The Theoretical Highest Frame Rate of Silicon Image Sensors

Abstract

The frame rate of the digital high-speed video camera was 2000 frames per second (fps) in 1989, and has been exponentially increasing. A simulation study showed that a silicon image sensor made with a 130 nm process technology can achieve about 1010 fps. The frame rate seems to approach the upper bound. Rayleigh proposed an expression on the theoretical spatial resolution limit when the resolution of lenses approached the limit. In this paper, the temporal resolution limit of silicon image sensors was theoretically analyzed. It is revealed that the limit is mainly governed by mixing of charges with different travel times caused by the distribution of penetration depth of light. The derived expression of the limit is extremely simple, yet accurate. For example, the limit for green light of 550 nm incident to silicon image sensors at 300 K is 11.1 picoseconds. Therefore, the theoretical highest frame rate is 90.1 Gfps (about 1011 fps).

Simulations of CMOS pixel sensors with a small collection electrode, improved for a faster charge collection and increased radiation tolerance

“…The concept of moving the junction from a small area around the collection electrode to a larger area deeper in the sensor has been pursued in developments to combine full depletion with a small collection electrode in monolithic sensors, both for bulk or epitaxial layer technologies [13,14], as well as for Silicon on Insulator (SOI) technologies [15].…”

MHz frame rate hard X-ray phase-contrast imaging using synchrotron radiation

“…The 5 Mfps multiple-bunch XPCI that we have achieved with 110 ns exposures integrating the light from uniformly spaced single-bunches of 2.84 ns periodicity (352 MHz) gives us an idea that after the ESRF upgrade in 2020, a 40 × (110/2.84) increase in flux is enough to achieve GHz frame rate image acquisitions. On the other hand, prospects for Gfps frame rates for silicon image sensors have been put forward [54]. Close to the existing speed limits of CMOS electronics, schemes for GHz (picoseconds timing) hard X-ray imaging by indirect detection using a combination of fast scintillators with avalanche photodiode arrays of high-Z materials and micro-channel plate photomultipliers have also been reported [55].…”

An Image Signal Accumulation Multi-Collection-Gate Image Sensor Operating at 25 Mfps with 32 × 32 Pixels and 1220 In-Pixel Frame Memory

“…The temporal resolution of the camera is determined by the temporal resolution of the sensor chip and the performance of the driver. The temporal resolution of the sensor chip is defined by 2σ of the arrival time of the signal electrons to one of the collection gates, where σ is the standard deviation, as shown in Figure 1 [ 3 ]. The potential profile is designed to decrease the standard deviation of the arrival time of the electrons.…”