A pixel includes a workpiece having a protrusion and a bulk, wherein the protrusion extends from an upper surface of the bulk. The pixel further includes a protrusion doping region in the protrusion. The pixel further includes a photosensitive device comprising a plurality of first regions, wherein each of the plurality of first regions is in the bulk and the protrusion.

A sensor includes a plurality of electric lines including row lines and column lines, a photodiode in a pixel, a drain of a first transistor connected to the photodiode in the pixel, a drain of a second transistor connected in series with a source of the first transistor in the pixel, a source of the second transistor being connected to a column line among the plurality of electric lines, and both a gate of the first transistor and a gate of the second transistor being connected to a row line among the plurality of electric lines, wherein a channel material of the first transistor is different from a channel material of the second transistor.

In a CMOS image sensor in which a plurality of pixels is arranged in a matrix, a transistor in which a channel formation region includes an oxide semiconductor is used for each of a charge accumulation control transistor and a reset transistor which are in a pixel portion. After a reset operation of the signal charge accumulation portion is performed in all the pixels arranged in the matrix, a charge accumulation operation by the photodiode is performed in all the pixels, and a read operation of a signal from the pixel is performed per row. Accordingly, an image can be taken without a distortion.

An imaging device having a three-dimensional integration structure is provided. A first structure including a transistor including silicon in an active layer or an active region and a second structure including an oxide semiconductor in an active layer are fabricated. After that, the first and second structures are bonded to each other so that metal layers included in the first and second structures are bonded to each other; thus, an imaging device having a three-dimensional integration structure is formed.

According to the present disclosure, an imaging element may include: a substrate or a well; a pinned photodiode disposed on the substrate; a floating diffusion region disposed on the substrate or the well; a first transfer gate transistor disposed between the pinned photodiode and the floating diffusion region a photodiode signal charge generated by the pinned photodiode to the floating diffusion region; one or more gate-controlled storages disposed on the substrate and storing a signal charge generated by the pinned photodiode as a storage signal charge; a storage-controlling gate electrode disposed adjacent to the gate-controlled storage; an overflow path disposed between the pinned photodiode and the gate-controlled storage and transferring the storage signal charge from the pinned photodiode to the gate-controlled storage; and a detecting node connected to the floating diffusion region, wherein the photodiode signal charge and the storage signal charge can be read at the detecting node.

An image sensing device includes a first impurity region, a second impurity region, a floating diffusion region, and a transfer gate. The first impurity region is disposed in a semiconductor substrate and includes impurities with a first doping polarity, and the first impurity region generates photocharges by performing photoelectric conversion in response to incident light. The second impurity region is disposed over the first impurity region and has impurities with a second doping polarity different from the first doping polarity, and the second impurity region contacts with on some portions of the first impurity region. The floating diffusion region disposed over the second impurity region. The transfer gate couples to the floating diffusion region and transmits photocharges generated by the first impurity region to the floating diffusion region. The first impurity region is arranged not in contact with the transfer gate.

A bio-inspired imaging device mimicking visual adaptation of human vision provides a large dynamic range in imaging an image. The device employs a neuromorphic vision sensor realized with phototransistors each being a field-effect transistor, a channel layer of which is an atomically-thin layer of two-dimensional semiconductor material. The channel layer is intentionally formed with defects trap states for trapping a portion of charge carriers generated by a light beam incident on the phototransistor such that intensity information of the light beam is memorized. A gate-source voltage directs the defects trap states to de-trap the trapped portion of charge carriers or to further trap an additional portion of charge carriers, allowing the phototransistor to exhibit a time-dependent excitation or inhibition effect on drain current to thereby enable the imaging sensor to mimic scotopic or photopic adaptation in imaging the image.

An image sensing device may include a photoelectric conversion region structured to convert incident light into photocharge, a first transmission gate structured to transfer the photocharge generated by the photoelectric conversion region to a first floating diffusion region structured to store the photocharge, and a second transmission gate structured to transfer the photocharge transferred to the first floating diffusion region to a second floating diffusion region structured to store the photocharge for readout, wherein a first side surface of the second transmission gate abuts on a side surface of the first transmission gate, the first floating diffusion region abuts on a bottom surface of the second transmission gate and the side surface of the first transmission gate, and the second floating diffusion region abuts on a second side surface of the second transmission gate facing away from the first side surface of the second transmission gate.

A photo-detecting apparatus is provided. The photo-detecting apparatus includes: a substrate made by a first material or a first material-composite; an absorption layer made by a second material or a second material-composite, the absorption layer being supported by the substrate and the absorption layer including: a first surface; a second surface arranged between the first surface and the substrate; and a channel region having a dopant profile with a peak dopant concentration equal to or more than 1×10.sup.15 cm.sup.−3, wherein a distance between the first surface and a location of the channel region having the peak dopant concentration is less than a distance between the second surface and the location of the channel region having the peak dopant concentration, and wherein the distance between the first surface and the location of the channel region having the peak dopant concentration is not less than 30 nm.

An imaging device with low power consumption is provided. The pixel of the imaging device includes first and second photoelectric conversion elements, and first to fifth transistors. A cathode of the first photoelectric conversion element is electrically connected to the first transistor. An anode of a second photoelectric conversion element is electrically connected to the second transistor. Imaging data of a reference frame is obtained using the first photoelectric conversion element, and then imaging data of a difference detection frame is obtained using the second photoelectric conversion element. After the imaging data of the difference detection frame is obtained, a first potential that is a potential of a signal output from the pixel and a second potential that is a reference potential are compared. Whether or not there is a difference between the imaging data of the reference frame and the imaging data of the difference detection frame is determined using the first potential and the second potential.