Sensor comprising gate modulation with inductor to form a resonant circuit

US11211421B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• OmniVision Technologies, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Xianmin Yi · San Jose, US
• Jingming Yao · San Jose, US
• Philip Cizdziel · San Jose, US
• Eric Webster · Glasgow, GB
• Duli Mao · Sunnyvale, US
• Zhiqiang Lin · San Jose, US
• Jens Landgraf · Bloomfield Hills, US
• Keiji Mabuchi · Yokohama, JP
• Kevin P. Johnson · Malta, US
• Sohei Manabe · San Jose, US
• Dyson H. Tai · San Jose, US
• Lindsay Grant · Los Gatos, US
• Boyd Fowler · Sunnyvale, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 23, 2019
• Grant date: Dec 28, 2021
• Expiry date: Jul 10, 2040

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06T2207/10028
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A sensor includes a photodiode disposed in a semiconductor material to receive light and convert the light into charge, and a first floating diffusion coupled to the photodiode to receive the charge. A second floating diffusion is coupled to the photodiode to receive the charge, and a first transfer transistor is coupled to transfer the charge from the photodiode into the first floating diffusion. A second transfer transistor is coupled to transfer the charge from the photodiode into the second floating diffusion, and an inductor is coupled between a first gate terminal of the first transfer transistor and a second gate terminal of the second transfer transistor. The inductor, the first gate terminal, and the second gate terminal form a resonant circuit.