A 9-V/Lux-s 5000-frames/s 512/spl times/512 CMOS sensor

A high-responsivity 9-V/Lux-s high-speed 5000-frames/s (at full 512/spl times/512 resolution) CMOS active pixel sensor (APS) is presented in this paper. The sensor was designed for a 0.35-/spl mu/m 2P3M CMOS sensor process and utilizes a five-transistor pixel to provide a true parallel shutter. Column-parallel analog-to-digital converter (ADC) architecture yields fast readout from pixels and digitization of the data simultaneously with acquiring a new frame. The chip has a two-row SRAM to store data from the ADC and read previous rows of data out of the chip. There are a total of 16 parallel ports operating up to 90 MHz delivering /spl sim/1.3 Gpixel/s or 13 Gb/s of data at the maximum rate. In conclusion, a comparison between two high-speed digital CMOS sensor architectures, which are a column-parallel APS and a digital pixel sensor (DPS), is conducted.     

用于CMOS图像传感器的列并行RSD循环ADC

设计了一种用于CMOS图像传感器的列并行RSD循环ADC.转换和采样同步进行,速度比传统的循环ADC提高了1倍,适用于高速实时系统的应用.将采样保持,精确乘2和像素信号的FPN噪声消除功能用1个运放和6个电容来实现,大大缩小了面积.采用RSD算法,不但降低了对比较器的精度要求,并且实现了较高的线性度.通过失调反向存储,基本消除运放失调引入的列FPN噪声.该ADC在0.18μm工艺下,实现了10位精度和500 KS/S的高转换速度.ADC的DNL= 0.5/-0.5 LsB,INL= 0.1/-1.5 LSB.     

A 10000 frames/s CMOS digital pixel sensor

A 352×288 pixel CMOS image sensor chip with per-pixel single-slope ADC and dynamic memory in a standard digital 0.18-μm CMOS process is described. The chip performs "snapshot" image acquisition, parallel 8-bit A/D conversion, and digital readout at continuous rate of 10000 frames/s or 1 Gpixels/s with power consumption of 50 mW. Each pixel consists of a photogate circuit, a three-stage comparator, and an 8-bit 3T dynamic memory comprising a total of 37 transistors in 9.4×9.4 μm with a fill factor of 15%. The photogate quantum efficiency is 13.6%, and the sensor conversion gain is 13.1 μV/e^-. At 1000 frames/s, measured integral nonlinearity is 0.22% over a 1-V range, rms temporal noise with digital CDS is 0.15%, and rms FPN with digital CDS is 0.027%. When operated at low frame rates, on-chip power management circuits permit complete powerdown between each frame conversion and readout. The digitized pixel data is read out over a 64-bit (8-pixel) wide bus operating at 167 MHz, i.e., over 1.33 GB/s. The chip is suitable for general high-speed imaging applications as well as for the implementation of several still and standard video rate applications that benefit from high-speed capture, such as dynamic range enhancement, motion estimation and compensation, and image stabilization     

用于CMOS图像传感器的列并行高精度ADC

设计了一种适用于CMOS图像传感器的列并行Single-slopeADC。采用的列并行ADC,同时对多数据源并行处理,增强了数据吞吐量,特别适用于CMOS图像传感器大像素阵列的数据处理。分析了影响ADC精度的因素,并给出了减小失调的方法。该ADC在0.35μm工艺下成功流片验证,测试结果表明,该ADC,在50MS/s的高数据吞吐量下,实现了CMOS图像传感器的8bit精度的设计要求和17.35mW的低功耗,以及0.62mm2的芯片面积。ADC的DNL=0.8LSB,INL=1.096LSB。     

A high-speed CMOS image sensor with a 11-bit column-parallel A/D converter

This article presents a high-speed, high-linearity 400 × 320 pixel CMOS image sensor with column parallel ADC. The pixel readout circuit is integrated in the 320 columns at one side of the pixel array and all columns consume 16 mW power provided from the 2.5 V power supply. A technique for accelerating conversion speed using two step single slope structure is developed. This new method has more advantages than conventional ramp ADC from viewpoint of speed and resolution. A prototype 11-bit ADC is implemented in 0.25 μm CMOS technology. Moreover, an overall SNR of 63.8 dB can be achieved at 0.5 Msample/s. The power dissipation of all 320 column-parallel ADCs with the peripheral circuits consumes 76 mW.     

A high-sensitivity CMOS image sensor with gain-adaptive column amplifiers

A high-sensitivity CMOS image sensor using gain-adaptive column amplifiers is presented and tested. The use of high gain for the column amplifier reduces input-referred random noise, and when coupled with a column-based digital noise cancellation technique, also reduces fixed pattern noise. An experimental application of the circuit using 0.25-/spl mu/m CMOS technology with pinned photodiodes gave an rms random noise of 263 /spl mu/V and an rms fixed pattern noise of 50 /spl mu/V.     

A CMOS 15-bit 125-MS/s Time-Interleaved ADC With Digital Background Calibration

A 15-bit 125-MS/s two-channel time-interleaved pipelined ADC is fabricated in a 0.18 mum CMOS technology, and achieves 91.9 dB SFDR, 69.9 dB SNDR for a 9.99 MHz input. This ADC incorporates a single sample-and-hold amplifier which employs a precharged circuit configuration to mitigate performance requirements for its opamp. Digital background calibration is applied to maintain the conversion linearity of each A/D channel and also correct both gain and offset mismatches between the two channels. Excluding I/O buffers, the chip occupies an area of 4.3 times 4.3 mm² and dissipates 909 mW from a 1.8 V supply.     

A Nyquist-rate pixel-level ADC for CMOS image sensors

A multichannel bit-serial (MCBS) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is presented. The ADC is ideally suited to pixel-level implementation in a CMOS image sensor. The ADC uses successive comparisons to output one bit at a time simultaneously from all pixels. It is implemented using a 1-bit comparator/latch pair per pixel or per group of neighboring pixels, and a digital-to-analog-converter/controller shared by all pixels. The comparator/latch pair operates at very slow speeds and can be implemented using simple robust circuits. The ADCs can be fully tested by applying electrical signals without any optics or light sources. A CMOS 320×256 sensor using the MCBS ADC is described. The chip measures 4.14×5.16 mm². It achieves 10×10 μm² pixel size at 28% fill factor in 0.35 μm CMOS technology. Each 2×2 pixel block shares an ADC. The pixel block circuit comprises 18 transistors. It operates in subthreshold to maximize gain and minimize power consumption. The power consumed by the sensor array is 20 mW at 30 frames/s. The measured integral nonlinearity is 2.3 LSB, and differential nonlinearity is 1.2 LSB at eight bits of resolution. The standard deviation of the gain and offset fixed pattern noise due to the ADC are 0.24 and 0.2%, respectively     

A High-Speed Low-Noise CMOS Image Sensor With 13-b Column-Parallel Single-Ended Cyclic ADCs

A high-performance CMOS image sensor (CIS) with 13-b column-parallel single-ended cyclic ADCs is presented. The simplified single-ended circuits for the cyclic ADC are squeezed into a 5.6-mum-pitch single-side column. The proposed internal reference generation and return-to-zero digital signal feedback techniques enhance the ADC to have low read noise, a high resolution of 13 b, and a resulting dynamic range of 71 dB. An ultralow vertical fixed pattern noise of 0.1 e_rms ^- is attained by a digital CDS technique, which performs A/D conversion twice in a horizontal scan period (6 mus). The implemented CIS with 0.18-mum technology operates at 390 frames/s and has 7.07-V/lx middots sensitivity, 61- muV/e^- conversion gain, 4.9-e_rms ^- read noise, and less than 0.4 LSB differential nonlinearity.     

用于高速CIS的12-bit紧凑型多列共享并行pipeline-SAR ADC

设计了一款用于高速CMOS图像传感器的多列共享列并行流水线逐次逼近模数转换器。八列像素共享一路pipeline-SAR ADC,从而使得ADC的版图不再局限于二列像素的宽度,可以在16列像素宽度内实现。该模数转换器采用了异步控制逻辑电路来提高转换速度。半增益数模混合单元电路被用于对第一级子ADC的余差信号放大,同时被用于降低对增益数模混合单元电路中运放性能的要求。相关电平位移技术也被用于对余差信号进行更精确的放大。整个pipeline-SAR ADC第一级子ADC精度为6-bit,第二级子ADC为7-bit,两级之间存在1-bit冗余校准,最终实现12-bit精度。输入信号满幅电压为1 V。该8列共享并行处理的pipeline-SAR ADC在0.18 m 1P4M工艺下制造实现,芯片面积为0.204 mm2。仿真结果显示,在采样频率为8.33 Msps,输入信号频率为229.7 kHz时,该ADC的信噪失真比为72.6 dB;在采样频率为8.33 Msps,输入信号频率为4.16 MHz时,该ADC的信噪失真比为71.7 dB。该pipeline-SAR ADC的电源电压为1.8 V,功耗为4.95 mW,功耗品质因子（FoM）为172.5 fJ/conversion-step。由于像素尺寸只有7.5 m,工艺只有四层金属,因此这款12-bit多列共享列并行流水线逐次逼近模数转换器非常适用于高速CMOS图像传感器系统。     

A digital pixel image sensor for real-time readout

An experimental digital image sensor that converts analog video signals into 8-bit digital signals for each unit pixel, and reads out the signals at an operating clock of standard TV has been developed. Each pixel is equipped with a photodiode, a 1-bit analog-to-digital converter (1-bit ADC), an 8-bit pulse counter, and a signal processing circuit. The sensor system displays a two-dimensional (2-D) image in real time. The 1-bit ADC has a dynamic range of 110 dB at an operating voltage of 1.3 V. “Knee” characteristics and the results of an investigation into random noise sources in the circuit are also described     

Digital background calibration of charge pump based pipelined ADC

In the presented work, digital background calibration of a charge pump based pipelined ADC is presented. A 10-bit 100 MS/s pipelined ADC is designed using TSMC 0.18 µm CMOS technology operating on a 1.8 V power supply voltage. A power efficient opamp-less charge pump based technique is chosen to achieve the desired stage voltage gain of 2 and digital background calibration is used to calibrate the inter-stage gain error. After calibration, the ADC achieves an SNDR of 66.78 dB and SFDR of 79.3 dB. Also, DNL improves to +0.6/–0.4 LSB and INL improves from +9.3/–9.6 LSB to within ±0.5 LSB, consuming 16.53 mW of power.     

CMOS图像传感器集成A/D转换器技术的研究

片上集成A／D转换器是CMOS图像传感器的关键部件,我们分析和比较了三类不同集成方式：芯片级,列级和象素级的原理,性能和特点。最后,展望了CMOS图像传感器上集成A／D转换器的未来发展趋势。     

8.9-Megapixel Video Image Sensor With 14-b Column-Parallel SA-ADC

An 8.9-megapixel 60-frames/s video image sensor with a 14-b column-parallel analog-to-digital converter (ADC) has been developed. A gain amplifier, a 14-b successive approximation ADC (SA-ADC), and a new column digital processor are employed in each column. The SA-ADC has sufficient operation speed to convert the pixel reset and the pixel signal into digital data in a row operation cycle. The column digital processor receives bit serial data from the SA-ADC output and performs subtraction of the reset data from the signal data in order to reduce column fixed pattern noise (FPN). Column FPN is successfully reduced to 0.36 e_rms ^- by this digital-domain column FPN correction. Low-voltage low-power serial video interface and noise decoupling on pixel drive voltages contribute to row-temporal-noise reduction to 0.31 e_rms ^-. Both column FPN and row temporal noise are not visible in spite of a low readout noise floor of 2.8 e_rms ^-.     

A 200-$mu$V/e$^{-}$ CMOS Image Sensor With 100-ke$^{-}$ Full Well Capacity

A high-sensitivity CMOS image sensor keeping a high full-well capacity has been developed by introducing a new pixel having a small floating diffusion (FD) capacitance connected to a lateral overflow integration capacitor (LOFIC) through a MOS switch. The conceptual advantage of the small FD approach over conventional column amplifier approaches is compared and demonstrated. To ensure both the high sensitivity and the high full-well capacity, the low-light and the bright-light signals (S1 and S2) are output and reproduced without a visible SNR degradation at the S1/S2 switching point. As the most critical problem, the increase of the conversion gain variation in this approach is suppressed by applying a self-aligned offset structure to the small FD. A 1/4-in VGA format CMOS image sensor fabricated through 0.18-mum 2P3M process achieves 2.2-e^- rms noise floor with 200-muV/e^- conversion gain and 100-ke^- full-well capacity.     

A 1.9 $e^{-}$ Random Noise CMOS Image Sensor With Active Feedback Operation in Each Pixel

A 1.9 e^- random noise CMOS image sensor has been developed by applying an active feedback operation (AFO), which uses a capacitive feedback effect to floating diffusion (FD) by a gate-source capacitance of a pixel source follower (SF), in a CMOS image sensor with a lateral overflow integration capacitor (LOFIC) technology. It is described that the AFO is suitable for CMOS image sensors with LOFIC because the design of the full well capacity and the FD can be independently optimized. The AFO theory is found to be explored to a large signal voltage in detail, as well as the conventional analysis of the capacitive feedback effect of the pixel SF for a small signal voltage. A 1/4-in 5.6- mum-pitch 640(H) times 480(V) pixel sensor chip in a 0.18-mum two-poly-Si three-metal CMOS technology achieves about 1.7 times the sensitivity with AFO compared with the case where the feedback operation is not positively used, resulting in an input-referred conversion gain of 210 muV/e^- and an input-referred noise of 1.9 e^-. A high well capacity of 130 000 e^- is also achieved.     

A pipelined SAR ADC with gain-stage based on capacitive charge pump

This paper presents a 14-bit, tunable bandwidth two-stage pipelined successive approximation analog to digital converter which is suitable for low-power, cost-effective sensor readout circuits. To overcome the high DC gain requirement of operational transconductance amplifier in the gain-stage, the multi-stage capacitive charge pump (CCP) was utilized to achieve the gain-stage instead of using the switch capacitor integrator. The detailed design considerations are given in this work. Thereafter, the 14-bit ADC was designed and fabricated in a low-cost 0.35-µm CMOS process. The prototype ADC achieves a peak SNDR of 75.6 dB at a sampling rate of 20 kS/s and 76.1 dB at 200 kS/s while consuming 7.68 and 96 µW, respectively. The corresponding FoM are 166.7 and 166.3 dB. Since the bandwidth of CCP is tunable, the ADC maintains a SNDR >75 dB upto 260 kHz. The core area occupied by the ADC is 0.589 mm².     

A 640×512 CMOS image sensor with ultrawide dynamic rangefloating-point pixel-level ADC

Analysis results demonstrate that multiple sampling can achieve consistently higher signal-to-noise ratio at equal or higher dynamic range than using other image sensor dynamic range enhancement schemes such as well capacity adjusting. Implementing multiple sampling, however, requires much higher readout speeds than can be achieved using typical CMOS active pixel sensor (APS). This paper demonstrates, using a 640×512 CMOS image sensor with 8-b bit-serial Nyquist rate analog-to-digital converter (ADC) per 4 pixels, that pixel-level ADC enables a highly flexible and efficient implementation of multiple sampling to enhance dynamic range. Since pixel values are available to the ADC's at all times, the number and timing of the samples as well as the number of bits obtained from each sample can be freely selected and read out at fast SRAM speeds. By sampling at exponentially increasing exposure times, pixel values with binary floating-point resolution can be obtained. The 640×512 sensor is implemented in 0.35-μm CMOS technology and achieves 10.5×10.5 μm pixel size at 29% fill factor. Characterization techniques and measured quantum efficiency, sensitivity, ADC transfer curve, and fixed pattern noise are presented. A scene with measured dynamic range exceeding 10000:1 is sampled nine times to obtain an image with dynamic range of 65536:1. Limits on achievable dynamic range using multiple sampling are presented     

A 10$sim$ 15-bit 60-MS/s Floating-Point ADC With Digital Gain and Offset Calibration

Floating-point analog-to-digital converter (FADC) utilizes an up-front variable-gain amplifier (VGA) to enhance its low-level resolution. Although it is a single-path system, varying gain by switching circuit elements in and out modulates the gain and offset as in the multi-path time-interleaved ADC. For high-speed operation at all gain settings, a constant-bandwidth switched-capacitor VGA is implemented with variable-bandwidth opamps, and its gain and offset are digitally calibrated in background using signal-dependent pseudo-random noise (PN) dithering and chopping techniques. A three-stage VGA adjusts its gain instantly from $times$ 1 to $times$ 32 depending on the sampled input level, and improves the INL of a 10-bit ADC from 24 to 0.9 least significant bits (LSBs) at a 15-bit level for the low-level input. The resulting 10 $sim$ 15-bit 60-MS/s ADC needs no input sample-and-hold (S/H) stage, and achieves a system noise of $-$80 dBFS with a gain set to $times$ 32. A prototype chip in 0.18-$muhbox{m}$ CMOS occupies an active area of $3.0times 2.0 hbox{mm}^{2}$ , and consumes 300 mW at 1.8 V including digital calibration logic.      

A 12-Bit Ratio-Independent Algorithmic A/D Converter for a Capacitive Sensor Interface

This paper describes a ratio-independent algorithmic analog-digital (A/D) converter architecture that is insensitive to capacitance ratio, amplifier offset voltage, amplifier input parasitics, and flicker noise. It requires only one differential amplifier, a dynamic latch, six capacitors, 36 switches, and some digital logic. The prototype 12-bit, 40-kS/s A/D converter (ADC) with an active die area of 0.041 mm² is implemented in a 0.13-mum CMOS. The power dissipation is minimized using a dynamically biased operational amplifier. With a 68.4-muW power dissipation, the ADC achieves 80.2-dB spurious-free dynamic range and 63.3-dB signal-to-noise and distortion ratio.