A Low Readout Noise CMOS Pixel Based on the Skipper Technology

CMOS image sensors with parallel readout architecture have the advantages of low cost, low power consumption, and easy integration. However, its noise performance becomes an important factor affecting the application in low-light conditions. The Skipper technology uses the floating gate output stage to repeatedly sample the charges in each pixel, which could effectively reduce the readout noise. In this paper, a Skipper technology-based pixel design is introduced for the CMOS image sensor. It utilizes a pinned photodiode (PPD) as the photosensitive element and the charges are sampled multiple times within the pixel. A model of the pixel structure is built in Silvaco TCAD, based on which the performance of the pixel is simulated. The results show that applying the Skipper technology in a CMOS image sensor can lower the readout noise, making it possible for a CMOS image sensor to be widely used in low-light applications in the future.