Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor image sensor sturcture of mixed integration area and potential reading method employing the same

• US 20030107663A1
• Filed: 02/06/2002
• Published: 06/12/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Twin Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Twin Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: King, Ya-Chin, Cheng, Hsiu-Yu
• Application Number:
  US10/068,250
• Publication Number:
  US 20030107663A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/294
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14609 Pixel-elements with integrated switching, control, storage or amplification elements scanning details of imagers (circuitry of solid-state image sensors H04N25/00); circuitry of imagers H04N25/70
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14643 Photodiode arrays; MOS imagers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/575 with a response composed of multiple slopes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/75 Circuitry for providing, modifying or processing image signals from the pixel array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 3/155 Control of the image-sensor operation, e.g. image processing within the image-sensor

Abstract

The present invention provides a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor structure and the potential reading method employing the same. The integration area composed of the photo diode and the photo gate is applied to receive the light emitted from the light source. The sensitivity is changed via the operation of controlling the gate voltage of the photo gate. Moreover, the variance of the potential is read many times. The characteristic of the potentials under different conditions in different times having the same dark current and fixed pattern noise is utilized. The dark current and the fixed pattern noise can be eliminated by calculating their difference. Higher sensitivity in low illumination and lower sensitivity in high illumination can be obtained by calculating their summation, so as to increase the dynamic range.

Claims

1. A CMOS image sensor structure of the mixed integration area comprising:

an integration area, wherein, the integration area is used to receive a light emitted from a light source, and reacts to an integration potential according to the intensity of the light source, wherein, the integration is composed of a photo diode and a photo gate;

a reset transistor, wherein the reset transistor is used to reset the integration potential to the reset level;

a source-coupled transistor, wherein the source-coupled transistor is used to provide the output current of the integration potential to read the integration potential; and

an output selection transistor, wherein the output selection transistor is used to select whether to read the integration potential.

2. The CMOS image sensor structure of claim 1, wherein, the integration area is composed of the gate of the photo gate surrounded by the photo diode that is formed of the N type mixed surface on top of the P-well.

3. The CMOS image sensor structure of claim 2, wherein the reset transistor is an N-MOS transistor.

4. The CMOS image sensor structure of claim 2, wherein the source-coupled transistor is an N-MOS transistor.

5. The CMOS image sensor structure of claim 2, wherein the output selection transistor is an N-MOS transistor.

6. A potential reading method of the CMOS image sensor of the mixed integration area, the image sensor at least comprising an integration area and a reset transistor, wherein, the integration area is used to receive a light emitted from a light source, and reacts to an integration potential according to the intensity of the light source, wherein, the integration area is composed of a photo diode and a photo gate;

the reset transistor is used to reset the integration potential to a reset level, the method comprising the steps of;

electrically conducting the reset transistor to reset the integration potential to the reset level;

closing the reset transistor;

reading the integration potential when the photo diode is operating individually;

applying the voltage to the photo gate to activate the operation of the photo gate;

reading the integration potential when the photo diode and the photo gate are cooperating together; and

calculating the difference value between the integration potential when the photo diode is operating individually and the integration potential when the photo diode and the photo gate are cooperating together.

7. A potential reading method of the CMOS image sensor of mixed integration area, the image sensor at least comprising an integration area and a reset transistor, wherein, the integration area is used to receive a light emitted from a light source, and reacts to an integration potential according to the intensity of the light source, wherein, the integration area is composed of a photo diode and a photo gate, and the reset transistor is used to reset the integration potential to a reset level, the method comprising the steps of:

electrically conducting the reset transistor to reset the integration potential to the reset level;

closing the reset transistor and reading the reset level;

reading the integration potential when the photo diode is operating individually;

calculating the difference between the reset level and the integration potential when the photo diode is operating individually, and using it as a first result value;

applying the voltage to the photo gate to activate the operation of the photo gate;

reading the integration potential when the photo diode and the photo gate are cooperating together;

calculating the difference between the reset level and the integration potential when the photo diode and the photo gate are cooperating together, and using it as a second result value; and

calculating the summation of the first result value and the second result value.