IMAGING DEVICE

• US 20190313040A1
• Filed: 06/20/2019
• Published: 10/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: NISHIMURA, Kazuko, TAMAKI, Tokuhiko, MURAKAMI, Masashi
• Granted Patent: US 10,904,464 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14614 having a special gate structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14636 Interconnect structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14643 Photodiode arrays; MOS imagers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/585 with pixels having different sensitivities within the sensor, e.g. fast or slow pixels or pixels having different sizes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/618 for random or high-frequency noise
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/62 Detection or reduction of noise due to excess charges produced by the exposure, e.g. smear, blooming, ghost image, crosstalk or leakage between pixels
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/65 applied to reset noise, e.g. KTC noise related to CMOS structures by techniques other than CDS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/75 Circuitry for providing, modifying or processing image signals from the pixel array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/77 Pixel circuitry, e.g. memories, A/D converters, pixel amplifiers, shared circuits or shared components
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/778 comprising amplifiers shared between a plurality of pixels, i.e. at least one part of the amplifier must be on the sensor array itself
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/78 Readout circuits for addressed sensors, e.g. output amplifiers or A/D converters

Abstract

An imaging device comprising: a first pixel cell including a first photoelectric converter generating a first signal, the first photoelectric converter including a first electrode and a first photoelectric conversion region on the first electrode, and a first circuit coupled to the first electrode and detecting the first signal; and a second pixel cell including a second photoelectric converter generating a second signal, the second photoelectric converter including a second electrode and a second photoelectric conversion region on the second electrode, and a second circuit coupled to the second electrode and detecting the second signal. A sensitivity of the first pixel cell is higher than that of the second pixel cell. A circuit configuration of the first circuit is different from that of the second circuit. The first circuit includes a feedback circuit configured to negatively feed back a voltage of the first electrode to the first electrode.

Claims

1. An imaging device comprising:

a first pixel cell including

a first photoelectric converter that generates a first signal by photoelectric conversion, the first photoelectric converter including a first electrode and a first photoelectric conversion region on the first electrode, and

a first circuit that is coupled to the first electrode and that detects the first signal; and

a second pixel cell including

a second photoelectric converter that generates a second signal by photoelectric conversion, the second photoelectric converter including a second electrode and a second photoelectric conversion region on the second electrode, and

a second circuit that is coupled to the second electrode and that detects the second signal, wherein

a sensitivity of the first pixel cell is higher than a sensitivity of the second pixel cell,

a circuit configuration of the first circuit is different from a circuit configuration of the second circuit, and

the first circuit includes a feedback circuit that is configured to negatively feed back a voltage of the first electrode to the first electrode.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the first circuit is configured to reduce random noise more than the second circuit does.

3. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein a number of one or more transistors included in the first circuit is greater than a number of zero or more transistors included in the second circuit.

4. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein a number of one or more capacitive elements included in the first circuit is greater than a number of zero or more capacitive elements included in the second circuit.

5. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the second circuit includes a capacitive element that is coupled to the second electrode.

6. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein

the feedback circuit includes an inverting amplifier,

the first circuit includes a first transistor a gate of which is coupled to the first electrode, and

the feedback circuit is configured to negatively feed back a voltage of the first electrode to the first electrode via the first transistor and the inverting amplifier.

7. The imaging device according to claim 6, wherein

the first circuit includes

a first capacitive element one end of which is coupled to the first electrode,

a second capacitive element one end of which is coupled to the other end of the first capacitive element, and

a second transistor one of a source and a drain of which is coupled to the other end of the first capacitive element.

8. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein

the first circuit includes

a first capacitive element one end of which is coupled to the first electrode,

a second capacitive element one end of which is coupled to the other end of the first capacitive element, and

a first transistor one of a source and a drain of which is coupled to the other end of the first capacitive element.

9. The imaging device according to claim 8, wherein a gate of the first transistor is coupled to the first electrode.

15. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein a gate of the first transistor is coupled to the first electrode.

10. An imaging device comprising:

a first pixel cell including

a first photoelectric converter that generates a first signal by photoelectric conversion, the first photoelectric converter including a first electrode and a first photoelectric conversion region on the first electrode, and

a first circuit that is coupled to the first electrode and that detects the first signal; and

a second pixel cell including

a second photoelectric converter that generates a second signal by photoelectric conversion, the second photoelectric converter including a second electrode and a second photoelectric conversion region on the second electrode, and

a second circuit that is coupled to the second electrode and that detects the second signal, wherein

a sensitivity of the first pixel cell is higher than a sensitivity of the second pixel cell,

a circuit configuration of the first circuit is different from a circuit configuration of the second circuit, and

the first circuit is configured to reduce random noise more than the second circuit does.

11. The imaging device according to claim 10, wherein a number of one or more transistors included in the first circuit is greater than a number of zero or more transistors included in the second circuit.

12. The imaging device according to claim 10, wherein a number of one or more capacitive elements included in the first circuit is greater than a number of zero or more capacitive elements included in the second circuit.

13. The imaging device according to claim 10, wherein the second circuit includes a capacitive element that is coupled to the second electrode.

14. The imaging device according to claim 10, wherein

the first circuit includes

a first capacitive element one end of which is coupled to the first electrode,

a second capacitive element one end of which is coupled to the other end of the first capacitive element, and

a first transistor one of a source and a drain of which is coupled to the other end of the first capacitive element.