SOLID STATE IMAGING APPARATUS, METHOD FOR DRIVING THE SAME AND CAMERA USING THE SAME

• US 20080284882A1
• Filed: 07/23/2008
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Godo Kaisha IP Bridge 1 (IP Bridge, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: MURATA, Takahiko, MORI, Mitsuyoshi, YAMAGUCHI, Takumi
• Granted Patent: US 8,106,431 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/294
• 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 27/14641 Electronic components shared by two or more pixel-elements, e.g. one amplifier shared by two pixel elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/766 comprising control or output lines used for a plurality of functions, e.g. for pixel output, driving, reset or power
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/778 comprising amplifiers shared between a plurality of pixels, i.e. at least one part of the amplifier must be on the sensor array itself

Abstract

A solid state imaging apparatus includes: a plurality of photoelectric conversion cells each including a plurality of photoelectric sections arranged in an array of at least two rows and two columns; a plurality of floating diffusion sections each being connected to each of ones of the photoelectric sections which are included in the same row of each said photoelectric conversion cell via each of a plurality of transfer transistors, and being shared by said ones of the photoelectric sections; a plurality of read-out lines each being selectively connected to at least two of the transfer transistors; and a plurality of pixel amplifier transistors each detecting and outputting the potential of each said the floating diffusion section. Charges of the photoelectric conversion sections each being connected to one of the read-out lines and being read out by the transfer transistors are read out by different floating diffusion sections.

Claims

1-30. -30. (canceled)

31. A solid state imaging apparatus comprising:

a plurality of photoelectric conversion cells each including a plurality of photoelectric conversion sections arranged in an array of at least two rows and one column;

a plurality of floating diffusion sections each being connected to each of ones of the photoelectric conversion sections which are included in each said photoelectric conversion cell via each of a plurality of transfer transistors;

a plurality of read-out lines each being selectively connected to at least two of the transfer transistors; and

a plurality of pixel amplifier transistors each detecting and outputting the potential of each said floating diffusion section,

wherein the read-out lines are disposed within the photoelectric conversion cells, and

each said pixel amplifier transistor is arranged between ones of the photoelectric conversion cells which are adjacent to each other in the row direction.

32. The solid state imaging apparatus of claim 31, wherein the read-out lines are disposed between ones of photoelectric conversion sections within the photoelectric conversion cells.

33. The solid state imaging apparatus of claim 31, wherein each said read-out line is connected to two of the transfer transistors which are included in the same column.

34. The solid state imaging apparatus of claim 31, wherein each said read-out line is connected to two of the transfer transistors which are not included in the same column.

35. The solid state imaging apparatus of claim 31, wherein each said floating diffusion sections is shared by said ones of the photoelectric conversion sections which are adjacent to each other in the column direction.

36. A solid state imaging apparatus comprising:

a plurality of photoelectric conversion cells each including a plurality of photoelectric conversion sections arranged in an array of at least two rows and one column;

a plurality of floating diffusion sections each being connected to each of ones of the photoelectric conversion sections which are included in each said photoelectric conversion cell via each of a plurality of transfer transistors;

a plurality of read-out lines each being selectively connected to at least two of the transfer transistors; and

a plurality of pixel amplifier transistors each detecting and outputting the potential of each said floating diffusion section,

wherein the read-out lines are disposed between ones of photoelectric conversion sections which are adjacent to each other in the row direction in the same column and do not share each said floating diffusion section.

37. The solid state imaging apparatus of claim 36, wherein the read-out lines are disposed between ones of photoelectric conversion sections within the photoelectric conversion cells.

38. The solid state imaging apparatus of claim 36, wherein each said read-out line is connected to two of the transfer transistors which are included in the same column.

39. The solid state imaging apparatus of claim 36, wherein each said read-out line is connected to two of the transfer transistors which are not included in the same column.

40. The solid state imaging apparatus of claim 36, wherein each said floating diffusion sections is shared by said ones of the photoelectric conversion sections which are adjacent to each other in the column direction.

41. A solid state imaging apparatus comprising:

a plurality of photoelectric conversion cells each including a plurality of photoelectric conversion sections arranged in an array of at least two rows and one column;

a plurality of floating diffusion sections each being connected to each of ones of the photoelectric conversion sections which are included in each said photoelectric conversion cell via each of a plurality of transfer transistors;

a plurality of read-out lines each being selectively connected to at least two of the transfer transistors; and

a plurality of pixel amplifier transistors each detecting and outputting the potential of each said floating diffusion section,

wherein each said pixel amplifier transistor is disposed between ones of photoelectric conversion sections which are adjacent to each other in the row direction in the same column and share each said floating diffusion section.

42. The solid state imaging apparatus of claim 41, wherein the read-out lines are disposed between ones of photoelectric conversion sections within the photoelectric conversion cells.

43. The solid state imaging apparatus of claim 41, wherein each said read-out line is connected to two of the transfer transistors which are included in the same column.

44. The solid state imaging apparatus of claim 41, wherein each said read-out line is connected to two of the transfer transistors which are not included in the same column.

45. The solid state imaging apparatus of claim 41, wherein each said floating diffusion sections is shared by said ones of the photoelectric conversion sections which are adjacent to each other in the column direction.