A new readout circuit for an ultra high sensitivity CMOS image sensor

We have developed a new readout circuit for highly sensitive CMOS image sensors. The circuit makes it possible to obtain high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) by effectively transferring signal charges accumulated in the photo-diode (PD) to a smaller capacitance. We fabricated and tested a CMOS image sensor with the readout circuit, and confirmed that it has higher sensitivity than conventional passive-type CMOS image sensors.