Xerox Corporation

Varian Medical Systems, Inc.

Dpix, LLC

Varex Imaging Corporation

Other

Thomson Licensing

Richard L Weisfield

David Kalman Biegelsen

Warren Bruce Jackson

Ivan Petrov Mollov

Robert Anthony Street

Pieter Gerhard Roos

Michael G Hack

Richard E Colbeth

Hsing C Tuan

William W Yao

Leonard Eugene Fennell

Nizar S Kheraj

Mai T Nguyen

Vittorio R Castelli

Butrus Thomas Khuri-Yakub

Babur B Hadimioglu

Rene A Lujan

Larry D Partain

William D Turner

Eric G Rawson

Arundhuti Ganguly

G A Connell

David A Jared

George Zentai

Harold M Anderson

Shawn Michael O'Rourke

Byung-Kyu Park

Xiaodong Wu

Cesar H Proano

David Doan

Paul Pryor

Jungwon Park

Quan Yuan

Byung Park

Joel Levine

Kungang Zhou

Charles T Malone

William Wei-Yu Yao

Pieter Roos

Bill Yao

Some embodiments include a system, comprising: a housing; an imaging array disposed within the housing; an imaging strip disposed within the housing; a first readout circuit coupled to the imaging array; a second readout circuit coupled to the imaging strip; and common electronics coupled to the first readout circuit and the second readout circuit and configured to generate image data in response to at least one of the first readout circuit and the second readout circuit.

Combined imaging array and strip

Some embodiments include a system, comprising: a plurality of pixels; a plurality of data lines coupled to the pixels; a plurality of switches coupling the pixels to the data lines; a plurality of readout circuits coupled to the data lines; control logic coupled to the readout circuits, the control logic configured to, for one of the pixels: acquire a first value for the pixel while the corresponding switch is in an off state; reset the corresponding readout circuit corresponding for the pixel; acquire a second value for the pixel after resetting the readout circuit; turn on the corresponding switch; acquire a third value for the pixel after turning on the corresponding switch; and combine the first value, the second value, and the third value into a combined value for the pixel.

Pixel noise cancellation system

Some embodiments include a system, comprising: first circuit including a transistor having an optically sensitive threshold voltage; a light source configured to illuminate the transistor; and a control circuit configured to activate the light source based on the threshold voltage. In some embodiments, a threshold voltage of the transistor may be stabilized.

Threshold voltage stabilizing system and method

An imager includes a flat panel configured to collect charges when the imager operates in a full-power charge integration mode. The imager switches to a low-power standby mode immediately after each image acquisition in the full-power charge integration mode. Bias current flowing through the flat panel is monitored in the standby mode. The imager switches to the full-power charge integration mode when detecting a change in the bias current indicating onset of an X-ray exposure.

Low-power imager with autosensing function

An x-ray imaging device include a scintillator layer configured to generate light from x-rays, a TFT detector array at the first surface of the scintillator layer to detect light generated in the scintillator, and a CMOS sensor at the second surface of the scintillator layer to detect light generated in the scintillator.

X-ray imager with CMOS sensor embedded in TFT flat panel

An X-ray matrix imager is configured to operate based on a multiple-gate-line driving scheme and a shared-data-line driving scheme. The X-ray matrix imager includes a matrix with multiple pixels, multiple gate line sets, multiple data lines, multiple gate drivers, multiple row multiplexers, and multiple pull-down units. Each gate line sets includes a first gate line coupled to a first pixel and a second gate line coupled to a second pixel adjacent to the first pixel. Each data line is coupled to the multiple gate line sets for receiving charges accumulated on the pixels. Each row multiplexer is configured to selectively couple a corresponding gate driver to the first gate line or the second gate line in a corresponding gate line set. Each pull-down unit is configured to couple the first gate line to a constant voltage when the first gate line is not coupled to the corresponding gate driver.

X-ray matrix imager based on a multiple-gate-line driving scheme and a shared-gate-line driving scheme

Improved corrosion resistance for direct X-ray imaging detectors is obtained by providing a pixelated, electrically conductive barrier layer between the X-ray sensitive material and the pixel electrodes. Each barrier layer can cover part or all of its corresponding pixel electrode. In cases where pixel electrodes makes contact to underlying circuitry through vertical vias, it is preferred for the barrier layers to cover the via sections of the pixel electrodes. The barrier layers for each pixel electrode can be spaced apart from each other, or they can all be included within a continuous film on top of the pixel electrodes. Such a continuous film can be pixelated by spatially modulating its properties (e.g., thickness, doping) to significantly reduce lateral conductivity from pixel to pixel.

Corrosion barrier layer for photoconductive X-ray imagers

A method is provided for fabricating an image sensor array in a manner that reduces the potential for defects resulting from electrostatic discharge events during fabrication of the image sensor array. The method includes: forming at least one pixel over a substrate, the pixel including a switching transistor and a photo-sensitive cell; and forming a dielectric interlayer over the pixel. A key step in the method of the present invention is depositing a first conductive layer over the dielectric interlayer. After the first conductive layer is formed, the image sensor array is well protected from ESD events because the first conductive layer spreads out any charge induced by tribo-electric charging events that may occur during subsequent fabrication processing steps, thereby reducing the potential for localized damage to the switching transistors upon the occurrence of ESD events.

ESD induced artifact reduction design for a thin film transistor image sensor array

An ESD protection system for an image sensor array includes a two-dimensional array of pixels formed on a substrate. Each of the pixels is connected to a gate line and a data line. The system includes a common ESD bus and at least one ESD protection circuit formed on the substrate. The protection circuit includes: a pair of thin film transistors connected in a back-to-back configuration with a first terminal connected to one of the gate lines, and a second terminal connected to the common ESD bus. Upon the occurrence of an electrostatic discharge onto the gate line causing the voltage across the terminals to exceed a threshold value, the protection circuit discharges the ESD charge from the gate line to the ESD bus, thereby preventing damage to each of the switching transistors in the pixels connected to the gate line.

On-substrate ESD protection for array based image sensors

An imaging system that removes an electrical charge from a sensor. The system includes a generator that generates x-rays, a sensor that stores an electrical charge, a plate positioned above the sensor and a light source. A controller determines whether the electrical charge should be removed from the sensor. If it is determined that the electrical charge should be removed, the controller controls the light source to illuminate the plate to distribute the light on a top surface of the sensor. A method includes arranging a plate above the sensor and a light source next to the plate, generating x-rays towards the sensor, and storing an electrical charge in the sensor. If it is determined that the electrical charge should be removed, the light source is controlled to illuminate the plate so that the light from the light source is distributed on a top surface of the sensor.

Imaging system and method that removes an electrical charge from a sensor

Photodetecting devices or arrays and methods of making such devices or arrays. In one exemplary embodiment, a photodetecting array includes a plurality of detecting cells arranged in an array, each of the detecting cells including a photodiode, a plurality of data lines coupled to the detecting cells, and a mesh of bias voltage lines which comprise first bias lines disposed substantially parallel to gate lines which are coupled to the detecting cells and second bias lines disposed substantially perpendicularly to the gate lines, wherein the total length of the first bias lines exceeds a total length of the second bias lines.

Photodetecting sensor array

A clamping circuit including a clamping diode, a bias line, and a clamp line is incorporated into a pixel circuit of amorphous silicon sensor arrays. The clamp diode in each pixel prevents the voltage across the photodiode from dropping below a specific threshold. By keeping the photodiode under reverse bias even under conditions that may otherwise saturate the pixel, image lag is reduced. In full fill factor amorphous silicon sensor arrays, a clamping circuit includes a clamp TFT, a bias plane, a clamp line, and a drain line. The clamp TFT reduces lag and blooming by draining off excess current developed under overexposure conditions. A method to globally reset a sensor array and a method to test and repair a TFT matrix in full fill factor sensor arrays without damaging the overlying collection electrode and sensor layer are also provided.

Device and method for reducing lag and blooming in amorphous silicon sensor arrays

An x-ray imager and method of fabricating an x-ray imager that provides protection to the sensor arrays and the barrier layer from the corrosive effects of the scintillating material. The x-ray imager includes a benzo-cyclo-butene layer between the barrier layer and the scintillating material. The benzo-cyclo-butene layer provides several advantages including low cost and application by spin coating or spray coating.

X-ray imager and its method of fabrication

The system achieves high-resolution imaging with low-resolution two-dimensional imagers whose sensors are only a fraction of a selected pixel area. Sensors are stepped across an image with an optical or mechanical stepper to acquire an image at each sensor position. Thereby, resolution is defined by a step size which is comparable to the sensor size, rather than by pixel resolution. The system thus uses multiple image, obtained from individual sensors, which have a sensed area substantially less than the area of the pixels of the sensor array. Such rescanning is accomplished by movable mirrors or lenses that are disposed between an illuminated specimen and a sensor area.

Resolution enhancement by multiple scanning with a low-resolution,

An array is fabricated in which a cell's dark matrix overlaps its cell electrode so that the overlap areas and the dielectric material between them form a storage capacitor. Each cell's dark matrix can overlap the cell's electrode around its perimeter, and the overlap areas of the dark matrix and the electrode can be sufficiently large and the dielectric layer between them can be sufficiently thin that the storage capacitor they form meets the cell's requirements. The dark matrix can be over the cell electrode, with scan lines and data lines in a series of lower layers, or the dark matrix can be below the series of layers that includes scan lines and data lines, with the cell electrode in an opening defined in the series of layers. The dark matrix layer can be electrically connected to a fixed potential.

Fabricating array with storage capacitor between cell electrode and dark

Growing community of inventors

Los Altos, CA, United States of America

Richard L Weisfield