A 4 M-pixel CMD image sensor with block and skip access capability

A 4 M-pixel charge-modulation device (CMD) image sensor for high-resolution imaging and machine vision applications features large pixel count, three scanning modes, and low dark-current generation. The three scanning modes include a full readout mode, a block access mode and a skip access mode. A 4 M-pixel resolution image is obtained in a single readout cycle with the full readout mode, while an arbitrary window-of-interest can be read out with the block access mode. The skip access mode reads every 4 pixels in both horizontal and vertical directions. The block and the skip access modes allow a real-time monitoring of a partial and a whole image.