Ess Technology, Inc.

Pictos Technologies, Inc.

Other

Conexant Systems, Inc.

Altasens, Inc.

Richard Arthur Mann

Selim Bencuya

Zeynep Toros

Lester Joseph Kozlowski

Eugene Robert Worley

Jiafu Luo

Hiok-Nam Tay

John Richardson

Randall M Chung

Sarit Neter

Robert Lynn Blair

Erik Stauber

Magued M Bishay

James K Dawson

Ian Olsen

Max Safai

Gregory Urban

David Escobar

Mike Fukatsu

Edward Andrew Jakl

Alexandre G Grigoriev

Heng Zhang

Miaohong Shi

Peng-Fei Zhang

Chi-Shao (Sergi) Lin

Aspects relate to improved optically black reference pixels in a CMOS iSoc sensor. A system can include a pointer Pthat indicates pixels to be read out during a readout time interval, a pointer Pthat indicates pixels to be reset during the time interval, and a pointer Pthat preserves a validity of a frame. The system also includes a pointer Pconfigured to mitigate an integration time of column fixed pattern noise (FPN) rows independently of the integration time of other rows. In some aspects, pointer Pcan mitigate blooming into sampled rows from surrounding rows. Pointer Pcan be continuously rotated, in an aspect. Further, in some aspects, pointer Pcan jump on a second cycle to arrive one line before pointer P

Quality of optically black reference pixels in CMOS iSoCs

There is provided a CMOS imager system for providing a viewable image having increased dynamic range including an image sensor including a number of sets of pixels. Each set of pixels is configured to receive one of a number of exposures and to generate image data corresponding to the received exposure in the interleaved mode. The image sensor is configured to operate in either an interleaved mode or a non-interleaved mode and to output the image data generated by each set of pixels as a frame of interleaved image data in the interleaved mode. The imager system further includes an interleaved image pipeline in communication with the image sensor, where the interleaved image pipeline is configured to receive the interleaved image data from the image sensor, combine the image data generated by each set of pixels corresponding to one of the exposures to form the viewable image.

CMOS imager system with interleaved readout for providing an image with increased dynamic range

An improved CMOS sensor integrated circuit is disclosed, along with methods of making the circuit and computer readable descriptions of the circuit.

Method and apparatus for controlling charge transfer in CMOS sensors with a transfer gate work function

Method and apparatus for controlling charge transfer in CMOS sensors with an implant by the transfer gate

An exemplary image sensor comprises a photodetector proximate to a pixel site, and a light meter proximate to the pixel site configured to approximate an initial charge acquired by the photodetector at the end of a first integration period of a frame exposure period. A reset circuit resets the photodetector if the approximated initial charge acquired by the photodetector exceeds a threshold. A readout circuit detects a final charge acquired by the photodetector at the end of a second integration period of the frame exposure period. If the photodetector was reset, the readout circuit adjusts the final exposure to account for exposure prior to the photodetector having been reset.

Wide dynamic range image sensor

Method and apparatus for proximate CMOS pixels

Method and apparatus for controlling charge transfer in CMOS sensors with a graded transfer-gate work-function

Wide dynamic range image sensor and method of use

Method and apparatus for removing electrons from CMOS sensor photodetectors

Method for designing a CMOS sensor using parameters

Method and apparatus for varying a CMOS sensor control voltage

An improved semiconductor device that reduces reverse bias junction leakage in a photodiode by using a junction isolation region to isolate the photodiode from a trench isolation region. The improved semiconductor device improves image quality for different applications such as stand-alone digital cameras and digital cameras embedded in other imaging devices such as cellular phones and personal digital assistants.

Semiconductor device for isolating a photodiode to reduce junction leakage and method of formation

Semiconductor device for isolating a photodiode to reduce junction leakage

An exemplary CMOS image sensor comprises a reset transistor, a photodiode, reset drain voltage circuitry, and reset gate voltage circuitry. A cathode of the photodiode is connected to a source of the reset transistor, and an anode of the photodiode is connected to ground. The reset drain voltage circuitry is connected to a drain of the reset transistor, and the reset gate voltage circuitry is connected to a gate of the reset transistor. During an exemplary hard reset operation, the reset drain voltage circuitry supplies a first drain voltage to the drain of the reset transistor in accordance with a determined level of light for exposure, which is determined dynamically. According to another exemplary reset operation, a hard reset phase is immediately followed by a soft reset phase.

Method and system for resetting image sensors

A sensor may be formed with a transistor comprising a gate that has both n-type and p-type regions to increase the gate work function. In combination with moving the p-type well such that the p-type well only partially dopes the channel of the transistor, the increased gate work function further increases the reset voltage level required to create the reset channel without having to use high doping levels in the critical regions of the sensor structure including the photo-detector and the reset transistor. The source of the reset transistor is partially beneath the n-type region of gate, while the transistor's drain is partially beneath the p-type region of the gate. The channel has a p-type well portion and a substrate portion. This construction of the sensor may eliminate the reset noise associated with the uncertainty of whether the charge left in the transistor's channel will flow back towards the photo-detector after the transistor has been turned off.

Gradual reset voltage reduction for resetting an image sensor

Growing community of inventors

Torrance, CA, United States of America

Richard Arthur Mann