High-sensitivity active pixel sensor with variable threshold photodetector

Sung-Hyun Jo; Myunghan Bae; Byoung-Soo Choi; Hong-Kun Lyu; Jang-Kyoo Shin

doi:10.1117/12.2189913

13 May 2015 High-sensitivity active pixel sensor with variable threshold photodetector

Sung-Hyun Jo, Myunghan Bae, Byoung-Soo Choi, Hong-Kun Lyu, Jang-Kyoo Shin

Proceedings Volume 9481, Image Sensing Technologies: Materials, Devices, Systems, and Applications II; 948114 (2015) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2189913
Event: SPIE Sensing Technology + Applications, 2015, Baltimore, MD, United States

Abstract

A novel high-sensitivity active pixel sensor (APS) with a variable threshold photodetector has been presented and for the first time, a simple SPICE model for the variable threshold photodetector is presented. Its SPICE model is in good agreement with measurements and is more simpler than the conventional model. The proposed APS has a gate/body-tied PMOSFET-type photodetector with an overlapping control gate that makes it possible to control the sensitivity of the proposed APS. It is a hybrid device composed of a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), a lateral bipolar junction transistor (BJT) and a vertical BJT. Using sufficient overlapping control gate bias to operate the MOSFET in inversion mode, the variable threshold photodetector allows for increasing the photocurrent gain by 10⁵ at low light intensities when the control gate bias is -3 V. Thus, the proposed APS with a variable threshold photodetector has better low-light-level sensitivity than the conventional APS operating mode, and it has a variable sensitivity which is determined by the control gate bias. The proposed sensor has been fabricated by using 0.35 μm 2-poly 4-metal standard complementary MOS (CMOS) process and its characteristics have been evaluated.

Citation Download Citation

Sung-Hyun Jo, Myunghan Bae, Byoung-Soo Choi, Hong-Kun Lyu, and Jang-Kyoo Shin "High-sensitivity active pixel sensor with variable threshold photodetector", Proc. SPIE 9481, Image Sensing Technologies: Materials, Devices, Systems, and Applications II, 948114 (13 May 2015); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2189913

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available