Charge skimming solid-state imaging device including sampling circuits

Claim 2

A solid-state imaging device utilizing a charge skimming transfer technique comprising: a plurality of photodiodes for converting incident light into electrical charges, each photodiode corresponding to a pixel; a respective sampling circuit for each pixel for detecting the charges produced by the photodiode for the corresponding pixel in response to incident background light and for outputting a voltage level in response thereto; a charge input circuit for each pixel for transferring charges produced by the respective photodiodes in response to incident background light and incident signal light after skimming charges produced by the background light, receiving the voltage level from the corresponding sampling circuit and utilizing the voltage level output by the respective sampling circuit as a skimming voltage to skim background charges; and switching means for selectively, alternatively connecting, for each pixel, the respective photodiode to the corresponding charge input circuit and the corresponding sampling circuit.

Claim 3

A solid-state imaging device as defined in claim 1 wherein said sampling circuit includes a floating diffusion amplifier.

Claim 4

A solid-state imaging device as defined in claim 1 wherein said sampling circuit and said charge input circuit are disposed on the same substrate.

Claim 5

A solid-state imaging device as defined in claim 1 wherein said charge input circuit receives as an input the quantity of charge which is produced in response to incident light and transfers the charge in excess of a skimming level.

Claim 6

A solid-state imaging device as defined in claim 1 wherein said sampling circuit includes an output terminal and said charge input circuit includes a skimming electrode, and said output terminal is electrically connected to said skimming electrode.

Claim 7

In a solid-state imaging device utilizing a charge skimming transfer technique including a plurality of photodiodes for converting incident light into electrical charges, each photodiode corresponding to a pixel; a respective sampling circuit for each pixel for detecting the charges produced by the photodiode for the corresponding pixel in response to incident background light and for outputting a voltage level in response thereto; a charge input circuit for each pixel for transferring charges produced by the respective photodiodes in response to incident background light and incident signal light after skimming charges produced by the background light, receiving the voltage level from the corresponding sampling circuit, and utilizing the voltage level output by the respective sampling circuit as a skimming voltage to skim background charges; switching means for selectively, alternatively connecting the photodiode of a pixel to the corresponding charge input circuit and the corresponding sampling circuit of the respective pixel; and a wire connecting an output terminal of the respective sampling circuits to a skimming electrode of the respective charge input circuit; an electrical driving method comprising: establishing a skimming voltage level of the charge input circuit by detecting the voltage levels produced by the photodiodes in response to incident background light with the sampling circuits connected to the respective photodiodes through the switching means; and transferring signal charges produced by the photodiodes in response to incident background light and signal light by skimming the charges in excess of the respective skimming voltage levels, the skimming voltage levels being established when the respective charge input circuits are connected to the respective photodiodes, with the respective charge input circuits connected to the corresponding photodiodes by the switching means.

Claim 8

In a solid-state imaging device utilizing a charge skimming transfer technique including a plurality of photodiodes for converting incident light into electrical charges, each photodiode corresponding to a pixel; a respective sampling circuit for each pixel for detecting the charges produced by the photodiode for the corresponding pixel in response to incident background light and for outputting a voltage level in response thereto; a charge input circuit for each pixel for transferring charges produced by the respective photodiodes in response to incident background light and incident signal light after skimming charges produced by the background light, receiving the voltage level from the corresponding sampling circuit, and utilizing the voltage level output by the respective sampling circuit as a skimming voltage to skim background charges; switching means for selectively, alternatively connecting the photodiode of a pixel to the corresponding charge input circuit and the corresponding sampling circuit of the respective pixel; and a wire connecting an output terminal of the respective sampling circuits to a skimming electrode of the respective charge input circuit; an electrical driving method comprising: establishing a skimming voltage level of the charge input circuit by detecting the voltage levels produced by the photodiodes in response to incident background light with the sampling circuits connected to the respective photodiodes through the switching means; and transferring signal charges produced by the photodiodes in response to incident background light and signal light by skimming the charges in excess of the respective skimming voltage levels, the skimming voltage levels being established when the respective charge input circuits are connected to the respective photodiodes, with the respective charge input circuits connected to the corresponding photodiodes by the switching means.