A first ramp signal having a potential which is changed with time in a first amplitude range in a first period and a second ramp signal in which a potential is changed with time in a second amplitude range which includes the first amplitude range and which has maximum amplitude larger than maximum amplitude of the first amplitude range and an amount of the change of the potential per unit time is the same as an amount of the change of the potential per unit time of the first ramp signal are generated, and comparison between an optical signal and the first ramp signal and comparison between the optical signal and the second ramp signal are performed in parallel.

Imaging devices and electronic apparatuses with one or more shared pixel structures are provided. The shared pixel structure includes a plurality of photoelectric conversion devices or photodiodes. Each photodiode in the shared pixel structure is located within a rectangular area. The shared pixel structure also includes a plurality of shared transistors. The shared transistors in the shared pixel structure are located adjacent the photoelectric conversion devices of the shared pixel structure. The rectangular area can have two short sides and two long sides, with the shared transistors located along one of the long sides. In addition, a length of one or more of the transistors can be extended in a direction parallel to the long side of the rectangular area.

The present disclosure is provided to solve a problem that a signal obtained by imaging with low illumination cannot be amplified while suppressing random noise. An AD converter outputs n bits. A digital converting unit converts each of P pieces of analog signals output from the same place at different times to a digital value of (n?m) bits. An addition circuit integrates P pieces of the converted digital values. Here, n denotes a natural number of 1 or larger, m denotes a natural number of 1 or larger and less than n, and P denotes a natural number of 1 or larger and m or less.

A solid-state imaging device includes: a pixel array unit in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in rows and columns; a plurality of column signal lines which are provided in one-to-one correspondence with pixel columns; a column processor including a plurality of column AD circuits provided in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of column signal lines; a power supply variation detector which is connected to a power supply wire through which a power supply voltage is transmitted to each of the pixels, and which detects, in correspondence with pixel rows, power supply variation components attributed to variations in the power supply voltage; and a power supply variation corrector which corrects, for each of the pixel rows, a pixel signal detected by the column processor, using the power supply variation components detected by the power supply variation detector.

An image capturing device including a pixel array having pixels forming a first group and pixels forming a second group, a selection circuit to sequentially output signals of the pixels of the first group to a first signal line and sequentially output signals of the pixels of the second group to a second signal line, an output circuit to output a pixel signal in accordance with a signal supplied to an input node from the pixel array via the selection circuit, a switch circuit to control connection of the first signal line to the input node and connection of the second signal line to the input node, a load circuit to consume power, a reset circuit to perform a reset operation of resetting a potential of the input node.

A photoelectric conversion device, having a horizontally long rectangular shape, includes a pixel block including pixels; signal processing blocks, arranged along a transverse direction of the photoelectric conversion device, for processing a pixel signal; a power source voltage supply block for supplying a power source voltage. The pixel includes a photoelectric conversion element for performing a photoelectric conversion, and a charge/voltage conversion unit, including a first amplifier, for converting the converted charge into a voltage. In the pixel block, columns are arranged in a longitudinal direction. Each column is set as a unit of signal processing including a predetermined number of pixels. Vertical power feeding wirings for feeding the power source voltage to the columns of the pixel block, from the transverse direction, are arranged. Horizontal power feeding wirings for feeding the power source voltage to the pixel block and the signal processing blocks, from the longitudinal direction, are arranged.

Noise is reduced. A solid-state imaging device includes a photoelectric conversion unit that generates charge corresponding to an amount of received light, a transfer unit that transfers the charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit, a charge storage unit that stores the charge transferred by the transfer unit, an amplifying transistor that amplifies a signal corresponding to the charge stored in the charge storage unit, and an isolation portion that isolates the photoelectric conversion unit, the amplifying transistor has a gate electrode including two vertical gate electrode portions provided in a depth-wise direction from a first surface of a semiconductor layer to sandwich a channel region therebetween, the isolation portion includes at least a first isolation portion provided in a first groove provided in the depth-wise direction from the first surface, and an insulating layer provided on a side of one of the two vertical gate electrode portions opposite to the channel region is provided to overlap at least a part of the first isolation portion when viewed in the depth-wise direction.

Noise is reduced. A solid-state imaging device includes a photoelectric conversion unit that generates charge corresponding to an amount of received light, a transfer unit that transfers the charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit, a charge storage unit that stores the charge transferred by the transfer unit, an amplifying transistor that amplifies a signal corresponding to the charge stored in the charge storage unit, and an isolation portion that isolates the photoelectric conversion unit, the amplifying transistor has a gate electrode including two vertical gate electrode portions provided in a depth-wise direction from a first surface of a semiconductor layer to sandwich a channel region therebetween, the isolation portion includes at least a first isolation portion provided in a first groove provided in the depth-wise direction from the first surface, and an insulating layer provided on a side of one of the two vertical gate electrode portions opposite to the channel region is provided to overlap at least a part of the first isolation portion when viewed in the depth-wise direction.

An image sensor is disclosed. The image sensor includes a photo detector and a readout structure electronically coupled to the photodetector. The photodetector is configured to accumulate one or more photo charges responsive to one or more incident photons during an integration period. The readout structure is configured to repeatedly and nondestructively assess an amount of minority carrier photo charges accumulated at the photodetector during the integration period.

Provided is an image processing apparatus for correcting blinking defect noise included in image data generated by an image sensor, the image sensor including pixels arranged two-dimensionally and read-out circuits configured to read out a pixel value. The image processing apparatus is configured to: acquire noise information that associates the pixel value with positional information of the read-out circuits or positional information of each of the pixels, and with feature data related to blinking defect noise attributed to the read-out circuits; determine whether the blinking defect noise occurs on a pixel of interest based on the noise information; calculate candidate values indicating a correction amount for correcting the blinking defect noise based on the noise information and a pixel value of the pixel of interest if the blinking defect noise occurs; and correct the pixel value of the pixel of interest based on the candidate values.