Global Ramp Uniformity Correction Method for Super-Large Array CMOS Image Sensors

XU Ruiming; GUO Zhongjie; LIU Suiyang; YU Ningmei

doi:10.23919/cje.2022.00.397

Volume 33 Issue 2

Mar. 2024

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Article Navigation > Chinese Journal of Electronics > 2024 > 33(2): 415-422

Ruiming XU, Zhongjie GUO, Suiyang LIU, et al., “Global Ramp Uniformity Correction Method for Super-Large Array CMOS Image Sensors,” Chinese Journal of Electronics, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 415–422, 2024 doi: 10.23919/cje.2022.00.397

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Ruiming XU, Zhongjie GUO, Suiyang LIU, et al., “Global Ramp Uniformity Correction Method for Super-Large Array CMOS Image Sensors,” Chinese Journal of Electronics, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 415–422, 2024 doi: 10.23919/cje.2022.00.397

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Global Ramp Uniformity Correction Method for Super-Large Array CMOS Image Sensors

doi: 10.23919/cje.2022.00.397

1.
Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048, China

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Author Bio:
Ruiming XU is pursuing the M.S. degree in Xi’an University of Technology. His current research interests include high performance mixed signal integration circuit design. (Email: rmxu@stu.xaut.edu.cn)

Zhongjie GUO received the B.S. and M.S. degrees from Xidian University, China, in 2004 and 2007, respectively, and Ph.D. degree in microelectronics engineering from Xi’an Microelectronic Technology Institute, China, in 2012. His current research interests include high performance mixed signal integration circuit design. (Email: zjguo@xaut.edu.cn)

Suiyang LIU was born in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China, in 1997. She received the B.S. degree in integrated circuit design and integrated systems from Xi’an University of Technology in 2019 and the M.S. degree in electronic science and technology from Xi’an University of Technology in 2022. Her research interests include organic photodetectors, TSV, and CMOS image sensors. (Email: 1220310003@stu.xaut.edu.cn)

Ningmei YU received the B.S. degree in electronic engineering from the Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an, China, in 1986, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electronic engineering from Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan, in 1996 and 1999, respectively. She is currently a Professor with the Department of Electric Engineering, Xi’an University of Technology. Her current research interests include very large scale integration circuit design. (Email: yunm@xaut.edu.cn)
Corresponding author: Email: zjguo@xaut.edu.cn
Received Date: 2022-11-22
Accepted Date: 2023-02-14

Available Online: 2023-07-15

Publish Date: 2024-03-05

Abstract

Abstract

Aiming at the problem of the non-uniformity of the ramp signal in the super-large array CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) image sensors, a ramp uniformity correction method for CMOS image sensors is proposed in this paper. Based on the error storage technique, the ramp non-uniformity error is stored. And the input ramp signal of each column is shifted by level-shifting technique to eliminate the ramp non-uniformity error. Based on the 55 nm-1P4M CMOS process, this paper has completed the detailed circuit design and comprehensive simulation verification of the proposed method. Under the design conditions that the voltage range of the ramp signal is 1.4 V, the slope of the ramp signal is 71.908 V/ms, the number of pixels is 8192 (H) × 8192 (V), and a single pixel size is 10 μm, the correction method proposed in this paper reduces the ramp non-uniformity error from 7.89 mV to 36 μV. The differential non-linearity of the ramp signal is +0.0013/−0.004 LSB and the integral non-linearity is +0.045/−0.021 LSB. The ramp uniformity correction method proposed in this paper reduces the ramp non-uniformity error by 99.54% on the basis of ensuring the high linearity of the ramp signal, without significantly increasing the chip area and without introducing additional power consumption. The column fixed-pattern noise is reduced from 1.9% to 0.01%. It provides theoretical support for the design of high-precision CMOS image sensors.
- CMOS image sensors,
- Column fixed-pattern noise,
- Ramp signal generating circuit,
- Ramp uniformity correction method

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References(33)

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