ABSTRACT
This chapter provides trade-offs involving complementary metal–oxide semiconductor (CMOS) imagers in the field of radiation detection. The constant improvement of CMOS imaging technology not only revolutionized the consumer market but represented also a step change in radiation detection instrumentation. The chapter describes first how radiation is detected in silicon and then move to the effects of such radiation on CMOS devices. Any incident radiation interacts with the silicon substrate, often resulting in electric charge being generated. CMOS image sensors are becoming more and more common in the detection of charged particles. Radiation hardness and a good signal/noise ratio are very important characteristics to be considered. The chapter summarizes the main sources of noise in CMOS image sensors. Analysis of MOS transistors noise plays a crucial role in understanding noise sources and possible mitigation strategies in CMOS imagers. The chapter presents a typical CMOS image sensor architecture, including some of the most common pixel topologies.
