Blooming control for a CMOS image sensor

Details Blooming control for a CMOS image sensor Blooming control for a CMOS image sensor

2005-03-01

2005-03-01

Luu, Thanh X. (Department: 2878)

Radiant energy

Photocells; circuits and apparatus

Photocell controlled circuit

C326S034000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06861635

ABSTRACT:
A high voltage reset circuit with blooming control that increases the dynamic range of a CMOS image sensor and prevents blooming from occurring in output images. The circuit includes a high voltage supply circuit and a high voltage level shifter circuit. The high voltage supply circuit is configured to supply a voltage to the shifter circuit. The voltage has a voltage level higher than the absolute maximum voltage of the associated fabrication process. The shifter circuit is configured to output a high reset signal based on a reset signal generated to reset a pixel circuit of a pixel array. Instead of the reset signal, the high reset signal is coupled to a gate of the reset transistor in the pixel circuit. The high reset signal allows the reset transistor to maintain a gate to source potential less than the absolute maximum voltage even when the high reset signal is greater than the absolute maximum voltage. The high voltage level shifter circuit includes a high voltage inverter arranged to raise the low level of the high reset signal by a predetermined voltage and to control the rising and falling edges of the RESETHsignal. This prevents a photodiode in the pixel circuit from becoming forward biased and prevents blooming from occurring within the image sensor.

REFERENCES:
patent: 5465054 (1995-11-01), Erhart
patent: 5578957 (1996-11-01), Erhart et al.
patent: 5604449 (1997-02-01), Erhart et al.

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