US 12,256,166 B2
Imaging apparatus and imaging method to surpresss dark current and improve quantum efficiency
Shin Kitano, Kanagawa (JP)
Assigned to SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION, Kanagawa (JP)
Appl. No. 18/003,774
Filed by SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION, Kanagawa (JP)
PCT Filed Jun. 3, 2021, PCT No. PCT/JP2021/021227
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 29, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/009573, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 13, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 2020-118639 (JP), filed on Jul. 9, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0262362 A1, Aug. 17, 2023
Int. Cl. H04N 25/78 (2023.01); H01L 27/146 (2006.01); H04N 25/47 (2023.01); H04N 25/77 (2023.01); H04N 25/79 (2023.01)
CPC H04N 25/78 (2023.01) [H04N 25/47 (2023.01); H04N 25/77 (2023.01); H04N 25/79 (2023.01); H01L 27/14634 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An imaging apparatus, comprising:
a photoelectric converter configured to:
receive an amount of light; and
generate a charge corresponding to the amount of the light;
a substrate that has a substrate surface;
a first charge transfer region inside the substrate, wherein
the first charge transfer region is not exposed to the substrate surface,
the first charge transfer region is in contact with the photoelectric converter, and
the first charge transfer region is configured to:
receive the generated charge; and
transfer the generated charge;
a first charge accumulation region apart from the first charge transfer region in a direction along the substrate surface, wherein
the first charge accumulation region is configured to accumulate the generated charge transferred from the first charge transfer region;
a first transistor configured to transfer the generated charge from the first charge transfer region to the first charge accumulation region; and
a detector configured to output a detection signal that indicates whether an absolute value of an amount of change in an electrical signal exceeds a threshold value, wherein
the amount of the change in the electrical signal is based on an amount of the generated charge transferred by the first transistor.