ABSTRACT
Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors have been the subject of extensive research and development and surpass the market with charge coupled device (CCD) image sensors, which have dominated the field of imaging sensors for a long time. CMOS image sensors are fabricated based on standard CMOS large scale integration fabrication processes, while CCD image sensors are based on a specially developed fabrication process. Column-parallel processing can enhance the performance of CMOS image sensors, for example, by widening the dynamic range and increasing the speed. The amplified metal-oxide-semiconductor imager can be fabricated using the standard CMOS technology without any modification; however, its pixel structure is the same as that of the active pixel sensor (APS). The image quality of a 4T-APS can compete with that of the CCDs. A significant concern with 4T-APSs is their large pixel size compared to that in the CCDs. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
