Solid-state imaging device, imaging apparatus, and electronic apparatus with negative feedback circuit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9609249-B2
Application number	US-201414561036-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 4, 2014
Priority date	Dec 11, 2013
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

A solid-state imaging device includes a photodiode that generates a signal charge by photoelectric conversion according to received light, a floating diffusion that accumulates the signal charge generated by the photodiode, an amplification transistor that amplifies and outputs a power source voltage according to the signal charge accumulated in the floating diffusion, a dummy transistor having the same characteristics as the amplification transistor, and a negative feedback circuit that applies a negative feedback to the dummy transistor such that respective source currents of the amplification transistor and the dummy transistor are equal to each other. The respective source currents of the amplification transistor and the dummy transistor are controlled so as to coincide with each other by the negative feedback circuit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A solid-state imaging device comprising:
a photodiode that generates a signal charge by photoelectric conversion according to received light;
a floating diffusion that accumulates the signal charge generated by the photodiode;
an amplification transistor that amplifies and outputs a power source voltage according to the signal charge accumulated in the floating diffusion;
a dummy transistor having the same characteristics as the amplification transistor;
a negative feedback circuit that applies a negative feedback to the dummy transistor such that respective source currents of the amplification transistor and the dummy transistor are equal to each other,
wherein the respective source currents of the amplification transistor and the dummy transistor are controlled so as to coincide with each other by the negative feedback circuit; and
a current source circuit,
wherein the current source circuit is configured by an inversion input terminal of an operational amplifier in which a power source is connected to a non-inversion input terminal, and
wherein the operational amplifier is configured such that the negative feedback is applied by outputting a gate voltage of the dummy transistor such that gate-source voltages of the dummy transistor and the amplification transistor coincide with each other when a source of the amplification transistor is connected in series to a gate and a drain of the dummy transistor that is diode-connected and the gate and drain of the dummy transistor and the source of the amplification transistor are connected to an inversion input terminal of the operational amplifier, and thus the output voltage is output as a pixel signal.

2. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the negative feedback circuit converts the source current of the amplification transistor into a gate voltage and outputs a gate voltage of the dummy transistor as a pixel signal while the negative feedback is applied by outputting the gate voltage of the dummy transistor.

3. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the negative feedback circuit includes two current source circuits configured to be current sources of the respective source currents of the amplification transistor and the dummy transistor, and
wherein the operational amplifier applies the negative feedback by outputting the gate voltage of the dummy transistor such that currents of the two current source circuits coincide with each other.

4. An imaging apparatus comprising:
a photodiode that generates a signal charge by photoelectric conversion according to received light;
a floating diffusion that accumulates the signal charge generated by the photodiode;
an amplification transistor that amplifies and outputs a power source voltage according to the signal charge accumulated in the floating diffusion;
a dummy transistor having the same characteristics as the amplification transistor;
a negative feedback circuit that applies a negative feedback to the dummy transistor such that respective source currents of the amplification transistor and the dummy transistor are equal to each other,
wherein the respective source currents of the amplification transistor and the dummy transistor are controlled so as to coincide with each other by the negative feedback circuit; and
a current source circuit,
wherein the current source circuit is configured by an inversion input terminal of an operational amplifier in which a power source is connected to a non-inversion input terminal, and
wherein the operational amplifier is configured such that the negative feedback is applied by outputting a gate voltage of the dummy transistor such that gate-source voltages of the dummy transistor and the amplification transistor coincide with each other when a source of the amplification transistor is connected in series to a gate and a drain of the dummy transistor that is diode-connected and the gate and drain of the dummy transistor and the source of the amplification transistor are connected to an inversion input terminal of the operational amplifier, and thus the output voltage is output as a pixel signal.

5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the negative feedback circuit converts the source current of the amplification transistor into a gate voltage and outputs a gate voltage of the dummy transistor as a pixel signal while the negative feedback is applied by outputting the gate voltage of the dummy transistor.

6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the negative feedback circuit includes two current source circuits configured to be current sources of the respective source currents of the amplification transistor and the dummy transistor, and
wherein the operational amplifier applies the negative feedback by outputting the gate voltage of the dummy transistor such that currents of the two current source circuits coincide with each other.

7. An electronic apparatus comprising:
a photodiode that generates a signal charge by photoelectric conversion according to received light;
a floating diffusion that accumulates the signal charge generated by the photodiode;
an amplification transistor that amplifies and outputs a power source voltage according to the signal charge accumulated in the floating diffusion;
a dummy transistor having the same characteristics as the amplification transistor;
a negative feedback circuit that applies a negative feedback to the dummy transistor such that respective source currents of the amplification transistor and the dummy transistor are equal to each other,
wherein the respective source currents of the amplification transistor and the dummy transistor are controlled so as to coincide with each other by the negative feedback circuit; and
a current source circuit,
wherein the current source circuit is configured by an inversion input terminal of an operational amplifier in which a power source is connected to a non-inversion input terminal, and
the operational amplifier is configured such that the negative feedback is applied by outputting a gate voltage of the dummy transistor such that gate-source voltages of the dummy transistor and the amplification transistor coincide with each other when a source of the amplification transistor is connected in series to a gate and a drain of the dummy transistor that is diode-connected and the gate and drain of the dummy transistor and the source of the amplification transistor are connected to an inversion input terminal of the operational amplifier, and thus the output voltage is output as a pixel signal.

8. The electronic apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the negative feedback circuit converts the source current of the amplification transistor into a gate voltage and outputs a gate voltage of the dummy transistor as a pixel signal while the negative feedback is applied by outputting the gate voltage of the dummy transistor.

9. The electronic apparatus according to claim 8 ,
wherein the negative feedback circuit includes two current source circuits configured to be current sources of the respective source currents of the amplification transistor and the dummy transistor, and
wherein the operational amplifier applies the negative feedback by outputting the gate voltage of the dummy transistor such that currents of the two current source circuits coincide with each other.

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Anjyou Kenichirou
• Kusuda Jyunichirou

Classifications

• H03F1/342 Primary

  in field-effect transistor amplifiers · CPC title

• H04N25/767 Primary

  Horizontal readout lines, multiplexers or registers · CPC title

• H03F2200/453

  Controlling being realised by adding a replica circuit or by using one among multiple identical circuits as a replica circuit · CPC title

• H04N25/78

  Readout circuits for addressed sensors, e.g. output amplifiers or A/D converters · CPC title

• H04N5/3742 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic