CMOS Imaging Sensor
George Yuan
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
© George Yuan, HKUST 1
Outline
• Introduction
• CMOS imaging sensors
– Passive pixel sensor
– Photogate-based active pixel sensor
– Photodiode-based active pixel sensor
– Logarithmic pixel sensor
– Noise
• Analog processing
– CDS
– ADC
– Spatial filtering
• Wide dynamic range imaging sensor
• High speed imager
© George Yuan, HKUST 2
Temporal Noise
Shot noise
Trap noise
Read-out noise
SNR =
(i phTint )2
q (i ph + idc )Tint + q 2σ rd
2
© George Yuan, HKUST 3
Temporal Noise Sources
• Dark current shot noise
• Trapping noise in the diode
• kTC noise at the diode or floating drain
• Read-out circuit noise
• Photo-current shot noise
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Fixed-Pattern Noise (FPN)
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Fixed Pattern Noise Sources
• Additive factors
– Buffer transistor Vt mismatch
– Column current source
mismatch
– Column buffer transistor Vt
mismatch
– Column amplifier offsets
• Multiplicative factors
– Photodiode size mismatch
– Floating drain size mismatch
– Column amplifier gain
© George Yuan, HKUST 6
Pinned Photodiode
Less noise
Image lag
© George Yuan, HKUST 7
Outline
• Introduction
• CMOS imaging sensors
– Passive pixel sensor
– Photogate-based active pixel sensor
– Photodiode-based active pixel sensor
– Logarithmic pixel sensor
– Noise
• Analog processing
– CDS
– ADC
– Spatial filtering
• Wide dynamic range imaging sensor
• High speed imaging sensor
© George Yuan, HKUST 8
CDS
• 1k×1k imager,
30Hz
– Column circuit
speed?
– Global shutter
– Rolling shutter
• Noise
– kT/C: 1pF, 60uVrms
– OPAMP noise?
• 3T-APS?
© George Yuan, HKUST 9
Double CDS
© George Yuan, HKUST 10
An CIS Example
• 1k×1k imager, 30Hz frame rate,
72dB dynamic range, read-out
temporal noise <10e-
– linear quantization: 12-bit
– LSB: 0.4mV (1.6-V signal range)
– Temporal noise: 0.16mVrms (16uV/e-,
10fF Cint)
– Column speed: 33.3us processing time,
30kS/s ADC
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Low-noise Amplifier
C1
C0
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Wide Dynamic Range
C1
C0
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ADC
• Successive approximate ADC
• Cyclic ADC
• Single-slope ADC
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Cyclic ADC
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S/H Phase
Input Sampling Charge Transfer
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Cyclic Algorithm
Odd Phase Even Phase
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Single-slope ADC
Column voltage
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Comparator
1.1uA
© George Yuan, HKUST 19
Outline
• Introduction
• CMOS imaging sensors
– Passive pixel sensor
– Photogate-based active pixel sensor
– Photodiode-based active pixel sensor
– Logarithmic pixel sensor
– Noise
• Analog processing
– CDS
– ADC
– Spatial filtering
• Wide dynamic range imaging sensor
• High speed imager
© George Yuan, HKUST 20
Imaging Processing
Spatial Template
© George Yuan, HKUST 21
On-Chip Spatial Filtering
© George Yuan, HKUST 22
On-Chip Spatial Filtering
© George Yuan, HKUST 23
Outline
• Introduction
• CMOS imaging sensors
– Passive pixel sensor
– Photogate-based active pixel sensor
– Photodiode-based active pixel sensor
– Logarithmic pixel sensor
– Noise
• Analog processing
– CDS
– ADC
– Spatial filtering
• Wide dynamic range imaging sensor
• High speed imager
© George Yuan, HKUST Fall 2008, Lecture 9 24
Dynamic Range
• CMOS imaging sensor: 40-60dB
• CCD imaging sensor: 60-70dB
• Human eyes: 90dB
• Natural scenes: > 100dB
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Dynamic Range
Tint V w C int Tint Vw: potential well capacity
V ph = I ph DR =
Cint I min Imin: determined by Idark,
read-out circuit noise
<50dB
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Well-Capacity Adjustment
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DR Compression
Tint
V ph = I ph
Cint
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DR Improvement
Linear low light Linear high light DR compression
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SNR
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Multiple Sampling
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Scheme
Tint
V ph = I ph
Cint
Sample1 Sample2 Sample3
Exposure T, 2T, 4T, …, 2kT Quantization: m bits Pixel resolution: m+k
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SNR
© George Yuan, HKUST 33
Pixel-Level Quantization
© George Yuan, HKUST 34
Time-to-Saturation
Tint
V ph = I ph
Cint
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Pixel Circuit
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Pixel Σ∆ ADC
3T APS Pixel
Tint
V ph = I ph
Cint
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Pixel Circuit
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Lateral Overflow Integration
Capacitor
Low light: S1+N1 – N1
High light: S2+N2” – N2
© George Yuan, HKUST 39
Improved Lateral Overflow
Integration Capacitor
Low light: S1+N1 – N1
High light: S2+N2 – N2
© George Yuan, HKUST 40
CDS Readout
© George Yuan, HKUST 41
Outline
• Introduction
• CMOS imaging sensors
– Passive pixel sensor
– Photogate-based active pixel sensor
– Photodiode-based active pixel sensor
– Logarithmic pixel sensor
– Noise
• Analog processing
– CDS
– ADC
– Spatial filtering
• Wide dynamic range imaging sensor
• High speed imager
© George Yuan, HKUST 42
High Speed Pixel
SWS SWR
© George Yuan, HKUST 43
Performance
14-bit Column-wise cyclic ADC read-out, 2MHz, 0.43mW
© George Yuan, HKUST 44
References
1. A. Gamal, and H. Eltoukhy, “CMOS image sensors”, IEEE Circuits & Devices Mag., pp. 6-20, May 2005
2. S. Mendis, S. Kemeny, R. Gee, B. Pain, C. Staller, Q. Kim, and E. Fossum, “CMOS active pixel image sensors for highly
integrated imaging systems”, IEEE J. Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 32, pp. 187-197, Feb. 1997
3. S. Decker, R. McGrath, K. Brehmer, and C. Sodini, “A 256×256 CMOS imaging array with wide dynamic range pixels and
column-parallel digital output””, IEEE J. Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 33, pp. 2081-2091, Dec. 1998
4. D. Yang, and A. Gamal, “Comparative analysis of SNR for image sensors with enhanced dynamic range”, Proc. SPIE, San
Jose, CA, 1999, vol. 3649, pp. 197-211
5. D. Yang, A. Gamal, B. Fowler, and H. Tan, “A 640×512 CMOS image sensor with ultrawide dynamic range floating-point
pixel-level ADC”, IEEE J. Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 34, pp. 1821-1834, Dec. 1999
6. D. Stoppa, A. Simoni, L. Gonzo, M. Gotardi, and G. Betta, “Novel CMOS image sensor with a 132-dB dynamic range”, IEEE
J. Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 37, pp. 1846-1852, Dec. 2002
7. N. Akahane, S. Sugawa, S. Adachi, K. Mori, T. Ishiyuki, and K. Mizobuchi, “A sensitivity and linearity improvement of a 100-
dB dynamic range CMOS image sensor using a lateral overflow integration capacitor”, IEEE J. Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 41,
pp. 851-858, Apr. 2006
8. S. Adachi, W. Lee, N. Akahane, H. Oshikubo, K. Mizobuchi, and S. Sugawa, “A 200uV/e- CMOS image sensor with 100-ke-
full well capacity”, IEEE J. Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 43, pp. 823-830, Apr. 2008
9. H. Takahashi et. al, “A 1/2.7-in 2.96 MPixel CMOS image sensor with double CDS architecture for full high-definition
camcorders”, IEEE J. Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 42, pp. 2960-2967, Dec. 2007
10. 12. M. Futura, Y. Nishikawa, T. Inoue, S. Kawahito, “A high-speed, high-sensitivity digital CMOS image sensor with a global
shutter and 12-bit column-parallel cyclic A/D Converters”, IEEE J. Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 42, pp. 766-774, Apr. 2007
11. 13. M. Snoejj, A. Theuwissen, K.. Makinwa, and J. Huijsing, “A CMOS imager with column-level ADC using dynamic
column fixed-pattern noise reduction”, IEEE J. Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 41, pp. 3007-3015, Dec. 2006
12. 14. L. McIlrath, “A low-power low-noise ultrawide-dynamic-range CMOS imager with pixel-parallel A/D converters”, IEEE J.
Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 36, pp. 846-853, May 2001
© George Yuan, HKUST 45