Physical information acquisition method, a physical information acquisition apparatus, and a semiconductor device

Abstract

In particular for a solid-state image sensor with high resolution, a control line is not driven at any of two end points of the control line, but the control line is driven at two arbitrary dividing points on the control line. Preferably, two points on control line whose distance from a closer end of a range in which skew is to be suppressed is equal to ¼ of the total length of the range may be selected as the dividing points at which the control line is driven. In this case, the time constant at points farthest from the driving points becomes ¼ of that which occurs when the control line is driven at both end points thereof and 1/16 of that which occurs when the control line is driven at one end point thereof, and thus, theoretically, the skew can be reduced to ¼ or 1/16 of that which occurs when the control line is driven at both end points or only one end point.

1 . A physical information acquisition method of reading unit-element signals from a semiconductor device, the semiconductor device including unit elements arranged in a particular order, each unit element having a unit-element signal generation part for outputting a unit-element signal indicating a detected change in a physical quantity, wherein 
 a control line for driving unit elements to read unit-element signals from the respective unit elements is driven at a dividing point on the control line.    
     
     
         2 . A physical information acquisition method according to  claim 1 , wherein the control line is driven at a plurality of dividing points on the control line.  
     
     
         3 . A physical information acquisition method according to  claim 1 , wherein the control line is driven further at an end point of the effective range on the control line.  
     
     
         4 . A physical information acquisition method according to  claim 3 , wherein the control line is driven further at both end points of the effective range on the control line.  
     
     
         5 . A physical information acquisition method of reading unit-element signals from a semiconductor device, the semiconductor device including unit elements arranged in a particular order, each unit element having a unit-element signal generation part for outputting a unit-element signal indicating a detected change in a physical quantity, wherein 
 a control line is driven at a original driving point that results in a reduction in a maximum value of a product of load capacitance at an arbitrary driving point on the control line and line resistance between the arbitrary driving point and a driver unit that is connected to the original driving point.    
     
     
         6 . A information acquisition method of reading unit-element signals from a semiconductor device according to  claim 5 , wherein the maximum value is smaller than a value of a case in which the drive control line is driven at only one end.  
     
     
         7 . A information acquisition method of reading unit-element signals from a semiconductor device according to  claim 5 , wherein the maximum value is smaller than a value of a case in which the drive control line is driven at only two ends.  
     
     
         8 . A physical information acquisition apparatus for reading unit-element signals from a semiconductor device, the semiconductor device including unit elements arranged in a particular order, each unit element having a unit-element signal generation part for outputting a unit-element signal indicating a detected change in a physical quantity, the physical information acquisition apparatus comprising: 
 a drive control unit that drives a control line for driving unit elements to read unit-element signals from the respective unit elements such that the control line is driven at a dividing point on the control line.    
     
     
         9 . A physical information acquisition apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein the drive control unit drives the control line at a plurality of dividing points on the control line.  
     
     
         10 . A physical information acquisition apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein the drive control unit further drives the control line at an end point of the effective range on the control line.  
     
     
         11 . A physical information acquisition apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein the drive control unit further drives the control line at both end points of the effective range on the control line.  
     
     
         12 . A physical information acquisition method according to  claim 8 , further comprising the semiconductor device.  
     
     
         13 . A physical information acquisition apparatus of reading unit-element signals from a semiconductor device, the semiconductor device including unit elements arranged in a particular order, each unit element having a unit-element signal generation part for outputting a unit-element signal indicating a detected change in a physical quantity, comprising: 
 a drive control unit which drives a control line at a original driving point that results in a reduction in the maximum value of a product of load capacitance at an arbitrary driving point on the control line and line resistance between the arbitrary driving point and a driver unit that is connected to the original driving point.    
     
     
         14 . A physical information acquisition apparatus according to  claim 13 , further comprising the semiconductor device.  
     
     
         15 . A semiconductor device including unit elements arranged in a particular order, each unit element having a unit-element signal generation part for outputting a unit-element signal indicating a detected change in a physical quantity, the semiconductor device comprising: 
 a control line connected to unit elements located within an effective area, for driving the unit elements to read unit-element signals from the respective unit elements; and    a connection line via which to drive the control line at a dividing point within the effective range on the control line.    
     
     
         16 . A semiconductor device including unit elements arranged in a particular order, each unit element having a unit-element signal generation part for outputting a unit-element signal indicating a detected change in a physical quantity, the semiconductor device comprising: 
 a control line connected to unit elements located within an effective area, for driving the unit elements to read unit-element signals from the respective unit elements; and    a connection line via which to drive the control line at a original driving point that results in a reduction in a maximum value of a product of load capacitance at an arbitrary driving point on the control line and line resistance between the arbitrary driving point and a driver unit that is connected to the original driving point.