PHOTOELECTRIC CONVERTER AND X-RAY IMAGE PICK-UP DEVICE

• US 20080001091A1
• Filed: 08/24/2007
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Tashiro, Kazuaki, Kameshima, Toshio, Takeda, Shinichi, Kobayashi, Isao, Endo, Tadao, Kaifu, Noriyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,381,938 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/366
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1446 in a repetitive configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14603 Special geometry or disposition of pixel-elements, address-lines or gate-electrodes
• 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 27/1462 Coatings
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14643 Photodiode arrays; MOS imagers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14658 X-ray, gamma-ray or corpuscular radiation imagers measuring X-, gamma- or corpuscular radiation G01T1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14659 Direct radiation imagers structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14663 Indirect radiation imagers, e.g. using luminescent members
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14676 X-ray, gamma-ray or corpuscular radiation imagers measuring X-, gamma- or corpuscular radiation G01T1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/41 Extracting pixel data from a plurality of image sensors simultaneously picking up an image, e.g. for increasing the field of view by combining the outputs of a plurality of sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/32 Transforming X-rays cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from X-rays H04N23/30; circuitry of SSIS for transforming X-rays into image signals H04N25/30

Abstract

A photoelectric converter includes a plurality of substrates, which are located adjacent to each other and on which a plurality of photoelectric conversion devices are two-dimensionally arranged, and either scan circuits or detection circuits that are arranged on two opposing sides of the photoelectric converter, whereby scanning directions either from the scan circuits or from the detection circuits, which are arranged on the two opposing sides, are capable of being set so as to be performed in like directions.

Claims

1-25. -25. (canceled)

26. A photoelectric converter comprising:

an array of photoelectric conversion devices arranged two-dimensionally;

a scan circuit for scanning said array of photoelectric conversion devices; and

a detection circuit for detecting a signal outputted from said array of photoelectric conversion devices,

wherein said scan circuit comprises a plurality of IC chips capable of scanning bi-directionally and having the same circuit structure respectively, said IC chips being disposed on opposing two sides of said array of photoelectric conversion devices and being arranged two-dimensionally,

wherein a scanning direction for said IC chips disposed on opposing two sides of said array of photoelectric conversion devices is determined according to one or more common input signals inputted into each IC chip, and

wherein the IC chips arranged along two opposing sides of the array of the photoelectric conversion devices, corresponding to a same row in the array of the photoelectric conversion devices, perform scanning simultaneously.

27. A photoelectric converter according to claim 26, wherein the photoelectric conversion devices arranged along the same row in the array are scanned simultaneously.

28. A photoelectric converter according to claim 26, wherein each said IC chip is mounted on at least one of a flexible wiring substrate, a substrate, and a mother board supporting said substrate.

29. A photoelectric converter according to claim 26, wherein the scanning directions for IC chips disposed on opposing two sides of said array of photoelectric conversion devices are set to be the same according to a shift direction of a shift register.

30. A photoelectric converter according to claim 26, wherein the scanning directions for IC chips disposed on opposing two sides of said array of photoelectric conversion devices are set to be the same according to a switching order of a multiplexer.

31. A photoelectric converter according to claim 26, wherein on said plurality of photoelectric conversion devices, a photoelectric conversion substance is disposed.

32. A photoelectric converter according to claim 26, wherein on said plurality of photoelectric conversion devices, a phosphor is disposed.

33. A photoelectric converter according to claim 26, wherein each of said photoelectric conversion devices is formed by laminating a first electrode layer, an insulating layer, an intrinsic semiconductor layer, an injection blocking semiconductor layer for blocking injection of carriers of a first conductivity type, and a second electrode layer.

34. A photoelectric converter according to claim 33, wherein said intrinsic semiconductor layer of said photoelectric conversion device is a non-monocrystalline semiconductor layer.

44. A photoelectric converter according to claim 26, wherein said detection circuit comprises a plurality of IC chips capable of scanning bi-directionally having the same structure respectively, and being disposed on opposing two sides of said conversion device array, wherein a driving direction for IC chips disposed on opposing the two sides of said conversion device array is determined according to one or more common input signals inputted into each IC chip, and

wherein each IC chip receives as input, one of said one or more common input signals that determine the driving direction.

35. An X-ray image pick-up device comprising:

a scan circuit for scanning a conversion device array receiving an X-ray image and generating an electric signal corresponding to the X-ray image; and

a detection circuit for detecting the signal outputted from said conversion device array,

wherein said scan circuit comprises a plurality of IC chips capable of scanning bi-directionally and having the same circuit structure respectively, said IC chips being disposed on opposing two sides of said array of photoelectric conversion devices and being arranged two-dimensionally,

wherein a scanning direction for said IC chips disposed on opposing two sides of said array of photoelectric conversion devices is determined according to one or more common input signals inputted into each IC chip, and

wherein the IC chips arranged along two opposing sides of the array of the photoelectric conversion devices, corresponding to a same row in the array of the photoelectric conversion devices, perform scanning simultaneously.

36. An X-ray image pick-up device according to claim 35, wherein the photoelectric conversion devices arranged along the same row in the array are scanned simultaneously.

37. An X-ray image pick-up device according to claim 35, wherein each said IC chip is mounted on at least one of a flexible wiring substrate, a substrate, and a mother board supporting said substrate.

38. An X-ray image pick-up device according to claim 35, wherein the scanning directions for IC chips disposed on opposing two sides of said conversion device array are set to be the same according to a shift direction of a shift register.

39. An X-ray image pick-up device according to claim 35, wherein the scanning directions for IC chips disposed on opposing two sides of said conversion device array are set to be the same according to a switching order of a multiplexer.

40. An X-ray image pick-up device according to claim 35, wherein said conversion device array has a plurality of photoelectric conversion devices and a photoelectric conversion substance disposed on said photoelectric conversion devices.

41. An X-ray image pick-up device according to claim 35, wherein said conversion device array has a plurality of photoelectric conversion devices and a phosphor disposed on said photoelectric conversion devices.

42. An X-ray image pick-up device according to claim 35, wherein said scan circuit is connected to a gate of a thin film transistor.

43. An X-ray image pick-up device according to claim 42, wherein a semiconductor layer of said thin film transistor is a non-monocrystalline semiconductor layer.

45. An X-ray image pick-up device according to claim 35 wherein said detection circuit comprises a plurality of IC chips capable of scanning bi-directionally having the same structure respectively, and being disposed on opposing two sides of said conversion device array, wherein a driving direction for IC chips disposed on opposing the two sides of said conversion device array is determined according to one or more common input signals inputted into each IC chip, and

wherein each IC chip receives as input, one of said one or more common input signals that determine the driving direction.