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.

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.

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.

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.

The invention relates to charge-coupled TDI image sensors for the observation of one and the same image strip by multiple rows of pixels in succession with summation of the electric charge generated by an image point, for a row duration (T.sub.L ), in the pixels of the same rank of the various rows. According to the invention, the pixels are subdivided, in the direction of movement, into at least two adjacent portions (SUBa.sub.i,j, SUBb.sub.i,j), each portion comprising at least one charge storage area that is independent of the storage areas of the other portion while allowing a transfer of charge from the first portion to the second, one of the portions (SUBa.sub.i,j) being masked against light and the other portion (SUBb.sub.i,j) not being masked. The unmasked portion comprises a charge removal structure which is activated at a variable moment in time defining a start of actual integration that is independent of the start of a period of observing the image strip. It is thus possible to define a time of exposure to light T.sub.INT that does not depend on the relative speed of movement of the sensor and of the image, unlike the typical charge-coupled TDI sensors in which the duration of exposure is equal to the row period T.sub.L (linked to the speed of movement).

A solid-state imaging device includes a first semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type; a second semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type on the first semiconductor layer; and first and second detectors positioned inside the second semiconductor layer. The first and second detectors are arranged in a first direction along a boundary between the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer. The device further includes first and second semiconductor regions provided between the first semiconductor layer and the first and second detectors, respectively. The first and second semiconductor regions include second conductivity type impurities with a higher concentration than that in the second semiconductor layer. The first detector has a first thickness along a second direction from the first semiconductor layer toward the second semiconductor layer, and the second detector has a second thickness along the second direction, the second thickness being thicker than the first thickness.

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.

Provided is a method for driving a solid-state imaging device including a unit pixel which includes at least a first pixel including: a photoelectric converter which receives reflected light from an object and converts the reflected light into charge; an exposure resetter which switches between exposure and discharge of the charge in the photoelectric converter; and a plurality of readers which read the charge from the photoelectric converter and include at least a first reader and a second reader. The method includes: performing a first exposure as the exposure that is performed in a first period in which a gate of the first reader is ON; and performing a second exposure as the exposure that is performed in a second period which is started in conjunction with the end of the first period and in which a gate of the second reader is ON.

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.