An image sensor capable of preventing generation of a line-type defect is disclosed. The image sensor includes a row driver, a pixel array, an analog signal processor, a data mapping buffer and a row data buffer. The pixel array has a layout configuration having a nonlinear pattern for a row path and a column path, receives optical signals and converts the optical signals into electric signals, and outputs the electric signals as image signals in response to the pixel control signals. The analog signal processor performs analog-to-digital conversion on the image signals to generate first signals. The data mapping buffer compensates position errors caused by the layout configuration of the zigzag pattern for the first signals to generate a second signals.

An image sensor including a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type that is arranged in a substrate, a second semiconductor region of a second conductivity type that is arranged in the first semiconductor region to form a charge accumulation region. The second semiconductor region includes a plurality of portions arranged in a direction along a surface of the substrate. A potential barrier is formed between the plurality of portions. The second semiconductor region is wholly depleted by expansion of a depletion region from the first semiconductor region to the second semiconductor region. A finally-depleted portion to be finally depleted, of the second semiconductor region, is depleted by the expansion of the depletion region from a portion of the first semiconductor region, located in a lateral direction of the finally-depleted portion.

A ramp voltage generator includes a first ramp voltage generation block suitable for generating a first ramp voltage with a first slope in response to a bias signal and a first ramp control signal, and a second ramp voltage generation block suitable for generating a second ramp voltage with a second slope corresponding to the first slope in response to the bias signal, a second ramp control signal, and a slope correction signal.

A photoelectric conversion apparatus includes a charge accumulation region of a first conductivity type, a first semiconductor region of a second conductivity type, a second semiconductor region of the second conductivity type, and an element isolation. The first semiconductor region is arranged so as to extend downward from a portion between the charge accumulation region and the element isolation, and the second semiconductor region includes a portion arranged below the charge accumulation region, and impurity concentration distributions of the charge accumulation region, the first semiconductor region and the second semiconductor region in a depth direction respectively have peaks at depth Rp1, Rp2, and Rp3, and Rp1<Rp2<Rp3 is satisfied. Impurity concentration C1 of the first semiconductor region at Rp2 is higher than impurity concentration C2 of the second semiconductor region at Rp3.

A low-noise amplifier is disclosed. The amplifier includes a signal amplifier having an amplifier signal output, a first filter capacitor, a buffer amplifier having a buffer amplifier input and a buffer amplifier output; and a switching network. The first filter capacitor has first and second terminals. The second terminal is connected to a power rail. The amplifier signal output is connected to the buffer amplifier input by a first direct current path and the buffer amplifier output to the first terminal of the first filter capacitor by a second direct current path during a first time period. The amplifier signal output is connected directly to the first terminal of the first filter capacitor by a third direct current path during a second time period, and the amplifier signal output to the first terminal of the first filter capacitor through a resistor during a third time period.

The present disclosure relates to a method and an apparatus for capturing an image in a portable terminal. Upon receiving an image for preview and an image for capture simultaneously by a camera module, the controller simultaneously outputs the image for the preview and the image for the capture to a main controller during a simultaneous output mode. The received image for the preview is displayed and stored for a predetermined time period for a subsequent retrieval, so that when a capture key is pressed to capture a target object, the stored image corresponding to a time point at which the capture key is activated is retrieved and stored.

A solid-state imaging device according to the present disclosure includes pixels arranged two-dimensionally, each of the pixels including: a metal electrode; a photoelectric conversion layer that is on the metal electrode and converts light into an electrical signal; a transparent electrode on the photoelectric conversion layer; an electric charge accumulation region that is electrically connected to the metal electrode and accumulates electric charges from the photoelectric conversion layer; an amplifier transistor that applies a signal voltage according to an amount of the electric charges in the electric charge accumulation region; and a reset transistor that resets electrical potential of the electric charge accumulation region, in which the reset transistor includes a gate oxide film thicker than a gate oxide film of the amplifier transistor.

A radiation imaging apparatus that forms a part of a radiation imaging system is provided. The apparatus includes a sensor unit having a conversion element configured to convert radiation into charges and a switch element configured to transfer the charges. The sensor unit is configured to obtain a radiation image in accordance with radiation that enters the conversion element. The apparatus further includes a control unit configured to control the sensor unit so as to perform one of a plurality of operations. The plurality of operations includes an imaging waiting operation of repetitively switching ON/OFF the switch element, and a standby operation of controlling so as to make a change amount of voltage for controlling the switch element smaller than that of the imaging waiting operation. The control unit executes the standby operation based on a predetermined signal from outside.

.[.The present invention relates to an.]. .Iadd.An .Iaddend.image processing apparatus which can restore, from a color and sensitivity mosaic image acquired using a CCD image sensor of the single plate type or the like, a color image signal of a wide dynamic range wherein the sensitivity characteristics of pixels are uniformized and each of the pixels has all of a plurality of color components .Iadd.is provided.Iaddend.. A sensitivity uniformization section uniformizes the sensitivities of pixels of a color and sensitivity mosaic image to produce a color mosaic image, and a color interpolation section interpolates color components of the pixels of the color mosaic image M to produce output images R, G and B. The .[.present invention.]. .Iadd.image processing apparatus .Iaddend.can be applied to a digital camera which converts a picked up optical image into a color image signal of a wide dynamic range.

The invention relates to a structure of an active pixel of the CMOS type (1) that comprises: at least one photodiode (10), characterized in that it comprises means for reading any bias voltage in the evolution phase of the photodiode (10) upon exposure.