A linear response single exposure CMOS image sensor with 0.5e− readout noise and 76ke− full well capacity

A linear response single exposure CMOS image sensor approaching to the photon countable sensitivity and a high full well capacity (FWC) is developed using lateral overflow integration capacitor (LOFIC) architecture with dual gain column amplifiers, small floating diffusion (FD) capacitance (C<sub>FD</sub>) and low noise in-pixel source follower (SF) signal readout technologies. The fabricated 5.5 μm pitch 360<sup>H</sup>×1680<sup>V</sup> pixel prototype image sensor exhibited 240 μV/e<sup>-</sup> conversion gain (CG) with 76 ke<sup>-</sup> FWC resulting in 0.5 e<sup>-</sup><sub>rms</sub> readout noise and 104 dB dynamic range under room temperature operation.

[1]  Wakashima Shunichi,et al.  A CMOS Image Sensor using Floating Capacitor Load Readout Operation , 2013 .

[2]  Rihito Kuroda,et al.  A Statistical Evaluation of Random Telegraph Noise of In-Pixel Source Follower Equivalent Surface and Buried Channel Transistors , 2013, IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices.

[3]  S. Sugawa,et al.  Analysis and Reduction of Floating Diffusion Capacitance Components of CMOS Image Sensor for Photon-Countable Sensitivity , 2015 .

[4]  S. Sugawa,et al.  A 100 dB dynamic range CMOS image sensor using a lateral overflow integration capacitor , 2005, ISSCC. 2005 IEEE International Digest of Technical Papers. Solid-State Circuits Conference, 2005..

[5]  Donald B. Hondongwa,et al.  Jot devices and the Quanta Image Sensor , 2014, 2014 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting.

[6]  Kuroda Rihito.  Recent R&D trend of high S/N image sensors with one photon-level resolution , 2014 .

[7]  Satoru Adachi,et al.  A 200-µV/e- CMOS Image Sensor With 100-ke- Full Well Capacity , 2008, IEEE J. Solid State Circuits.

[8]  N. Teranishi.  Required Conditions for Photon-Counting Image Sensors , 2012, IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices.

[9]  Andrew J. Holmes,et al.  320×240 oversampled digital single photon counting image sensor , 2014, 2014 Symposium on VLSI Circuits Digest of Technical Papers.

[10]  Wang Li,et al.  Low Noise High Dynamic Range 2 . 3 Mpixel CMOS Image Sensor Capable of 100 Hz Frame Rate at Full HD Resolution , .

[11]  Yue Chen,et al.  A 0.7e−rms-temporal-readout-noise CMOS image sensor for low-light-level imaging , 2012, 2012 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference.

[12]  Rihito Kuroda,et al.  [Paper] Analysis and Reduction Technologies of Floating Diffusion Capacitance in CMOS Image Sensor for Photon-Countable Sensitivity , 2016 .