line; a gate terminal of the second TFT is connected to a second control signal line, and a drain terminal of the second TFT is connected to a second power source line; the first TFT and the second TFT are formed with an inverted staggered structure, a top contact structure, or a bottom contact structure; and in the first TFT, a two-dimensionally overlapping area of a source electrode and a gate electrode is smaller than a two-dimensionally overlapping area of a drain electrode and the gate electrode. - View Dependent Claims (3, 5)
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6. A method for driving an image sensor which comprises a photodiode, a first TFT, a second TFT, and a third TFT provided at each pixel, wherein:
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an anode terminal of the photodiode is connected to a gate terminal of the first TFT and a source terminal of the third TFT, and a cathode terminal of the photodiode is connected to a first control signal line; a drain terminal of the first TFT is connected to a first power source line, and a source terminal of the first TFT is connected to a drain terminal of the second TFT; a gate terminal of the second TFT is connected to the first control signal line, and a source terminal of the second TFT is connected to an output signal line; and a gate terminal of the third TFT is connected to a second control signal line, and a drain terminal of the third TFT is connected to a second power source line, the method comprising; dividing a driving period of the image sensor to an integrating period where a light signal is irradiated to the pixels and to a readout period where a signal is read out from the pixels; setting a gate voltage of the first TFT to be smaller than a source voltage of the first TFT in the integrating period; and setting the gate voltage of the first TFT to be larger than the source voltage of the first TFT in the readout period.
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7. A method for driving an image sensor which comprises a photodiode, a first TFT, and a second TFT provided at each pixel, wherein:
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one of terminals of the photodiode is connected to a gate terminal of the first TFT and a source terminal of the second TFT, and other terminal is connected to a first control signal line; a drain terminal of the first TFT is connected to a first power source line, and a source terminal of the first TFT is connected to an output signal line; a gate terminal of the second TFT is connected to a second control signal line, and a drain terminal of the second TFT is connected to a second power source line; the first TFT and the second TFT are formed with an inverted staggered structure, a top contact structure, or a bottom contact structure; and in the first TFT, a two-dimensionally overlapping area of a source electrode and a gate electrode is smaller than a two-dimensionally overlapping area of a drain electrode and the gate electrode, the method comprising; dividing a driving period of the image sensor to an integrating period where a light signal is irradiated to the pixels and to a readout period where a signal is read out from the pixels; setting a gate voltage of the first TFT to be smaller than a source voltage of the first TFT in the integrating period; and setting the gate voltage of the first TFT to be larger than the source voltage of the first TFT in the readout period.
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Specification