A back-illuminated type solid-state image pickup device (1041) includes read circuits (Tr1, Tr2) formed on one surface of a semiconductor substrate (1042) to read a signal from a photo-electric conversion element (PD) formed on the semiconductor substrate (1042), in which electric charges (e) generated in a photo-electric conversion region (1052c1) formed under at least one portion of the read circuits (Tr1, Tr2) are collected to an electric charge accumulation region (1052a) formed on one surface side of the semiconductor substrate (1042) of the photo-electric conversion element (PD) by electric field formed within the photo-electric conversion element (PD). Thus, the solid-state image pickup device and the camera are able to make the size of pixel become very small without lowering a saturation electric charge amount (Qs) and sensitivity.

The present invention relates to a method for measuring the uniform diffuse reflectance R.sup.OBJ() at least at one point on an object (30) using a device (10) comprising a means (11) capable of emitting color illuminants expressed in the form of luminous flux and an electronic color image sensor (12). The present invention also relates to a device (10) comprising a means (11) for emitting color illuminants expressed as luminous flux of colors and an electronic color image sensor (12), for measuring the uniform diffuse reflectance R.sup.OBJ() at least at one point on an object (30) placed in a zone located opposite and substantially perpendicular to the said means (11) capable of emitting colors and located in the field of vision of the said electronic color image sensor (12) and being subjected to an external illuminant expressed as a constant and unknown external environmental luminous flux (40) denoted I.sup.ext().

An image sensor includes a semiconductor substrate including a plurality of photo-sensing devices, a photoelectric conversion device disposed on the semiconductor substrate and absorbing the mixed light of a first color and a second color, and a color filter disposed on one side of the photoelectric conversion device and configured to selectively transmit a mixed light including a third color, and an electronic device including the image sensor is provided.

An image sensor including a plurality of pixels, each pixel including a non-pinned photodiode connected, by a metal connecting element, to a pinned region formed in a first semiconductor substrate.

Chip packages and methods for forming the same are provided. The method includes providing a substrate having upper and lower surfaces, and having a chip region and a scribe-line region surrounding the chip region. The substrate has a dielectric layer on its upper surface. A masking layer is formed over the substrate to cover the dielectric layer. The masking layer has a first opening exposing the dielectric layer and extending in the extending direction of the scribe-line region to surround the chip region. An etching process is performed on the dielectric layer directly below the first opening, to form a second opening that is in the dielectric layer directly below the first opening. The masking layer is removed to expose the dielectric layer having the second opening. A dicing process is performed on the substrate through the second opening.

Imaging sensors, imaging apparatuses, and methods of driving an image sensor are provided. An image sensor can include a semiconductor substrate with a photoelectric conversion element and a charge-conversion element. The sensor can further include a capacitance switch. A charge accumulation element is located adjacent the photoelectric conversion element. At least a portion of the charge accumulation element overlaps a charge accumulation region of the photoelectric conversion element. The charge accumulation element is selectively connected to the charge-voltage conversion element by the capacitance switch.

Methods for discriminating among x-ray beams of distinct energy content. A first volume of scintillation medium converts energy of incident penetrating radiation into scintillation light which is extracted from a scintillation light extraction region by a plurality of optical waveguides that convert the scintillation light to light of a longer wavelength. An x-ray beam initially incident upon the first volume of scintillation medium and traversing the first volume is then incident on a second volume of scintillation medium. The first and second scintillation media may be separated by an absorber or one or more further volumes of scintillation medium, and may also have differential spectral sensitivities. Scintillation light from the first and second scintillation volumes is detected in respective detectors and processed to yield a measure of respective low energy and high-energy components of the incident x-ray beam.

An image sensor is provided which is capable of holding data for one frame period or longer and conducting a difference operation with a small number of elements. A photosensor is provided in each of a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix, each pixel accumulates electric charge in a data holding portion for one frame period or longer, and an output of the photosensor changes in accordance with the electric charge accumulated in the data holding portion. As a writing switch element for the data holding portion, a transistor with small leakage current (sufficiently smaller than 110.sup.14 A) is used. As an example of the transistor with small leakage current, there is a transistor having a channel formed in an oxide semiconductor layer.

Embodiments related to a method of manufacturing of an imager and an imager device are shown and depicted.

The invention relates to a method for texturing a semiconductor substrate (1), comprising steps consisting in forming a plurality of cavities of random shapes, depths and distribution, in an etch mask (2), by means of non-homogeneous reactive-ion etching, forming a first rough random design, and etching the substrate using the etch mask, by means of reactive-ion etching, in such a way as to transfer the first rough random design into the substrate and to produce a second rough random design (200), comprising cavities (20) of random shapes, depths (d2r) and distribution, on the surface of the substrate.