Solid-state imaging device, driving method of solid-state imaging device, and electronic apparatus

• US 8,902,341 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2011
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Mabuchi, Keiji
• Primary Examiner(s): BERARDESCA, PAUL M
• Application Number:
  US13/071,707
• Publication Number:
  US 20110242378A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,348 Days
• Field of Search: 348/296, 348/308, 257/223, 257/229, 257/292, 257/448, 250/208.1
• US Class Current: 348/296
• 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 25/53 Control of the integration time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/589 with different integration times, e.g. short and long exposures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/77 Pixel circuitry, e.g. memories, A/D converters, pixel amplifiers, shared circuits or shared components

Abstract

A solid-state imaging device with unit pixels which have a photoelectric conversion element, an electric charge transferring/accumulating unit with multiple levels able to transfer electric charge generated in the photoelectric conversion element and accumulate the electric charge, and an electric charge detection unit that holds the electric charge transferred from the photoelectric conversion element, where, after resetting the photoelectric conversion element, all unit pixels simultaneously transfer signal electric charges, which are generated in the photoelectric conversion element during continuous exposure times of which each has a different duration, to the electric charge transferring/accumulating units and accumulate the signal electric charges in the different respective electric charge transferring/accumulating units, and in units of one or more pixels, the signal electric charges is transferred to the electric charge detecting unit and a plurality of signals which respectively corresponds to the plurality of signal electric charges is read out.

Claims

1. A solid-state imaging device comprising:

a plurality of unit pixels arranged two-dimensionally in rows and columns, each unit pixel including (i) a photoelectric conversion element, (ii) a plurality of electric charge transferring and accumulating units that are each configured to transfer and accumulate an electric charge that is generated in the photoelectric conversion element, and (iii) a floating diffusion region that holds the electric charge transferred from the photoelectric conversion element via the electric charge transferring and accumulating units so as to be read out as a signal,

wherein,

the solid-state imaging device is configured such that (i) all of the plurality of unit pixels simultaneously transfer in order a plurality of signal electric charges to the plurality of electric charge transferring and accumulating units in each respective unit pixel, the plurality of signal electric charges being generated in the photoelectric conversion element of each unit pixel of the plurality of unit pixels during a plurality of continuous exposure times of which each has a different duration, and being accumulated in different respective electric charge transferring and accumulating units of the unit pixel, (ii) in each unit pixel of a target plurality of unit pixels, the plurality of signal electric charges are transferred to the floating diffusion region in the order of being transferred to the electric charge transferring and accumulating units and a plurality of signals respectively corresponding to the plurality of signal electric charges are read out from the floating diffusion region, and (iii) the floating diffusion region is reset before each of the plurality of signals are read out from the floating diffusion region, and

the solid-state imaging device is further configured such that, in addition to the floating diffusion region being reset before the readout of each of the plurality of signals therefrom, the photoelectric conversion element in each unit pixel of the plurality of unit pixels is reset, the photoelectric conversion element being reset such that unnecessary electric charge accumulated in the photoelectric conversion element is transferred via the plurality of electric charge transferring and accumulating units to the floating diffusion region to be discharged from the floating diffusion region, the unnecessary electric charge being transferred to a first one out of the plurality of electric charge transferring and accumulating units before a first exposure time out of the plurality of continuous exposure times starts.

2. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of continuous exposure times include at least the first exposure time and a second exposure time, the second exposure time having a shorter duration than the first exposure time.

3. A driving method of a solid-state imaging device including a plurality of unit pixels arranged two-dimensionally in rows and columns, each unit pixel including (i) a photoelectric conversion element, (ii) a plurality of electric charge transferring and accumulating units that arc each configured to transfer and accumulate an electric charge that is generated in the photoelectric conversion element, and (iii) floating diffusion region that holds the electric charge transferred from the photoelectric conversion element via the electric charge transferring and accumulating units so as to be read out as a signal, the method comprising:

transferring, by all of the plurality of unit pixels simultaneously, in order a plurality of electric charges to the plurality electric charge transferring and accumulating units in each respective unit pixel, the plurality of signal electric charges being generated in the photoelectric conversion element of each unit pixel of the plurality of unit pixels during a plurality of continuous exposure times of which each has a different duration, and being accumulated in different respective electric charge transferring and accumulating units of the unit pixel; and

in each unit pixel of a target plurality of unit pixels, transferring the plurality of electric charges to the floating diffusion region in the order of being transferred to the electric charge transferring and accumulating units and reading out a plurality of signals respectively corresponding to the plurality of signal electric charges from the floating diffusion region, the floating diffusion region being reset before each of the plurality of signals is read out from the floating diffusion region,

wherein,

in addition to the floating diffusion region being reset before the readout of each of the plurality of signals therefrom, the method further comprises resetting the photoelectric conversion element in each unit pixel, the photoelectric conversion element being reset such that unnecessary electric charge accumulated in the photoelectric conversion element is transferred via the plurality of electric charge transferring and accumulating units to the floating diffusion region to be discharged from the floating diffusion region, the unnecessary electric charge being transferred to a first one out of the plurality of electric charge transferring and accumulating units before a first exposure time out of the plurality of continuous exposure times starts.

4. The driving method of a solid-state imaging device according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of continuous exposure times include at least the first exposure time and a second exposure time, the second exposure time having a shorter duration than the first exposure time.

5. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a solid-state imaging device including a plurality of unit pixels, each unit pixel including (i) a photoelectric conversion element, (ii) a plurality of electric charge transferring and accumulating units that are each configured to transfer and accumulate an electric charge that is generated in the photoelectric conversion element, and (iii) a floating diffusion region that holds the electric charge transferred from the photoelectric conversion element via the electric charge transferring and accumulating units so as to be read out as a signal,

wherein,

the solid-state imaging device is configured such that (i) all of the plurality of unit pixels simultaneously transfer in order a plurality of signal electric charges to the plurality of electric charge transferring and accumulating units in each respective unit pixel, the plurality of signal electric charges being generated in the photoelectric conversion element of each unit pixel of the plurality of unit pixels during a plurality of continuous exposure times of which each has a different duration, and being accumulated in different respective electric charge transferring and accumulating units of the unit pixel, and (ii) in each unit pixel of a target plurality of unit pixels, the plurality of signal electric charges are transferred to the floating diffusion region in the order of being transferred to the electric charge transferring and accumulating units and a plurality of signals respectively corresponding to the plurality of signal electric charges are read out from the floating diffusion region, and (iii) the floating diffusion region is reset before each of the plurality of signals are read out from the floating diffusion region, and

the solid-state imaging device is further configured such that, in addition to the floating diffusion region being reset before the readout of each of the plurality of signals therefrom, the photoelectric conversion element in each unit pixel of the plurality of unit pixels is reset, the photoelectric conversion element being reset such that unnecessary electric charge accumulated in the photoelectric conversion element is transferred via the plurality of electric charge transferring and accumulating units to the floating diffusion region to be discharged from the floating diffusion region, the unnecessary electric charge being transferred to a first one out of the plurality of electric charge transferring and accumulating units before a first exposure time out of the plurality of continuous exposure times starts.