Television – Camera – system and detail – Solid-state image sensor
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-06
2001-12-25
Garber, Wendy R. (Department: 2612)
Television
Camera, system and detail
Solid-state image sensor
C348S222100, C348S247000, C348S310000, C348S340000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06333760
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an area isolation type solid-state image pickup device capable of effectively utilizing its semiconductor chip by dividing an element formation surface of the semiconductor chip into different signal processing areas.
A general solid-state image pickup device is such that its image pickup surface constitutes an area satisfying a standard television's aspect ratio. And is an image pickup element, its drive circuit and an image pickup signal processing circuit are each comprised of an independent IC chip.
As a camera, however, some types not necessarily require any image pickup area satisfying the standard television's aspect ratio, such as an industrial monitoring camera used for the purpose of monitoring only a subject of a given configuration for instance. Some industrial inspection cameras are adapted to inspect a bottle for instance. The camera taking a shot of a bottle is such that, in its image pickup element, an area on which an optical image of a subject is formed is part of its whole area and, in this case, the rest of the area is not used effectively.
In recent years, the semiconductor integration techniques have been markedly advanced to enable more and more elements to be formed on the element formation surface of a semiconductor chip. If consideration is paid to the effective use of such a semiconductor chip, more area has not been effectively used.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly the object of the present invention to provide an area isolation type solid-state image pickup device which enables more elements to be effectively used on the element formation surface of a semiconductor chip and, by doing so, can achieve an improvement in the manufacturing efficiency of semiconductor products.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object of the present invention, an image pickup area is formed on an element formation surface of a semiconductor chip in a way to correspond to an optical image configuration of a subject, the semiconductor chip serving as an image pickup element, and an element drive circuit as well as a processing section for processing a signal obtained from the image-processing area is formed on a section other than the image pickup area. By the above-mentioned means, more elements can be effectively used on the image pickup area and it is possible to improve the manufacturing efficiency of semiconductor products. Further, processing is made on an image pickup signal from a requisite minimal area, so that the burden of the signal processing section is alleviated.
Additional object and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The object and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
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Sugiki Tadashi
Terui Takashi
Garber Wendy R.
Kawasaki Kaisha Toshiba
Pillsbury & Winthrop
Vu Ngoc-Yen
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