Increasing the dynamic range of CMOS photodiode imagers
    1.
    发明申请
    Increasing the dynamic range of CMOS photodiode imagers 有权
    增加CMOS光电二极管成像器的动态范围

    公开(公告)号:US20060023092A1

    公开(公告)日:2006-02-02

    申请号:US11191603

    申请日:2005-07-27

    IPC分类号: H04N9/64

    摘要: A multiple-step reset process and circuit for resetting a voltage stored on a photodiode of an imaging device. A first stage of the reset occurs while a source and a drain of a pixel source-follower transistor are held at ground potential and the photodiode and a gate of the pixel source-follower transistor are charged to an initial reset voltage having potential less that of a supply voltage. A second stage of the reset occurs after the initial reset voltage is stored on the photodiode and the gate of the pixel source-follower transistor and the source and drain voltages of the pixel source-follower transistor are released from ground potential thereby allowing the source and drain voltages of the pixel source-follower transistor to assume ordinary values above ground potential and resulting in a capacitive feed-through effect that increases the voltage on the photodiode to a value greater than the initial reset voltage.

    摘要翻译: 一种用于重置存储在成像装置的光电二极管上的电压的多级复位处理和电路。 复位的第一阶段发生在像素源跟随器晶体管的源极和漏极保持在接地电位的同时,并且像素源极跟随器晶体管的光电二极管和栅极被充电到具有小于 电源电压。 复位的第二阶段在初始复位电压存储在光电二极管上并且像素源跟随器晶体管的栅极和像素源极 - 跟随器晶体管的源极和漏极电压从地电位释放之后发生,从而允许源极和源极 像素源极 - 跟随器晶体管的漏极电压将呈现高于地电位的普通值,并产生将光电二极管上的电压增加到大于初始复位电压的值的电容馈通效应。

    Analog bus driver and multiplexer
    2.
    发明申请
    Analog bus driver and multiplexer 有权
    模拟总线驱动器和多路复用器

    公开(公告)号:US20070012870A1

    公开(公告)日:2007-01-18

    申请号:US11454342

    申请日:2006-06-16

    IPC分类号: H01J40/14 G01J1/42 G01J1/44

    CPC分类号: H04N5/378 H04N5/3651

    摘要: For a source-follower signal chain, the ohmic drop in the selection switch causes unacceptable voltage offset, non-linearity, and reduced small signal gain. For an op amp signal chain, the required bias current and the output noise rises rapidly with increasing the array format due to a rapid increase in the effective capacitance caused by the Miller effect boosting up the contribution of the bus capacitance. A new switched source-follower signal chain circuit overcomes limitations of existing op-amp based or source follower based circuits used in column multiplexers and data readout. This will improve performance of CMOS imagers, and focal plane read-out integrated circuits for detectors of infrared or ultraviolet light.

    摘要翻译: 对于源跟随器信号链,选择开关中的欧姆下降导致不可接受的电压偏移,非线性和减小的小信号增益。 对于运算放大器信号链,所需的偏置电流和输出噪声随着阵列格式的增加而迅速上升,这是由于由Miller效应引起的有效电容的快速增加而增加了总线电容的贡献。 新的开关源跟随信号链电路克服了在列复用器和数据读出中使用的现有的基于运算放大器或源极跟随器的电路的限制。 这将提高CMOS成像器的性能,以及用于红外或紫外光检测器的焦平面读出集成电路。

    High-speed on-chip windowed centroiding using photodiode-based CMOS imager
    3.
    发明授权
    High-speed on-chip windowed centroiding using photodiode-based CMOS imager 有权
    使用基于光电二极管的CMOS成像器的高速片上窗口重心

    公开(公告)号:US06721464B2

    公开(公告)日:2004-04-13

    申请号:US10336701

    申请日:2003-01-03

    IPC分类号: G06K920

    摘要: A centroid computation system is disclosed. The system has an imager array, a switching network, computation elements, and a divider circuit. The imager array has columns and rows of pixels. The switching network is adapted to receive pixel signals from the image array. The plurality of computation elements operates to compute inner products for at least x and y centroids. The plurality of computation elements has only passive elements to provide inner products of pixel signals the switching network. The divider circuit is adapted to receive the inner products and compute the x and y centroids.

    摘要翻译: 公开了一种质心计算系统。 该系统具有成像器阵列,交换网络,计算元件和分频器电路。 成像器阵列具有列和像素行。 交换网络适于接收来自图像阵列的像素信号。 多个计算元素用于计算至少x和y个质心的内积。 多个计算元件仅具有无源元件以提供交换网络的像素信号的内积。 分频器电路适于接收内部产品并计算x和y重心。

    Two dimensional range-imaging
    4.
    发明申请
    Two dimensional range-imaging 审中-公开
    二维距离成像

    公开(公告)号:US20050243302A1

    公开(公告)日:2005-11-03

    申请号:US11040217

    申请日:2005-01-20

    IPC分类号: G01C3/08

    CPC分类号: G01C3/08

    摘要: A two-dimensional range-imaging system is capable of transmitting light from a source into a field of view and focusing return portions of the light, reflected off targets in the field of view, onto a two-dimensional array of photodetectors. The photodectectors convert the return portions of light into electric signals that are compatible with a solid state circuit. Each electric signal is combined with a one or more reference signals to indicate a distance between the source and an associated target.

    摘要翻译: 二维范围成像系统能够将来自光源的光传输到视场中,并且将视场中的目标物体的光的返回部分聚焦到光电检测器的二维阵列上。 光电探测器将光的返回部分转换成与固态电路兼容的电信号。 每个电信号与一个或多个参考信号组合以指示源与相关联的目标之间的距离。

    Analog bus driver and multiplexer
    5.
    发明授权
    Analog bus driver and multiplexer 有权
    模拟总线驱动器和多路复用器

    公开(公告)号:US08164663B2

    公开(公告)日:2012-04-24

    申请号:US11454342

    申请日:2006-06-16

    IPC分类号: H04N3/14 H04N5/335

    CPC分类号: H04N5/378 H04N5/3651

    摘要: For a source-follower signal chain, the ohmic drop in the selection switch causes unacceptable voltage offset, non-linearity, and reduced small signal gain. For an op amp signal chain, the required bias current and the output noise rises rapidly with increasing the array format due to a rapid increase in the effective capacitance caused by the Miller effect boosting up the contribution of the bus capacitance. A new switched source-follower signal chain circuit overcomes limitations of existing op-amp based or source follower based circuits used in column multiplexers and data readout. This will improve performance of CMOS imagers, and focal plane read-out integrated circuits for detectors of infrared or ultraviolet light.

    摘要翻译: 对于源跟随器信号链,选择开关中的欧姆下降导致不可接受的电压偏移,非线性和减小的小信号增益。 对于运算放大器信号链,所需的偏置电流和输出噪声随着阵列格式的增加而迅速上升,这是由于由Miller效应引起的有效电容的快速增加而增加了总线电容的贡献。 新的开关源跟随信号链电路克服了在列复用器和数据读出中使用的现有的基于运算放大器或源极跟随器的电路的限制。 这将提高CMOS成像器的性能,以及用于红外或紫外光检测器的焦平面读出集成电路。

    High-speed on-chip windowed centroiding using photodiode-based CMOS imager
    7.
    发明授权
    High-speed on-chip windowed centroiding using photodiode-based CMOS imager 有权
    使用基于光电二极管的CMOS成像器的高速片上窗口重心

    公开(公告)号:US06519371B1

    公开(公告)日:2003-02-11

    申请号:US09677972

    申请日:2000-10-02

    IPC分类号: G06K936

    摘要: A centroid computation system is disclosed. The system has an imager array, a switching network, computation elements, and a divider circuit. The imager array has columns and rows of pixels. The switching network is adapted to receive pixel signals from the image array. The plurality of computation elements operates to compute inner products for at least x and y centroids. The plurality of computation elements has only passive elements to provide inner products of pixel signals the switching network. The divider circuit is adapted to receive the inner products and compute the x and y centroids.

    摘要翻译: 公开了一种质心计算系统。 该系统具有成像器阵列,交换网络,计算元件和分频器电路。 成像器阵列具有列和像素行。 交换网络适于接收来自图像阵列的像素信号。 多个计算元素用于计算至少x和y个质心的内积。 多个计算元件仅具有无源元件以提供交换网络的像素信号的内积。 分频器电路适于接收内部产品并计算x和y重心。

    Photodiode CMOS imager with column-feedback soft-reset for imaging under ultra-low illumination and with high dynamic range
    8.
    发明授权
    Photodiode CMOS imager with column-feedback soft-reset for imaging under ultra-low illumination and with high dynamic range 有权
    光电二极管CMOS成像器,具有柱反馈软复位,可在超低照度和高动态范围内成像

    公开(公告)号:US07746383B2

    公开(公告)日:2010-06-29

    申请号:US10779144

    申请日:2004-02-12

    CPC分类号: H04N5/363 H04N5/357

    摘要: The present invention provides a CMOS imager with a reset scheme, by which a CMOS imager generates a sub-kTC noise so that read noise does not depend on the sense node capacitance. By using a column feedback circuit, reset noise can be suppressed to a negligible amount so that photogate APS or CCD-like circuits can achieve noise performance to very efficient value. This scheme allows increasing sense node capacitance without increasing the noise and also achieves a large full-well value without sacrificing read noise performance. The feedback circuit in one of the embodiment of the present invention is located at the column side of the circuit. This design provides a minimal change to the pixel. As a result quantum efficiency or pixel size is not compromised. The present invention allows a CMOS imager to capture scene with high intra-scene contracts under low illumination with high dynamic range.

    摘要翻译: 本发明提供了具有复位方案的CMOS成像器,CMOS成像器通过该方法产生子kTC噪声,使得读取噪声不依赖于感测节点电容。 通过使用列反馈电路,可以将复位噪声抑制到可忽略的量,使得光栅APS或类CCD电路可以实现非常有效的噪声性能。 该方案允许增加感测节点电容,而不增加噪声,并且还可以实现大的全阱值而不牺牲读取噪声性能。 本发明实施例之一的反馈电路位于电路的列侧。 此设计为像素提供了最小的变化。 因此量子效率或像素大小不会受到影响。 本发明允许CMOS成像器在具有高动态范围的低照度下捕获具有高的场景内契约的场景。

    Apparatus and method of manufacture for an imager equipped with a cross-talk barrier
    10.
    发明授权
    Apparatus and method of manufacture for an imager equipped with a cross-talk barrier 有权
    装备有串扰屏障的成像仪的装置和制造方法

    公开(公告)号:US08089070B2

    公开(公告)日:2012-01-03

    申请号:US11674608

    申请日:2007-02-13

    申请人: Bedabrata Pain

    发明人: Bedabrata Pain

    IPC分类号: H01L29/04

    摘要: An imager apparatus and associated starting material are provided. In one embodiment, an imager is provided including a silicon layer of a first conductivity type acting as a junction anode. Such silicon layer is adapted to convert light to photoelectrons. Also included is a semiconductor well of a second conductivity type formed in the silicon layer for acting as a junction cathode. Still yet, a barrier is formed adjacent to the semiconductor well. In another embodiment, a starting material is provided including a first silicon layer and an oxide layer disposed adjacent to the first silicon layer. Also included is a second silicon layer disposed adjacent to the oxide layer opposite the first silicon layer. Such second silicon layer is further equipped with an associated passivation layer and/or barrier.

    摘要翻译: 提供了一种成像仪装置和相关起始材料。 在一个实施例中,提供成像器,包括用作接合阳极的第一导电类型的硅层。 这种硅层适于将光转换成光电子。 还包括形成在硅层中用作结阴极的第二导电类型的半导体阱。 仍然,在半导体阱附近形成屏障。 在另一个实施例中,提供了包括第一硅层和邻近第一硅层设置的氧化物层的起始材料。 还包括邻近于与第一硅层相对的氧化物层设置的第二硅层。 这样的第二硅层还配备有相关联的钝化层和/或屏障。