Solid state image sensor with lateral-type stactic induction transistors

Claim 2

A solid state image sensor comprising: a semiconductor substrate having a major surface; a number of lateral type static induction transistors constituting pixels and arranged in said semiconductor substrate in a matrix, each of said lateral type static induction transistors comprising a source and drain regions formed in said major surface of the substrate in such a configuration that a source-drain current flows in parallel with the major surface of the substrate; and scanning means for selecting said lateral type static induction transistors successively by a source-gate selection method and for reading out a video signal from a selected lateral type static induction transistor by a source follower configuration; said scanning means comprising: a horizontal scanning circuit having outputs for generating horizontal scanningg signals, a vertical scanning circuit having outputs for generating vertical scannin signals, a video bias voltage source to which drain terminals of all the lateral type static induction transistors are commonly connected, a plurality of column lines each connected to respective source terminals of lateral type static induction transistors aligned on respective columns, a plurality of column selection switches each connected to respective column lines and having control terminals connected to the outputs of the horizontal scanning circuit, a video line connected commonly to the column selection switches, a load resistor connected between said video line and a ground potential, a plurality of row lines each connected to respective outputs of the vertical scanning circuit as well as to gate terminals of lateral type static induction transistors aligned on respective rows, and a video output terminal connected to a junction between the video line and the load resistor.

Claim 3

An image sensor according to claim 1, wherein said column selection switches are column selection transistors having source-drain current paths connected in series with respective column lines, and having gate terminals connected to respective outputs of the horizontal scanning circuit.

Claim 4

An image sensor according to claim 2, wherein said column lines are further connected via respective anti-selection transistors to a line connected to a constant potential, and gate terminals of said anti-selection transistors are connected to said respective outputs of the horizontal scanning circuit via respective inverters.

Claim 5

An image sensor according to claim 3, wherein said constant potential is set to the ground potential.

Claim 6

An image sensor according to claim 1, wherein said semiconductor substrate is connected to a constant bias voltage source having a plurality opposite to that of the video bias voltage source.

Claim 7

An image sensor according to claim 1, wherein said lateral type static induction transistors are of n-channel type.

Claim 8

A solid state image sensor comprising: a semiconductor substrate; a number of static induction transistors constituting pixels and arranged in said semiconductor substrate in a matrix; scanning means for selecting the static induction transistors successively by a source-gate selection method and for reading out a video signal from a selected static induction transistor by a source follower configuration; means for generating a dark current which is equal to a video signal read out of a pixel upon which light input is not incident, said means for generating the dark current comprising one dummy pixel formed integrally with said semiconductor substrate, said dummy pixel comprising a dummy static induction transistor and a light shielding film formed on the dummy static induction transistor, and said dummy static induction transistor being repeatedly read out every time the pixels are read out; and means for subtracting said dark current from said video signal to derive a corrected video signal.

Claim 9

A solid state image sensor comprising: a semiconductor substrate; a number of static induction transistors constituting pixels and arranged in said semiconductor substrate in a matrix; scanning means for selecting the static induction transistors successively by a source-gate selection method and for reading out a video signal from a selected static induction transistor by a source follower configuration; means for generating a dark current which is equal to a video signal read out of a pixel upon which light input is not incident, said means for generating the dark current comprising one dummy pixel formed integrally with said semiconductor substrate, said dummy pixel comprising a dummy static induction transistor and a light shielding film formed on the dummy static induction transistor, and said dummy static induction transistor being repeatedly read out every time the pixels are read out; and means for subtracting said dark current from said video signal to derive a corrected video signal.

Claim 10

An image sensor according to claim 7, wherein said static induction transistors forming the pixels and said dummy static induction transistors are lateral type static induction transistors.

Claim 11

An image sensor according to claim 8, wherein said scanning means comprises: a horizontal scanning circuit having outputs or generating horizontal scanning signals, a vertical scanning circuit having ouputs for generating vertical scanning signals, a video bias voltage source to which drain terminals of all the lateral type static transistors are commonly connected, a plurality of column lines each connected to source terminals of lateral type static induction transistors aligned on respective columns, a plurality of column selection switches each connected to respective column lines and having control terminals connected to the outputs of the horizontal scanning circuit, a video line connected commonly to the column selection switches, a load resistor connected between said video line and a ground potential, a plurality of row lines each connected to respective outputs of vertical scanning circuit as well as to gate terminals of lateral type static induction transistors aligned on respective rows, and a video output terminal connected to a junction between the video line and the load resistor, a gate terminal of said dummy static induction transistor of said dark current generating means being connected to an additional output of the vertical scanning circuit for producing a logic sum signal of the vertical scanning signals, a drain terminal of said dummy static induction transistor being connected to said video bias voltage source, a source terminal of said dummy static induction transistor being connected to a dark current output line via a selection transistor having a gate terminal connected to an additional output of the horizontal scanning circuit for generating a logic sum of the horizontal scanning signals, said dark current output line being connected to the ground potential via a load resistor having the same resistance as the load resistor connected to the video line, and wherein said subtracting means comprises a differential amplifier having a first input connected to the video line and a second output connected to the dark current output line.

Claim 12

An image sensor according to claim 9, wherein said column lines are further connected via respective anti-selection transistors to a line connected to a constant potential, gate terminals of said anti-selection transistors being connected to said respective outputs of the horizontal scanning circuit via respective inverters, and the source terminal of the dummy static induction transistor being connected to said line via connected to a constant potential an anti-selection transistor having a gate terminal connected to said additional output of the horizontal scanning circuit via an inverter.

Claim 13

A solid state image sensor comprising: a semiconductor substrate; a number of lateral type static induction transistors constituting pixels and arranged in said semiconductor substrate in a matrix; scanning means for selecting the static induction transistors successively by a source-gate selection method and for reading out a video signal from a selected static induction transistor by a source follower configuration; means for generating a dark current which is equal to a video signal read out of a pixel upon which light input is not made incident, said means for generating the dark current comprising a plurality of dummy pixels aligned on a column and a light sheilding film provided on the dummy pixels, a dummy pixel belonging to a row being repeatedly read out while pixels belonging to the relevant row are successively read out, each of said dummy pixels being formed by a dummy lateral type static induction transistor; and means for subtracting said dark current from said video signal to derive a corrected video signal.

Claim 14

A solid state image sensor comprising: a semiconductor substrate; a number of lateral type static induction transistors constituting pixels and arranged in said semiconductor substrate in a matrix; scanning means for selecting the static induction transistors successively by a source-gate selection method and for reading out a video signal from a selected static induction transistor by a source follower configuration; means for generating a dark current which is equal to a video signal read out of a pixel upon which light input is not made incident, said means for generating the dark current comprising a plurality of dummy pixels aligned on a column and a light sheilding film provided on the dummy pixels, a dummy pixel belonging to a row being repeatedly read out while pixels belonging to the relevant row are successively read out, each of said dummy pixels being formed by a dummy lateral type static induction transistor; and means for subtracting said dark current from said video signal to derive a corrected video signal.

Claim 15

An image sensor according to claim 11, wherein said scanning means comprises: a horizontal scanning circuit having outputs for generating horizontal scanning signals, a vertical scanning circuit having outputs for generating vertical scanning signals, a video bias voltage source to which drain terminals of all the lateral type static induction transistors are commonly connected, a plurality of column lines each connected to source terminals of lateral type static induction transistors aligned on respective columns, a plurality of column selection switches each connected to respective column lines and having control terminals connected to the outputs of the horizontal scanning circuit, a video line connected commonly to the column selection switches, a load resistor connected between said video line and a ground potential, a plurality of row lines each connected to respective outputs of the vertical scanning circuit as well as to gate terminals of lateral type static induction transistors aligned on respective rows, and a video output terminal connected to a junction between the video line and the load resistor, gate terminals of the dummy lateral type static induction transistors being connected to respective row lines, drain terminals of the dummy lateral type static induction transistors being commonly connected to the video bias voltage source, source terminals of the dummy lateral type static induction transistors being connected to a dark current output line via a selection transistor having a gate terminal connected to an additional output of the horizontal scanning circuit for generating a logic sum of the horizontal scanning signals, said dark current output line being connected to the ground potential via a load resistor having the same resistance as that of the load resistor connected to the video line, and wherein said subtracting means comprises a differential amplfier having a first input connected to the video line and a second output connected to the dark current output line.

Claim 16

An image sensor according to claim 12, wherein said column lines are further connected via respective anti-selection transistors to a line connected to a constant potential, gate terminals of said anti-selection transistors being connected to said respective outputs of the horizontal scanning circuit via respective inverters, and the source terminals of the dummy lateral type static induction transistor being connected to said line connected to a constant potential via an anti-selection transistor having a gate terminal connected to said additional output of the horizontal scanning circuit via an inverter.

Claim 17

An image sensor according to claim 13, wherein said means for generating the dark current comprises means for selecting and reading out a static induction transistor which is situated near a static induction transistor to be read out and has been read out immediately before the relevant static induction transistor.

Claim 18

An image sensor according to claim 14, wherein said static induction transistor from which the dark current is to be read out belongs to the same column to which the relevant static induction transistor belongs, and belongs to a row preceding that to which the relevant static induction transistor belongs.

Claim 19

An image sensor according to claim 15, wherein said scanning means comprises: a horizontal scanning circuit having outputs for generating horizontal scanning signals, a vertical scanning circuit having outputs for generating vertical scanning signals, a video bias voltage source to which drain terminals of all the static induction transistors are commonly connected, a plurality of row lines to each of which gate terminals of static induction transistors aligned on respective rows are connected, a plurality of first column lines and a plurality of second column lines to each of which source terminals of alternating static induction transistors aligned on respective columns are connected, first and second video lines connectable to said first and second column lines, respectively via first and second column selection switches, and first and second load resistors connected between the ground potential and the first and second video lines, respectively, whereby said first and second column selection switches belonging to respective columns are successively driven by the horizontal scanning signals; and said subtracting means comprises a differential amplifier having first and second inputs connected to the first and second video lines, respectively.

Claim 20

An image sensor according to claim 16, wherein said subtracting means further comprises a circuit connected to an output of the differential amplifier for deriving an absolute value of a differential output signal from the differential amplifier.

Claim 21

An image sensor according to claim 17, wherein said static induction transistors are lateral type static induction transistors.

Claim 22

An image sensor according to claim 16, wherein each of the vertical scanning signals supplied from the vertical scanning circuit has a readout voltage level lasting substantially for two successive line periods, and has a reset voltage level interposed between the successive line periods of readout voltage level.

Claim 23

An image sensor according to claim 16, wherein said frist and second column selection switches are formed by column selection transistors, source-drain current paths of first and second column selection transistors belonging to respective columns being connected to first and second column lines belonging to respective columns, and gate terminals of the first and second column selection transistors belonging to respective columns being connected commonly to respective outputs of the horizontal scanning circuit.

Claim 24

An image sensor according to claim 20, wherein said first and second column lines are further connected via respective first and second anti-selection transistors to a line connected to a constant potential, gate terminals of said first and second anti-selection transistors being connected to respective outputs of the horizontal scanning circuit via respective inverters.

Claim 25

An image sensor according to claim 21, wherein said constant potential is set to the ground potential.

Claim 26

An image sensor according to claim 7, wherein said semiconductor substrate is connected to a constant bias voltage source having a polarity opposite to that of the video bias voltage source.