Title :
Pixel-level ADC by small charge quantum counting
Author :
Peizerat, A. ; Arques, M. ; Villard, P. ; Martin, J.-L. ; Bouvier, G.
Author_Institution :
CEA/LETI, Grenoble
Abstract :
A pixel-level ADC technique for CMOS image sensors is presented. As the charge represents accurately the amount of illumination, the principle consists in counting small charge packets which come from the detector. Based on a 0.13 mum CMOS technology, simulation results and first measurements are presented showing that the LSB value can be reduced to 1900 electrons with a static power of 250 nW per pixel. For the moment, due to the available technology, this technique, is restricted to medium size pixels, i.e. 50x50 mum2.
Keywords :
CMOS image sensors; analogue-digital conversion; counting circuits; photon counting; readout electronics; smart pixels; CMOS image sensors; pixel-level ADC technique; size 0.13 mum; small charge packet counting; CMOS image sensors; CMOS technology; Counting circuits; Detectors; Image converters; Lighting; Linearity; Pixel; Trigger circuits; Voltage;
Conference_Titel :
Electronics, Circuits and Systems, 2006. ICECS '06. 13th IEEE International Conference on
Conference_Location :
Nice
Print_ISBN :
1-4244-0395-2
Electronic_ISBN :
1-4244-0395-2
DOI :
10.1109/ICECS.2006.379815
