Disclosed is a time delayed integration (TDI) image sensor capable of exposure control, including a pixel area including a plurality of line sensors, a light mask configured to block the incidence of light on part of the line sensors, and a scan controller configured to generate a line control signal and an exposure control signal based on the line trigger signal and to control movement of charges in the plurality of line sensors based on the generated line control signal and exposure control signal.

An image sensing device includes a photoelectric conversion element configured to generate photocharges in response to incident light, a floating diffusion configured to temporarily store the photocharges generated by the photoelectric conversion element, and a transfer gate configured to transmit the photocharges generated by the photoelectric conversion element to the floating diffusion region. The transfer gate includes a main transfer gate disposed to overlap a center section of the photoelectric conversion element and configured to operate in response to a first transmission signal, and a sub transfer gate disposed to overlap a boundary region of the photoelectric conversion element and configured to operate in response to a second potential level different from the first potential level.

Systems and methods in accordance with embodiments of the invention implement TDI imaging techniques in conjunction with monolithic CCD image sensors having multiple distinct imaging regions, where TDI imaging techniques can be separately implemented with respect to each distinct imaging region. In many embodiments, the distinct imaging regions are defined by color filters or color filter patterns (e.g. a Bayer filter pattern); and data from the distinct imaging regions can be read out concurrently (or else sequentially and/or nearly concurrently). A camera system can include: a CCD image sensor including a plurality of pixels that define at least two distinct imaging regions, where pixels within each imaging region operate in unison to image a scene differently than at least one other distinct imaging region. In addition, the camera system is operable in a time-delay integration mode whereby time delay-integration imaging techniques are imposed with respect to each distinct imaging region.

A photo-detecting apparatus is provided. The photo-detecting apparatus includes: a substrate made by a first material or a first material-composite; an absorption layer made by a second material or a second material-composite, the absorption layer being supported by the substrate and the absorption layer including: a first surface; a second surface arranged between the first surface and the substrate; and a channel region having a dopant profile with a peak dopant concentration equal to or more than 110.sup.15 cm.sup.3, wherein a distance between the first surface and a location of the channel region having the peak dopant concentration is less than a distance between the second surface and the location of the channel region having the peak dopant concentration, and wherein the distance between the first surface and the location of the channel region having the peak dopant concentration is not less than 30 nm.

A time delay integration image sensor may include a number of charge coupled devices (CCDs) that transfer charge in synchronization with the movement of an object being imaged. To increase the dynamic range of the image sensor, the image sensor may include circuitry configured to non-destructively sample the charge as it is transferred through the charge coupled devices. Floating gates may be included in the image sensor and may have a voltage that is proportional to the charge accumulated under the floating gates. Each floating gate may be coupled to a respective readout circuit in an additional substrate by a metal interconnect layer.

In order to measure distances precisely, a receiver device for determining a distance from an object is proposed, comprising: a receiver having a semiconductor structure with a photosensitive region for generating photo-induced charge carriers, which region faces the rear side, and having a transportation region, which faces the front side, wherein the photosensitive region and the transportation region are spatially separated from one another by a separation layer which has a passage between the photosensitive region and the transportation region, wherein the transportation region has an arrangement of at least two gates lying one next to the other, at least one of the gates thereof being located in the overlapping region of the passage.

An image sensor is provided that includes a pixel array divided into a plurality of pixel groups. Each pixel group is clocked by a respective plurality of horizontal-register clocks. Clock signals for the image sensor are adjusted. Adjusting the clock signals includes phase-shifting each plurality of horizontal-register clocks by a respective phase delay of a plurality of phase delays. The phase delays are evenly spaced and are spaced symmetrically about zero. With the clock signals adjusted, a target is imaged using the image sensor.

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to a ROIC with a plurality of unit cells coupled to a detector array having a plurality of detectors for collecting photoelectrons over a plurality of temporal instances. An individual unit cell is electrically coupled to an individual detector to have one-to-one correspondence and includes one or more storage elements coupled to one or more programmable logic control switches. The storage element(s) store signal charges representing the photoelectrons while the programmable logic control switch(es) direct the signal charges from the storage element(s) at an individual temporal instance. A configuration of signal charges in the plurality of unit cells is mathematically operated as a three-dimensional matrix having a plurality of elements, where the three dimensions correspond to the two spatial dimensions of an individual unit cell and the individual temporal instance, and an individual element has a value corresponding to the number of signal charges stored therein.

A time delay integration image sensor may include a number of charge coupled devices (CCDs) that transfer charge in synchronization with the movement of an object being imaged. To increase the dynamic range of the image sensor, the image sensor may include circuitry configured to non-destructively sample the charge as it is transferred through the charge coupled devices. Floating gates may be included in the image sensor and may have a voltage that is proportional to the charge accumulated under the floating gates. Each floating gate may be coupled to a respective readout circuit in an additional substrate by a metal interconnect layer.

Systems and methods in accordance with embodiments of the invention implement TDI imaging techniques in conjunction with monolithic CCD image sensors having multiple distinct imaging regions, where TDI imaging techniques can be separately implemented with respect to each distinct imaging region. In many embodiments, the distinct imaging regions are defined by color filters or color filter patterns (e.g. a Bayer filter pattern); and data from the distinct imaging regions can be read out concurrently (or else sequentially and/or nearly concurrently). A camera system can include: a CCD image sensor including a plurality of pixels that define at least two distinct imaging regions, where pixels within each imaging region operate in unison to image a scene differently than at least one other distinct imaging region. In addition, the camera system is operable in a time-delay integration mode whereby time delay-integration imaging techniques are imposed with respect to each distinct imaging region.