SOLID-STATE IMAGING APPARATUS AND SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE

摘要

The present invention provides a small-sized inexpensive solid-state imaging apparatus. A D/A converter included in a successive comparison type A/D converter of the solid-state imaging apparatus includes a multiplexer which selects any of reference voltages VR0 to VR16 and sets it as an analog reference signal when coarse A/D conversion is performed, and which selects reference voltages VR (n−1) to VR (n+2) of the reference voltages VR0 to VR16 when fine A/D conversion is performed, and a capacitor array which generates an analog reference signal, based on the reference voltages VR (n−1) to VR (n+2) when the fine A/D conversion is performed. It is thus possible to reduce settling errors in reference voltage without using redundant capacitors.

主权项

1. A solid-state imaging apparatus comprising:
pixel circuits each of which outputs an analog pixel signal corresponding to an incident light quality; a reference voltage generating circuit which generates first through Nth reference voltages; and A/D converters of successive comparison type, each of which converts the analog pixel signal to an output digital signal based on the first through Nth reference voltages; wherein the A/D converter includes:
a D/A converter which converts a digital reference signal to an analog reference signal;a comparator which compares the analog pixel signal and the analog reference signal; anda successive approximation register which generates the digital reference signal based on an output signal of the comparator, and wherein the D/A converter includes:
a multiplexer which selects (n−1)th through (n+2)th reference voltages of the first through Nth reference voltages; anda capacitor array which receives the (n−1)th through (n+2)th reference voltages and outputs the analog reference signal.