An imaging apparatus according to an embodiment includes: an imaging unit (10) having a pixel region in which a plurality of pixels is arranged; a readout controller (11) that controls readout of pixel signals from pixels included in the pixel region; a unit-of-readout controller (123) that controls a unit of readout that is set as a part of the pixel region and for which the readout controller performs the readout; and a recognition unit (14) that has learned training data for each of the units of readout. The recognition unit performs a recognition process on the pixel signal for each of the units of readout, and outputs a recognition result which is a result of the recognition process.

Embodiments of a hybrid imaging sensor that optimizes a pixel array area on a substrate using a stacking scheme for placement of related circuitry with minimal vertical interconnects between stacked substrates and associated features are disclosed. Embodiments of maximized pixel array size/die size (area optimization) are disclosed, and an optimized imaging sensor providing improved image quality, improved functionality, and improved form factors for specific applications common to the industry of digital imaging are also disclosed.

There is provided a solid-state imaging device including: one or more photoelectric conversion elements provided on side of a first surface of a semiconductor substrate; a through electrode coupled to the one or more photoelectric conversion elements, and provided between the first surface and a second surface of the semiconductor substrate; and an amplifier transistor and a floating diffusion provided on the second surface of the semiconductor substrate, in which the one or more photoelectric conversion elements are coupled to a gate of the amplifier transistor and the floating diffusion via the through electrode.

A semiconductor device is provided as a back-illuminated solid-state imaging device. The device is manufactured by bonding a first semiconductor wafer with a pixel array in a half-finished product state and a second semiconductor wafer with a logic circuit in a half-finished product state together, making the first semiconductor wafer into a thin film, electrically connecting the pixel array and the logic circuit, making the pixel array and the logic circuit into a finished product state, and dividing the first semiconductor wafer and the second semiconductor being bonded together into microchips.

The present disclosure relates to a comparator, an AD converter, a solid-state image pickup device, an electronic device, a method of controlling the comparator, a data writing circuit, a data reading circuit, and a data transferring circuit, capable of improving the determining speed of the comparator and reducing power consumption. The comparator includes: a differential input circuit configured to operate with a first power supply voltage, the differential input circuit configured to output a signal when an input signal is higher than a reference signal in voltage; a positive feedback circuit configured to operate with a second power supply voltage lower than the first power supply voltage, the positive feedback circuit being configured to accelerate transition speed when a compared result signal indicating a compared result between the input signal and the reference signal in voltage, is inverted, on the basis of the output signal of the differential input circuit; and a voltage conversion circuit configured to convert the output signal of the differential input circuit into a signal corresponding to the second power supply voltage. The present disclosure can be applied to, for example, a comparator of a solid-state image pickup device.

In a solid-state imaging device, a first substrate has a plurality of pixels and a plurality of first control signal lines. The plurality of first control signal lines are connected to pixels of each row. The second substrate includes a plurality of second control signal lines and a control circuit. The arrangement of each of the plurality of second control signal lines on the second substrate corresponds to the arrangement of a corresponding one of the plurality of first control signal lines on the first substrate. The connection portion has a plurality of control connections and a plurality of readout connections. Each of the plurality of control connections is connected to one of the plurality of first control signal lines and a corresponding one of the plurality of second control signal lines.

An imaging device includes an imaging unit that generates image data on the basis of a first power voltage, an image processing unit that performs image processing on the image data on the basis of a second power voltage, a reference voltage generating unit that generates a first reference voltage on the basis of the first power voltage and a first flag generating unit that generates a first flag signal for the second power voltage on the basis of a comparison of the second power voltage and the first reference voltage and configured to output the first flag signal.

An imaging device includes an imaging unit that generates image data on the basis of a first power voltage, an image processing unit that performs image processing on the image data on the basis of a second power voltage, a reference voltage generating unit that generates a first reference voltage on the basis of the first power voltage and a first flag generating unit that generates a first flag signal for the second power voltage on the basis of a comparison of the second power voltage and the first reference voltage and configured to output the first flag signal.

A solid-state imaging device includes: a plurality of pixel cells arranged in a matrix. In the solid-state imaging device, each of the plurality of pixel cells includes: a photoelectric converter that generates charge by photoelectric conversion, and holds a potential according to an amount of the charge generated; an initializer that initializes the potential of the photoelectric converter; a comparison section that compares the potential of the photoelectric converter and a predetermined reference signal, and causes the initializer to perform initialization when the potential of the photoelectric converter and the predetermined reference signal match; and a counter that counts a total number of times of initialization performed by the initializer, and outputs a signal corresponding to the total number of times as a first signal indicating an intensity of incident light.

A solid-state imaging device includes: a plurality of pixel cells arranged in a matrix. In the solid-state imaging device, each of the plurality of pixel cells includes: a photoelectric converter that generates charge by photoelectric conversion, and holds a potential according to an amount of the charge generated; an initializer that initializes the potential of the photoelectric converter; a comparison section that compares the potential of the photoelectric converter and a predetermined reference signal, and causes the initializer to perform initialization when the potential of the photoelectric converter and the predetermined reference signal match; and a counter that counts a total number of times of initialization performed by the initializer, and outputs a signal corresponding to the total number of times as a first signal indicating an intensity of incident light.