A High-Dynamic-Range Integrating Pixel With an Adaptive Logarithmic Response

A majority of charge-coupled device and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor imaging sensors obtain a linear response by integrating the photocurrent in the pixel. This is a simple transduction method; however, the dynamic range of the resulting pixels is smaller than that of many scenes. A biologically inspired approach to solving this problem is to create a pixel with a logarithmic response. A new design for an integrating pixel with a logarithmic response is presented in this letter. The theory of operation of the pixel is described before results are reported that show that the pixel has an adaptive response and a dynamic range of more than 120 dB.