An image sensing device includes a first test block, a second test block, and a readout block. The first test block includes a plurality of first image sensing pixels structured to convert incident light carrying an image into a first pixel signal indicative of the image, and a first heating element structured to transmit heat to the first image sensing pixels. The second test block includes a plurality of second image sensing pixels that each include a light blocking structure to be shielded from receiving incident light to generate a second pixel signal without being directly exposed to the incident light, and a second heating element structured to transmit heat to the second image sensing pixels. The readout block processes the first pixel signal output from the first test block and the second pixel signal output from the second test block.

An image sensor includes a first voltage source that supplies a first voltage and a plurality of pixels supplied with the first voltage. The pixel includes a photoelectric conversion unit that photoelectrically converts incident light, an accumulation unit to which an electric charge resulting from photoelectric conversion by the photoelectric conversion unit is transferred and accumulated, a transfer unit that transfers the electric charge from the photoelectric conversion unit to the accumulation unit; a second voltage source that supplies a second voltage, and a supply unit that supplies the transfer unit with a transfer signal based on either the first voltage supplied by the first voltage source or the second voltage supplied by the second voltage source.

A photoelectric conversion apparatus comprising a pixel array and a signal processor is provided. The pixel array is configured to be operable in driving modes in which different signal readout methods are used. The signal processor comprises a selector configured to select, based on the driving mode set for each pixel among the driving modes, a first pixel group and a second pixel group from regions of the pixel array, which have been designated to generate a correction value, a correction value generator configured to generate the correction value in accordance with a first representative value based on signals read out from the first pixel group and a second representative value based on signals read out from the second pixel group, and a corrector configured to correct, based on the correction value, the signal read out from the pixel array.

A quantitative pulse count (event detection) algorithm with linearity to high count rates is accomplished by combining a high-speed, high frame rate camera with simple logic code run on a massively parallel processor such as a GPU or a FPGA. The parallel processor elements examine frames from the camera pixel by pixel to find and tag events or count pulses. The tagged events are combined to form a combined quantitative event image.

A system for dark current compensation in SPAD imagery is configurable to capture an image frame with the SPAD array and generate a temporally filtered image by performing a temporal filtering operation using the image frame and at least one preceding image frame. The at least one preceding image frame is captured by the SPAD array at a timepoint that temporally precedes a timepoint associated with the image frame. The system is also configurable to obtain a dark current image frame. The dark current image frame includes data indicating one or more SPAD pixels of the plurality of SPAD pixels that detect an avalanche event without detecting a corresponding photon. The system is also configurable to generate a dark current compensated image by performing a subtraction operation on the temporally filtered image or the image frame based on the dark current image frame.

A solid-state imaging element of the present disclosure a pixel. The pixel includes a charge accumulation unit that accumulates a charge photoelectrically converted by a photoelectric conversion unit, a reset transistor that selectively applies a reset voltage to the charge accumulation unit, an amplification transistor having a gate electrode electrically connected to the charge accumulation unit, and a selection transistor connected in series to the amplification transistor. Additionally, the solid-state imaging element includes a first wiring electrically connecting the charge accumulation unit and the gate electrode of the amplification transistor, a second wiring electrically connected to a common connection node of the amplification transistor and the selection transistor and formed along the first wiring, and a third wiring electrically connecting the amplification transistor and the selection transistor.

An image sensor is provided. The image sensor includes a pixel array including first and second pixels, the first and second pixels receiving the same transfer gate signal and outputting first and second signal voltages, respectively, a transfer gate driver receiving first and second voltages and generating the transfer gate signal, the transfer gate signal having the first voltage as its maximum voltage and having the second voltage as its minimum voltage and a compensation module detecting a variation in the second voltage, generating a compensation voltage based on the variation in the second voltage, and performing a compensation operation.

To generate a value unique to a device in a more preferable mode. A solid-state image sensor includes a plurality of unit pixels disposed in a two-dimensional array, and a drive control unit that controls a first drive to output signals from the unit pixels included in a first unit pixel group of the plurality of unit pixels as an image signal, and a second drive to detect variations in respective signals from two or more of the unit pixels included in a second unit pixel group of the plurality of unit pixels, in which the first unit pixel group and the second unit pixel group have different structures from each other.

To reduce a dark current of an image sensor including a photoelectric conversion unit disposed on a back surface of a semiconductor substrate.

The image sensor includes a photoelectric conversion unit, a through-electrode, a charge holding unit, a back-side high impurity concentration region, and a front-side high impurity concentration region. The photoelectric conversion unit is disposed on a back surface of a semiconductor substrate and performs photoelectric conversion of incident light. The through-electrode is formed in a shape penetrating from the back surface to a front surface of the semiconductor substrate and transmits a charge generated by the photoelectric conversion. The charge holding unit is disposed on the front surface of the semiconductor substrate and holds the transmitted charge. The back-side high impurity concentration region is disposed in a region adjacent to the through-electrode on the back surface of the semiconductor substrate and is formed to have a higher impurity concentration than an impurity concentration of a region adjacent to the through-electrode at the central portion of the semiconductor substrate. The front-side high impurity concentration region is disposed in a region adjacent to the through-electrode on the front surface of the semiconductor substrate and is formed to have a higher impurity concentration than the impurity concentration of the region adjacent to the through-electrode at the central portion of the semiconductor substrate.

To improve the correction accuracy in a solid-state image sensor that performs dark current correction. A solid-state image sensor includes a bias voltage supply unit and a signal processing unit. The bias voltage supply unit supplies a bias voltage of a predetermined value to a light-shielded pixel impervious to light in a period in which a light-shielded pixel signal is output from the light-shielded pixel, and supplies a bias voltage of a value different from the predetermined value to a photosensitive pixel not impervious to light in a period in which a photosensitive pixel signal is output from the photosensitive pixel. The signal processing unit executes processing of removing dark current noise from the photosensitive pixel signal using the light-shielded pixel signal.