Incomplete charge transfer in CMOS image sensor caused by Si/SiO_(2)interface states in the TG channel

CMOS image sensors produced by the existing CMOS manufacturing process usually have difficulty achieving complete charge transfer owing to the introduction of potential barriers or Si/SiO_(2)interface state traps in the charge transfer path,which reduces the charge transfer efficiency and image quality.Until now,scholars have only considered mechanisms that limit charge transfer from the perspectives of potential barriers and spill back effect under high illumination condition.However,the existing models have thus far ignored the charge transfer limitation due to Si/SiO_(2)interface state traps in the transfer gate channel,particularly under low illumination.Therefore,this paper proposes,for the first time,an analytical model for quantifying the incomplete charge transfer caused by Si/SiO_(2)interface state traps in the transfer gate channel under low illumination.This model can predict the variation rules of the number of untransferred charges and charge transfer efficiency when the trap energy level follows Gaussian distribution,exponential distribution and measured distribution.The model was verified with technology computer-aided design simulations,and the results showed that the simulation results exhibit the consistency with the proposed model.

A Low-Power-Consumption 9bit 10MS/s Pipeline ADC for CMOS Image Sensors

A low-power-consumption 9bit 10MS/s pipeline ADC,used in a CMOS image sensor,is proposed. In the design, the decrease of power consumption is achieved by applying low-power-consumption and large-output-swing amplifiers with gain boost structure, and biasing all the cells with the same voltage bias source, which requires careful layout design and large capacitors. In addition,capacitor array DAC is also applied to reduce power consumption,and low threshold voltage MOS transistors are used to achieve a large signal processing range. The ADC was implemented in a 0.18μm 4M-1 P CMOS process,and the experimental results indicate that it consumes only 7mW, which is much less than general pipeline ADCs. The ADC was used in a 300000 pixels CMOS image sensor.

Numerical Simulation and Analysis of Bipolar Junction Photogate Transistor for CMOS Image Sensor

A new photodetector--bipolar junction photogate transistor is presented for CMOS image sensor and its analytical model is also established.With the technical parameter of the 0.6μm CMOS process,the bipolar junction photogate transistor is analyzed and simulated.The simulated results illustrate that the bipolar junction photogate transistor has the similar characteristics of the traditional photogate transistor.The photocurrent density of the bipolar junction photogate transistor increases exponentially with the incidence light power due to introducing the injection p+n junction.Its characteristic of blue response is rather improved compared to the traditional photogate transistor that benefits to increase the color photograph made up of the red,the green,and the blue.

A New CMOS Image Sensor with a High Fill Factor and the Dynamic Digital Double Sampling Technique

A single CMOS image sensor based on a 0.35μm process along with its design and implementation is introduced. The architecture of an active pixel sensor is used in the chip. The fill factor of a pixel cell can reach 43%,higher than the traditional factor of 30%. Moreover, compared with the conventional method whose fixed pattern noise （FPN） is around 0.5%, a dynamic digital double sampling technique is developed, which possesses simpler circuit architecture and a better FPN suppression outcome. The CMOS image sensor chip is implemented in the 0.35μm mixed signal process of a Chartered by MPW. The experimental results show that the chip operates welt,with an FPN of about 0.17%.

Pixel and Column Fixed Pattern Noise Suppression Mechanism in CMOS Image Sensor

A double sampling circuit to eliminating fixed pattern noise(FPN) in CMOS image sensor (CIS) is presented. Double sampling is implemented by column switch capacitor amplifier directly, and offset compensation is added to the amplifier to suppress column FPN. The amplifier is embedded in a 64×64 CIS and successfully fabricated with chartered 0.35 μm process. Theory analysis and circuit simulation indicate that FPN can be suppressed from millivolt to microvolt. Test results show that FPN is smaller than one least-significant bit of 8 bit ADC. FPN is reduced to an acceptable level with double sampling technique implemented with switch capacitor amplifier.

Novel CMOS image sensor pixel to improve charge transfer speed and efficiency by overlapping gate and temporary storage diffusing node

A novel CMOS image sensor(CIS) pinned photodiode(PPD) pixel, named as O-T pixel, is proposed and investigated by TCAD simulations. Compared with the conventional PPD pixel, the proposed pixel features the overlapping gate(OG)and the temporary storage diffusing(TSD) region, based on which the several-nanosecond-level charge transfer could be achieved and the complete charge transfer from the PPD to the floating node(FD) could be realized. And systematic analyses of the influence of the doping conditions of the proposed processes, the OG length, and the photodiode length on the transfer performances of the proposed pixel are conducted. Optimized simulation results show that the total charge transfer time could reach about 5.862 ns from the photodiode to the sensed node and the corresponding charge transfer efficiency could reach as high as 99.995% in the proposed pixel with 10 μm long photodiode and 2.22 μm long OG. These results demonstrate a great potential of the proposed pixel in high-speed applications.

A nano-metallic-particles-based CMOS image sensor for DNA detection

In this paper we report on a study of the CMOS image sensor detection of DNA based on self-assembled nano- metallic particles, which are selectively deposited on the surface of the passive image sensor. The nano-metallic particles effectively block the optical radiation in the visible spectrum of ordinary light source. When such a technical method is applied to DNA detection, the requirement for a special UV light source in the most popular fluorescence is eliminated. The DNA detection methodology is tested on a CMOS sensor chip fabricated using a standard 0.5 gm CMOS process. It is demonstrated that the approach is highly selective to detecting even a signal-base mismatched DNA target with an extremely-low-concentration DNA sample down to 10 pM under an ordinary light source.

Modeling random telegraph signal noise in CMOS image sensor under low light based on binomial distribution

The random telegraph signal noise in the pixel source follower MOSFET is the principle component of the noise in the CMOS image sensor under low light. In this paper, the physical and statistical model of the random telegraph signal noise in the pixel source follower based on the binomial distribution is set up. The number of electrons captured or released by the oxide traps in the unit time is described as the random variables which obey the binomial distribution. As a result,the output states and the corresponding probabilities of the first and the second samples of the correlated double sampling circuit are acquired. The standard deviation of the output states after the correlated double sampling circuit can be obtained accordingly. In the simulation section, one hundred thousand samples of the source follower MOSFET have been simulated,and the simulation results show that the proposed model has the similar statistical characteristics with the existing models under the effect of the channel length and the density of the oxide trap. Moreover, the noise histogram of the proposed model has been evaluated at different environmental temperatures.

Column readout circuit with improved offset mismatch and charge sharing for CMOS image sensor

High linearity and low noise column readout chain are two key factors in CMOS image sensor.However,offset mismatch and charge sharing always exist in the conventional column wise readout implementation,even adopting the technology of correlated double sample.A simple column readout circuit with improved offset mismatch and charge sharing for CMOS image sensor is proposed in this paper.Based on the bottom plate sampling and fixed common level method,this novel design can avoid the offset nonuniformity between the two buffers.Also,the single buffer and switched capacitor technique can effectively suppress the charge sharing caused by the varied operating point.The proposed approach is experimentally verified in a 1024×1024 prototype chip designed and fabricated in 55 nm low power CMOS process.The measurement results show that the linear range is extended by 20%,the readout noise of bright and dark fields is reduced by 40%and 30%respectively,and the improved photo response nonuniformity is up to 1.16%.Finally,a raw sample image taken by the prototype sensor shows the excellent practical performance.

A low-power high-quality CMOS image sensor using 1.5 V 4T pinned photodiode and dual-CDS column-parallel single-slope ADC

This paper presents a low-power high-quality CMOS image sensor(CIS)using 1.5 V 4T pinned photodiode(4T-PPD)and dual correlated double sampling(dual-CDS)column-parallel single-slope ADC.A five-finger shaped pixel layer is proposed to solve image lag caused by low-voltage 4T-PPD.Dual-CDS is used to reduce random noise and the nonuniformity between columns.Dual-mode counting method is proposed to improve circuit robustness.A prototype sensor was fabricated using a 0.11μm CMOS process.Measurement results show that the lag of the five-finger shaped pixel is reduced by 80%compared with the conventional rectangular pixel,the chip power consumption is only 36 mW,the dynamic range is 67.3 dB,the random noise is only 1.55 e^(-)_(rms),and the figure-of-merit is only 1.98 e^(-)·nJ,thus realizing low-power and high-quality imaging.

High Speed Column-Parallel CDS/ADC Circuit with Nonlinearity Compensation for CMOS Image Sensors

A high speed column-parallel CDS/ADC circuit with nonlinearity compensation is proposed in this paper.The correlated double sampling (CDS) and analog-to-digital converter (ADC) functions are integrated in a threephase column-parallel circuit based on two floating gate inverters and switched-capacitor network.The conversion rate of traditional single-slope ADC is speeded up by dividing quantization to coarse step and fine step.A storage capacitor is used to store the result of coarse step and locate the section of ramp signal of fine step,which can reduce the clock step from 2 n to 2 (n/2+1).The floating gate inverters are implemented to reduce the power consumption.Its induced nonlinear offset is cancelled by introducing a compensation module to the input of inverter,which can equalize the coupling path in three phases of the proposed circuit.This circuit is designed and simulated for CMOS image sensor with 640×480 pixel array using Chartered 0.18μm process.Simulation results indicate that the resolution can reach 10-bit and the maximum frame rate can reach 200 frames/s with a main clock of 10MHz.The power consumption of this circuit is less than 36.5μW with a 3.3V power supply.The proposed CDS/ADC circuit is suitable for high resolution and high speed image sensors.

Complete Focal Plane Compression Based on CMOS Image Sensor Using Predictive Coding

In this paper, a CMOS image sensor(CIS) is proposed, which can accomplish both decorrelation and entropy coding of image compression directly on the focal plane. The design is based on predictive coding for image decorrelation. The predictions are performed in analog domain by 2×2 pixel units. Both the prediction residuals and original pixel values are quantized and encoded in parallel. Since the residuals have a peak distribution around zero,the output codewords can be replaced by the valid part of the residuals' binary mode. The compressed bit stream is accessible directly at the output of CIS without extra disposition. Simulation results show that the proposed approach achieves a compression rate of 2. 2 and PSNR of 51 on different test images.

In-Pixel Charge Addition Scheme Applied in Time-Delay Integration CMOS Image Sensors

An addition scheme applicable to time-delay integration (TDI) CMOS image sensor is proposed,which adds signals in the charge domain in the pixel array.A two-shared pixel structure adopting two-stage charge transfer is introduced,together with the rolling shutter with an undersampling readout timing.Compared with the conventional TDI addition methods,the proposed scheme can reduce the addition operations by half in the pixel array,which decreases the power consumption of addition circuits outside the pixel array.The timing arrangement and pixel structure are analyzed in detail.The simulation results show that the proposed pixel structure can achieve the charge addition with negligible nonlinearity,therefore the power consumption of the periphery addition circuits can be reduced by half theoretically.

10-Bit Single-Slope ADC with Error Calibration for TDI CMOS Image Sensor

A 10-bit single-slope analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for time-delay-integration CMOS image sensor was proposed. A programmable ramp generator was applied to accomplish the error calibration and improve the linearity. The ADC was fabricated in a 180 nm 1P4M CMOS process. Experimental results indicate that the differential nonlinearity and integral nonlinearity were 0.51/-0.53 LSB and 0.63/-0.71 LSB, respectively. The sampling rate of the ADC was 32 kHz.

New Active Digital Pixel Circuit for CMOS Image Sensor

A new active digital pixel circuit for CMOS image sensor is designed consisting of four components: a photo-transducer, a preamplifier, a sample & hold (S & H) circuit and an A/D converter with an inverter. It is optimized by simulation and adjustment based on 2 μm standard CMOS process. Each circuit of the components is designed with specific parameters. The simulation results of the whole pixel circuits show that the circuit has such advantages as low distortion, low power consumption, and improvement of the output performances by using an inverter.

A 10bit 50MS/s Pipeline ADC Design for a Million Pixels Level CMOS Image Sensor

Noise and mismatch are important error sources in pipeline ADCs,so careful calculation and system simulation are carried out using Matlab software. To reduce power consumption while not lose performance, the amplifiers with the same structure are biased with one bias circuit, and a cascode compensation is adopted. A 10bit 50MS/s pipeline ADC, which can be used in CMOS image sensor systems with large pixel array,is designed and tested by using 0.35tzm 4M-2P CMOS process. According to test results, power consumption is only 42mW and SINAD is 45.69dB when sampling frequency is 50MHz. A balance between performance and power consumption is achieved.

Two-dimensional pixel image lag simulation and optimization in a 4-T CMOS image sensor

Pixel image lag in a 4-T CMOS image sensor is analyzed and simulated in a two-dimensional model.Strategies of reducing image lag are discussed from transfer gate channel threshold voltage doping adjustment,PPD N-type doping dose/implant tilt adjustment and transfer gate operation voltage adjustment for signal electron transfer.With the computer analysis tool ISE-TCAD,simulation results show that minimum image lag can be obtained at a pinned photodiode n-type doping dose of 7.0×10^12 cm^-2,an implant tilt of -2°,a transfer gate channel doping dose of 3.0×10^12 cm^-2 and an operation voltage of 3.4 V.The conclusions of this theoretical analysis can be a guideline for pixel design to improve the performance of 4-T CMOS image sensors.

A linear stepping PGA used in CMOS image sensors

A low power linear stepping digital programming gain amplifier （PGA） is designed for CMOS image sensors. The PGA consists of three stages with gain range from one to nine, The gain is divided into four regions and each range has 128 linear steps. Power consumption of the PGA is saved by good tradeoff between variation of amplifier feedback coefficient, pipeline stages and gain regions. With thermometer-binary mixed coding and linear pipeline gain stepping, the load capacitance keeps constant when the gain of one stage is changed. The PGA is designed in the SMIC 0.18 μm process. Simulation results show that the power consumption is 3.2 mW with 10 bit resolution and 10 MSPS sampling rate. The PGA has been embedded in a 0.3 megapixel CMOS image sensors and fabricated successfully.

Enhanced CMOS image sensor by flexible 3D nanocone anti-reflection film

Complementary metal oxide semiconductor(CMOS) image sensors(CIS) are being widely used in digital video cameras, web cameras, digital single lens reflex camera(DSLR), smart phones and so on, owing to their high level of integration, random accessibility, and low-power operation. It needs to be installed with the cover glass in practical applications to protect the sensor from damage, mechanical issues,and environmental conditions, which, however, limits the accuracy and usability of the sensor due to the reflection in the optical path from air-to-cover glass-to-air. In this work, the flexible 3D nanocone anti-reflection(AR) film with controlled aspect ratio was firstly employed to reduce the light reflection at air/cover glass/air interfaces by directly attaching onto the front and rear sides of the CIS cover glass.As both the front and rear sides of cover glass were coated by the AR film, the output image quality was found to be improved with external quantum efficiency increased by 7%, compared with that without AR film. The mean digital data value, root-mean-square contrast, and dynamic range are increased by45.14%, 38.61% and 57, respectively, for the output image with AR films. These results provide a novel and facile pathway to improve the CIS performance and also could be extended to rational design of other image sensors and optoelectronic devices.

Process techniques of charge transfer time reduction for high speed CMOS image sensors

This paper proposes pixel process techniques to reduce the charge transfer time in high speed CMOS image sensors. These techniques increase the lateral conductivity of the photo-generated carriers in a pinned photodiode （PPD） and the voltage difference between the PPD and the floating diffusion （FD） node by controlling and optimizing the N doping concentration in the PPD and the threshold voltage of the reset transistor, respectively. The techniques shorten the charge transfer time from the PPD diode to the FD node effectively. The proposed process techniques do not need extra masks and do not cause harm to the fill factor. A sub array of 32 x 64 pixels was designed and implemented in the 0.18 #m CIS process with five implantation conditions splitting the N region in the PPD. The simulation and measured results demonstrate that the charge transfer time can be decreased by using the proposed techniques. Comparing the charge transfer time of the pixel with the different implantation conditions of the N region, the charge transfer time of 0.32 μs is achieved and 31% of image lag was reduced by using the proposed process techniques.