PIXEL SENSOR CELL WITH FRAME STORAGE CAPABILITY
First Claim
1. A method of operating a semiconductor circuit of an array of image sensor pixels, said method comprising:
- providing an array of image sensor pixels, wherein each image sensor pixel includes a plurality of frame transfer transistors in a serial connection and electrically connected to a photosensitive diode; and
exposing an entirety of said array at least twice prior to reading data from said array, wherein a plurality of frames is stored in said plurality of frame transfer transistors, and wherein each of said plurality of frames corresponds to one of said multiple exposures.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A set of frame transfer transistors are provided between a hold gate transistor and a transfer gate transistor of a CMOS image sensor to enable storage of charge generate in the photosensitive diode after exposure. The readout of the charges from the set of frame transfer transistors may be performed after a plurality of exposures of the CMOS image sensor, between each of which charges are shifted toward the transfer gate transistor within the set of frame transfer transistors. Useful operation modes are enabled including a burst mode operation for rapid capture of successive images and high dynamic range operations in which multiple images are taken with different exposure times or a large capacitance is provided by ganging the diffusions of the set of frame transfer transistors.
28 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of operating a semiconductor circuit of an array of image sensor pixels, said method comprising:
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providing an array of image sensor pixels, wherein each image sensor pixel includes a plurality of frame transfer transistors in a serial connection and electrically connected to a photosensitive diode; and exposing an entirety of said array at least twice prior to reading data from said array, wherein a plurality of frames is stored in said plurality of frame transfer transistors, and wherein each of said plurality of frames corresponds to one of said multiple exposures. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of operating a semiconductor circuit comprising:
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providing a semiconductor circuit for an array of image sensor pixels, wherein each of said image sensor pixels comprises; a photosensitive diode; a first transistor, wherein a source of said first transistor is directly connected to a terminal of said photosensitive diode; a second transistor, wherein a channel of the said second transistor is electrically coupled to a channel of the first transistor; a plurality of frame transfer transistors serially connected to said second transistor; and exposing an entirety of said array at least twice prior to reading data from said array, wherein a plurality of frames is stored in said plurality of frame transfer transistors, and wherein each of said plurality of frames corresponds to one of said multiple exposures. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification