Solid-state imaging device and method of detecting optical signals using the same
US6051857A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 17, 1998 |
| Grant date | Apr 18, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 17, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH10F39/803
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The present invention is a method for detecting photo signals using an imaging device, comprising steps of photo-generating holes in a well region 15 of a photo-diode by a signal light, transferring the photo-generated holes through a bulk of the well region 15 to a heavily doped buried layer 25 which is formed in the well region 15 near a source region 16 by doping that region with impurity heavier than the well region (15) of an insulated gate FET, storing the photo-generated holes in the heavily doped buried layer 25 to thereby change the threshold of the FET corresponding to the amount of the photo-generated charge, and reading the change in the threshold as the amount of signal light received by the photo-sensor.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.