Random Telegraph Noises from the Source Follower, the Photodiode Dark Current, and the Gate-Induced Sense Node Leakage in CMOS Image Sensors

Chao, Calvin Yi‐Ping; Yeh, Shang-Fu; Wu, Meng-Hsu; Chou, Kevin; Tu, Honyih; Lee, Chih-Lin; Yin, Chin; Paillet, Philippe; Goiffon, Vincent

doi:10.3390/s19245447

Cited by 15 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Both proton and γ irradiation have been found to cause RTS in semiconductor devices like CMOS image sensors and GM-APDs with active areas as small as 0.8 µm [19][20][21][26][27][28]. Increasing the size of the active area mitigates RTS as fewer defects will be able to affect charge transport through the semiconductor [21].…”

Section: Random Telegraph Signalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Repeated γ Irradiation and Thermal Annealing via Built-In Thermo-Electric Coolers of Si Avalanche Photodiodes

Wu,

Chowdhury,

Soe

et al. 2024

Preprint

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When operating in space, on-board Silicon Geiger-Mode Avalanche Photodiodes (GM-APDs) are exposed to radiation damage that result in an increase in dark count rates. Thermal annealing has been found to mitigate the damage, although prior studies have largely focused on annealing following a single session of proton irradiation. This work reports that thermal annealing can be performed simply with the built-in thermo-electric coolers of the GM-APDs. Annealing was also done in 10 min intervals for a clearer view of the recovery curve. Mitigation of damage from repeated γ radiation was observed from the: (1) halving of the increase in dark count rates on average and (2) outperformance of room temperature annealing (25°C) by 33%. Additionally, we show that heavy doses of γ radiation (21 krad) have a probability of causing Random Telegraph Signals in GM-APDs that can be suppressed by lowering the operating temperature.

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Section: Random Telegraph Signalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Repeated γ Irradiation and Thermal Annealing via Built-In Thermo-Electric Coolers of Si Avalanche Photodiodes

Wu,

Chowdhury,

Soe

et al. 2024

Preprint

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“…It is well known that CMOS detectors exhibit "random telegraph noise" (RTN), which is evident as a long tail in the distribution of pixel noise levels of bias or dark images that extends to many times (up to 10 or 100) the median of the distribution (e.g., Chao et al 2019). This RTN is a phenomenon that results from capture and release of electrons by defects in the gate oxide of the detector.…”

Section: Bias and Pixel Noisementioning

confidence: 99%

Introducing the Condor Array Telescope. I. Motivation, Configuration, and Performance

Lanzetta¹,

Gromoll²,

Shara³

et al. 2023

PASP

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The “Condor Array Telescope” or “Condor” is a high-performance “array telescope” comprised of six apochromatic refracting telescopes of objective diameter 180 mm, each equipped with a large-format, very low-read-noise (≈1.2 e−), very rapid-read-time (<1 s) CMOS camera. Condor is located at a very dark astronomical site in the southwest corner of New Mexico, at the Dark Sky New Mexico observatory near Animas, roughly midway between (and more than 150 km from either) Tucson and El Paso. Condor enjoys a wide field of view (2.29 × 1.53 deg2 or 3.50 deg2), is optimized for measuring both point sources and extended, very low-surface-brightness features, and for broad-band images can operate at a cadence of 60 s (or even less) while remaining sky-noise limited with a duty cycle near 100%. In its normal mode of operation, Condor obtains broad-band exposures of exposure time 60 s over dwell times spanning dozens or hundreds of hours. In this way, Condor builds up deep, sensitive images while simultaneously monitoring tens or hundreds of thousands of point sources per field at a cadence of 60 s. Condor is also equipped with diffraction gratings and with a set of He ii 468.6 nm, [O iii] 500.7 nm, He i 587.5 nm, Hα 656.3 nm, [N ii] 658.4 nm, and [S ii] 671.6 nm narrow-band filters, allowing it to address a variety of broad- and narrow-band science issues. Given its unique capabilities, Condor can access regions of “astronomical discovery space” that have never before been studied. Here we introduce Condor and describe various aspects of its performance.

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“…However, because of its high noise magnitude and trimodal noise signature, the RTN pixels are usually shown in the low-light images as "blinking" pixels and have strong degradation to the image quality. The RTN in CIS is well known to be linked to the trapping/emission events of the defects-induced energy states inside the pixels, especially inside the Si-gate oxide interface in the SF channel, e.g., [81]- [93]. Other RTN sources have also been observed in CIS [83], [84], [93], such as the photodiode dark current induced RTN and the gate-induced drain leakage (GIDL)induced RTN.…”

Section: Sf Temporal Noisementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The RTN in CIS is well known to be linked to the trapping/emission events of the defects-induced energy states inside the pixels, especially inside the Si-gate oxide interface in the SF channel, e.g., [81]- [93]. Other RTN sources have also been observed in CIS [83], [84], [93], such as the photodiode dark current induced RTN and the gate-induced drain leakage (GIDL)induced RTN.…”

Section: Sf Temporal Noisementioning

confidence: 99%

Review of Quanta Image Sensors for Ultralow-Light Imaging

Ma¹,

Chan

Fossum

2022

IEEE Trans. Electron Devices

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The quanta image sensor (QIS) is a photoncounting image sensor that has been implemented using different electron devices, including impact ionizationgain devices, such as the single-photon avalanche detectors (SPADs), and low-capacitance, high conversion-gain devices, such as modified CMOS image sensors (CIS) with deep subelectron read noise and/or low noise readout signal chains. This article primarily focuses on CIS QIS, but recent progress of both types is addressed. Signal processing progress, such as denoising, critical to improving apparent signal-to-noise ratio, is also reviewed as an enabling coinnovation.Index Terms-CMOS image sensor (CIS), denoising, image quality, low-light sensor, photon-counting image sensor, quanta image sensor (QIS), subelectron read noise. I. INTRODUCTIONC OUNTING every photon is as sensitive as physics presently allows in measuring light. To count photons incident on the faceplate, optical losses must be minimized, detector quantum and collection efficiencies must be maximized, and detector dead times minimized. Measurement of ultralow quanta (light) flux using single photomultiplier tube (PMT) detector photon counting was suggested as early as the 1960s, e.g., [1]-[3]. A digital photon-counting image sensor using APDs was suggested by Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai (NHK) [4]. In 1996, a hybridized photon-counting image sensor readout integrated circuit (ROIC) was investigated by Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) [5] and the first solid-state single-photon avalanche detector (SPAD) was introduced [6].

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Random Telegraph Noises from the Source Follower, the Photodiode Dark Current, and the Gate-Induced Sense Node Leakage in CMOS Image Sensors

Cited by 15 publications

References 35 publications

Repeated γ Irradiation and Thermal Annealing via Built-In Thermo-Electric Coolers of Si Avalanche Photodiodes

Repeated γ Irradiation and Thermal Annealing via Built-In Thermo-Electric Coolers of Si Avalanche Photodiodes

Introducing the Condor Array Telescope. I. Motivation, Configuration, and Performance

Review of Quanta Image Sensors for Ultralow-Light Imaging

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