Solid state image pickup device having an amplifier for each vertical signal line and driving method therefor

• US 6,842,192 B1
• Filed: 09/24/1998
• Issued: 01/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yonemoto, Kazuya, Suzuki, Ryoji, Ueno, Takahisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Garber, Wendy R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WHIPKEY, JASON T
• Application Number:
  US09/159,569
• Time in Patent Office: 2,301 Days
• Field of Search: 348/300, 348/308, 348/303, 348/304, 348/302, 348/305
• US Class Current: 348/308
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14609 Pixel-elements with integrated switching, control, storage or amplification elements scanning details of imagers (circuitry of solid-state image sensors H04N25/00); circuitry of imagers H04N25/70
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14643 Photodiode arrays; MOS imagers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/76 Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors

Abstract

According to a solid-state image pickup device and a driving method thereof in which unit pixels, each comprising a photodiode, a selection MOS transistor and a read-out MOS transistor, are two-dimensionally disposed in a matrix form, and each vertical signal line is connected to a column amplifier. The vertical signal line is first reset by a reset MOS transistor, and then a pixel signal is read out from the photodiode to the vertical signal line to successively output the reset level and the signal level to a horizontal signal line through the same route (the column amplifier, the horizontal selection MOS transistor, etc.), and then the difference between the reset level and the signal level is calculated by a CDS circuit.

Claims

1. A solid-state image pickup device, comprising:

a pixel portion having unit pixels arranged two-dimensionally in a matrix form, each of said unit pixels including a photoelectrically transducing element for photoelectrically transducing incident light to obtain a signal charge, and stocking the signal charge thus obtained, a selection switch for selecting one of the pixels, and a read-out switch for reading out the signal charge from said photoelectrically transducing element to one of a plurality of vertical signal lines;

a plurality of amplifying means, at least one of the amplifying means being connected to each of said respective vertical signal lines and for converting the signal charge read out to the vertical signal lines to an electrical signal; and

a plurality of reset means for resetting each of said vertical signal lines;

wherein each of said selection switch and said read-out switch comprises a MOS transistor having a double gate structure,

wherein each gate electrode of said selection switch and said read-out switch comprises a two-layer gate electrode, and neighboring portions are overlapped with each other, and

wherein the gate electrode of one of the selection switch and the read-out switch is connected to one of a plurality of vertical scan lines and the gate electrode of the other of the selection switch and the read-out switch is connected to one of a plurality of read-out pulse horizontal signal lines.

2. The solid-state image pickup device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said photoelectrically transducing element comprises a photodiode having a HAD sensor structure.

3. The solid-state image pickup device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said reset means resets the respective vertical signal line in synchronism with a read-out timing before one pixel is read or a horizontal scan timing begins.

4. The solid-state image pickup device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said reset means resets the vertical signal line just before the signal charge is read out from said photoelectrically transducing element.

5. The solid-state image pickup device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said selection switch and said read-out switch are connected to each other in series between said photoelectrically transducing element and said vertical signal line.

6. The solid-state image pickup device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said selection switch is disposed at said photoelectrically transducing element side.

7. The solid-state image pickup device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a horizontal selection switch for commonly outputting a reset level on said vertical signal line at a reset time of said reset means and a signal level read out onto said vertical signal line after the reset is provided between said vertical signal line and a horizontal signal line.

8. The solid-state image pickup device as claimed in claim 7, further including a differential circuit for calculating the difference between the reset level successively output by said horizontal selection switch and the signal level.

9. The solid-state image pickup device as claimed in claim 8, wherein said differential circuit comprises a correlation double sampling circuit.

10. A method of driving a solid-state image pickup device comprising a pixel portion having unit pixels arranged two-dimensionally in a matrix form, each of said unit pixels including a photoelectrically transducing element for photoelectrically transducing incident light to obtain a signal charge and stocking the signal charge thus obtained, a selection switch for selecting one of the pixels, and a read-out switch for reading out the signal charge from said photoelectrically transducing element to one of a plurality of vertical signal lines;

a plurality of amplifying means at least one of which are connected to each of said respective vertical signal lines and for converting the signal charge read out to the vertical signal lines to an electrical signal, and a plurality of reset means for resetting each of said vertical signal lines, the method comprising the steps of;

resetting the vertical signal line;

after resetting the vertical signal line, reading out a pixel signal from said photoelectrically transducing element to the vertical signal line to successively output a reset level and a signal level in this order through the same route; and

after reading out the pixel signal, calculating a difference between the reset level and the signal level, wherein each of said selection switch and said read-out switch comprises a MOS transistor having a double gate structure,

wherein each gate electrode of said selection switch and said read-out switch comprises a two-layer gate electrode, and neighboring portions are overlapped with each other, and

wherein the gate electrode of one of the selection switch and the read-out switch is connected to one of a plurality of vertical selection lines and the gate electrode of the other of the selection switch and the read-out switch is connected to one of a plurality of read-out pulse lines.

11. The solid-state image pickup device driving method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the solid-state image pickup device comprises the plurality of vertical selection lines, and wherein neighboring vertical selection lines are simultaneously driven two by two in turn, and signal charges of two pixels in a vertical direction are mixed with each other on the vertical signal line.

12. A camera comprising:

an optical system for focusing incident light from a subject onto a solid-state image pickup device;

a driving system for driving said solid-state image pickup device; and

a signal processing system for processing an output signal of said solid-state image pickup device, wherein said solid-state image pickup device comprises a pixel portion having unit pixels arranged two-dimensionally in a matrix form, each of said unit pixels including a photoelectrically transducing element for photoelectrically transducing incident light to obtain signal charge, and stocking the signal charge thus obtained, a selection switch for selecting one of the pixels, and a read-out switch for reading out the signal charge from said photoelectrically transducing element to one of a plurality of vertical signal lines, a plurality of means, at least one of which are connected to each of said respective vertical signal lines and for converting the signal charge read out to the vertical signal lines to an electrical signal, and a plurality of reset means for resetting each of said vertical signal lines, and wherein said driving system drives said solid-state image pickup device so that one of the vertical signal lines is first reset and then a pixel signal is read out from said photoelectrically transducing element to the vertical signal line to successively output a reset level and a signal level in this order through the same route, and thereafter calculates a difference between the reset level and the signal level, and wherein each of said selection switch and said read-out switch comprises a MOS transistor having a double gate structure,

wherein each gate electrode of said selection switch and said read-out switch comprises a two-layer gate electrode, and neighboring portions are overlapped with each other, and

wherein the gate electrode of one of the selection switch and the read-out switch is connected to one of a plurality of vertical selection lines and the gate electrode of the other of the selection switch and the read-out switch is connected to one of a plurality of read-out pulse lines.

13. The camera as claimed in claim 12, wherein the solid-state image pickup device comprises the plurality of vertical selection lines, and wherein neighboring vertical selection lines of said solid-state image pickup device are simultaneously driven two by two in turn, and signal charges of two pixels in a vertical direction are mixed with each other on the vertical signal line to perform an interlace-supporting feedback read-out operation.