Keywords
Citation
(2006), "Agilent Technologies announce industry's first 1.3 megapixel CMOS image sensor with enhanced-performance pixel architecture", Microelectronics International, Vol. 23 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/mi.2006.21823aad.001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2006, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Agilent Technologies announce industry's first 1.3 megapixel CMOS image sensor with enhanced-performance pixel architecture
Agilent Technologies announce industry's first 1.3 megapixel CMOS image sensor with enhanced-performance pixel architecture
Keywords: Sensors, Image sensors
Agilent Technologies have introduced a single-chip 1.3 megapixel CMOS image sensor featuring an enhanced- performance (EP) pixel architecture that allows mobile phones and computing devices to take sharper, truer color photos in all lighting conditions. The new image sensor, with its 10× reduction in noise, eliminates the CMOS-CCD image- quality gap and targets high-image- quality megapixel mobile phone, computing, security and industrial applications.
The sensor's on-chip image processing and JPEG compression eliminates the need for a space- consuming, power-hungry companion chip and reduces design complexity and time to market. Agilent's proprietary EP pixel architecture leverages several design innovations, such as 3D pixel e-field shaping(1), to better address the three major challenges faced by all CMOS image sensors: keeping noise down in very low-light conditions, maintaining true color uniformity for sharpness and color accuracy, and improving pixel consistency through reduced manufacturing variability.
The EP pixel architecture maximises photodiode area in a highly symmetric 3.3 mμ active-pixel design that provides a 10× reduction in dark current and surface-state noise for richer, more brilliant color-image reproduction. In addition to lower noise and dark current, it delivers lower crosstalk, higher blue sensitivity and true correlated double sampling. It also includes patent-pending innovations that significantly reduce image lag for superior results in low-light and video applications.