Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080258044 | Detection of Optical Radiation - The central idea of the present invention is that a readout result of an optical detection unit which is based on accumulating photocharges can be improved when the charge carriers accumulated on a photodiode capacitance can be transferred to a readout capacitance before being read out by a readout unit, and when the state of the readout capacitance can be read out in a non-destructive manner by the readout unit, so that a noise portion in the readout signal can be corrected by reading out the readout capacitance during charge accumulation and again reading out the readout capacitance after the end of charge accumulation. Additionally, it becomes possible by the transfer to the readout capacitance to vary the sensitivity of the optical detection device within broad limits and to record a sequence of successive light pulses, without having to reset a photodiode before recording every single light pulse. | 10-23-2008 |
20090009645 | Image Sensor, Method for Operating an Image Sensor, and Computer Program - An image sensor includes a plurality of image elements configured to provide associated image element signals which are dependent on light intensities incident on the image elements. The image sensor includes an accumulation circuit with a plurality of charge storage elements, wherein the accumulation circuit is configured to change charges on the charge storage elements during a phase in dependence on image element signals of respectively associated image elements. The accumulation circuit is further configured to change an association between charge storage elements and associated image elements in successive phases, so that in operation, a charge on one of the charge storage elements depends on image element signals of plural image elements in a plurality of phases. | 01-08-2009 |
20090251579 | Image Sensor Circuit - An image sensor circuit includes a CMOS image sensor with light sensitive pixels arranged in rows and columns and a readout circuitry. The readout circuitry includes storage means with a CDS stage for storing signals read out from the pixels at two different time instants between two subsequent reset phases and an analogue-to-digital converter, wherein the CDS stage comprises a subtracting means for subtracting the stored signals from each other and wherein the result of the subtraction is fed to the analogue-to-digital converter as a differential signal. | 10-08-2009 |
20110037969 | CONCEPT FOR OPTICAL DISTANCE MEASUREMENT - The present invention relates to a concept for optical distance measurement, wherein a radiation pulse is emitted in the direction of an object of measurement. At least two different transfer gates which couple a photoactive region to at least two different evaluating capacities are driven during different drive intervals so that charge carriers generated during the drive intervals by a radiation pulse reflected from the object of measurement and/or by ambient radiation can be transported from the photoactive region to the evaluating capacities each coupled to the at least two transfer gates. Another transfer gate is driven during a time outside the drive intervals of the at least two transfer gates to connect the photoactive region to a reference potential terminal acting as a charge carrier sink during the time outside the drive intervals of the at least two transfer gates. | 02-17-2011 |
20130270610 | SEMICONDUCTOR STRUCTURE, METHOD OF OPERATING SAME, AND PRODUCTION METHOD - A semiconductor structure includes a semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type, a photosensitive zone configured such that photogenerated charges may be accumulated in a first potential well, a region of the first conductivity type, formed in the semiconductor layer, for temporarily storing the photogenerated charges in a second potential well, a transfer gate between the region of the second conductivity type and the photosensitive zone for defining a potential barrier between the first and second potential wells during a non-transfer phase, and for eliminating the potential barrier between the first and second potential wells during a transfer phase, and a readout structure for reading out the temporarily stored photogenerated charges, which includes a JFET, the gate of which is formed by the region of the second conductivity type. | 10-17-2013 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100308213 | Detector - A detector for detecting electromagnetic radiation includes a semiconductor substrate of a first doping type, and a well in the semiconductor substrate, the well being of a second doping type. The first doping type and the second doping type are different and the well has an increasing dopant concentration in a direction parallel to a surface of the semiconductor substrate. In addition, the detector includes a detector terminal doping region which is arranged at least partly in the well in a terminal region of the well. The detection of electromagnetic radiation is based on a generation of free charge carriers by the electromagnetic radiation in a detection region of the well. The detection region has a maximum dopant concentration which is lower than a maximum dopant concentration of the terminal region of the well. | 12-09-2010 |
20120268727 | Optical Distance Measuring Device and Method for Optical Distance Measurement - The present invention describes an optical distance measuring device having a pulsed radiation source that is implemented to transmit, in a temporally contiguous radiation pulse period, a radiation pulse having a pulse duration t | 10-25-2012 |
20130134299 | DETECTOR FOR DETECTING ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION WITH TRANSFER GATE AND DRAINING GATE - An electromagnetic radiation detector includes a semiconductor substrate of a first doping type, a well in the semiconductor substrate of a second doping type, two or more detector terminal doping regions, two or more transfer gates, and a collection gate. The first and second doping type are different and the well includes a rising dopant concentration in a direction parallel to a surface of the semiconductor substrate. The two detector terminal doping regions are arranged at least partly in a terminal region of the well. The detection of the electromagnetic radiation is based on a generation of free charge carriers by the electromagnetic radiation in a detection region of the well. The transfer gates control a transfer of free charge carriers to be or not to be evaluated in a region of the well. The collection gate collects free charge carriers in the stated region of the well. | 05-30-2013 |