Eastman-kodak Company

Teh-Hsuang Lee

Robert Michael Guidash

Paul P Lee

Eric Gordon Stevens

Bruce C Burkey

Rajinder P Khosla

Ram Kannegundla

Eric R Fossum

Constantine N Anagnostopoulos

David L Losee

Herbert J Erhardt

Thomas Kelly

James P Lavine

William T Fearnside

Win-Chyi Chang

Michael J Gaboury

William J Toohey

Lawrence J Bernstein

Nea-Yea Woo

Paul Poo-Kam Lee

Peter M Zeitzoff

Webster

David L Heald

Russell Clayton Gee

An image sensor device comprising a silicon substrate having a plurality of CMOS circuit formed thereon, including a pixel array having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, a row addressing circuit operatively connected to each the pixel array and the timing control circuit, the row addressing circuit having a row bus that provides address lines to each row in the pixel array, a column addressing circuit, a pixel timing circuit, a timing control logic block, a signal processing circuit, and an interface circuit coupled to external computational means for provision of address and control signals to the sensor device, the interface circuit being operatively coupled the timing control logic, the pixel timing circuit, the row addressing circuit and the column addressing circuit.

Integrated CMOS active pixel digital camera

An active pixel sensor formed by creating an X-Y array of pixels on a semiconductor substrate. The two dimensional array of pixels is arranged in a plurality of rows and columns that are addressed by addressing circuits formed on the substrate. The active pixel sensor is functionally divided to enable the addressing and reading out of a plurality of pixels simultaneously by providing areas, each of the areas having a row addressing circuit and a column addressing circuit. A signal processing circuit is provided for each area to output a sequential series of pixels in each of the areas. A correlated double sampling circuit is provided

Parallel output architectures for CMOS active pixel sensors

A pixel architecture for economizing area within the pixel leaving a greater proportion of area for photodetector area. Area is saved by employing a method of generating row select signals for active pixel sensors comprising the steps of providing an active pixel sensor having a plurality of pixels arranged in columns and rows and selecting rows within the active pixel sensor by application of a supply voltage to a transistor circuit within a predetermined row to be selected and removal of the supply voltage from the transistor circuits of unselected rows.

Active pixel sensor with switched supply row select

Circuit architecture of an x-y addressable image sensor, in particular to that of a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) active pixel sensor (APS). A substrate having an area divided into a plurality of pixel areas arranged in a series of rows and columns, having at least one control area separate from the pixel areas; a pinned photodiode formed in at least one of the pixel areas of the substrate; a readout transistor integrated on the pixel area of the substrate and operatively coupled to the pinned photodiode through a transfer gate and a charge to voltage converter; a row selection circuit having at least one selection transistor integrated on the substrate in the area for selecting the pixel area; a column selection circuit for selecting a group of pixels, the selection circuit formed in one of the control areas separate from the pixel areas, the selection circuit further comprising a column readout circuit including a double delta sampling circuit formed from a process that is compatible with CMOS technology; and a reset mechanism for resetting the floating diffusion. The present invention further comprises the use of overlapping gates to reduce the overall size requirements.

CMOS active pixel sensor using a pinned photo diode

The optimization of two technologies (CMOS and CCD) wherein a pinned photodiode is integrated into the image sensing element of an active pixel sensor. Pinned photodiodes are fabricated with CCD process steps into the active pixel architecture. Charge integrated within the active pixel pinned photodiode is transferred into the charge sensing node by a transfer gate. The floating diffusion is coupled CMOS circuitry that can provide the addressing capabilities of individual pixels. Alternatively, a buried channel photocapacitor can be used in place of the pinned photodiode.

Active pixel sensor integrated with a pinned photodiode

An active pixel sensor architecture comprising a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of pixels formed, thereon, incorporating microlens and lightshields into the pixel architecture. Each of the pixels further comprising: a photodetector region upon which incident light will form photoelectrons to be collected as a signal charge; a device for transferring the signal charge from the photodetector region to a charge storage region that is covered by a light shield; a sense node that is an input to an amplifier; the sense node being operatively connected to the signal storage region. The pixel architecture facilitates symmetrical design of pixels which allows for incorporation of light shield and microlens technology into the design.

Color active pixel sensor with electronic shuttering, anti-blooming and low cross talk

A pixelated image sensor having comprising a partially pinned photodiode which is formed a semiconductor of a first conductivity type formed on a surface of the sensor with at least one photodiode formed, within the semiconductor near the surface, the photodiode being formed from a second conductivity type opposite the first conductivity type; a pinning layer formed on the surface over at least a portion of the photodiode creating a pinned photodiode region, the pinning layer being formed from the first conductivity type; and an unpinned region formed near the surface in an area outside the portion used to form the pinning layer, the unpinned region is formed as a floating region that is employed as a capacitor. The partially pinned photodiode is useful in expanding the fill factor of photodetectors employing photodiode technology.

Partially pinned photodiode for solid state image sensors

Method of making an active pixel sensor integrated with a pinned

Color active pixel sensor with electronic shuttering, anti-blooming and

Active pixel sensor integrated with a photocapacitor

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Webster, NY, United States of America

Teh-Hsuang Lee