Essential Principles Of Image Sensors

Providing a succinct introduction to the systemization, noise sources, and signal processes of image sensor technology, Essential Principles of Image Sensors discusses image information and its four factors: space, light intensity, wavelength, and time. Featuring clarifying and insightful illustrations, this must-have text: Explains how image sensors convert optical image information into image signals Treats space, wavelength, and time as digitized built-in coordinate points in image sensors and systems Details the operational principles, pixel technology, and evolution of CCD, MOS, and CMOS sensors with updated technology Describes sampling theory, presenting unique figures demonstrating the importance of phase Explores causes for the decline of image information quality In a straightforward manner suitable for beginners and experts alike, Essential Principles of Image Sensors covers key topics related to digital imaging including semiconductor physics, component elements necessary for image sensors, silicon as a sensitive material, noises in sensors, and more.

High Performance Silicon Imaging covers the fundamentals of silicon image sensors, with a focus on existing performance issues and potential solutions. The book considers several applications for the technology as well. Silicon imaging is a fast growing area of the semiconductor industry. Its use in cell phone cameras is already well established, and emerging applications include web, security, automotive, and digital cinema cameras. Part one begins with a review of the fundamental principles of photosensing and the operational principles of silicon image sensors. It then focuses in on charged coupled device (CCD) image sensors and complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors. The performance issues considered include image quality, sensitivity, data transfer rate, system level integration, rate of power consumption, and the potential for 3D imaging. Part two then discusses how CMOS technology can be used in a range of areas, including in mobile devices, image sensors for automotive applications, sensors for several forms of scientific imaging, and sensors for medical applications. High Performance Silicon Imaging is an excellent resource for both academics and engineers working in the optics, photonics, semiconductor, and electronics industries. Covers the fundamentals of silicon-based image sensors and technical advances, focusing on performance issues Looks at image sensors in applications such as mobile phones, scientific imaging, TV broadcasting, automotive, and biomedical applications

Shrinking pixel sizes along with improvements in image sensors, optics, and electronics have elevated DSCs to levels of performance that match, and have the potential to surpass, that of silver-halide film cameras. Image Sensors and Signal Processing for Digital Still Cameras captures the current state of DSC image acquisition and signal processing technology and takes an all-inclusive look at the field, from the history of DSCs to future possibilities. The first chapter outlines the evolution of DSCs, their basic structure, and their major application classes. The next few chapters discuss high-quality optics that meet the requirements of better image sensors, the basic functions and performance parameters of image sensors, and detailed discussions of both CCD and CMOS image sensors. The book then discusses how color theory affects the uses of DSCs, presents basic image processing and camera control algorithms and examples of advanced image processing algorithms, explores the architecture and required performance of signal processing engines, and explains how to evaluate image quality for each component described. The book closes with a look at future technologies and the challenges that must be overcome to realize them. With contributions from many active DSC experts, Image Sensors and Image Processing for Digital Still Cameras offers unparalleled real-world coverage and opens wide the door for future innovation.

Revised and expanded for this new edition, Smart CMOS Image Sensors and Applications, Second Edition is the only book available devoted to smart CMOS image sensors and applications. The book describes the fundamentals of CMOS image sensors and optoelectronic device physics, and introduces typical CMOS image sensor structures, such as the active pixel sensor (APS). Also included are the functions and materials of smart CMOS image sensors and present examples of smart imaging. Various applications of smart CMOS image sensors are also discussed. Several appendices supply a range of information on constants, illuminance, MOSFET characteristics, and optical resolution. Expansion of smart materials, smart imaging and applications, including biotechnology and optical wireless communication, are included. Features • Covers the fundamentals and applications including smart materials, smart imaging, and various applications • Includes comprehensive references • Discusses a wide variety of applications of smart CMOS image sensors including biotechnology and optical wireless communication • Revised and expanded to include the state of the art of smart image sensors

This thesis provides a thorough noise analysis for conventional CIS readout chains, while also presenting and discussing a variety of noise reduction techniques that allow the read noise in standard processes to be optimized. Two physical implementations featuring sub-0.5-electron RMS are subsequently presented to verify the proposed noise reduction techniques and provide a full characterization of a VGA imager. Based on the verified noise calculation, the impact of the technology downscaling on the input-referred noise is also studied. Further, the thesis covers THz CMOS image sensors and presents an original design that achieves ultra-low-noise performance. Last but not least, it provides a comprehensive review of CMOS image sensors.

This book presents how metasurfaces are exploited to develop new low-cost single sensor based multispectral cameras. Multispectral cameras extend the concept of conventional colour cameras to capture images with multiple color bands and with narrow spectral passbands. Images from a multispectral camera can extract significant amount of additional information that the human eye or a normal camera fails to capture and thus have important applications in precision agriculture, forestry, medicine, object identifications, and classifications. Conventional multispectral cameras are made up of multiple image sensors each externally fitted with a narrow passband wavelength filters, optics and multiple electronics. The need for multiple sensors for each band results in a number of problems such as being bulky, power hungry and suffering from image co-registration problems which in turn limits their wide usage. The above problems can be eliminated if a multispectral camera is developed using one single image sensor.​

This book explores the operating principles of complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors, their architecture, readout circuits, and characterisation techniques. The book focusses on the pinned photodiode (4T) pixel and also describes the three transistor (3T) design and other pixel architectures. Device operation is explained throughout with the support of technology computer-aided design (TCAD) semiconductor simulations. Characterisation techniques of CMOS image sensors are discussed in detail, including the use of the photon transfer curve (PTC) for determining the many device parameters. Solved examples are included with the purpose of helping readers gain an understanding of the practical use of the formulas. The main audience includes physicists and engineers in image sensor characterisation and development. Key Features: Includes many semiconductor device and circuit simulations as a tool to illustrate the operating principles. Covers both the semiconductor physics and the most important electronic circuits comprising a CMOS image sensor. Presents solved examples and a list of the most important "take-aways" within each chapter. Discusses some specialised topics, such as charge collection, sources of dark current, reflective barriers, backside illumination and potential gradients. Provides detailed analysis of the noise sources and the readout techniques in CMOS image sensors. Covers the on-chip readout circuits at transistor level and presents the essential off-chip electronics with practical examples.

Time-of-flight (TOF) cameras provide a depth value at each pixel, from which the 3D structure of the scene can be estimated. This new type of active sensor makes it possible to go beyond traditional 2D image processing, directly to depth-based and 3D scene processing. Many computer vision and graphics applications can benefit from TOF data, including 3D reconstruction, activity and gesture recognition, motion capture and face detection. It is already possible to use multiple TOF cameras, in order to increase the scene coverage, and to combine the depth data with images from several colour cameras. Mixed TOF and colour systems can be used for computational photography, including full 3D scene modelling, as well as for illumination and depth-of-field manipulations. This work is a technical introduction to TOF sensors, from architectural and design issues, to selected image processing and computer vision methods.