Invention Grant
- Patent Title: Imaging systems and methods for performing unboosted image sensor pixel conversion gain adjustments
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Application No.: US14692512Application Date: 2015-04-21
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Publication No.: US09888191B2Publication Date: 2018-02-06
- Inventor: Jeffery Beck
- Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC
- Applicant Address: US AZ Phoenix
- Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC
- Current Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC
- Current Assignee Address: US AZ Phoenix
- Agency: Treyz Law Group, P.C.
- Agent Michael H. Lyons; David K. Cole
- Main IPC: H04N5/335
- IPC: H04N5/335 ; H01L27/00 ; H04N5/355 ; H04N5/243

Abstract:
An image sensor may include an array of pixels arranged in rows and columns. Each pixel may include a floating diffusion node, a capacitor, a dual conversion gain (DCG) transistor having a gate terminal coupled to the floating diffusion, a source terminal, and a drain terminal coupled to the floating diffusion through the capacitor. Column readout circuitry may provide per-column control signals to the source terminal of the DCG transistor in the pixels of a selected row to place the pixels into a low conversion gain mode by turning the DCG transistor on and into a high conversion gain mode by turning the DCG transistor off. In this way, the readout circuitry may provide per-column conversion gains for each row without boosting DCG control signals to magnitudes greater than the pixel supply voltage, thereby reducing voltage stress on the pixel array and improving lifetime of the image sensor.
Public/Granted literature
- US20160316163A1 IMAGING SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PERFORMING UNBOOSTED IMAGE SENSOR PIXEL CONVERSION GAIN ADJUSTMENTS Public/Granted day:2016-10-27
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