Statistical Noise Analysis of CMOS Image Sensors in Dark Condition

The statistical noise analysis of the CMOS image sensors in the dark condition has been performed with a newly developed 3-D technology computer-aided design framework. The noise histograms of the correlated double sampling output, due to the random distribution of the oxide traps in the source follower MOSFET, have been evaluated. In this framework, the random telegraph signal noise is accurately characterized in the device level, and the numerical efficiency for the statistical analysis is achieved by employing the Green's function method based on the drift-diffusion model. As an application, one million samples of the source follower MOSFET have been simulated, and the effect of the channel width, the channel length, and the oxide trap density on the noise histogram has been investigated.

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