Performance limits in visible and infrared imager sensors

Emerging CMOS image sensors are fundamentally superior to CCD imagers with respect to read noise and sensitivity at video data rates. We discuss each technology's performance limits, show that CMOS's advantages increase with the number of pixels, report supporting data and conclude that CMOS will likely supplant CCDs for megapixel imagers. CCDs can perform at their theoretical limit with minimum read noise of /spl sim/1 e- at 20 kHz data rate and 10-20 e- at /spl sim/10 MHz. CMOS-based image sensors, on the other hand, can provide higher sensitivity and lower read noise at /spl ges/10 MHz via pixel-based amplification and narrow noise bandwidth.