CMOS Active Pixel Sensor for Digital Cameras: Current State-Of- The-Art
CMOS ACTIVE PIXEL SENSORS FOR DIGITAL CAMERAS: CURRENT STATE-OF-THE-ART Atmaram Palakodety Thesis Prepared for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS May 2007 APPROVED: Saraju P. Mohanty, Major Professor Elias Kougianos, Co-Major Professor Armin R. Mikler, Committee Member and Graduate Coordinator Krishna Kavi, Chair of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering Oscar Garcia, Dean of College of Engineering Sandra L. Terrell, Dean of the Robert B. Toulouse School of Graduate Studies Palakodety, Atmaram. CMOS Active Pixel Sensor for Digital Cameras: Current State-of- the-Art. Master of Science (Computer Engineering), May 2007, 62 pp., 11 tables, 22 figures, references, 79 titles. Image sensors play a vital role in many image sensing and capture applications. Among the various types of image sensors, complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) based active pixel sensors (APS), which are characterized by reduced pixel size, give fast readouts and reduced noise. APS are used in many applications such as mobile cameras, digital cameras, Webcams, and many consumer, commercial and scientific applications. With these developments and applications, CMOS APS designs are challenging the old and mature technology of charged couple device (CCD) sensors. With the continuous improvements of APS architecture, pixel designs, along with the development of nanometer CMOS fabrications technologies, APS are optimized for optical sensing. In addition, APS offers very low-power and low-voltage operations and is suitable for monolithic integration, thus allowing manufacturers to integrate more functionality on the array and building low-cost camera-on-a-chip. In this thesis, I explore the current state-of-the-art of CMOS APS by examining various types of APS.
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