CCD with improved substrate voltage setting circuit
US7508432B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 19, 2006 |
| Grant date | Mar 24, 2009 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 2, 2027 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH10F39/1534
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An image sensor includes a plurality of pixels for converting incident photons into electrical charge; an overflow drain to draw off excess charge from at one or more of the pixels; a mechanism for summing charge from two or more of the pixels; a first network of resistive devices generating a first overflow drain voltage where at least one of the resistive devices has, in parallel, a fuse that can be opened in response to an external stimulus to provide the optimum overflow drain voltage for pixel anti-blooming protection and saturation signal level for when a plurality of pixels are summed together; and a second network of resistive devices connected to the first network of resistive devices generating a second overflow drain voltage where the second overflow drain voltage is a fraction of the first overflow drain voltage and the second overflow drain voltage provides the optimum overflow drain voltage for pixel anti-blooming and saturation signal level for when none or substantially none of the plurality of pixels are summed together.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.