Imaging element and imaging device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12087798-B2
Application number	US-202017641749-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2020
Priority date	Sep 17, 2019
Publication date	Sep 10, 2024
Grant date	Sep 10, 2024

Abstract

An imaging device includes a plurality of imaging elements 10 . Each of the imaging elements 10 includes: a plurality of photoelectric conversion regions PD arrayed in a first direction and a second direction; a floating diffusion layer FD shared by the photoelectric conversion regions PD; a transfer control electrode TG; a first charge transfer control electrode CG that controls charge transfer between the photoelectric conversion regions PD arrayed in the first direction; and a second charge transfer control electrode CG that controls charge transfer between the photoelectric conversion regions PD arrayed in the second direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An imaging device comprising a plurality of imaging elements, wherein
each of the imaging elements includes:
M×N photoelectric conversion regions arrayed such that M photoelectric conversion regions are arrayed in a first direction and N photoelectric conversion regions are arrayed in a second direction different from the first direction;
a floating diffusion layer shared by the M×N photoelectric conversion regions;
a transfer control electrode that is disposed corresponding to each of the M×N photoelectric conversion regions and transfers charges generated in each of the M×N photoelectric conversion regions to the floating diffusion layer;
(M−1)×N first charge transfer control electrodes that control charge transfer between the M photoelectric conversion regions arrayed in the first direction; and
(N−1)×M second charge transfer control electrodes that control charge transfer between the N photoelectric conversion regions arrayed in the second direction,
in the M photoelectric conversion regions arrayed in the first direction, an m-th first charge transfer control electrode [in which m is any integer of 1 to (M−1)] controls charge transfer between an m-th photoelectric conversion region and an (m+1)-th photoelectric conversion region, and
in the N photoelectric conversion regions arrayed in the second direction, an n-th second charge transfer control electrode [in which n is any integer of 1 to (N−1)] controls charge transfer between an n-th photoelectric conversion region and an (n+1)-th photoelectric conversion region.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein
M=2 and N=2, and
each of the imaging elements includes:
a first photoelectric conversion region and a second photoelectric conversion region juxtaposed in the first direction, a third photoelectric conversion region disposed adjacent to the first photoelectric conversion region in the second direction, and a fourth photoelectric conversion region disposed adjacent to the second photoelectric conversion region and the third photoelectric conversion region;
a floating diffusion layer shared by the first photoelectric conversion region, the second photoelectric conversion region, the third photoelectric conversion region, and the fourth photoelectric conversion region;
a first transfer control electrode that transfers charges generated in the first photoelectric conversion region to the floating diffusion layer;
a second transfer control electrode that transfers charges generated in the second photoelectric conversion region to the floating diffusion layer;
a third transfer control electrode that transfers charges generated in the third photoelectric conversion region to the floating diffusion layer;
a fourth transfer control electrode that transfers charges generated in the fourth photoelectric conversion region to the floating diffusion layer;
a first-A charge transfer control electrode that controls charge transfer between the first photoelectric conversion region and the second photoelectric conversion region;
a first-B charge transfer control electrode that controls charge transfer between the third photoelectric conversion region and the fourth photoelectric conversion region;
a second-A charge transfer control electrode that controls charge transfer between the first photoelectric conversion region and the third photoelectric conversion region; and
a second-B charge transfer control electrode that controls charge transfer between the second photoelectric conversion region and the fourth photoelectric conversion region.

3. The imaging device according to claim 2 , further comprising a control circuit, wherein
at a time of imaging, the control circuit controls operations of the first charge transfer control electrode and the second charge transfer control electrode in a first mode in which the first charge transfer control electrode is turned into an inoperative state when the second charge transfer control electrode is in an operative state, and in a second mode in which the second charge transfer control electrode is turned into an inoperative state when the first charge transfer control electrode is in an operative state.

4. The imaging device according to claim 3 , wherein at the time of imaging, the control circuit further controls the operations of the first charge transfer control electrode and the second charge transfer control electrode in a third mode in which the first charge transfer control electrode and the second charge transfer control electrode are turned into an inoperative state.

5. The imaging device according to claim 3 , wherein the control circuit switches between the first mode and the second mode on a basis of posture information of the imaging device.

6. The imaging device according to claim 5 , wherein the posture information of the imaging device is information indicating that the imaging device is located in a lateral direction and information indicating that the imaging device is located in a longitudinal direction.

7. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein a maximum value of an impurity concentration in a boundary region located between the photoelectric conversion region and the photoelectric conversion region is lower than a maximum value of an impurity concentration in the photoelectric conversion region.

8. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein a depth at which an impurity concentration in a boundary region located between the photoelectric conversion region and the photoelectric conversion region indicates a maximum value is shallower than a depth at which an impurity concentration in the photoelectric conversion region indicates a maximum value.

9. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein a width of a boundary region located between the photoelectric conversion region and the photoelectric conversion region is narrower than a width of the photoelectric conversion region.

10. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein an operating voltage of the (M−1)×N first charge transfer control electrodes is the same as an operating voltage of the (N−1)×M second charge transfer control electrodes.

11. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein an operating voltage of the (M−1)×N first charge transfer control electrodes is different from an operating voltage of the (N−1)×M second charge transfer control electrodes.

12. An imaging element comprising:
M×N photoelectric conversion regions arrayed such that M photoelectric conversion regions are arrayed in a first direction and N photoelectric conversion regions are arrayed in a second direction different from the first direction;
a floating diffusion layer shared by the M×N photoelectric conversion regions;
a transfer control electrode that is disposed corresponding to each of the M×N photoelectric conversion regions and transfers charges generated in each of the M×N photoelectric conversion regions to the floating diffusion layer;
(M−1)×N first charge transfer control electrodes that control charge transfer between the M photoelectric conversion regions arrayed in the first direction; and
(N−1)×M second charge transfer control electrodes that control charge transfer between the N photoelectric conversion regions arrayed in the second direction, wherein
in the M photoelectric conversion regions arrayed in the first direction, an m-th first charge transfer control electrode [in which m is any integer of 1 to (M−1)] controls charge transfer between an m-th photoelectric conversion region and an (m+1)-th photoelectric conversion region, and
in the N photoelectric conversion regions arrayed in the second direction, an n-th second charge trans

Assignees

• Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp

Inventors

• Yamagishi Katsumi
• Itoh Shinya

Classifications

• H04N25/621

  for the control of blooming · CPC title

• H04N25/704

  Pixels specially adapted for focusing, e.g. phase difference pixel sets · CPC title

• H04N25/46

  by combining or binning pixels · CPC title

• H10F39/812

  Arrangements for transferring the charges in the image sensor perpendicular to the imaging plane, e.g. buried regions used to transfer generated charges to circuitry under the photosensitive region · CPC title

• H10F39/12

  Image sensors · CPC title