A new process that enables void-free direct-bonded MBE-passivated large-format image sensors is disclosed. This process can be used to produce thin large-area image sensors for UV and soft x-ray imaging. Such devices may be valuable in future astronomy missions or in the radiology field. Importantly, by controlling the hydrogen concentration in the silicon oxide layers of the image sensor and the support wafer, voids in the bonding interface can be significantly reduced or eliminated. This process can be applied to any wafer that includes active circuitry and requires a second wafer, such as a support wafer.

A solid-state imaging device includes a plurality of photoelectric converting units and a plurality of charge-accumulating units each accumulating a charge generated in the corresponding photoelectric converting unit. The photoelectric converting unit includes a photosensitive region that generates the charge in accordance with light incidence, and an electric potential gradient forming unit that accelerates migration of charge in a second direction in the photosensitive region. The charge-accumulating unit includes: a plurality of regions (semiconductor layers) having an impurity concentration gradually changed in one way in the second direction, and electrodes adapted to apply electric fields to the plurality of regions. Each of the electrodes is disposed over the plurality of regions having the impurity concentration gradually varied.

An image sensing device includes a first subpixel block, a second subpixel block, a first conversion gain transistor, and a second conversion gain transistor. The first subpixel block includes a first floating diffusion region and a plurality of unit pixels sharing the first floating diffusion region. The second subpixel block includes a second floating diffusion region coupled to the first floating diffusion region and a plurality of unit pixels sharing the second floating diffusion region. The first conversion gain transistor includes a first impurity region coupled to the first and second floating diffusion regions and a second impurity region coupled to a first conversion gain capacitor. The second conversion gain transistor includes a third impurity region coupled to the second impurity region of the first conversion gain transistor and a fourth impurity region coupled to a second conversion gain capacitor.

It is an object of the present technology to provide a solid-state image sensor capable of reducing display unevenness of a captured image. A solid-state image sensor includes a first substrate that includes a photoelectric conversion unit, a transfer gate unit that is connected to the photoelectric conversion unit, an FD unit that is connected to the transfer gate unit, and an interlayer insulating film that covers the photoelectric conversion unit, the transfer gate unit, and the FD unit. The solid-state image sensor further includes a second substrate that includes an amplifier transistor and is disposed to be adjacent to the interlayer insulating film, the amplifier transistor constituting a part of a pixel transistor connected to the FO unit via the interlayer insulating film and including a back gate unit.

A multiple-column-per-channel image CCD sensor utilizes a multiple-column-per-channel readout circuit including connected transfer gates that alternately transfer pixel data (charges) from a group of adjacent pixel columns to a shared output circuit at high speed with low noise. Charges transferred along the adjacent pixel columns at a line clock rate are alternately passed by the transfer gates to a summing gate that is operated at multiple times the line clock rate to pass the image charges to the shared output circuit. A symmetrical fork-shaped diffusion is utilized in one embodiment to merge the image charges from the group of related pixel columns. A method of driving the multiple-column-per-channel CCD sensor with line clock synchronization is also described. A method of inspecting a sample using the multiple-column-per-channel CCD sensor is also described.

Disclosed is a solid-state imaging device which includes a pixel section, a peripheral circuit section, a first isolation region formed with a STI structure on a semiconductor substrate in the peripheral circuit section, and a second isolation region formed with the STI structure on the semiconductor substrate in the pixel section. The portion of the second isolation region buried into the semiconductor substrate is shallower than the portion buried into the semiconductor substrate of the first isolation region, and the height of the upper face of the second isolation region is equal to that of the first isolation region. A method of producing the solid-state imaging device and an electronic device provided with the solid-state imaging devices are also disclosed.

An image sensing device includes a first detection structure and a second detection structure, each of the first detection structure and the second detection structure configured to generate a current in a substrate and to capture photocharges generated by incident light and carried by the current, wherein each of the first detection structure and the second detection structure includes: at least one detection node configured to capture the photocharges, the at least one detection node including first conductive impurities; and a potential adjustment region overlapping at least a portion of each of the at least one detection node, the potential adjustment region including second conductive impurities different from the first conductive impurities.

Optoelectronic modules operable to collect distance data and spectral data include demodulation pixels operable to collect spectral data and distance data via a time-of flight approach. The demodulation pixels include regions with varying charge-carrier mobilities. Multi-wavelength electromagnetic radiation incident on the demodulation pixels are separated into different portions wherein the respective portions are used to determine the composition of the incident multi-wavelength electromagnetic radiation. Accordingly, the optoelectronic module is used, for example, to collect colour images and 3D images, and/or ambient light levels and distance data. The demodulation pixels comprise contact nodes that generate potential regions that vary in magnitude with the lateral dimension of the semiconductor substrate. The potential regions conduct the photo-generated charges from the photo-sensitive detection region to a charge-collection region. The photo-generated charges are conducted to the charge-collection region with respective drift velocities that vary in magnitude with the thickness of the semiconductor substrate.

A solid-state imaging device includes: an imager including pixels arranged in rows and columns; vertical transfer portions in one-to-one correspondence with columns of the pixels, each of which includes a readout electrode that reads out signal charges generated in the pixels and a transfer electrode that transfers the read-out signal charges in the column direction; and a horizontal transfer portion which transfers, in the row direction, the signal charges transferred by the vertical transfer portions, and outputs the signal charges. The imager is formed by alternately disposing, in the column direction, a first row in which visible light pixels each including a first photoelectric converter that converts visible light into signal charges are arranged adjacent in the row direction and a second row in which infrared light pixels each including a second photoelectric converter that converts infrared light into signal charges are arranged adjacent in the row direction.

A single-exposure high dynamic range (HDR) image sensor includes a first photodiode and a second photodiode, with a smaller full-well capacity than the first photodiode, disposed in a semiconductor material. The image sensor also includes a first floating diffusion disposed in the semiconductor material and a first transfer gate coupled to the first photodiode to transfer first image charge accumulated in the first photodiode into the first floating diffusion. A second floating diffusion is disposed in the semiconductor material and a second transfer gate is coupled to the second photodiode to transfer second image charge accumulated in the second photodiode into the second floating diffusion. An attenuation layer is disposed between the second photodiode and image light directed towards the single-exposure HDR image sensor to block a portion of the image light from reaching the second photodiode.