WO2016185839A1 - 固体撮像装置および固体撮像装置の駆動方法 - Google Patents
固体撮像装置および固体撮像装置の駆動方法 Download PDFInfo
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N25/00—Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof
- H04N25/70—SSIS architectures; Circuits associated therewith
- H04N25/709—Circuitry for control of the power supply
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N25/00—Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof
- H04N25/60—Noise processing, e.g. detecting, correcting, reducing or removing noise
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N25/00—Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof
- H04N25/60—Noise processing, e.g. detecting, correcting, reducing or removing noise
- H04N25/618—Noise processing, e.g. detecting, correcting, reducing or removing noise for random or high-frequency noise
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N25/00—Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof
- H04N25/70—SSIS architectures; Circuits associated therewith
- H04N25/71—Charge-coupled device [CCD] sensors; Charge-transfer registers specially adapted for CCD sensors
- H04N25/75—Circuitry for providing, modifying or processing image signals from the pixel array
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- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N25/00—Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof
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- H04N25/76—Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors
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- H04N25/70—SSIS architectures; Circuits associated therewith
- H04N25/76—Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors
- H04N25/78—Readout circuits for addressed sensors, e.g. output amplifiers or A/D converters
Definitions
- the present technology relates to a solid-state imaging device and a driving method of the solid-state imaging device.
- the present invention relates to a solid-state imaging device that applies a ground potential lower than the ground potential of a peripheral circuit that drives a pixel to a pixel that generates an image signal, and a driving method in the solid-state imaging device.
- CMOS Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor
- This image sensor is composed of a pixel having a photoelectric conversion element that generates an image signal corresponding to the irradiated light, and a peripheral circuit that drives the pixel.
- the voltage of the power source has been reduced, and there is an increasing demand for a voltage reduction in the imaging apparatus.
- the power supply voltage of the pixel is lowered, there is a problem that the dynamic range of the photoelectric conversion element is narrowed and is easily affected by noise. Therefore, a system has been proposed in which a negative power supply voltage is applied to a pixel in addition to a conventional positive power supply voltage to expand the dynamic range and reduce the influence of noise (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
- the negative power source is configured by a switching regulator that converts a positive power source supplied to the imaging device into a negative power source voltage, and is formed inside the imaging device as a local regulator.
- the present technology has been created in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to reduce fluctuations in an image signal when the voltage of a negative power source supplied to a pixel changes.
- the present technology has been made to solve the above-described problems, and the first side surface thereof operates based on the first ground potential applied to the first ground line, and the irradiated light. And a pixel that outputs an analog image signal corresponding to the second ground potential and a second ground potential that is higher than the first ground potential applied to a second ground line.
- An analog-to-digital converter that performs the above-described conversion based on a reference voltage that serves as a reference when converting to an image signal, and a reference-voltage generating unit that operates based on the second ground potential to generate the reference voltage
- a solid-state imaging device comprising: a reference voltage correction unit that corrects the generated reference voltage according to a change in the first ground potential and supplies the corrected reference voltage to the analog-digital conversion unit. This brings about the effect that the reference voltage is corrected in accordance with the change in the first ground potential.
- the first aspect may further include a ground potential generation unit that generates the first ground potential and applies the first ground potential to the first ground line. This brings about the effect that the first ground potential is generated by the ground potential generator.
- a ground potential control unit that stops the operation of generating the first ground potential in the reference voltage generation unit during the conversion in the analog-digital conversion unit may be further provided. As a result, the operation of generating the first ground potential is stopped during analog-digital conversion.
- the analog-to-digital conversion unit compares the analog image signal and the reference voltage to detect a match between the analog image signal and the reference voltage; There may be provided a counting unit that counts in a period from the start of the comparison to the detection in the comparison unit and outputs the count value as the digital image signal.
- the analog-to-digital conversion unit is configured by the comparison unit and the count unit.
- the same power supply voltage may be applied to the pixel and the analog-digital converter. This brings about the effect that the power supply voltages of the pixel and the analog-digital converter are made common.
- the plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix shape and the analog image signals output from the plurality of pixels arranged in one row respectively perform a plurality of conversions.
- the analog-to-digital converter may be provided, and the reference voltage correction unit may supply the same corrected reference voltage to each of the plurality of analog-to-digital converters. This brings about the effect that the reference voltages of the plurality of analog-digital conversion units are shared.
- the pixel, the analog-digital conversion unit, and the reference voltage generation unit are formed in different semiconductor chips, and the first region is formed in the well region of the semiconductor chip in which the pixels are formed.
- a ground potential may be applied. This brings about the effect that the first ground potential is applied to the well region of the semiconductor chip in which the pixels are formed.
- a second aspect of the present technology is an image signal output procedure that operates based on the first ground potential applied to the first ground line and outputs an analog image signal corresponding to the irradiated light; , Which operates based on a second ground potential higher than the first ground potential applied to the second ground line, and serves as a reference for converting the analog image signal into the digital image signal.
- An analog-to-digital conversion procedure for performing the conversion based on a reference voltage, a reference voltage generation procedure for operating based on the second ground potential and generating the reference voltage, and a change in the first ground potential
- a reference voltage correcting procedure for correcting the generated reference voltage and supplying the corrected reference voltage to the analog-to-digital converter. This brings about the effect that the reference voltage is corrected in accordance with the change in the first ground potential.
- composition of a solid imaging device in a 1st embodiment of this art. It is a figure showing an example of composition of pixel 110 in a 1st embodiment of this art. It is a figure showing an example of composition of horizontal transfer part 300 in a 1st embodiment of this art. It is a figure showing an example of composition of analog-digital conversion part 320 in a 1st embodiment of this art. It is a figure showing an example of composition of reference voltage generating part 500 in a 1st embodiment of this art. It is a figure showing an example of AD conversion operation in a 1st embodiment of this art. It is a figure showing change of low ground potential in a 1st embodiment of this art.
- First embodiment an example in which the ground potential generator is always operated
- Second embodiment an example in which the ground potential generator is operated intermittently
- Third embodiment example in which the first ground line is connected to the well region in which the pixel array portion is formed
- FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the solid-state imaging device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present technology.
- the solid-state imaging device 10 includes a pixel array unit 100, a vertical drive unit 200, a horizontal transfer unit 300, a ground potential generation unit 400, a reference voltage generation unit 500, and a reference voltage correction unit 600.
- the pixel array unit 100 includes pixels 110 that generate image signals arranged in a matrix.
- signal lines 101 that transmit control signals for the respective pixels 110 and signal lines 102 that transmit image signals generated by the pixels 110 are wired in an XY matrix. That is, one signal line 101 is wired in common to the pixels 110 arranged in the same row, and the output of the pixel 110 arranged in the same column is wired in common to one signal line 102.
- a power supply voltage Vdd is applied to the pixel array unit 100 through the signal line 103 as a power supply voltage necessary for the operation of the pixel array. Further, the pixel array unit 100 is grounded to the low ground potential Vss by the first ground line 401.
- the pixel array unit 100 operates based on the low ground potential Vss.
- the low ground potential Vss is a potential lower than the ground potential GND of the horizontal transfer unit 300 or the like described later.
- 0 V is assumed as the ground potential GND.
- the power supply voltage Vdd for example, 2.7 V is assumed.
- the low ground potential Vss for example, -0.9V is assumed.
- the low ground potential Vss is an example of the first ground potential described in the claims.
- the ground potential GND is an example of a second ground potential described in the claims.
- the horizontal transfer unit 300 performs processing on the image signal output from the pixel array unit 100. This processing corresponds to analog-digital conversion (AD conversion) of an image signal, which will be described later. Output signals corresponding to the pixels 110 in one row of the pixel array unit 100 are simultaneously input to the horizontal transfer unit 300. With respect to the input image signal, the horizontal transfer unit 300 performs signal processing and then performs transfer in the horizontal direction and outputs the signal to the signal line 301. The image signal output from the horizontal transfer unit 300 is supplied to the outside of the solid-state imaging device 10. In addition, a reference voltage, which is a reference voltage in the above-described AD conversion, is input from a reference voltage correction unit 600 described later via a signal line 601. Details of processing in the horizontal transfer unit 300 will be described later. Further, the horizontal transfer unit 300 is applied with the power supply voltage Vdd through the signal line 103 and is grounded to the ground potential GND through the second ground line 303.
- AD conversion analog-digital conversion
- the vertical driving unit 200 generates a control signal and outputs it to the pixel array unit 100.
- the vertical drive unit 200 outputs a control signal to the signal lines 101 corresponding to all the rows of the pixel array unit 100.
- the control signal from the vertical driving unit 200 is used to control the signal output for controlling the start and stop of exposure to the pixels 110 of the pixel array unit 100 and the reading of the image signal obtained by the exposure from the pixels 110. Signal output.
- the vertical drive unit 200 is applied with the power supply voltage Vdd through the signal line 103 and is grounded to the ground potential GND through the second ground line 303.
- the reference voltage generation unit 500 generates a reference voltage necessary for processing in the horizontal transfer unit 300 and outputs the reference voltage to the signal line 501. Details of the reference voltage generation unit 500 will be described later. Similarly to the horizontal transfer unit 300, the reference voltage generation unit 500 is applied with the power supply voltage Vdd through the signal line 103 and is grounded to the ground potential GND through the second ground line 303.
- the reference voltage correction unit 600 corrects the reference voltage input from the signal line 501 and outputs it to the signal line 601. Details of the reference voltage correction unit 600 will be described later.
- the ground potential generator 400 generates the above-described low ground potential Vss.
- a switching regulator that converts a power supply voltage Vdd applied as a power supply voltage into a low ground potential Vss can be used for the ground potential generation unit 400.
- FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the pixel 110 according to the first embodiment of the present technology.
- the pixel 110 includes a photoelectric conversion unit 111, a charge transfer unit 113, a charge holding unit 115, a charge discharge unit 114, an amplification unit 116, a selection unit 117, and an overflow drain 112.
- the overflow drain 112, the charge transfer unit 113, the charge discharge unit 114, the amplification unit 116, and the selection unit 117 are configured by N-channel MOS transistors.
- the signal lines 101 and 102 are connected to the pixel 110.
- the signal line 101 includes a plurality of signal lines (OFD, TR, RST, and SEL).
- the overflow drain control signal line OFD is a signal line for transmitting a control signal to the overflow drain 112.
- the transfer signal line TR Transfer
- the reset signal line RST Reset
- the selection signal line SEL Select
- SEL Select
- the pixel 110 is applied with the power supply voltage Vdd through the signal line 103 and is grounded to the low ground potential Vss through the first ground line 303.
- the anode of the photoelectric conversion unit 111 is connected to the first ground line 401, and the cathode is connected to the source of the charge transfer unit 113 and the source of the overflow drain 112.
- the gate and drain of overflow drain 112 are connected to OFD and signal line 103, respectively.
- the drain of the charge transfer unit 113 is connected to the source of the charge discharge unit 114, the gate of the amplification unit 116, and one end of the charge holding unit 115.
- the other end of the charge holding unit 115 is connected to the first ground line 401.
- the gate of the charge transfer unit 113 is connected to the TR signal line.
- the gate and drain of the charge discharging unit 114 are connected to the reset signal line RST and the signal line 103, respectively.
- the drain and source of the amplifier 116 are connected to the signal line 103 and the drain of the selector 117, respectively.
- the gate and the source of the selection unit 117 are connected to the SEL and the signal line 102, respectively.
- the photoelectric conversion unit 111 generates a charge corresponding to the amount of light irradiated and accumulates the generated charge.
- the photoelectric conversion unit 111 is configured by a photodiode.
- the charge transfer unit 113 is controlled by the transfer signal line TR and transfers the charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit 111 to the charge holding unit 115.
- the charge transfer unit 113 transfers charges by making the photoelectric conversion unit 111 and the charge holding unit 115 conductive.
- the charge holding unit 115 holds the charge transferred by the charge transfer unit 113.
- the charge holding unit 115 is configured by so-called floating diffusion formed in the diffusion region of the semiconductor chip.
- the charge discharging unit 114 is controlled by the reset signal line RST and discharges the charge held in the charge holding unit 115.
- the electric charge discharging unit 114 discharges electric charges by conducting between the electric charge holding unit 115 and the signal line 103.
- the overflow drain 112 discharges the electric charge generated excessively by the photoelectric conversion unit 111. In addition, the overflow drain 112 further discharges the electric charge accumulated in the photoelectric conversion unit 111 by causing conduction between the photoelectric conversion unit 111 and the power supply voltage Vdd. At this time, the overflow drain 112 is controlled by the overflow drain control signal line OFD.
- the amplifying unit 116 outputs a voltage corresponding to the charge held in the charge holding unit 115 to the source.
- the selection unit 117 is controlled by a selection signal line SEL, and the voltage of the source of the amplification unit 116 is output to the signal line 102 when the selection unit 117 is conductive.
- an ON signal is input from the reset signal line RST, the charge discharging unit 114 becomes conductive, and the power supply voltage Vdd is applied to the charge holding unit 115. Thereby, the charge based on the dark current accumulated in the charge holding unit 115 is discharged. At this time, the amplification unit 116 generates a signal based on the charges accumulated in the charge holding unit 115.
- This signal is a signal generated in a state where charges are discharged, and is a signal corresponding to the reset voltage that is the reference of the above-described image signal.
- this signal is referred to as a reset signal.
- the charge discharging unit 114 is set in a non-conducting state while the selecting unit 117 is in a conducting state. Thereafter, an on signal is input from the transfer signal line TR, whereby the charge transfer unit 113 becomes conductive. As a result, the photoelectric conversion unit 111 and the charge holding unit 115 become conductive, and the charges accumulated in the photoelectric conversion unit 111 are transferred to the charge holding unit 115. In addition, the amplification unit 116 generates a signal corresponding to the charge transferred to the charge holding unit 115.
- the selection unit 117 is turned on, and the signal generated by the amplification unit 116 is output to the signal line 102.
- This signal corresponds to an image signal corresponding to the light incident on the solid-state imaging device 10.
- the reset signal and the image signal output from the pixel 110 by these operations are processed by the horizontal transfer unit 300. Specifically, the reset signal is subtracted from the image signal, and the difference for each pixel 110 is removed.
- Such a method is a method called correlated double sampling (CDS), and is a method widely used in imaging apparatuses.
- the pixel 110 operates based on the low ground potential Vss that is lower than the ground potential GND. That is, the substantial power supply voltage of the pixel 110 is a voltage from the low ground potential Vss to the power supply voltage Vdd. Therefore, the photoelectric conversion unit 111 generates an image signal in this voltage range.
- the dynamic range of the photoelectric conversion unit 111 can be widened as compared with the horizontal transfer unit 300 or the like that operates based on the ground potential GND and is applied with the power supply voltage Vdd.
- FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the horizontal transfer unit 300 according to the first embodiment of the present technology.
- the horizontal transfer unit 300 includes a constant current power supply 310, an analog-digital converter (ADC) 320, and an image signal transfer unit 330.
- ADC analog-digital converter
- the signal line 102 is connected to one end of the constant current power supply 310 and the input of the analog / digital conversion unit 320.
- the other end of the constant current power supply 310 is connected to the second ground line 303.
- the output of the analog / digital conversion unit 320 is connected to the input of the image signal transfer unit 330.
- the analog / digital conversion unit 320 and the image signal transfer unit 330 are connected by a signal line 302.
- the constant current power supply 310 operates as a load of the amplifying unit 116 described in FIG. That is, a source follower circuit is configured together with the amplifier 116.
- the analog-digital conversion unit 320 converts the analog image signal output from the pixel 110 into a digital image signal and outputs the digital image signal. This conversion is performed based on the reference voltage.
- the reference voltage is a voltage serving as a reference when performing conversion from an analog image signal to a digital image signal.
- the same reference voltage is input to all the analog-digital conversion units 320 in FIG.
- the analog-digital conversion unit 320 also performs the above-described CDS processing.
- the analog-to-digital converter 320 is applied with the power supply voltage Vdd through the signal line 103 and is grounded to the ground potential GND through the second ground line 303. Details of the configuration of the analog-digital conversion unit 320 will be described later.
- the image signal transfer unit 330 transfers the digital image signals output from the plurality of analog-digital conversion units 320 in the horizontal direction. Specifically, the image signal transfer unit 330 outputs each image signal to the signal line 301 in order from the image signal output from the analog-digital conversion unit 320 disposed at the left end of the figure.
- FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the analog-digital conversion unit 320 according to the first embodiment of the present technology.
- the analog-digital conversion unit 320 in FIG. 3 includes a comparison unit 329 and a count unit 326.
- the comparison unit 329 detects the coincidence of the analog image signal and the reference voltage by comparing the analog image signal and the reference voltage.
- the comparison unit 329 includes constant current power supplies 321 to 323 and N channel MOS transistors 324 and 325.
- the constant current power supplies 321 and 322 have one end connected to the signal line 103 and the other end connected to the drains of the N-channel MOS transistors 324 and 325, respectively.
- N channel MOS transistors 324 and 325 have their gates connected to signal lines 601 and 102, respectively.
- the sources of the N-channel MOS transistors 324 and 325 are connected to one end of the constant current power source 323, and the other end of the constant current power source is connected to the second ground line 303.
- the input of the count unit 326 is connected to the drain of the N-channel MOS transistor 325, and the output of the count unit 326 is connected to the signal line 302.
- the N-channel MOS transistors 324 and 325 and the constant current power supplies 321 to 323 constitute a differential amplifier, and the image signal and the reference voltage input to the gates of the N-channel MOS transistors 324 and 325 are compared.
- the result of this comparison is output from the drain of N-channel MOS transistor 325.
- the potential of the drain of the N-channel MOS transistor 325 is at a high level (H level).
- the potential of the drain of the N-channel MOS transistor 325 shifts to a low level (L level). This transition occurs when the reference voltage and the image signal voltage are substantially equal.
- the comparison unit 329 can detect that the reference voltage and the voltage of the image signal are substantially equal, and output the same to the count unit 326.
- the output of the comparison unit 329 is output to the count unit 326 via the signal line 304.
- the counting unit 326 is a counter that starts counting when the comparison unit 329 starts comparison, and stops counting when the comparison unit 329 detects a match between the reference signal and the image signal. This count value is output as a result of AD conversion.
- the counting unit 326 performs CDS by performing both up-counting and down-counting. Details of the operation of the counting unit 326 will be described later.
- FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the reference voltage generation unit 500 according to the first embodiment of the present technology.
- the reference voltage generation unit 500 includes a count unit 510, a digital-analog conversion unit (DAC: Digital Analog Converter) 520, and a resistor 530.
- DAC Digital Analog Converter
- the counting unit 510 is a counter that generates a digital reference voltage.
- the count unit 510 generates a ramp-shaped reference voltage by down-counting a digital value corresponding to the reference voltage.
- the digital / analog conversion unit 520 converts the digital reference voltage generated by the count unit 510 into an analog reference current.
- the digital-analog converter 520 converts the reference voltage input as a digital value into an analog value and outputs it as a current. That is, conversion from voltage to current is performed together with conversion from a digital signal to an analog signal.
- the resistor 530 converts the current output from the digital / analog converter 520 into a voltage.
- the resistor 530 is connected between the output of the digital-analog converter 520 and the second ground line 303.
- the output current of the digital / analog conversion unit 520 flows to the ground line 303 through the resistor 530, thereby being converted into the reference voltage Vramp and output to the signal line 501.
- the count unit 510 starts to count down the set initial value under the control of a control unit (not shown). In synchronization with this, the comparison operation and counting of the comparison unit 329 and the count unit 326 in the analog-digital conversion unit 320 are started.
- FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the AD conversion operation according to the first embodiment of the present technology.
- the figure shows the state of AD conversion in the analog-digital conversion unit 320.
- the figure also shows the relationship between the output signal Vo of the pixel 110, the reference voltage Vramp, the output of the comparison unit 329, the output of the count unit 326, and the low ground potential Vss input to the analog-digital conversion unit 320.
- the broken line described in the waveform of the low ground potential Vss represents the potential of 0V.
- the AD conversion operation shown in the figure is started in response to the output of the reset signal from the pixel 110 described above.
- a reset signal is output from the pixel 110 as the output signal Vo (T1).
- the count unit 510 of the reference voltage generation unit 500 starts down-counting, and the reference voltage Vramp decreases to a ramp shape, that is, decreases linearly.
- the count unit 326 starts down-counting (T2).
- the output of the comparison unit 329 changes from the H level to the L level.
- the count unit 326 stops down-counting (T3).
- the counting unit 510 continues the down-counting and stops the down-counting after a predetermined period has elapsed (T4).
- the count unit 510 is initialized and the output of the comparison unit 329 also changes from the L level to the H level (T5).
- the count unit 326 holds a count value. As a result, the digital value corresponding to the reset voltage is held in the count unit 326.
- the count unit 326 holds the reset voltage by down-counting performed during the reset voltage conversion period. By performing up-counting from the held count value during the image signal conversion period, the reset voltage can be subtracted from the image signal. Thereby, CDS is executed.
- FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a change in the low ground potential according to the first embodiment of the present technology.
- the figure shows the relationship among the signals of the pixels 110, the constant current power supply 310 and the analog / digital conversion unit 320 of the horizontal transfer unit 300, the ground potential generation unit 400, the reference voltage generation unit 500, and the reference voltage correction unit 600. is there.
- the ground potential generation unit 400 shown in the figure includes a negative voltage power source 402 and a capacitor 403 connected in parallel.
- the voltage of the low ground potential Vss generated by the ground potential generation unit 400 changes due to load fluctuation when Vo is output from the pixel 110.
- the voltage also changes due to noise generated with the operation of the negative voltage power supply 402.
- the capacitor 403 reduces the change in the low ground potential Vss.
- the change in the low ground potential Vss becomes large. Since this ⁇ Vss is superimposed on the ground line of the pixel 110, the output signal Vo is affected and a change in ⁇ Vo occurs. Therefore, the reference voltage is corrected by the reference voltage correction unit 600. Specifically, ⁇ Vss is detected and a voltage corresponding to ⁇ Vo is superimposed on the reference voltage. As a result, ⁇ Vo is canceled and fluctuations in the image signal after AD conversion can be reduced.
- FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a reference voltage before correction according to the first embodiment of the present technology.
- the figure shows the relationship among the output signal Vo, the reference voltage Vramp before correction, the output of the comparison unit 329, and the low ground potential Vss.
- the broken line described in the reference voltage Vramp and the output waveform of the comparison unit 329 represents the waveform when the output signal Vo does not change.
- a change in ⁇ Vs occurs in the output signal Vo due to a change in ⁇ Vss in the low ground potential Vss.
- FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the corrected reference voltage according to the first embodiment of the present technology.
- ⁇ Vo ′ is corrected for the reference voltage Vramp.
- the two-dot chain line described in the waveform of the reference voltage Vramp and the output of the comparison unit 329 is a line indicating the waveform in FIG. 8 for comparison.
- FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the reference voltage correction unit 600 according to the first embodiment of the present technology.
- the reference voltage correction unit 600 in FIG. 9A includes constant current power supplies 602 and 609, N channel MOS transistor 608, P channel MOS transistors 606 and 607, resistors 603 to 605, and a capacitor 611.
- the sources of the P channel MOS transistors 606 and 607 are connected to the signal line 103.
- the drain of P channel MOS transistor 606 is connected to the gate of P channel MOS transistor 607 and the drain of N channel MOS transistor 608.
- the drain of the P-channel MOS transistor 607 is connected to one end of the constant current power source 609, and the other end of the constant current power source 609 is connected to the second ground line 303.
- the source of the N-channel MOS transistor 608 is connected to one end of the resistor 605, and the other end of the resistor 605 is connected to the second ground line 303.
- One end of the constant current power source 602 is connected to the signal line 103, and the other end is connected to one end of the resistors 603 and 604.
- resistors 603 and 604 are connected to second ground line 303 and the gate of N-channel MOS transistor 608, respectively.
- Capacitor 611 is connected between the gate of N-channel MOS transistor 608 and first ground line 401.
- Signal lines 501 and 601 are connected in common within reference voltage correction unit 600 and connected to the drain of P-channel MOS transistor 607.
- the capacitor 611 is a coupling capacitor and inputs a change ⁇ Vss of the low ground potential Vss to the gate of the N-channel MOS transistor 608.
- N-channel MOS transistor 608 and resistor 605 constitute an amplifier circuit that amplifies ⁇ Vss and converts ⁇ Vss into a change ( ⁇ Id) in drain current Id.
- the constant current power source 602, the resistor 603, and the resistor 604 are bias circuits that supply a bias voltage to the gate of the N-channel MOS transistor 608.
- P-channel MOS transistors 606 and 607 form a current mirror circuit, and supply a current equal to Id to signal lines 501 and 601.
- the constant current power source 609 is a drain load of the P channel MOS transistor 607. The difference between the current flowing through the constant current power source 609 and Id becomes the current supplied to the signal lines 501 and 601.
- P-channel MOS transistors 606 and 607 and constant current power supply 609 constitute a correction circuit for
- the drain current Id set by the bias circuit flows through the N-channel MOS transistor 608.
- This Id and the current value of the constant current power source 609 are set to the same value.
- the current flowing from the reference voltage correction unit 600 to the signal lines 501 and 601 is 0A.
- the reference voltage correction unit 600 includes constant current power sources 622 and 629, an amplifier 624, P channel MOS transistors 626 and 627, resistors 623 to 625, and a capacitor 631.
- the reference voltage correction unit 600 corresponds to a circuit in which the amplifying unit including the N-channel MOS transistor 608 and the resistor 605 in FIG. .
- FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing procedure of a reference voltage correction process according to the first embodiment of the present technology.
- the pixel 110 outputs an image signal to the horizontal transfer unit 300 (step S901).
- the reference voltage generation unit 500 generates a reference voltage (step S902).
- the reference voltage correction unit 600 corrects the reference voltage (step S903).
- the analog / digital conversion unit 320 performs AD conversion of the image signal based on the corrected reference voltage (step S904).
- the reference voltage Vramp is corrected according to the change in the low ground potential Vss applied to the pixel, and AD conversion of the image signal is performed based on this. For this reason, when the image signal fluctuates due to the change in the low ground potential Vss, the fluctuation of the image signal after AD conversion can be reduced.
- the ground potential generation unit 400 always generates the low ground potential Vss.
- the operation of the ground potential generation unit 400 is stopped during the period of AD conversion of the image signal. Thereby, the influence of noise generated by the ground potential generation unit 400 is reduced.
- FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the solid-state imaging device 10 according to the second embodiment of the present technology.
- This solid-state imaging device 10 is different from the solid-state imaging device 10 described in FIG. 1 in that a ground potential control unit 700 is provided.
- the ground potential control unit 700 controls the ground potential generation unit 400.
- the ground potential control unit 700 stops the generation of the low ground potential Vss in the ground potential generation unit 400 while the analog-digital conversion unit 320 of the horizontal transfer unit 300 performs AD conversion.
- the ground potential generator 400 generates a low ground potential Vss based on the control by the ground potential controller 700.
- the ground potential generation unit 400 is configured by a switching regulator or the like. For this reason, noise is generated as the low ground potential Vss is generated. This noise is superimposed on the image signal after AD conversion, and the image quality is degraded. Therefore, in the second embodiment of the present technology, the ground potential generation unit 400 is stopped during a period in which the analog-digital conversion unit 320 performs AD conversion, thereby reducing noise and preventing deterioration in image quality. . However, since the low ground potential Vss is not supplied during the period when the ground potential generation unit 400 is stopped, the low ground potential Vss gradually decreases (approaches 0 V). Since the image signal is affected by the change in the low ground potential Vss, the reference voltage correction unit 600 corrects the reference voltage.
- the configuration of the solid-state imaging device 10 is the same as the configuration of the solid-state imaging device 10 described with reference to FIG.
- FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating correction of the reference voltage in the second embodiment of the present technology.
- the figure shows the relationship among the low ground potential Vss, the output signal Vo, the reference voltage Vramp before correction, and the reference voltage Vramp after correction.
- the ground potential control unit 700 controls the ground potential generation unit 400 to stop the generation of the low ground potential Vss during the period in which the analog-digital conversion unit 320 performs AD conversion. After the AD conversion of the analog / digital conversion unit 320 is completed, the ground potential control unit 700 controls the ground potential generation unit 400 to resume the generation of the low ground potential Vss.
- the ground potential control unit 700 repeats this control for each line and causes the ground potential generation unit 400 to operate intermittently.
- the reference voltage correction unit 600 corrects the reference voltage. As shown in the figure, it is possible to correct the reference voltage Vramp in accordance with the change in ⁇ Vo and reduce the fluctuation of the image signal after AD conversion.
- the operation of the ground potential generation unit 400 is stopped and the reference voltage is corrected during the AD conversion period. Thereby, the noise of an image signal can be reduced and the fall of image quality can be prevented.
- the pixel array portion and other portions are formed on the same semiconductor chip.
- these are formed on different semiconductor chips. Thereby, the low ground potential Vss and the ground potential GND can be easily separated.
- FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the solid-state imaging device 10 according to the third embodiment of the present technology.
- the solid-state imaging device 10 includes a pixel array chip 810 and a peripheral circuit chip 820.
- the pixel array chip 810 is a semiconductor chip on which the pixel array unit 100 is formed. That is, the pixel array chip 810 is a semiconductor chip on which a circuit that operates based on the low ground potential Vss is formed.
- the pixel array unit 100 is formed in the well region 811 of the pixel array chip 810.
- the first ground line 401 is connected to the well region 811 and is grounded to the low ground potential Vss.
- the peripheral circuit chip 820 is a chip on which the vertical driving unit 200, the horizontal transfer unit 300, the reference voltage generation unit 500, the reference voltage correction unit 600, and the ground potential generation unit 400 are formed.
- This peripheral circuit chip is a semiconductor chip on which a circuit or the like that operates based on the ground potential GND is formed.
- the vertical drive unit 200 and the like are formed in the well region 821 of the peripheral circuit chip 820, and the second ground line 303 is connected to the well region 821, and is grounded to the ground potential GND.
- the solid-state imaging device 10 As described above, in the solid-state imaging device 10 according to the third embodiment of the present technology, circuits and the like grounded to the low ground potential Vss and the ground potential GND are formed in different semiconductor chips. Therefore, the first ground line 401 and the second ground line for grounding to these potentials can be connected to the well region 811 and the well region 821, respectively.
- the configuration of the pixel array unit 100 and the like is the same as that of the solid-state imaging device 10 described in FIG.
- the solid-state imaging device 10 includes the pixel array chip 810 and the peripheral circuit chip 820, and the first ground line 401 is connected to the well region of the pixel array chip 810. . Thereby, the low ground potential Vss and the ground potential GND can be easily separated.
- the low ground potential Vss lower than the ground potential of the peripheral circuit is applied to the pixel. Even if the low ground potential Vss changes, the conversion of the image signal after conversion can be reduced by correcting the reference voltage and performing AD conversion of the image signal. Thereby, it is possible to prevent a decrease in image quality.
- the processing procedure described in the above embodiment may be regarded as a method having a series of these procedures, and a program for causing a computer to execute these series of procedures or a recording medium storing the program. You may catch it.
- a recording medium for example, a CD (Compact Disc), an MD (MiniDisc), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a memory card, a Blu-ray disc (Blu-ray (registered trademark) Disc), or the like can be used.
- this technique can also take the following structures. (1) a pixel that operates based on a first ground potential applied to a first ground line and outputs an analog image signal corresponding to the irradiated light; A reference that operates based on a second ground potential higher than the first ground potential applied to a second ground line and serves as a reference when performing conversion from the analog image signal to the digital image signal An analog-to-digital converter that performs the conversion based on a voltage; A reference voltage generation unit that operates based on the second ground potential and generates the reference voltage; A solid-state imaging device comprising: a reference voltage correction unit that corrects the generated reference voltage according to a change in the first ground potential and supplies the corrected reference voltage to the analog-digital conversion unit.
- the solid-state imaging device further including a ground potential generation unit that generates the first ground potential and applies the first ground potential to the first ground line.
- the solid-state imaging device further including a ground potential control unit that stops the generation operation of the first ground potential in the reference voltage generation unit during the conversion in the analog-digital conversion unit. .
- the analog-digital converter is A comparison unit that detects a match between the analog image signal and the reference voltage by comparing the analog image signal and the reference voltage;
- the solid unit according to any one of (1) to (3), further including a count unit that counts in a period from the start of the comparison to the detection in the comparison unit and outputs a count value as the digital image signal. Imaging device.
- the solid-state imaging device according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the same power supply voltage is applied to the pixel and the analog-digital conversion unit.
- (6) a plurality of the pixels arranged in a matrix shape; A plurality of the analog-to-digital converters that respectively perform the conversion on the analog image signals output from the plurality of pixels arranged in one row; Comprising The solid-state imaging device according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the reference voltage correction unit supplies the same corrected reference voltage to each of the plurality of analog-digital conversion units.
- the first ground potential is applied to a well region of the semiconductor chip in which the pixel is formed on a different semiconductor chip from the analog-digital conversion unit and the reference voltage generation unit.
- the solid-state imaging device according to any one of (1) to (6).
- An image signal output procedure that operates based on the first ground potential applied to the first ground line and outputs an analog image signal corresponding to the irradiated light;
- a reference that operates based on a second ground potential higher than the first ground potential applied to a second ground line and serves as a reference when performing conversion from the analog image signal to the digital image signal
- An analog-to-digital conversion procedure for performing the conversion based on the voltage An analog-to-digital conversion procedure for performing the conversion based on the voltage;
- a reference voltage generating procedure that operates based on the second ground potential and generates the reference voltage;
- a solid-state imaging device driving method comprising: a reference voltage correction procedure that corrects the generated reference voltage according to a change in the first ground potential and supplies the corrected reference voltage to the analog-to-digital converter.
- Solid-state imaging device 100 Pixel array part 110 Pixel 200 Vertical drive part 300 Horizontal transfer part 303 2nd ground line 310 Constant current power supply 320 Analog-digital conversion part 326, 510 Count part 329 Comparison part 330 Image signal transfer part 400 Ground potential generation Unit 401 first ground line 500 reference voltage generation unit 520 digital analog conversion unit 530 resistor 600 reference voltage correction unit 700 ground potential control unit 810 pixel array chip 811, 821 well region 820 peripheral circuit chip
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Abstract
Description
1.第1の実施の形態(接地電位生成部を常時動作させた場合の例)
2.第2の実施の形態(接地電位生成部を間欠動作させた場合の例)
3.第3の実施の形態(画素アレイ部が形成されたウェル領域に第1の接地線を接続する場合の例)
[固体撮像装置の構成]
図1は、本技術の第1の実施の形態における固体撮像装置10の構成例を示す図である。この固体撮像装置10は、画素アレイ部100と、垂直駆動部200と、水平転送部300と、接地電位生成部400と、参照電圧生成部500と、参照電圧補正部600とを備える。
図2は、本技術の第1の実施の形態における画素110の構成例を示す図である。この画素110は、光電変換部111と、電荷転送部113と、電荷保持部115と、電荷排出部114と、増幅部116と、選択部117と、オーバーフロードレイン112とを備える。なお、オーバーフロードレイン112、電荷転送部113、電荷排出部114、増幅部116および選択部117は、NチャンネルMOSトランジスタにより構成される。
オーバーフロードレイン制御信号線OFDからオン信号が入力されるとオーバーフロードレイン112は導通し、光電変換部111のカソードに電源電圧Vddが印加される。これにより、光電変換部111に蓄積された電荷が排出され、画素110は初期化、すなわちリセットされる。その後、露光量に応じた電荷が新たに生成されて、光電変換部111に蓄積される。すなわち、露光が開始される。
図3は、本技術の第1の実施の形態における水平転送部300の構成例を示す図である。この水平転送部300は、定電流電源310と、アナログデジタル変換部(ADC:Analog Digital Converter)320と、画像信号転送部330とを備える。
図4は、本技術の第1の実施の形態におけるアナログデジタル変換部320の構成例を示す図である。同図のアナログデジタル変換部320は、比較部329と、カウント部326とを備える。
図5は、本技術の第1の実施の形態における参照電圧生成部500の構成例を示す図である。この参照電圧生成部500は、カウント部510と、デジタルアナログ変換部(DAC:Digital Analog Converter)520と、抵抗530とを備える。
図6は、本技術の第1の実施の形態におけるAD変換動作の一例を示す図である。同図は、アナログデジタル変換部320におけるAD変換の様子を表したものである。また、同図は、アナログデジタル変換部320に入力された画素110の出力信号Vo、参照電圧Vramp、比較部329の出力およびカウント部326の出力ならびに低接地電位Vssの関係を表したものである。同図において、低接地電位Vssの波形に記載された破線は、0Vの電位を表すものである。また、同図に表したAD変換動作は、前述した画素110からのリセット信号の出力に伴い開始される。
まず、画素110からリセット信号が出力信号Voとして出力される(T1)。リセット信号が安定した後に参照電圧生成部500のカウント部510がダウンカウントを開始し、参照電圧Vrampがランプ形状に低下、すなわち直線的に低下する。同時に、カウント部326がダウンカウントを開始する(T2)。その後、出力信号Voおよび参照電圧Vrampが一致した時、比較部329の出力がHレベルからLレベルに遷移する。これにより、カウント部326はダウンカウントを停止する(T3)。カウント部510は、ダウンカウントを継続し、所定の期間の経過後に、ダウンカウントを停止する(T4)。その後、カウント部510が初期化されるとともに比較部329の出力もLレベルからHレベルに遷移する(T5)。一方、カウント部326は、カウント値を保持する。これによりカウント部326にリセット電圧に相当するデジタル値が保持される。
次に、画素110から画像信号が出力信号Voとして出力される(T6)。その後、このVoが安定するまで待機する。
セトリング期間の経過後、カウント部510のダウンカウントが開始され、再度参照電圧Vrampがランプ形状に低下する。同時に、カウント部326は、アップカウントを開始する(T7)。その後、Voおよび参照電圧Vrampが一致して、比較部329の出力がHレベルからLレベルに遷移する。これにより、カウント部326はアップカウントを停止する(T8)。カウント部510は、ダウンカウントを継続し、所定の期間の経過後に、ダウンカウントを停止する(T9)。その後、カウント部510が初期化されるとともに比較部329の出力もLレベルからHレベルに遷移する(T10)。一方、カウント部326は、カウント値を保持する。このカウント値は、AD変換された画像信号として画像信号転送部330により水平転送される。
図7は、本技術の第1の実施の形態における低接地電位の変化を示す図である。同図は、画素110、水平転送部300の定電流電源310およびアナログデジタル変換部320、接地電位生成部400、参照電圧生成部500ならびに参照電圧補正部600の信号等の関係を表した図である。便宜上、同図の接地電位生成部400は、並列に接続された負電圧電源402およびキャパシタ403により構成される例を想定する。
図8は、本技術の第1の実施の形態における補正前の参照電圧を示す図である。同図は、出力信号Vo、補正前の参照電圧Vramp、比較部329の出力および低接地電位Vssの関係を表したものである。なお、参照電圧Vrampおよび比較部329の出力の波形に記載された破線は、出力信号Voが変化しなかった場合の波形を表したものである。同図に表したように、低接地電位VssにΔVssの変化が生じたことにより、出力信号VoにΔVoの変化が生じる。このVoと補正前の参照電圧Vrampが比較されるため、比較部329の出力がHレベルからLレベルに遷移する時期がT8からT8'に変化し、AD変換された画像信号に誤差を生じることとなる。
図10は、本技術の第1の実施の形態における参照電圧補正部600を例示する図である。同図におけるaの参照電圧補正部600は、定電流電源602および609と、NチャンネルMOSトランジスタ608と、PチャンネルMOSトランジスタ606および607と、抵抗603乃至605と、キャパシタ611とを備える。
図11は、本技術の第1の実施の形態における参照電圧補正処理の処理手順の一例を示す図である。まず、画素110が画像信号を水平転送部300に対して出力する(ステップS901)。次に、参照電圧生成部500が参照電圧を生成する(ステップS902)。次に、参照電圧補正部600が参照電圧の補正を行う(ステップS903)。最後に、アナログデジタル変換部320が補正された参照電圧に基づいて画像信号のAD変換を行う(ステップS904)。
上述の実施の形態では、接地電位生成部400が常時、低接地電位Vssの生成を行っていた。これに対し、本技術の第2の実施の形態では、画像信号のAD変換を行う期間に、接地電位生成部400の動作を停止させる。これにより、接地電位生成部400が発生するノイズの影響を低減する。
図12は、本技術の第2の実施の形態における固体撮像装置10の構成例を示す図である。この固体撮像装置10は、接地電位制御部700を備える点で、図1において説明した固体撮像装置10と異なる。
図13は、本技術の第2の実施の形態における参照電圧の補正を示す図である。同図は、低接地電位Vss、出力信号Vo、補正前の参照電圧Vrampおよび補正後の参照電圧Vrampの関係を表したものである。接地電位制御部700は、アナログデジタル変換部320がAD変換を行う期間に、接地電位生成部400を制御して低接地電位Vssの生成を停止させる。アナログデジタル変換部320のAD変換が終了した後、接地電位制御部700は、接地電位生成部400を制御して低接地電位Vssの生成を再開させる。接地電位制御部700は、この制御をライン毎に繰返し行い、接地電位生成部400を間欠動作させる。このため、同図の低接地電位Vssは、接地電位生成部400が動作を停止した期間に変化する。この変化の影響を受け、出力信号VoにΔVoの変化が生じる。そこで、参照電圧補正部600により参照電圧の補正を行う。同図に表したように、ΔVoの変化に応じて参照電圧Vrampを補正し、AD変換後の画像信号の変動を低減することができる。
上述の第1の実施の形態では、画素アレイ部とそれ以外の部分を同一の半導体チップに形成していた。これに対し、本技術の第3の実施の形態では、これらを異なる半導体チップに形成する。これにより、低接地電位Vssおよび接地電位GNDの分離を容易にすることができる。
図14は、本技術の第3の実施の形態における固体撮像装置10の構成例を示す図である。この固体撮像装置10は、画素アレイチップ810と、周辺回路チップ820とを備える。
(1)第1の接地線に印加される第1の接地電位に基づいて動作し、照射された光に応じたアナログの画像信号を出力する画素と、
第2の接地線に印加される前記第1の接地電位より高い第2の接地電位に基づいて動作し、前記アナログの画像信号からデジタルの前記画像信号への変換を行う際の基準となる参照電圧に基づいて前記変換を行うアナログデジタル変換部と、
前記第2の接地電位に基づいて動作し、前記参照電圧を生成する参照電圧生成部と、
前記第1の接地電位の変化に応じて前記生成された前記参照電圧を補正して前記アナログデジタル変換部に供給する参照電圧補正部と
を具備する固体撮像装置。
(2)前記第1の接地電位を生成して前記第1の接地線に印加する接地電位生成部をさらに具備する前記(1)に記載の固体撮像装置。
(3)前記アナログデジタル変換部における前記変換の際に前記参照電圧生成部における前記第1の接地電位の生成動作を停止させる接地電位制御部をさらに具備する前記(2)に記載の固体撮像装置。
(4)前記アナログデジタル変換部は、
前記アナログの画像信号および前記参照電圧を比較することにより前記アナログの画像信号および前記参照電圧の一致の検出を行う比較部と、
前記比較部における前記比較の開始から前記検出までの期間にカウントを行い、カウント値を前記デジタルの画像信号として出力するカウント部と
を備える
前記(1)から(3)のいずれかに記載の固体撮像装置。
(5)前記画素および前記アナログデジタル変換部に同一の電源電圧が印加される前記(1)から(4)のいずれかに記載の固体撮像装置。
(6)行列形状に配置される複数の前記画素と、
1行に配置された複数の前記画素から出力された前記アナログの画像信号に対してそれぞれ前記変換を行う複数の前記アナログデジタル変換部と、
を具備し、
前記参照電圧補正部は、前記複数のアナログデジタル変換部のそれぞれに同一の前記補正された前記参照電圧を供給する
前記(1)から(5)のいずれかに記載の固体撮像装置。
(7)前記画素と前記アナログデジタル変換部および前記参照電圧生成部とは異なる半導体チップに形成されるとともに前記画素が形成された前記半導体チップのウェル領域に前記第1の接地電位が印加される前記(1)から(6)のいずれかに記載の固体撮像装置。
(8)第1の接地線に印加される第1の接地電位に基づいて動作し、照射された光に応じたアナログの画像信号を出力する画像信号出力手順と、
第2の接地線に印加される前記第1の接地電位より高い第2の接地電位に基づいて動作し、前記アナログの画像信号からデジタルの前記画像信号への変換を行う際の基準となる参照電圧に基づいて前記変換を行うアナログデジタル変換手順と、
前記第2の接地電位に基づいて動作し、前記参照電圧を生成する参照電圧生成手順と、
前記第1の接地電位の変化に応じて前記生成された前記参照電圧を補正して前記アナログデジタル変換部に供給する参照電圧補正手順と
を具備する固体撮像装置の駆動方法。
100 画素アレイ部
110 画素
200 垂直駆動部
300 水平転送部
303 第2の接地線
310 定電流電源
320 アナログデジタル変換部
326、510 カウント部
329 比較部
330 画像信号転送部
400 接地電位生成部
401 第1の接地線
500 参照電圧生成部
520 デジタルアナログ変換部
530 抵抗
600 参照電圧補正部
700 接地電位制御部
810 画素アレイチップ
811、821 ウェル領域
820 周辺回路チップ
Claims (8)
- 第1の接地線に印加される第1の接地電位に基づいて動作し、照射された光に応じたアナログの画像信号を出力する画素と、
第2の接地線に印加される前記第1の接地電位より高い第2の接地電位に基づいて動作し、前記アナログの画像信号からデジタルの前記画像信号への変換を行う際の基準となる参照電圧に基づいて前記変換を行うアナログデジタル変換部と、
前記第2の接地電位に基づいて動作し、前記参照電圧を生成する参照電圧生成部と、
前記第1の接地電位の変化に応じて前記生成された前記参照電圧を補正して前記アナログデジタル変換部に供給する参照電圧補正部と
を具備する固体撮像装置。 - 前記第1の接地電位を生成して前記第1の接地線に印加する接地電位生成部をさらに具備する請求項1記載の固体撮像装置。
- 前記アナログデジタル変換部における前記変換の際に前記接地電位生成部における前記第1の接地電位の生成動作を停止させる接地電位制御部をさらに具備する請求項2記載の固体撮像装置。
- 前記アナログデジタル変換部は、
前記アナログの画像信号および前記参照電圧を比較することにより前記アナログの画像信号および前記参照電圧の一致の検出を行う比較部と、
前記比較部における前記比較の開始から前記検出までの期間にカウントを行い、カウント値を前記デジタルの画像信号として出力するカウント部と
を備える
請求項1記載の固体撮像装置。 - 前記画素および前記アナログデジタル変換部に同一の電源電圧が印加される請求項1記載の固体撮像装置。
- 行列形状に配置される複数の前記画素と、
1行に配置された複数の前記画素から出力された前記アナログの画像信号に対してそれぞれ前記変換を行う複数の前記アナログデジタル変換部と
を具備し、
前記参照電圧補正部は、前記複数のアナログデジタル変換部のそれぞれに同一の前記補正された前記参照電圧を供給する
請求項1記載の固体撮像装置。 - 前記画素と前記アナログデジタル変換部および前記参照電圧生成部とは異なる半導体チップに形成されるとともに前記画素が形成された前記半導体チップのウェル領域に前記第1の接地電位が印加される請求項1記載の固体撮像装置。
- 第1の接地線に印加される第1の接地電位に基づいて動作し、照射された光に応じたアナログの画像信号を出力する画像信号出力手順と、
第2の接地線に印加される前記第1の接地電位より高い第2の接地電位に基づいて動作し、前記アナログの画像信号からデジタルの前記画像信号への変換を行う際の基準となる参照電圧に基づいて前記変換を行うアナログデジタル変換手順と、
前記第2の接地電位に基づいて動作し、前記参照電圧を生成する参照電圧生成手順と、
前記第1の接地電位の変化に応じて前記生成された前記参照電圧を補正して前記アナログデジタル変換部に供給する参照電圧補正手順と
を具備する固体撮像装置の駆動方法。
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