Low voltage reverse bias arrangement for an active pixel sensor

• US 6,111,245 A
• Filed: 04/22/1998
• Issued: 08/29/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: National Science Foundation (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: National Science Foundation (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Hsu, Jeng-Long, Wu, Jieh-Tsorng
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Que T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PYO, KEVIN K
• Application Number:
  US09/064,183
• Time in Patent Office: 860 Days
• Field of Search: 250/208.1, 250/214 R, 250/214.1, 250/214 A, 257/291, 257/292, 257/443, 257/444, 348/296, 348/300, 348/301, 348/308
• US Class Current: 250/208.1
• 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 25/531 by controlling rolling shutters in CMOS SSIS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/77 Pixel circuitry, e.g. memories, A/D converters, pixel amplifiers, shared circuits or shared components
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 3/155 Control of the image-sensor operation, e.g. image processing within the image-sensor

Abstract

An active pixel sensor is used to replace a charge coupled device (CCD) image sensor. The active pixel sensor may be operated in a low voltage environment and the power consumption is lower than that in the conventional CCD image sensor and the CMOS active pixel sensor which is now developed by current industry. The active pixel sensor of the present invention has a lower cost and may be applied to a portable system.

Claims

1. An active pixel sensor, comprising:

a photon receiver formed by an n type region within a p type region;

a serial electronic shutter formed by an n type MOS transistor having a source connected to the photon receiver and a drain connected in series with a drain of a p type MOS transistor;

a reset transistor formed by a p type MOS transistor having a source connected with a positive power source and a drain connected with the drain of the n type MOS transistor of the electronic shutter;

a voltage follower including a transistor having a gate connected with the drain of the p type MOS transistor, a source of said voltage follower transistor serving as the output port of the n type MOS transistor and the drain of the voltage follower transistor being connected with a column selecting transistor;

wherein said column selecting transistor is formed by an n type MOS transistor having a source connected with the drain of the voltage follower transistor and a drain connected to a positive power source; and

wherein the photon receiver is a light sensitive electrode for converting collected photons into current.

2. An active pixel sensors comprising:

a photon receiver including a sensing diode formed by an n type region within a p type region;

a serial electronic shutter formed by an n type MOS transistor having a source connected to the photon receiver and a drain connected in series with a drain of a p type MOS transistor;

a reset transistor formed by a p type MOS transistor having a source connected with a positive power source and a drain connected with the drain of the n type MOS transistor of the electronic shutter;

a voltage follower including a transistor having a gate connected with the drain of the p type MOS transistor, a source of said voltage follower transistor serving as the output port of the n type MOS transistor and the drain of the voltage follower transistor being connected with a column selecting transistor;

wherein said column selecting transistor is formed by an n type MOS transistor having a source connected with the drain of the voltage follower transistor and a drain connected to a positive power source; and

wherein a voltage supplied to a gate of the n type MOS transistor of the serial electronic shutter is adjustable, said voltage being in the form of pulses, a pulse width of said pulses determining an exposing time duration, and a voltage of said pulses determining a magnitude of a reverse bias voltage of the sensing diode and therefore the sensitivity of the sensing diode to light.

3. An active pixel sensors comprising:

a photon receiver formed by an n type region within a p type region;

a serial electronic shutter formed by an n type MOS transistor having a source connected to the photon receiver and a drain connected in series with a drain of a p type MOS transistor;

a reset transistor formed by a p type MOS transistor having a source connected with a positive power source and a drain connected with the drain of the n type MOS transistor of the electronic shutter;

a voltage follower including a transistor having agate connected with the drain of the p type MOS transistor, a source of said voltage follower transistor serving as the output port of the n type MOS transistor and the drain of the voltage follower transistor being connected with a column selecting transistor;

wherein said column selecting transistor is formed by an n type MOS transistor having a source connected with the drain of the voltage follower transistor and a drain connected to a positive power source; and

wherein the reset transistor is arranged to control a reverse bias of the photon receiver and provide a calibration voltage required by a pixel signal output.