Pinned photodiode photodetector with common buffer transistor and binning capability
First Claim
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1. A method, comprising:
- accumulating photocarriers in each of a plurality of photocarrier integrators and successively enabling each of said plurality of photocarrier integrators to connect to a common photodiode, each of said photocarrier integrators connecting to said common photodiode through a respective photodiode output port, said plurality of photocarrier integrators accumulating photocarriers generated by said photodiode during different time periods from one another.
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Abstract
A lock in pinned photodiode photodetector includes a plurality of output ports which are sequentially enabled. Each time when the output port is enabled is considered to be a different bin of time. A specified pattern is sent, and the output bins are investigated to look for that pattern. The time when the pattern is received indicates the time of flight.A CMOS active pixel image sensor includes a plurality of pinned photodiode photodetectors that share buffer transistors. In one configuration, the charge from two or more pinned photodiodes may be binned together and applied to the gate of a shared buffer transistor.
21 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A method, comprising:
accumulating photocarriers in each of a plurality of photocarrier integrators and successively enabling each of said plurality of photocarrier integrators to connect to a common photodiode, each of said photocarrier integrators connecting to said common photodiode through a respective photodiode output port, said plurality of photocarrier integrators accumulating photocarriers generated by said photodiode during different time periods from one another. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method, comprising:
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generating photocarriers in a photodiode within a pixel during a plurality of time periods;
accumulating photocarriers in each of a plurality of photocarrier integrators within said pixel such that each photocarrier integrator accumulates photocarriers generated during a time period different from a time period in which the photocarrier integrators accumulate photocarriers; and
sampling said photocarriers from said photocarrier integrators;
determining a range of an object using said sampled photocarriers. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method, comprising:
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sampling a plurality of different samples of light in a photodiode, each of said plurality of different samples being 90 degrees out of phase with one another; and
successively gating photocarriers representing each of said different samples from said photodiode through a respective output port, each output port associated with a respective photocarrier integrator, such that each photocarrier integrator accumulates a different sample than other of said photocarrier integrators. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of operating a range finding sensor, the method comprising:
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providing a plurality of photodiodes, each photodiode having a first output port for switchably coupling each respective photodiode to a first photocarrier integrator in a same pixel as said photodiode and a second output port for switchably coupling each photodiode to a second photocarrier integrator in a same pixel as said photodiode;
generating first photocarriers in said photodiodes in response to light received during a first time period;
transferring said first photocarriers to respective first photocarrier integrators via said first output ports;
generating said photocarriers in said photodiodes in response to light received during a second time period; and
transferring said second photocarriers to respective second photocarrier integrators via said second output ports. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method, comprising:
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sampling a plurality of different samples of light in a photodiode, each of said plurality of different samples being out of phase with one another; and
successively gating photocarriers representing each of said different samples from said photodiode through a respective output port, each output port associated with a respective photocarrier integrator, such that each photocarrier integrator accumulates a different sample than other of said photocarrier integrators.
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Specification