Image sensor with light receiving elements of differing areas and image reader both having semiconductor device

• US 6,583,456 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2001
• Issued: 06/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Vista Peak Ventures LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Haga, Hiroshi, Okumura, Fujio, Fujieda, Ichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ngan V.
• Application Number:
  US09/956,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20020043674A1
• Time in Patent Office: 642 Days
• Field of Search: 257/291, 257/292, 257/443, 257/461, 257/465
• US Class Current: 257/292
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14643 Photodiode arrays; MOS imagers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02019 for devices characterised by at least one potential jump barrier or surface barrier

Abstract

An insulating substrate and a scanning circuit region are provided on a semiconductor device. The scanning circuit region is provided with a switching transistor for outputting charge formed on the insulating substrate and a clock wiring determining switching timing of the switching transistor. A shield conductor member is provided below the scanning circuit region.

Claims

1. An image sensor apparatus comprising:

a substrate; and

a plurality of light receiving element groups formed on said substrate, said plurality of light receiving element groups differing in light receiving area from one another.

2. The image sensor apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of said light receiving element groups comprises a light receiving array, said light receiving array including a plurality of light receiving elements having an equal light receiving area to one another and arranged one-dimensionally, and said plurality of light receiving element groups are arranged such that said respective light receiving element arrays are substantially parallel to one another.

3. The image sensor apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said substrate has light permeability.

4. The image sensor apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image sensor apparatus is a type of closely contacting an image to be read.

5. The image sensor apparatus according to claim 1, which further comprising:

a drive output circuit provided with shift registers sequentially selecting a light receiving element to be driven out of said light receiving elements at predetermined timing;

a light receiving element array selection control circuit selecting a predetermined light receiving element array from said plurality of light receiving element arrays;

a decoder circuit outputting a light receiving element selection signal for selecting said light receiving element based on output signals of said drive output circuit and said light receiving element array selection control circuit; and

pixel switches selectively driving said light receiving elements based on an output signal of said decoder circuit.

6. The image sensor apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

M types of said light receiving arrays exist;

said drive output circuit outputs signals of stages of said shift registers, respectively;

said light receiving element array selection control circuit has at least N control lines, where N≧

M; and

said decoder circuit has N NAND circuits or NOR circuits, said output signal of said drive output circuit being inputted to one input terminals of said NAND circuits or said NOR circuits and said N control lines being connected to the other input terminals of mutually different said NAND circuits or said NOR circuits.

7. The image sensor apparatus according to claim 1, which further comprising:

a drive output circuit provided with shift registers sequentially selecting a light receiving element to be driven out of said light receiving elements at predetermined timing;

a light receiving element array selection control circuit selecting a predetermined light receiving element array from said plurality of light receiving element arrays; and

pixel switches selectively driving said light receiving elements based on an output signal of said drive output circuit.

8. The image sensor apparatus according to claim 2, wherein lengths of sides of said plurality of light receiving elements parallel to a sub-scanning direction are equal among said respective light receiving element arrays, and lengths of sides of said plurality of light receiving elements parallel to a main scanning direction differ among said respective light receiving element arrays.

9. The image sensor apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a shape of each light receiving element forming one light receiving element array is a square and a shape of each light receiving element forming another light receiving element array is a rectangle.

10. The image sensor apparatus according to claim 9, wherein a length of a longer side of said rectangle is not less than twice as large as a length of a shorter side.

11. An image reader for relatively moving a manuscript and an image sensor apparatus and reading an image of said manuscript, said image reader comprising:

an image sensor apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 10;

a control signal generation circuit generating a control signal for controlling an operation of said image sensor in accordance with a resolution selected by a user; and

a driver circuit selectively driving said light receiving elements based on said control signal.