Imaging systems with column current mirror circuitry

• US 8,952,311 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2012
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries LLC (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Aptina Imaging Corporation (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Inventors: Johnson, Richard Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): LUU, THANH X
• Application Number:
  US13/454,745
• Publication Number:
  US 20130020467A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: 250/208.1
• US Class Current: 250/208.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/677 for reducing the column or line fixed pattern noise
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/68 applied to defects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/767 Horizontal readout lines, multiplexers or registers

Abstract

Electronic devices may include image sensors having image pixel arrays with image pixels arranged in pixel rows and pixel columns. Each pixel column may be coupled to an active and an inactive current supply circuit. Each active current supply circuit may form a portion of a current mirror circuit that includes a common current source and a common input transistor. Each active current supply circuit may include a mirror transistor for mirroring current that flows through the common input transistor and a permanently enabled enabling transistor for activating that mirror transistor. Mirrored current that flows through a particular active mirror transistor may be supplied to image pixels in the pixel column associated with that particular mirror transistor. Each inactive current supply circuit may include a mirror transistor coupled to the input transistor and a permanently disabled enabling transistor.

Claims

1. An image sensor, comprising:

an array of image pixels arranged in pixel rows and pixel columns;

a plurality of active current supply circuits; and

a plurality of inactive current supply circuits, wherein at least one of the plurality of inactive current supply circuits and a corresponding one of the active current supply circuits are coupled to an associated one of the pixel columns, wherein the at least one of the plurality of inactive current supply circuits and the corresponding one of the active current supply circuits are coupled in parallel to the associated one of the pixel columns, wherein each image pixel in each pixel column comprises;

a photosensitive element; and

a source follower transistor having a gate terminal coupled to the photosensitive element, wherein the source follower transistors of the image pixels in each pixel column are configured to receive a bias current from the active current supply circuit that is coupled to that pixel column, wherein, in combination with additional circuitry on the image sensor, each of the active current supply circuits forms a corresponding current mirror circuit for providing the bias current, and wherein the current mirror circuit corresponding to each of the active current supply circuits comprises a feedback-assisted current mirror circuit.

2. The image sensor defined in claim 1 wherein the current mirror circuit corresponding to each of the active current supply circuits comprises a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor current mirror circuit.

3. An image sensor, comprising:

an array of image pixels arranged in pixel rows and pixel columns;

a plurality of active current supply circuits; and

a plurality of inactive current supply circuits, wherein at least one of the plurality of inactive current supply circuits and a corresponding one of the active current supply circuits are coupled to an associated one of the pixel columns, wherein the at least one of the plurality of inactive current supply circuits and the corresponding one of the active current supply circuits are coupled in parallel to the associated one of the pixel columns, wherein each image pixel in each pixel column comprises;

a photosensitive element; and

a source follower transistor having a gate terminal coupled to the photosensitive element, wherein the source follower transistors of the image pixels in each pixel column are configured to receive a bias current from the active current supply circuit that is coupled to that pixel column, wherein, in combination with additional circuitry on the image sensor, each of the active current supply circuits forms a corresponding current mirror circuit for providing the bias current, wherein the additional circuitry comprises;

a current source; and

an input transistor coupled between the current source and the plurality of active current supply circuits.

4. The image sensor defined in claim 3 wherein each active current supply circuit comprises:

a mirror transistor having a gate terminal and a source/drain terminal, wherein the gate terminal is coupled to the source/drain terminal; and

an enabling transistor coupled to the mirror transistor, wherein the enabling transistor is configured to receive an enable signal that activates that active current supply circuit.

5. The image sensor defined in claim 4 wherein the input transistor comprises:

a gate terminal; and

a source/drain terminal coupled to the gate terminal, wherein the gate terminal of the input transistor is coupled to the gate terminal the mirror transistor of each active current supply circuit.

6. The image sensor defined in claim 5 wherein each inactive current supply circuit comprises:

a mirror transistor having a gate terminal and a source/drain terminal, wherein the gate terminal is coupled to the source/drain terminal; and

an enabling transistor coupled to the mirror transistor, wherein the enabling transistor is configured to inactivate that inactive current supply circuit.

7. The image sensor defined in claim 6 further comprising:

a plurality of conductive column lines, wherein each conductive column line in the plurality of conductive column lines is coupled to a respective pixel column; and

readout circuitry coupled to the conductive column lines for reading out image signals from the image pixels along the conductive column lines.