A method operable by circuitry including an image processor, an image sensor, and another clock-dependent device, including measuring a flicker using the image sensor, adjusting a clock rate of the circuitry according to the measured flicker, and operating the clock-dependent device using the adjusted clock rate.

An imaging system and method for imaging a scene using a rolling shutter are described. In an embodiment, the method includes illuminating a scene with first and second illumination light; generating frame signals with a photodetector comprising a plurality of pixels arranged in a plurality of rows, wherein the frame signals are based on light received from the scene with sequentially integrated rows of pixels of the plurality of rows, and wherein a frame signal includes signals from pixels of each of the plurality of rows; and generating images of the scene based on an intensity of the frame signals and the proportion of the first illumination light and the second illumination light emitted onto the scene during the first and second frames, wherein a proportion of the first illumination light and the second illumination light in a first frame is different than in a second frame.

Provided is an image sensor including a first layer including a first semiconductor substrate including a pixel unit in which a plurality of unit pixels are provided, and a first wiring layer provided on the first semiconductor substrate, a second layer including a second semiconductor substrate on which a plurality of transistors configured to operate a global shutter operation are provided, and a second wiring layer provided on the second semiconductor substrate, and provided on the first layer such that the first wiring layer and the second wiring layer oppose each other in a first direction, a plurality of first bonding structures bonding the first layer to the second layer based on a first bonding metal exposed on a surface of the first wiring layer being in contact with a second bonding metal exposed on a surface of the second wiring layer, a third layer including a third semiconductor substrate on which a logic circuit is provided, and a third wiring layer provided on the third semiconductor substrate, and bonded to the second layer such that the second semiconductor substrate and the third wiring layer oppose each other in the first direction, and a plurality of second bonding structures extending from the second wiring layer, and bonding the second layer to the third layer based on a bonding via penetrating the second semiconductor substrate being in contact with a third bonding metal exposed to a surface of the third wiring layer.

An image sensor includes: a photoelectric conversion unit that photoelectrically converts light to generate an electric charge; a holding unit that holds the electric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit; an accumulation unit that accumulates the electric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit; a first transfer path that transfers the electric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit to the accumulation unit; and a second transfer path that transfers the electric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit to the accumulation unit via the holding unit.

Color mixing between pixels is prevented in a solid-state imaging element in which a pair of pixels for detecting the phase difference of a pair of light rays are arranged. A pair of photoelectric conversion elements receive a pair of light rays made by pupil-splitting. A floating diffusion layer generates a pair of pixel signals from electric charge transferred from each of the pair of photoelectric conversion elements. A pair of transfer transistors transfer the electric charge from the pair of photoelectric conversion elements to the floating diffusion layer. In a case of detecting the phase difference of the pair of light rays from the pair of pixel signals, the control unit takes control so that back gate voltages that include the back gate potentials of both of the pair of transfer transistors with respect to the potential barrier between the pair of photoelectric conversion elements have values different from values in a case of synthesizing the pair of pixel signals.

Disclosed are devices, systems and methods for capturing an image. In one aspect an electronic camera apparatus includes an image sensor with a plurality of pixel regions. The apparatus further includes an exposure controller. The exposure controller determines, for each of the plurality of pixel regions, a corresponding exposure duration and a corresponding exposure start time. Each pixel region begins to integrate incident light starting at the corresponding exposure start time and continues to integrate light for the corresponding exposure duration. In some example embodiments, at least two of the corresponding exposure durations or at least two of the corresponding exposure start times are different in the image.

Disclosed is a CMOS image sensor with global shutters and a method for fabricating the CMOS image sensor. In one embodiment, a semiconductor device, includes: a light-sensing region; a charge-storage region; a light-shielding structure; and at least one via contact; wherein the charge-storage region is spatially configured adjacent to the light-sensing region in a lateral direction, wherein the light-shielding structure is configured over the charge-storage region in a vertical direction so as to prevent incident light leaking from the light-sensing region to the signal-processing region, wherein the light-shielding structure is configured in an interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer, and wherein the light-shielding structure is simultaneously formed with the at least one via contact.

An amplifier transistor within an image-sensor pixel is implemented upside down relative to conventional orientation such that a substrate-resident floating diffusion node of the pixel forms the gate of the amplifier transistor—achieving increased pixel conversion gain by eliminating the conventional metal-layer interconnection between the floating diffusion node and amplifier-transistor gate and concomitant parasitic capacitance.

Provided is an imaging device in which a subject moving within a visual field can be freely expressed with a simple configuration. This imaging device is an imaging device which acquires an image by dividing one imaging period into a plurality of periods for exposure to add for each pixel, and includes an imaging element which includes a photoelectric conversion unit configured to generate a signal charge, and a control unit configured to control an accumulation time of the signal charge generated in the photoelectric conversion unit. The control unit changes the accumulation time in each period obtained by dividing the one imaging period.

A solid-state imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a photoelectric transducer, a transfer transistor, a floating diffusion, a reset transistor, an amplifier transistor, and a selection transistor. The reset transistor includes a gate insulating film formed thinner than the gate insulating film of the transfer transistor.