The present invention is applied to an image pickup apparatus for which, for example, a CMOS solid-state image pickup element is used. One screen image is divided into a plurality of blocks, and a motion is detected for each of the blocks to control the exposure time of the block.

In a solid-state imaging device, a photoelectric conversion unit, a transfer transistor, and at least a part of electric charge holding unit, among pixel constituent elements, are disposed on a first semiconductor substrate. An amplifying transistor, a signal processing circuit other than a reset transistor, and a plurality of common output lines, to which signals are read out from a plurality of pixels, are disposed on a second semiconductor substrate.

A method of fabricating a pixel array includes forming a transistor network along a frontside of a semiconductor substrate. A contact element is formed for every pixel in the pixel array that is electrically coupled to a transistor within the transistor network. An interconnect layer is formed upon the frontside to control the transistor network with a dielectric that covers the contact element. A cavity is formed in the interconnect layer. A conductive layer is formed along cavity walls of the cavity and a dielectric layer is formed over the conductive layer within the cavity. A photosensitive semiconductor material is deposited over the dielectric layer within the cavity. An electrode cavity is formed that extends into the contact element. The electrode cavity is at least partially filled with a conductive material to form an electrode. The electrode, the conductive layer, and the photosensitive semiconductor material form a photosensitive capacitor.

An image sensor includes a control circuit and pixels. Each pixel includes: a photosensitive area, a substantially rectangular storage area adjacent to the photosensitive area, and a read area. First and second insulated vertical electrodes electrically connected to each other are positioned opposite each other and delimit the storage area. The first electrode extends between the storage area and the photosensitive area. The second electrode includes a bent extension opposite a first end of the first electrode, with the storage area emerging onto the photosensitive area on the side of the first end. The control circuit operates to apply a first voltage to the first and second electrodes to perform a charge transfer, and a second voltage to block charge transfer.

A semiconductor device is provided. The device generates a signal based on both a first carrier generated in a first photodiode and a second carrier generated in a second photodiode. The first photodiode includes a first region of a second conductivity type and a second region of a first conductivity type arranged between a surface of a substrate and the first region. The second photodiode includes a third region of the first conductivity type and a fourth region of the second conductivity type arranged between the surface and the third region. A fifth region of the first conductivity type is provided at a position farther apart from the surface than the first region. A peak of an impurity concentration of the third region is positioned in a range where the first region exists between the second region and the fifth region.

An image sensor includes first and second pluralities of photodiodes interspersed among each other in a semiconductor substrate. Incident light is to be directed through a surface of the semiconductor substrate into the first and second pluralities of photodiodes. The first plurality of photodiodes has greater sensitivity to the incident light than the second plurality of photodiodes. A metal film layer is disposed over the surface of the semiconductor substrate over the second plurality of photodiodes and not over the first plurality of photodiodes. A metal grid is disposed over the surface of the semiconductor substrate, and includes a first plurality of openings through which the incident light is directed into the first plurality of photodiodes. The metal grid further includes a second plurality of openings through which the incident light is directed through the metal film layer into the second plurality of photodiodes.

An imaging device includes a first pixel electrode, a second pixel electrode adjacent to the first pixel electrode, and a photoelectric conversion film continuously covering the first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode, in which an insulating film is provided between the first pixel electrode and the photoelectric conversion film, and between the second pixel electrode and the photoelectric conversion film, and an intermediate electrode is provided in a position between the first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode, the intermediate electrode being in contact with a surface of the photoelectric conversion film, the surface being on a side where the first and second pixel electrodes are arranged.

An image sensor pixel includes a first photodiode and a second photodiode disposed in a semiconductor material. The first photodiode has a first doped region, a first lightly doped region, and a first highly doped region. The second photodiode has a second full well capacity substantially equal to a first full well capacity of the first photodiode, and includes a second doped region, a second lightly doped region, and a second highly doped region. The image sensor pixel also includes a first microlens optically coupled to direct a first amount of image light to the first photodiode, and a second microlens optically coupled to direct a second amount of image light to the second photodiode. The first amount of image light is larger than the second amount of image light.

A semiconductor device includes a substrate, light sensing devices, at least one infrared radiation sensing device, a transparent insulating layer, an infrared radiation cut layer, a color filter layer and an infrared radiation color filter layer. The light sensing devices and the at least one infrared radiation sensing device are disposed in the substrate and are adjacent to each other. The transparent insulating layer is disposed on the substrate overlying the light sensing devices and the at least one infrared radiation sensing device. The infrared radiation cut layer is disposed on the transparent insulating layer overlying the light sensing devices for filtering out infrared radiation and/or near infrared radiation. The color filter layer is disposed on the infrared radiation cut layer. The infrared radiation color filter layer is disposed on the transparent insulating layer overlying the at least one infrared radiation sensing device.

The present technology relates to a solid-state image sensor, an imaging control method, a signal processing method, and an electronic apparatus that suppress the deterioration of image quality, which is caused by the difference of sensitivity between pixels. A solid-state image sensor includes: a pixel array unit including a plurality of pixels arranged, the plurality of pixels including a plurality of kinds of pixels, the plurality of kinds of pixels including a first pixel and a second pixel, the first pixel having the highest sensitivity, the second pixel having a sensitivity lower than the sensitivity of the first pixel; and a control unit that controls at least one of an analog gain and exposure time of/for the respective pixels depending on a ratio between the sensitivities of the first pixel and the second pixel. The present technology is applicable to a solid-state image sensor such as a CMOS image sensor.