Solid-state image pick-up device and digital still camera

• US 7,292,277 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2003
• Issued: 11/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Oda, Kazuya, Inuiya, Masafumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ometz; David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Negron; Wanda M.
• Application Number:
  US10/408,118
• Publication Number:
  US 20030222262A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,673 Days
• Field of Search: 348/315, 348/298, 348/234, 348/238, 348/311, 257/72, 257/294, 250/208.1
• US Class Current: 348/315
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14812 Special geometry or disposition of pixel-elements, address lines or gate-electrodes

Abstract

In a solid-state image pick-up device comprising photoelectric converting devices 3r, 3g and 3b formed at a predetermined array interval in row and column directions on a semiconductor substrate, vertical transfer paths 4a, 4b, 4c, . . . provided in the column direction of the photoelectric converting device and serving to read and transfer a signal charge obtained by the photoelectric converting device, and a shielding film for covering an upper part of the vertical transfer path, a pore 7 is provided in a place corresponding to an imaginary pixel point position in the shielding film. Consequently, an actual signal (an imaginary pixel point charge) corresponding to the amount of a received light on the imaginary pixel point through the pore 7 is stored in the vertical transfer path. Therefore, the imaginary pixel point charge is read from the solid-state image pick-up device before the signal charge is read from the photoelectric converting device, and image data based on the signal charge are corrected by the actual imaginary pixel point charge. Thus, it is possible to generate an image having a high resolution.

Claims

1. A solid-state image pick-up device comprising:

photoelectric converting devices formed at first array intervals in row and column directions on a semiconductor substrate;

vertical transfer paths provided in the column direction and serving to read and transfer signal charges obtained by the photoelectric converting devices; and

a shielding film that covers an upper part of the vertical transfer paths, wherein;

a plurality of shieldless apertures are formed in each of a plurality of said vertical transfer paths and in positions corresponding to imaginary pixel point positions in the shielding film; and

the shieldless apertures are arranged at second array intervals in the row and column directions.

2. The solid-state image pick-up device according to claim 1, wherein the photoelectric converting devices are arranged in the row direction with a shift of a ½

pitch alternately.

3. A digital still camera comprising:

the solid-state image pick-up device according to claim 1 or 2;

a mechanical shutter provided in a front part of the solid-state image pick-up device; and

an image processing device for reading imaginary pixel point charges stored in the imaginary pixel point positions on the vertical transfer paths from the solid-state image pick-up device after the mechanical shutter is closed and then reading a signal charges of the photoelectric converting devices from the solid-state image pick-up device, thereby generating image pick-up data from the signal charges and the imaginary pixel point charges.

4. The solid-state image pick-up device according to claim 1, wherein each photoelectric converting device is disposed between a pair of the shieldless apertures that are adjacent to each other in the column direction and between a pair of the shieldless apertures that are adjacent to each other in the row direction.

5. The solid-state image pick-up device according to claim 1, wherein each shieldless aperture is formed above a channel stop between the adjacent vertical transfer paths.

6. A solid-state image pick-up device comprising:

photoelectric converting devices formed at first array intervals in row and column directions on a semiconductor substrate;

vertical transfer paths provided in the column direction and serving to read and transfer signal charges obtained by the photoelectric converting devices;

a shielding film that covers an upper part of the vertical transfer paths;

wherein a plurality of shieldless apertures are formed in each of a plurality of said vertical transfer paths and in positions corresponding to imaginary pixel point positions in the shielding film, and the shieldless apertures are arranged at secondary array intervals in the row and column directions; and

a storage section that stores electric charges transferred along the vertical transfer paths by a predetermined number of lines, the storage section that transfers the electric charges to a horizontal transfer path, the storage section provided in a connecting portion between the vertical transfer paths and the horizontal transfer path.

7. The solid-state image pick-up device according to claim 6, wherein the photoelectric converting devices are arranged in the row direction with a shift of a ½

pitch alternately.

8. A digital still camera comprising:

the solid-state image pick-up device according to claim 6 or 7;

a mechanical shutter provided in a front part of the solid-state image pick-up device; and

a controller that drives the vertical transfer paths at a higher speed than a transfer speed of a static image to fetch, to the storage section, only signal charges of a valid line constituting a dynamic image when photographing the dynamic image with the mechanical shutter opened.

9. The solid-state image pick-up device according to claim 6, wherein each photoelectric converting device is disposed between a pair of the shieldless apertures that are adjacent to each other in the column direction and between a pair of the shieldless apertures that are adjacent to each other in the row direction.

10. The solid-state image pick-up device according to claim 6, wherein each shieldless aperture is formed above a channel stop between the adjacent vertical transfer paths.

11. A solid-state image pick-up device comprising:

photoreceptors provided in a two-dimensional array and serving to convert incident light into signal charges;

a plurality of vertical transfer paths that transfers the signal charges converted by the photoreceptors in a vertical direction; and

a horizontal transfer path that transfers the signal charges transferred in a horizontal direction which is orthogonal to the vertical direction, wherein;

an interval between the photoreceptors provided in the vertical and horizontal directions is set to be a pitch,

the photoreceptors which are adjacent to each other are provided with a shift of an almost half pitch,

the vertical transfer paths are formed to make pairs of two lines between the photoreceptors provided in the horizontal direction,

the vertical transfer paths are caused to make a detour every line for the photoreceptors which are adjacent to each other,

the photoreceptors that are actually provided are set to be actual pixels,

photoreceptors assumed to be provided in a space region surrounded by the actual pixels are set to be virtual pixels,

the vertical transfer paths include first vertical transfer paths which are shielded and second vertical transfer paths, each having a plurality of optical openings formed in the vicinity of the virtual pixels, and

the first and second transfer paths are provided regularly;

a shielding member that regulates an exposure time of the solid-state image pick-up device; and

a signal processor that carries out an interpolation processing based on signals obtained from the actual pixels using signals obtained from the openings as actual data of the virtual pixels.

12. The solid-state image pick-up device according to claim 11, wherein each of the opening has a size set within a packet for storing the signal charge.

13. The solid-state image pick-up device according to claim 11 or 8, wherein:

the signal processor carries out a thinning processing in the horizontal direction by using the signals obtained from the actual pixels through the first vertical transfer path in each pairs of the vertical transfer paths in two lines which serve to transfer the signal charges of the photoreceptors in a dynamic image photographing mode for reading at a predetermined interval in contrast with a static image photographing mode in which all of the actual data of the actual pixel and the virtual pixel are used, and

the first transfer paths are shielded with an array of color filter segments for separating colors.

14. The solid-state image pick-up device according to claim 11 or 8, wherein the solid-state image pick-up device carries out thinning reading in the vertical direction in the dynamic image photographing mode.

15. The solid-state image pick-up device according to claim 11 or 8, wherein the signals obtained in the openings are used as information of the virtual pixels in a static image photographing mode.

18. The solid-stage image pick-up device according to claim 16 or 13, wherein signals obtained from the openings are used as information of the virtual pixels in a static image photographing mode in which all of actual signals obtained from the actual pixels and the virtual pixels are used.

19. The solid-stage image pick-up device according to claim 16 or 13, wherein thinning reading in the vertical direction is carried out in a dynamic image photographing mode for reading at a predetermined interval in contrast with the static image photographing mode.

16. A solid-state image pick-up device comprising:

photoreceptors provided in a two-dimensional array and serving to convert incident light into signal charges;

a plurality of vertical transfer path that transfers the signal charges converted by the photoreceptors in a vertical direction;

a horizontal transfer path that transfers the transferred signal charges in a horizontal direction which is orthogonal to the vertical direction, wherein;

an interval between the photoreceptors provided in the vertical and horizontal directions are set to be a pitch,

the photoreceptors which are adjacent to each other are provided with a shift of an almost half pitch,

the vertical transfer paths are formed to make pairs of two lines between the photoreceptors provided in the horizontal direction and are caused to make a detour every line for the photoreceptors which are adjacent to each other,

the photoreceptors that are actually provided are set to be actual pixels,

photoreceptors assumed to be provided in a space region surrounded by the actual pixels are set to be virtual pixels,

the vertical transfer paths include first vertical transfer paths which are shielded and second vertical transfer paths having optical openings formed in the vicinity of the virtual pixels,

the first and second transfer paths are provided regularly, and

the first vertical transfer paths are provided in such a manner that a positional relation among colors of filters corresponding to photoreceptors adjacent to the first vertical transfer paths is identical with a positional relation among colors of filters corresponding to photoreceptors adjacent to the vertical transfer paths.

17. The solid-state image pick-up device according to claim 16, wherein each of the opening has a size set within a packet for storing the signal charge.