WORKSHOP PAPER
Threshold Uniformity Improvement in 1b QIS Readout Circuit
Zhaoyang Yin1,2, Jiaju Ma2, Saleh Masoodian2, Eric R. Fossum1
1Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
2Gigajot Technology, Inc., Pasadena, CA USA

Abstract

A new readout architecture for single-bit Quanta Image Sensor (QIS) consisting of an amplifier before a 1-bit quantizer to improve the threshold uniformity of the readout cluster is proposed in this paper. A 2048x1024 high-speed test chip was implemented with 45nm/65nm stacked backside illuminated (BSI) CMOS image sensor (CIS) process and tested. The measured D-log-H results demonstrate good threshold uniformity in the range of 0.3 to 0.8 e- for all readout clusters at 500 frame per second (fps) equivalent timing with 68 mW power consumption. A coarse photon counting histogram (PCH) is obtained by sweeping quantizer threshold, showing 0.35e- r.m.s. read noise (including jot and readout circuit noise).
Publisher: IISS (Int. Image Sensors Society)
Year: 2021
Workshop: IISW
URL: https://doi.org/10.60928/51ra-ohwj

Keywords

Quanta Image Sensor, Threshold Uniformity, Readout Circuitry,

References

1) E. R. Fossum, "What to do with sub-diffraction-limit (SDL) pixels? —A proposal for a gigapixel digital film sensor (DFS)", IEEE Workshop on CCDs and Adv. Image Sensors, June 9–11, 2005
2) J. Ma, et al., "A 0.19e- rms Read Noise 16.7Mpixel Stacked Quanta Image Sensor with 1.1μm-Pitch Backside Illuminated Pixels", IEEE Electron Device Letters, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1109/led.2021.3072842
3) J. Ma, et al., "Photon-number-resolving megajot image sensor at room temperature without avalanche gain", Optica, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1364/optica.4.001474
4) S. Masoodian, et al., "A 1Mjot 1040fps 0.22e-rms Stacked BSI Quanta Image Sensor with Cluster-Parallel Readout", Int. Image Sensor Workshop, May 30 – June 2, 2017
5) E. R. Fossum, "Paper in progress"
6) D. Starkey, et al., "Determining conversion gain and read noise using a photon-counting histogram method for deep sub-electron read noise image sensors", IEEE J. Electron Devices Soc., 2016. https://doi.org/10.1109/jeds.2016.2536719
7) D. Starkey, et al., "A Novel Threshold Calibration Methodology for Quanta Image Sensors (QIS)", Int. Image Sensor Workshop, June 23 – 27, 2019