Sense circuit and method of operation thereof and photoelectric conversion array connected to inverting input of sense circuit

摘要

A sense circuit includes a differential amplifier circuit including an inverting input section, a non-inverting input section and an output section, an electrical capacitor connected between the inverting input section and the output section, and a field effect transistor including a source, a drain, and a gate. One of the source and the drain is connected to the inverting input section, and the other of the source and the drain is connected to the output section. A reference potential is supplied to the non-inverting input section, and an output section of a photoelectric conversion cell having an added switching function is connected to the inverting input section.

主权项

1. A method of operation of a sense circuit configured to be connected to a photoelectric conversion cell amongst a plurality of photoelectric conversion cells in a photoelectric conversion array, each cell amongst the plurality of photoelectric conversion cells having its own output section to output an electric current or electric charge, the sense circuit comprising:
a differential amplifier circuit including an inverting input section, a non-inverting input section, and an output section; an electrical capacitor connected between the inverting input section and the output section; and a first field effect transistor including a first source, a first drain, and a first gate, wherein one of the first source and the first drain is connected to the inverting input section, and the other of the first source and the first drain is connected to the output section, wherein a reference potential is supplied to the non-inverting input section, an output section of the photoelectric conversion cell to output an electric current or electric charge, with an output line of the photoelectric conversion array connected with the output section of the photoelectric conversion cell, is directly connected to the inverting input section, the photoelectric conversion cell is configured so that, when an output control potential supplied to a control section of the photoelectric conversion cell is an off-state potential, the output section of the photoelectric conversion cell does not output significant electronic information (although it produces an output on the order of magnitude of leakage current), and so that, when the output control potential changes into an on-state potential, the output section outputs electronic information as the electric current or electric charge, before the output control potential of the photoelectric conversion cell turns into the on-state potential, a potential to make the first field effect transistor off is supplied to the first gate, the output control potential of the photoelectric conversion cell is changed into the on-state potential, and thereby, during a first time period, the output section of the photoelectric conversion cell supplies the electric current or electric charge to the inverting input section, during a second time period, the output control potential of the photoelectric conversion cell is held at the off-state potential thereby to hold a potential (or voltage) of the output section of the differential amplifier circuit, and thereafter, during a third time period, a potential to bring the first field effect transistor into conduction is supplied to the first gate, and after that, the potential to make the first field effect transistor off is supplied to the first gate.