Imaging device, method for driving imaging device, and electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10170565-B2
Application number	US-201615095324-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 11, 2016
Priority date	Apr 22, 2015
Publication date	Jan 1, 2019
Grant date	Jan 1, 2019

Abstract

An imaging device capable of obtaining high-quality imaging data is provided. The imaging device includes a photoelectric conversion element, a first transistor, a second transistor, a third transistor, a fourth transistor, a fifth transistor, a sixth transistor, and a first capacitor. Variation in the threshold voltage of amplifier transistors can be compensated. Furthermore, the imaging device can have a difference detecting function for holding differential data between imaging data for an initial frame and imaging data for a current frame and outputting a signal corresponding to the differential data.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An imaging device comprising:
a photoelectric conversion element;
a first transistor;
a second transistor;
a third transistor;
a fourth transistor;
a fifth transistor;
a sixth transistor; and
a first capacitor,
wherein one terminal of the photoelectric conversion element is directly connected to one of a source electrode and a drain electrode of the first transistor,
wherein the other terminal of the photoelectric conversion element is directly connected to a first power supply line,
wherein the other of the source electrode and the drain electrode of the first transistor is electrically connected to one of a source electrode and a drain electrode of the sixth transistor,
wherein the other of the source electrode and the drain electrode of the first transistor is directly connected to one terminal of the first capacitor,
wherein one of a source electrode and a drain electrode of the third transistor is electrically connected to the other terminal of the first capacitor,
wherein the one of the source electrode and the drain electrode of the third transistor is electrically connected to a gate electrode of the fourth transistor,
wherein the other of the source electrode and the drain electrode of the third transistor is electrically connected to one of a source electrode and a drain electrode of the fourth transistor,
wherein the other of the source electrode and the drain electrode of the third transistor is directly connected to one of a source electrode and a drain electrode of the fifth transistor,
wherein the gate electrode of the fourth transistor is directly connected to the other terminal of the first capacitor,
wherein the other of the source electrode and the drain electrode of the fifth transistor is directly connected to a second power supply line, and
wherein the other of the source electrode and the drain electrode of the fourth transistor is electrically connected to one of a source electrode and a drain electrode of the second transistor.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1 ,
wherein each of the first transistor, the third transistor, and the sixth transistor includes an oxide semiconductor, and
wherein the oxide semiconductor includes In, Zn, and M (M is Al, Ti, Ga, Sn, Y, Zr, La, Ce, Nd, or Hf).

3. The imaging device according to claim 1 ,
wherein each of the first transistor, the third transistor, and the sixth transistor has a back gate electrode.

4. The imaging device according to claim 1 , further comprising: a second capacitor,
wherein one terminal of the second capacitor is electrically connected to the other terminal of the first capacitor.

5. The imaging device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the photoelectric conversion element includes a material containing selenium.

6. An electronic device comprising:
the imaging device according to claim 1 ; and
a display device.

7. An imaging device comprising:
a photoelectric conversion element;
a first transistor;
a second transistor;
a third transistor;
a fourth transistor;
a fifth transistor; and
a first capacitor,
wherein one terminal of the photoelectric conversion element is directly connected to one of a source electrode and a drain electrode of the first transistor,
wherein the other terminal of the photoelectric conversion element is directly connected to a first power supply line,
wherein the other of the source electrode and the drain electrode of the first transistor is directly connected to one terminal of the first capacitor;
wherein one of a source electrode and a drain electrode of the third transistor is electrically connected to the other terminal of the first capacitor,
wherein the one of the source electrode and the drain electrode of the third transistor is electrically connected to a gate electrode of the fourth transistor,
wherein the other of the source electrode and the drain electrode of the third transistor is electrically connected to one of a source electrode and a drain electrode of the fourth transistor,
wherein the other of the source electrode and the drain electrode of the third transistor is directly connected to one of a source electrode and a drain electrode of the fifth transistor,
wherein the gate electrode of the fourth transistor is directly connected to the other terminal of the first capacitor,
wherein the other of the source electrode and the drain electrode of the fifth transistor is directly connected to a second power supply line, and
wherein the other of the source electrode and the drain electrode of the fourth transistor is electrically connected to one of a source electrode and a drain electrode of the second transistor.

8. The imaging device according to claim 7 ,
wherein each of the first transistor and the third transistor includes an oxide semiconductor, and
wherein the oxide semiconductor includes In, Zn, and M (M is Al, Ti, Ga, Sn, Y, Zr, La, Ce, Nd, or Hf).

9. The imaging device according to claim 7 ,
wherein each of the first transistor and the third transistor has a back gate electrode.

10. The imaging device according to claim 7 , further comprising: a second capacitor,
wherein one terminal of the second capacitor is electrically connected to the other terminal of the first capacitor.

11. The imaging device according to claim 7 ,
wherein the photoelectric conversion element includes a material containing selenium.

12. An electronic device comprising:
the imaging device according to claim 7 ; and
a display device.

13. A method for driving an imaging device,
the imaging device comprising a plurality of pixels,
wherein each of the plurality of pixels comprises:
a photoelectric conversion element;
a first transistor;
a second transistor;
a third transistor;
a fourth transistor;
a fifth transistor;
a sixth transistor; and
a first capacitor,

wherein one terminal of the photoelectric conversion element is electrically connected to one of a source electrode and a drain electrode of the first transistor,
wherein the other of the source electrode and the drain electrode of the first transistor is electrically connected to one of a source electrode and a drain electrode of the sixth transistor,
wherein the other of the source electrode and the drain electrode of the first transistor is electrically connected to one terminal of the first capacitor,
wherein one of a source electrode and a drain electrode of the third transistor is electrically connected to the other terminal of the first capacitor,
wherein the one of the source electrode and the drain electrode of the third transistor is electrically connected to a gate electrode of the fourth transistor,
wherein the other of the source electrode and the drain electrode of the third transistor is electrically connected to one of a source electrode and a drain electrode of the fourth transistor,
wherein the other of the source electrode and the drain electrode of the third transistor is electrically connected to one of a source electrode and a drain electrode of the fifth transistor, and
wherein the other of the source electrode and the drain electrode of the fourth transistor is electrically connected to one of a source electrode and a drain electrode of the second transistor,
the method of comprising the steps of:
turning on the first transistor, the third transistor, the fifth transistor, and the sixth transistor, and turning off the second transistor at a first time, and
turning off the fifth transistor and turning on the second transistor at a second time to compensate variation in threshold voltage of the fourth transistor.

Assignees

• Semiconductor Energy Lab

Inventors

• Yoneda Seiichi

Classifications

• H10W74/00

  Encapsulations, e.g. protective coatings · CPC title

• H10W90/754

  between a chip and a stacked insulating package substrate, interposer or RDL · CPC title

• H04N25/77

  Pixel circuitry, e.g. memories, A/D converters, pixel amplifiers, shared circuits or shared components · CPC title

• H04N25/778

  comprising amplifiers shared between a plurality of pixels, i.e. at least one part of the amplifier must be on the sensor array itself · CPC title

• H04N25/671

  for non-uniformity detection or correction · CPC title