Photo sensor with a low-noise photo element, sub-linear response and global shutter
US7973841B2 · kind B2 · utility
2Cited by
4References
11Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 14, 2008 |
| Grant date | Jul 5, 2011 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 8, 2029 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N25/771
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A photo sensor exhibiting low noise, low smear, low dark current, high dynamic range and global shutter functionality consists either of a pinned (or buried) photodiode or a photo-sensitive charge-coupled device, each with associated transfer gate, a sub-linear element, a shutter transistor, a reset circuit and a read-out circuit. Using two output paths global shutter and high speed operation are possible for the linear and the sub-linear output of the sensor. Because of its compact size, the photo sensor can be employed in one- and two-dimensional image sensors, fabricated with industry-standard CMOS and CCD technologies.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.