| US 7,598,481 B2 | ||
| CMOS image sensor and method of driving the same | ||
| Sung-In Hwang, Yongin-si (Korea, Republic of); Yong-Jei Lee, Seongnam-si (Korea, Republic of); Jung-Chak Ahn, Suwon-si (Korea, Republic of); and Ju-Hyun Ko, Seongnam-si (Korea, Republic of) | ||
| Assigned to Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Suwon-Si (Korea, Republic of) | ||
| Filed on Feb. 27, 2007, as Appl. No. 11/679,319. | ||
| Claims priority of application No. 10-2006-0018885 (KR), filed on Feb. 27, 2006. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2008/0035966 A1, Feb. 14, 2008 | ||
| Int. Cl. G01J 1/44 (2006.01); H01L 27/00 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 250—214R [250/208.1; 348/297; 348/302; 348/308] | 20 Claims |
| 1. A complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor including a plurality of pixels each having a tri-transistor
structure, each pixel comprising:
a photodiode that converts light energy into an electrical signal;
a transfer transistor that transmits photocarriers stored in the photodiode to a floating diffusion region;
a drive transistor that has a gate connected to the floating diffusion region and that drives a voltage signal according to
a voltage of the floating diffusion region, the voltage signal being output to an external device; and
a capacitive device that is connected between a control voltage source and the floating diffusion region and, when a sensing
operation of a corresponding pixel is terminated, that deselects the pixel by altering the voltage of the floating diffusion
region according to a control voltage provided by the control voltage source.
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