Active pixel sensor architectures for large area medical imaging

Abstract

The most widely used architecture in large area amorphous silicon (a-Si) flat panel imagers is a passive pixel sensor (PPS), which consists of a detector and a readout switch. While the PPS has the advantage of being compact and amenable towards high-resolution imaging, reading the low PPS output signal requires external circuitry such as column charge amplifiers that produce additional noise and reduce the minimum readable sensor input signal. This work presents voltage and current mediated active pixel sensor (APS) on-pixel readout circuits for diagnostic medical imaging to minimize the effect of external readout noise sources. Preliminary results indicate excellent APS linearity along with a high programmable gain.