Abstract
The Quanta Image Sensor (QIS) was conceived when contemplating shrinking pixel sizes and storage capacities, and the steady increase in digital processing power. In the single-bit QIS, the output of each field is a binary bit plane, where each bit represents the presence or absence of at least one photoelectron in a photodetector. A series of bit planes is generated through high-speed readout, and a kernel or “cubicle” of bits (x, y, t) is used to create a single output image pixel. The size of the cubicle can be adjusted post-acquisition to optimize image quality. The specialized sub-diffraction-limit photodetectors in the QIS are referred to as “jots” and a QIS may have a gigajot or more, read out at 1000 fps, for a data rate exceeding 1 Tb/s. Basically, we are trying to count photons as they arrive at the sensor. This paper reviews the QIS concept and its imaging characteristics. Recent progress towards realizing the QIS for commercial and scientific purposes is discussed. This includes implementation of a pump-gate jot device in a 65 nm CIS BSI process yielding read noise as low as 0.22 e− r.m.s. and conversion gain as high as 420 µV/e−, power efficient readout electronics, currently as low as 0.4 pJ/b in the same process, creating high dynamic range images from jot data, and understanding the imaging characteristics of single-bit and multi-bit QIS devices. The QIS represents a possible major paradigm shift in image capture.
Highlights
The Quanta Image Sensor (QIS) was conceived in 2004 and published in 2005 [1,2,3,4] as a forward look at where image sensors may go in the 10 to 15-year future as progress in semiconductor device technology would allow sub-diffraction limit (SDL) pixels to be readily implemented, and advancement in circuit design and scaling would permit greater pixel throughput at reasonable power dissipation levels
0.28 er.m.s. read noise when operated in a correlated double sampling (CDS) mode.) The floating diffusion (FD) voltage was photoelectrons from SW Each single electron changed by photoelectrons from
This paper has presented a review of progress to date on Quanta Image Sensor made by the
Summary
The Quanta Image Sensor (QIS) was conceived in 2004 and published in 2005 [1,2,3,4] as a forward look at where image sensors may go in the 10 to 15-year future as progress in semiconductor device technology would allow sub-diffraction limit (SDL) pixels to be readily implemented, and advancement in circuit design and scaling would permit greater pixel throughput at reasonable power dissipation levels. (2) understanding the imaging characteristics of QIS devices; (3) the implementation of pixels (jots) that enable photon counting; (4) low-power readout of high volumes of data (readout of a 1 Gjot sensor at 1000 fps yields a data throughput rate of 1 Tb/s) and (5) on-focal-plane processing to reduce the data volume. Exploration of these issues of the course of the last several years has led to significant advancement in the first four areas with the fifth just being explored now.
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