Design and analysis of a 512×768 current-mediated active pixel array image sensor

Abstract

Current-mediated, current-output active pixels offer the advantages of compact size and simple operation in designing large format CMOS image sensors, with performance limited by spatial fixed pattern noise. In this paper, a thorough noise analysis is made of the expected performance of a current-output pixel image sensor. This analysis is compared with experimental results from a 512/spl times/768 array imager fabricated in a 0.7 /spl mu/m process, and the effectiveness of basic error correction techniques are explored. The goal of this study was to determine the performance limits of this device and to gain insight into the design issues needed to develop a high-quality current-output imager.