An electronic device may have control circuitry and input-output components. The input-output components may include audio components, sensors, and other devices. A proximity sensor may supply the control circuitry with proximity sensor data. The control circuitry may adjust the audio components or take other suitable action in response to proximity sensor readings from the proximity sensor. The proximity sensor may have a light source such as an infrared laser diode and a light detector that measures a reflected portion of infrared light pulses emitted by the infrared laser diode. The control circuitry may include circuitry for safely producing pulses of emitted light with the light source. This circuitry may include a signal generator that produces ramped pulses, a differentiator that differentiates the ramped pulses to produce differentiated pulses, and an output driver that produces current pulses for the light source based on the differentiated pulses.

An electronic device may have control circuitry and input-output components. The input-output components may include audio components, sensors, and other devices. A proximity sensor may supply the control circuitry with proximity sensor data. The control circuitry may adjust the audio components or take other suitable action in response to proximity sensor readings from the proximity sensor. The proximity sensor may have a light source such as an infrared laser diode and a light detector that measures a reflected portion of infrared light pulses emitted by the infrared laser diode. The control circuitry may include circuitry for safely producing pulses of emitted light with the light source. This circuitry may include a signal generator that produces ramped pulses, a differentiator that differentiates the ramped pulses to produce differentiated pulses, and an output driver that produces current pulses for the light source based on the differentiated pulses.

There is provided a circuit to improve the sensing efficiency of pixels that uses the induction effect of a capacitor to duplicate a voltage deviation caused by additional electrons and uses a circuit to cancel out the voltage deviation during reading pixel data thereby improving the sensing efficiency.

There is provided a circuit to improve the sensing efficiency of pixels that uses the induction effect of a capacitor to duplicate a voltage deviation caused by additional electrons and uses a circuit to cancel out the voltage deviation during reading pixel data thereby improving the sensing efficiency.

Provided is a semiconductor light detection device having a relatively high detection sensitivity to a light component of a specific wavelength. The semiconductor light detection device includes: a semiconductor light receiving element, in which a first conductive layer is formed on a surface of a semiconductor substrate, a second conductive layer is formed below the first conductive layer, a third conductive layer is formed below the second conductive layer, and a photocurrent based on the intensity of incident light is output from the third conductive layer while an input voltage is applied to the first conductive layer; and a semiconductor detection circuit configured to output an output voltage based on a current difference between a first photocurrent and a second photocurrent being output in response to the application of the first input voltage and the second input voltage, respectively.

Provided is a semiconductor light detection device having a relatively high detection sensitivity to a light component of a specific wavelength. The semiconductor light detection device includes: a semiconductor light receiving element, in which a first conductive layer is formed on a surface of a semiconductor substrate, a second conductive layer is formed below the first conductive layer, a third conductive layer is formed below the second conductive layer, and a photocurrent based on the intensity of incident light is output from the third conductive layer while an input voltage is applied to the first conductive layer; and a semiconductor detection circuit configured to output an output voltage based on a current difference between a first photocurrent and a second photocurrent being output in response to the application of the first input voltage and the second input voltage, respectively.

An apparatus for measuring photon information and a photon measurement device are disclosed. The apparatus comprises a signal conversion module for converting an initial signal outputted by the photoelectric sensor into a converted signal in a voltage form, an integral comparison module for integrating a difference between the initial signal and a feedback signal from the negative feedback module and generating a comparison signal based on a magnitude relationship between a reference level and a combination result of an integral signal and the converted signal, wherein the integral signal is a signal for representing an integral of the difference between the initial signal and the feedback signal, a transmission control module for controlling the comparison signal to be transmit based on a clock signal to output a digital signal, a negative feedback module for converting the digital signal into the feedback signal and feeding the feedback signal back to the integral comparison module, and a measurement module for determining, based on the comparison signal and/or the digital signal, an arrival time of a high-energy photon detected by the photoelectric sensor. The apparatus and the device require few circuit components, and can realize high-precision time measurement.

An apparatus for measuring photon information and a photon measurement device are disclosed. The apparatus comprises a signal conversion module for converting an initial signal outputted by the photoelectric sensor into a converted signal in a voltage form, an integral comparison module for integrating a difference between the initial signal and a feedback signal from the negative feedback module and generating a comparison signal based on a magnitude relationship between a reference level and a combination result of an integral signal and the converted signal, wherein the integral signal is a signal for representing an integral of the difference between the initial signal and the feedback signal, a transmission control module for controlling the comparison signal to be transmit based on a clock signal to output a digital signal, a negative feedback module for converting the digital signal into the feedback signal and feeding the feedback signal back to the integral comparison module, and a measurement module for determining, based on the comparison signal and/or the digital signal, an arrival time of a high-energy photon detected by the photoelectric sensor. The apparatus and the device require few circuit components, and can realize high-precision time measurement.

A photodetector device and an optical encoder device that can suppress level variation of a detection signal are provided. A photodetector device of one embodiment includes: a light receiving unit including a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements; a selector circuit that selects a first photoelectric conversion element group and a second photoelectric conversion element group, in the light receiving unit; a differential amplifier that outputs a detection signal in accordance with a difference between a first output signal of the first photoelectric conversion element group and a second output signal of the second photoelectric conversion element group; and a correction unit that corrects the detection signal based on the first output signal and the second output signal.

A pixel includes a detector that changes its operating characteristics based on incident energy, an integration capacitor arranged to discharge stored charge through the detector based on changes in the operating characteristics, and an floating gate injection device disposed between the photo-diode and the integration capacitor that controls flow of the charge from the integration capacitor to the detector. The floating gate injection device has a gate, a source electrically coupled to the detector at a first node, and a drain electrically coupled to the integration capacitor. The gate has a control voltage (V.sub.T) stored therein to set to a per-pixel bias gate voltage to control a detector bias voltage of the detector at the first node.