The dynamic range of a solid-state imaging element including a comparator is expanded.

The solid-state imaging element includes a pixel circuit and a comparison transistor. In the solid-state imaging element, the pixel circuit generates a pixel signal and outputs the pixel signal to a vertical signal line. Further, the comparison transistor has a source connected to a constant current source configured to supply a constant current to the vertical signal line. The comparison transistor has a gate to which a predetermined reference signal is input. Further, the comparison transistor has a drain from which a comparison result between the pixel signal and the reference signal is output.

A solid-state imaging device includes a transfer transistor and an element separation section. The transfer transistor includes a vertical gate electrode. At least a portion of the element separation section is disposed apart from the vertical gate electrode with a semiconductor layer interposed in between. The semiconductor layer has a high concentration of impurities of a first electrical conduction type. The element separation section includes an oxide film insulator.

A single photon counting sensor array includes one or more emitters configured to emit a plurality of pulses of energy, and a detector array comprising a plurality of pixels. Each pixel includes one or more detectors, a plurality of which are configured to receive reflected pulses of energy that were emitted by the one or more emitters. A mask material is positioned to cover some but not all of the detectors of the plurality of pixels to yield blocked pixels and unblocked pixels so that each blocked pixel is prevented from detecting the reflected pulses of energy and therefore only detects intrinsic noise.

A solid-state imaging device includes a photoelectric conversion unit, a light shielding unit and a transfer transistor. The photoelectric conversion unit generates charges by photoelectrically converting light. The light shielding unit is formed by engraving a semiconductor substrate on which the photoelectric conversion unit is formed, so as to surround an outer periphery of the photoelectric conversion unit. The transfer transistor transfers charges generated in the photoelectric conversion unit. During a charge accumulation period in which charges are accumulated in the photoelectric conversion unit, a potential that repels the charges is supplied to the light shielding unit and a gate electrode of the transfer transistor. During a charge transfer period in which charges are transferred from the photoelectric conversion unit, a potential that repels the charges is supplied to the light shielding unit and a potential that attracts the charges is supplied to the gate electrode of the transfer transistor.

A lidar system includes one or more light sources configured to generate a first beam of light and a second beam of light, a scanner configured to scan the first and second beams of light across a field of regard of the lidar system, and a receiver configured to detect the first beam of light and the second beam of light scattered by one or more remote targets. The scanner includes a rotatable polygon mirror that includes multiple reflective surfaces angularly offset from one another along a periphery of the polygon mirror, the reflective surfaces configured to reflect the first and second beams of light to produce a series of scan lines as the polygon mirror rotates. The scanner also includes a pivotable scan mirror configured to (i) reflect the first and second beams of light and (ii) pivot to distribute the scan lines across the field of regard.

The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus for realizing real time image display and the like while controlling the processing performance of an external circuit and the size of the circuit when outputting a large amount of data from an image sensor at a high speed, and is provided with (a) an image sensor including, a plurality of light receiving units disposed in rows and columns, an A/D conversion unit, a compression unit for compressing outputs from the A/D conversion unit row by row, and (b) a first data processing unit for thinning compressed data row by row, a first data decompression unit that decompresses outputs of the first data processing unit; and a first image processing unit which carries out a predetermined processing on outputs of the first data decompression unit.

There is disclosed a semiconductor device including: a substrate; a plurality of first electrodes arranged away from each other with gaps on the substrate; a first intermediate layer arranged on each of the plurality of first electrode; a second intermediate layer, at least a part of which is arranged on each of the gaps of the plurality of first electrodes; a photoelectric conversion layer arranged on the first intermediate layer and the second intermediate layer; and a second electrode arranged on the photoelectric conversion layer. A content of oxygen on a molar basis in the second intermediate layer is higher than a content of oxygen on a molar basis in the first intermediate layer.

An image sensor includes a first substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The first substrate includes an active pixel region having a plurality of active pixels. A plurality of lower electrode structures is disposed on the second surface of the first substrate and corresponds to the plurality of active pixels. An upper electrode is disposed on the plurality of lower electrode structures. An organic photoelectric conversion layer is disposed between the plurality of lower electrode structures and the upper electrode. A second substrate is disposed on the first surface of the first substrate. A driving circuit configured to drive the plurality of active pixels is disposed on the second substrate. The plurality of lower electrode structures includes a first barrier layer, a reflective layer disposed on the first barrier layer and a second barrier layer disposed on the reflective layer.

Systems, apparatuses, methods, and computer program products are disclosed for pricing a callable instrument. A plurality of corresponding pairs of Brownian motion paths and index value paths are determined corresponding to a set of dates. A deep neural network (DNN) of a backward DNN solver is trained until a convergence requirement is satisfied by for each pair of corresponding Brownian motion path and index value path, using the backward DNN solver to determine by iterating in reverse time order from a final discounted option payoff to an initial value. A statistical measure of spread of a set of initial values is determined and parameters of the DNN are modified based on the statistical measures of spread. Pricing information is determined by the backward DNN solver and provided such that a representation thereof is provided via an interactive user interface of a user computing device.

An image sensing device includes a first impurity region, a second impurity region, a floating diffusion region, and a transfer gate. The first impurity region is disposed in a semiconductor substrate and includes impurities with a first doping polarity, and the first impurity region generates photocharges by performing photoelectric conversion in response to incident light. The second impurity region is disposed over the first impurity region and has impurities with a second doping polarity different from the first doping polarity, and the second impurity region contacts with on some portions of the first impurity region. The floating diffusion region disposed over the second impurity region. The transfer gate couples to the floating diffusion region and transmits photocharges generated by the first impurity region to the floating diffusion region. The first impurity region is arranged not in contact with the transfer gate.