There is configured a solid-state image pickup unit including a photoelectric conversion section formed on a light incident side of a substrate; a first charge accumulation section accumulating a signal charge generated by the photoelectric conversion section; a second charge accumulation section formed in a region other than a light-condensing region where incident light is condensed in the substrate on a side opposite to a light incident side and formed to be laminated together with the first charge accumulation section in a depth direction of the substrate; and a floating diffusion section formed in a region other than the light-condensing region in the substrate on the side opposite to the light incident side and converting the signal charge into a voltage.

Systems, devices, and methods are described for providing, among other things, an intra-oral x-ray imaging system configured to reduce patient exposure to x-rays, reduce amount of scatter, transmission, or re-radiation during imaging, or improve x-ray image quality. In an embodiment, an intra-oral x-ray imaging system includes an intra-oral x-ray sensor configured to communicate intra-oral x-ray sensor position information or intra-oral x-ray sensor orientation information to a remote x-ray source.

The present disclosure provides techniques for improving the rate and efficiency of charge transfer within an integrated circuit configured to receive incident photons. Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to integrated circuits that are configured to induce one or more intrinsic electric fields that increase the rate and efficiency of charge transfer within the integrated circuits. Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to integrated circuits configured to induce a charge carrier depletion in the photodetection region(s) of the integrated circuits. In some embodiments, the charge carrier depletion in the photodetection region(s) may be intrinsic, in that the depletion is induced even in the absence of external electric fields applied to the integrated circuit. Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to processes for operating and/or manufacturing integrated devices as described herein.

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.

The present disclosure relates to an imaging device and an electronic device that make it possible to obtain a better pixel signal. A photoelectric conversion part that converts received light into a charge; a holding part that holds a charge transferred from the photoelectric conversion part; and a light shielding part that shields light between the photoelectric conversion part and the holding part are provided. The photoelectric conversion part, the holding part, and the light shielding part are formed in a semiconductor substrate. The light shielding part of a transfer region that transfers the charge from the photoelectric conversion part to the holding part is formed as a non-penetrating light shielding part that does not penetrate the semiconductor substrate. The light shielding part other than the transfer region is formed as a penetrating light shielding part that penetrates the semiconductor substrate. The present technology is applicable to an imaging device.

Described herein are techniques that improve the collection and readout of charge carriers in an integrated circuit. Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to integrated circuits having pixels with a plurality of charge storage regions. Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to integrated circuits configured to substantially simultaneously collect and read out charge carriers, at least in part. Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to integrated circuits having a plurality of pixels configured to transfer charge carriers between charge storage regions within each pixel substantially at the same time. Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to integrated circuits having three or more sequentially coupled charge storage regions. Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to integrated circuits capable of increased charge transfer rates. Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to techniques for manufacturing and operating integrated circuits according to the other techniques described herein.

A solid-state imaging device includes a pixel having a photoelectric conversion element which generates a charge in response to incident light, a first transfer gate which transfers the charge from the photoelectric conversion element to a charge holding section, and a second transfer gate which transfers the charge from the charge holding section to a floating diffusion. The first transfer gate includes a trench gate structure having at least two trench gate sections embedded in a depth direction of a semiconductor substrate, and the charge holding section includes a semiconductor region positioned between adjacent trench gate sections.

A photoelectric conversion apparatus includes a plurality of units each including a charge generation region disposed in a semiconductor layer. Each of a first unit and a second unit of the plurality of units includes a charge storage region configured to store charges transferred thereto from the charge generation region, a dielectric region located above the charge generation region and surrounded by an insulator layer, and a first light-shielding layer covering the charge storage region that is located between the insulator layer and the semiconductor layer, and the first light-shielding layer having an opening located above the charge generation region. The charge generation region of the first unit is able to receive light through the opening of the first light-shielding layer. The charge generation region of the second unit is covered with a second light-shielding layer.

A backside-illuminated multi-collection-gate image sensor is expected to achieve ultra-high-speed imaging. Signal electrons generated by incident light are collected to the pixel center of the front side and distributed to multiple collection gates placed around the center at a very short time interval. The temporal resolution is measured by the spread of arrival times of signal electrons to a collection gate. The major cause of the spread is mixing of signal electrons generated near the pixel border travelling a longer horizontal distance to the pixel center and those generated near the pixel center. Suppression of the horizontal travel time effectively decreases the standard deviation of the distribution of the arrival time. Therefore, devices to suppress the effects of the horizontal motion are introduced, such as a pipe-like photoelectron conversion layer with a much narrower cross section than the pixel area and a funnel-like photoelectron conversion layer.

An image sensor includes a charge accumulation region having a first conductivity type and disposed in a substrate, a charge storage region having the first conductivity type and disposed in the substrate to be laterally spaced apart from the charge accumulation region, a transfer gate electrode disposed on a channel region between the charge accumulation region and the charge storage region to transfer a charge from the charge accumulation region to the charge storage region, a first well region having a second conductivity type and disposed below the charge storage region to inhibit a charge generated below the charge storage region from being moved to the charge storage region, and a second well region having the second conductivity type and disposed below a portion of one side of the first well region adjacent to a neighboring image cell.