A solid-state image pickup unit includes: a substrate made of a first semiconductor; a substrate made of a first semiconductor; a photoelectric conversion device provided on the substrate and including a first electrode, a photoelectric conversion layer, and a second electrode in order from the substrate; and a plurality of field-effect transistors configured to perform signal reading from the photoelectric conversion device. The plurality of transistors include a transfer transistor and an amplification transistor, the transfer transistor includes an active layer containing a second semiconductor with a larger band gap than that of the first semiconductor, and one terminal of a source and a drain of the transfer transistor also serves the first electrode or the second electrode of the photoelectric conversion device, and the other terminal of the transfer transistor is connected to a gate of the amplification transistor.

A highly sensitive imaging device that can perform imaging even under a low illuminance condition is provided. One electrode of a photoelectric conversion element is electrically connected to one of a source electrode and a drain electrode of a first transistor and one of a source electrode and a drain electrode of a third transistor. The other of the source electrode and the drain electrode of the first transistor is electrically connected to a gate electrode of the second transistor. The other electrode of the photoelectric conversion element is electrically connected to a first wiring. A gate electrode of the first transistor is electrically connected to a second wiring. When a potential supplied to the first wiring is HVDD, the highest value of a potential supplied to the second wiring is lower than HVDD.

A method of detecting a change in current is provided which includes irradiating light on at least one photoelectric conversion material layer, and detecting an increased change in current generated in the photoelectric conversion material layer. A photoelectric conversion apparatus is also provided and includes a photoelectric conversion element including a photoelectric conversion material layer, and a current detection circuit electrically connected to the photoelectric conversion element. In the photoelectric conversion apparatus, the current detection circuit detects an increased change in current generated in the photoelectric conversion material layer.

In various embodiments, a photodetector includes a semiconductor substrate and a plurality of pixel regions. Each of the plurality of pixel regions comprises an optically sensitive layer over the semiconductor substrate. A pixel circuit is formed for each of the plurality of pixel regions. Each pixel circuit includes a pinned photodiode, a charge store, and a read out circuit for each of the plurality pixel regions. The optically sensitive layer is in electrical communication with a portion of a silicon diode to form the pinned photodiode. A potential difference between two electrodes in communication with the optically sensitive layer associated with a pixel region exhibits a time-dependent bias; a biasing during a first film reset period being different from a biasing during a second integration period.

Provided is a photoelectric conversion element including: a lower electrode, a charge blocking layer which suppresses injection of a charge from the lower electrode, an organic layer which includes a photoelectric conversion layer, and an upper electrode which includes a transparent electrode layer, which are laminated in this order on a substrate. The photoelectric conversion layer is configured of an amorphous film and has a bulk hetero-structure of a P-type organic semiconductor and an N-type organic semiconductor formed of fullerenes. A difference between the ionization potential of the photoelectric conversion layer having the bulk hetero-structure and the electron affinity of the N-type semiconductor is 1.30 eV or greater.

An imaging device includes a semiconductor substrate and pixels. Each of the pixels includes a first capacitive element including a first electrode provided above the semiconductor substrate, a second electrode provided above the semiconductor substrate, and a dielectric layer located between the first electrode and the second electrode. At least one selected from the group consisting of the first electrode and the second electrode has a first electrical contact point electrically connected to a first electrical element and a second electrical contact point electrically connected to a second electrical element different from the first electrical element. The first capacitive element includes at least one trench portion having a trench shape.

A first light receiving element according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a plurality of pixels, a photoelectric converter that is provided as a layer common to the plurality of pixels, and contains a compound semiconductor material, and a first electrode layer that is provided between the plurality of pixels on light incident surface side of the photoelectric converter, and has a light-shielding property.

A pixel includes a first electrode layer on an exposed surface of an interconnection structure and in contact with a conductive element of the interconnection structure. An insulating layer extends over the first electrode layer and includes opening crossing through the insulating layer to the first electrode layer. A second electrode layer is on top of and in contact with the first electrode layer and the insulating layer in the opening. A film configured to convert photons into electron-hole pairs is on the insulating layer, the second electrode layer and filling the opening. A third electrode layer covers the film.

An imaging device that has an image processing function and is capable of operating at high speed is provided. The imaging device has an additional function such as image processing, image data obtained by an imaging operation is binarized in a pixel unit, and a product-sum operation is performed using the binarized data. A memory circuit is provided in the pixel unit and retains a weight coefficient used for the product-sum operation. Thus, an arithmetic operation can be performed without the weight coefficient read from the outside every time, whereby power consumption can be reduced. Furthermore, a pixel circuit, a memory circuit, and the like and a product-sum operation circuit and the like are stacked, so that the lengths of wirings between the circuits can be reduced, and high-speed operation with low power consumption can be performed.

An imaging device including first and second substrate; first and second connection portion electrically connecting the first and second substrate; a first and second pixel; and a common signal line for the first and second pixel. Each of the first and second pixels includes: a photoelectric converter that converts incident light into a signal charge, and a first transistor that outputs a signal corresponding to the signal charge to the common signal line. The first substrate includes the photoelectric converter and first transistor of the first and second pixels. The second substrate includes: a first line transmitting a voltage to the first transistor of the first and second pixel, and a voltage source coupled to the first transistor of the first pixel, via the first line and the first connection portion, and coupled to the first transistor of the second pixel, via the first line and the second connection portion.