Solid-state imaging device, driving method of solid-state imaging device, and electronic apparatus

摘要

A solid-state imaging device with unit pixels which have a photoelectric conversion element, an electric charge transferring/accumulating unit with multiple levels able to transfer electric charge generated in the photoelectric conversion element and accumulate the electric charge, and an electric charge detection unit that holds the electric charge transferred from the photoelectric conversion element, where, after resetting the photoelectric conversion element, all unit pixels simultaneously transfer signal electric charges, which are generated in the photoelectric conversion element during continuous exposure times of which each has a different duration, to the electric charge transferring/accumulating units and accumulate the signal electric charges in the different respective electric charge transferring/accumulating units, and in units of one or more pixels, the signal electric charges is transferred to the electric charge detecting unit and a plurality of signals which respectively corresponds to the plurality of signal electric charges is read out.

主权项

1. A solid-state imaging device comprising:
a plurality of unit pixels arranged two-dimensionally in rows and columns, each unit pixel including (i) a photoelectric conversion element, (ii) a plurality of electric charge transferring and accumulating units that are each configured to transfer and accumulate an electric charge that is generated in the photoelectric conversion element, and (iii) a floating diffusion region that holds the electric charge transferred from the photoelectric conversion element via the electric charge transferring and accumulating units so as to be read out as a signal, wherein,
the solid-state imaging device is configured such that (i) all of the plurality of unit pixels simultaneously transfer in order a plurality of signal electric charges to the plurality of electric charge transferring and accumulating units in each respective unit pixel, the plurality of signal electric charges being generated in the photoelectric conversion element of each unit pixel of the plurality of unit pixels during a plurality of continuous exposure times of which each has a different duration, and being accumulated in different respective electric charge transferring and accumulating units of the unit pixel, (ii) in each unit pixel of a target plurality of unit pixels, the plurality of signal electric charges are transferred to the floating diffusion region in the order of being transferred to the electric charge transferring and accumulating units and a plurality of signals respectively corresponding to the plurality of signal electric charges are read out from the floating diffusion region, and (iii) the floating diffusion region is reset before each of the plurality of signals are read out from the floating diffusion region, andthe solid-state imaging device is further configured such that, in addition to the floating diffusion region being reset before the readout of each of the plurality of signals therefrom, the photoelectric conversion element in each unit pixel of the plurality of unit pixels is reset, the photoelectric conversion element being reset such that unnecessary electric charge accumulated in the photoelectric conversion element is transferred via the plurality of electric charge transferring and accumulating units to the floating diffusion region to be discharged from the floating diffusion region, the unnecessary electric charge being transferred to a first one out of the plurality of electric charge transferring and accumulating units before a first exposure time out of the plurality of continuous exposure times starts.