SOLID STATE IMAGING APPARATUS

• Main Authors: MATSUNAGA MASAYUKI, MASUYAMA MASAYUKI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 20.07.2006
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a solid state imaging apparatus having a high dynamic range. SOLUTION: The solid state imaging apparatus is provided with: a plurality of unit cells 500 arranged in a matrix to convert light into signal charge, to store the signal charge, and to output signal voltage corresponding to the signal charge; a row selection circuit 110 and a reading transistor 502 in which accumulation periods for accumulating signal charge in the unit cells 500 are set to respectively different first and second periods; a row selection circuit 110 for selecting a row and a vertical selection transistor 505; sampling capacitors connected to the unit cells 500 in each column; and a pulse generation circuit and a sampling transistor in which an optional sampling capacitor is selected from the sampling capacitors. The pulse generation circuit and the sampling transistor select signal voltages corresponding to the signal charges stored in the first and second periods so as to store the selected signal voltages in respective sampling capacitors. COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI