Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner
Solid-state image sensing device with storage-diode potential controller
A solid-state imaging device includes a substrate, and an array of charge-packet storage cells or picture elements (or "pixels") arranged on the substrate, each including a storage diode that stores therein a signal charge packet indicative of an incident light. A charge transfer section is coupled with the array of picture elements. The transfer section includes a charge-coupled device (CCD) register layer that is spaced apart from the storage diode to define a channel region therebetween, and a first insulated electrode overlying the register layer and the channel region. A reset section is coupled to the storage diode, for potentially resetting the storage diode by additionally injecting an extra charge packet into the storage diode and by causing the charge to drained from the storage diode. A potential controller is provided which forces, when a signal charge packet is read out of the storage diode toward the CCD register layer, the storage diode to decrease in potential so that the storage diode becomes potentially less than its potential as set during the reset operation, while causing the channel region to be fixed at almost the same potential during the read operation and the reset operation.
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
H H H
H04N H01L H04N
inventional inventional inventional
Shinji Hirofumi Michio Ryohei Yoshiyuki
Ohsawa Yamashita Sasaki Miyagawa Matsunaga