A 300mm wafer-size CMOS image sensor with in-pixel voltage-gain amplifier and column-level differential readout circuitry

Abstract

In this paper, we describe the architecture of a wafer-size CMOS image sensor enabling to enlarge the size of the large-format sensor while maintaining good signal quality. The good signal quality is the key for a low-noise and high-frame rate image sensor. For this purpose, each pixel of our sensor has a programmable voltage amplifier. In addition, the differential readout circuitry on the column signal path ensures tolerance to common-mode noise and the drift of power/ground voltage.